Have you ever faced challenges when attempting to download and watch a Facebook video offline? Sadly, there’s no official way to download videos from Facebook, unlike some premier streaming services such as YouTube Premium or Netflix. Directly downloading videos from Facebook is not permitted by the platform. While there is a “save” option for Facebook videos, it only stores them on your Facebook profile.
Downloading a video from Facebook is possible as long as it’s set to public. For Windows, Mac, and Android users, the process involves copying and modifying the video link. On the other hand, iPhone users need to use third-party FB downloader apps.
Wondering how to download Facebook videos? Luckily, this blog will tell you the simple and easy steps to download Facebook videos from your computer’s web browser and on the Facebook Android and iOS apps.
How to save a video on Facebook to watch later
Before diving into the process of permanently downloading videos from Facebook, there might be instances when you simply wish to save a video within the platform for easier access later on – think of it as “bookmarking” a video.
- Identify the video you want to save for future viewing.
- Click or tap on the ellipsis icon (three horizontal dots) located in the top right corner of the video post.
- Select “Save video” from the menu that appears.
All of your saved videos will be stored in your Facebook profile, you can watch them whenever you need.
On a computer, navigate to the top menu and click on “Watch” – the icon resembling a computer monitor with a play button in the middle. From there, select “Saved Videos.”
On a mobile device, click on your profile icon, tap the three horizontal lines, commonly referred to as a “hamburger menu,” and then select “Saved.”
How to Download Facebook videos on the desktop
Follow the below steps to download any facebook videos on your computer.
- Open your desktop browser and navigate to the Facebook website. Choose the video you wish to download.
- Click on “Share” and then select “Copy link.”
- Paste the copied link into a new browser tab. If the link appears shortened, like “fb.watch,” hit Enter to expand it to a complete URL starting with https://www.facebook.com.
- Modify the URL in the address bar by replacing “www.” with “mbasic.” and press Enter.
- You’ll now be directed to a simplified mobile view. Click the play button to initiate the video. If it doesn’t open in a new tab, right-click on the video and choose “Open in a New Tab.”
- Right-click on the playing video and select “Save Video As.”
- Choose a location on your computer and save the video.
- Alternatively, click the three-dot menu in the lower-right corner and choose “Download.” The browser will save the video to the default download location.
How to download Facebook videos on Android phones
Downloading Facebook videos on your Android phone using the default Google Chrome browser is very simple.
- Open the Facebook app on your Android phone.
- Launch a video and tap the three-dot menu located in the upper-right corner.
- Choose “Copy link.”
- Open Chrome browser and paste the copied video link.
- Play the video and perform a long tap on it.
- Select “Download video.”
- To access this downloaded video go to the Downloads folder or your video gallery on your mobile.
Follow the same method to download FB videos for Samsung mobile devices.
How to download a Facebook video on iPhone
On iPhone, directly downloading Facebook videos using the mobile web players on Safari or Google Chrome isn’t supported. Instead, we rely on a third-party service that makes it easy to download Facebook videos on your iPhone.
- Open Facebook and select the video you wish to download.
- Tap “Share” and choose “Copy link.”
- Launch Safari and navigate to the savefb.app website.
- Paste the link into the provided box and tap the “Download” button.
- Allow a few seconds for the video to be processed.
- When presented with the option to download in various resolutions, select the “Download” button next to your preferred resolution.
- Confirm the operation by tapping the “Download” button in the popup window.
The video will now be saved to your iPhone.
Warning – Exercise caution before downloading any videos from Facebook, and refrain from using downloaded content for commercial purposes. Engaging in such practices may result in legal consequences, as it involves the use of copyrighted material without the owner’s explicit consent.
