As the world's biggest social network with over 2 billion monthly active users, Facebook has naturally become one of the biggest video sites — while apparently lying about its metrics to get more advertisers — in hoping to rival YouTube for the time people spend watching stuff on their phones, tablets, laptops or TV. But unlike YouTube, Facebook doesn't yet have an offline-view feature. This means if you are wondering how to download Facebook videos, it's not as simple as hit the download button and done. If you've ever wondered how you can download Facebook videos on your choice of device — Android, iPhone, iPad, Mac, Windows, or Linux — here's how you can go about it.
What you should choose from below depends on how frequently you think you're going to do this. If it's a once-in-a-blue-moon thing, choose the website route. If you plan to download Facebook videos regularly, a browser add-on or an external app might serve you better. Here's how you can download Facebook videos on Windows, Mac, or Linux.
How to download Facebook videos on a Windows laptop or Mac, using a website
There are dozens of websites that claim to help download videos from Facebook, and fbdown.net is one of the neater options. There isn't much art to this, just follow these steps to download Facebook videos:
- Right-click on the Facebook video you want to download and choose Copy video URL at current time
- Head over to fbdown.net
- Paste the link where it asks you to and click Download
- On the next page, choose between normal (SD) or HD quality
- Right-click the video and choose the option to save the video on your computer
How to download Facebook videos on a Windows laptop or Mac, using an app
Among apps, 4K Video Downloader is one of the best options as it supports multiple platforms — Windows, Mac, and Linux — and offers quality options, ranging from 240p to 2K. (Facebook doesn't allow 4K videos, the app's name comes from its ability to download 4K YouTube videos.)
Here's how to use 4K Video Downloader to download Facebook videos:
- Visit 4kdownload.com to download 4K Video Downloader, and then install it
- In any browser, right-click on the Facebook video you want to download and choose Copy video URL at current time
- Open 4K Video Downloader and click Paste Link
- The app will pull the video link from clipboard. Pick the video quality you desire and click Download
How to download Facebook videos on Android or iPhone
You could use an app on Android devices, but they all either look like as if their UI hasn't been updated since Android Froyo or ask you to sideload it. Sideloading could compromise the security of your device, and that's why we don't recommend it. We also don't feel comfortable recommending apps with poor UI that haven't been updated in years, so it's best to do this via a browser on your Android phone.
On iOS devices, the app route is even more troublesome, as you will either need a desktop app called Cydia Impactor that will ask you for your Apple credentials to generate a certificate for a third-party app or worse, have to jailbreak your Apple device. Just say no to both, as that might compromise your device's security.
The browser route is much more convenient and safer, honestly. Follow these steps:
How to download Facebook videos on Android
Just follow these steps to download Facebook videos on Android:
- Open the Facebook video you want to download in the Facebook app or the website
- On the app, hit share and then tap Copy Link. On the website, copy the link in the URL bar
- Open fbdown.net in a browser that supports downloading. Most Android browsers do, including Chrome
- Paste the link where it asks you to and click Download
- On the next page, tap and hold on the quality — normal or HD — you desire if you're using Chrome. On Firefox, just tap on the link, and then tap and hold on the video
- Choose Download Link in Chrome, Save Video in Firefox, or the equivalent in your browser
- The video will be saved in your Downloads folder. Check your browser settings for save location, if it's not in there
How to download Facebook videos on iPhone or iPad
Just follow these steps to download Facebook videos on your iPhone or iPad:
- Open the Facebook video you want to download in the Facebook app or the website
- On the app, hit share and then tap Copy Link. On the website, copy the link in the URL bar
- Open fbdown.net in a browser that supports downloading. Safari and Chrome don't, Firefox does
- Paste the link where it asks you to and click Download
- On the next page, tap and hold on the quality — normal or HD — you desire
- Choose Download Link in Firefox, or the equivalent in your browser
- Go to your browser's download section. On Firefox, it can be found via the hamburger icon on the bottom-right on iPhone (it's on the top-right on iPad). Once there, tap on the video. Choose ‘Save Video'
- Go to the camera roll in Photos app, the video will appear there
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