Buzz
Have you found a video on Facebook and wish to download it? Are you worried that the uploader might delete it before you can watch it? Or perhaps you want to save it to your phone for later viewing? To fulfill these desires, you need to download the video from Facebook. Follow the steps in this guide to download any video on Facebook, even if the uploader has set it to private!
Steps
Download a Video from Facebook
Check if the video was uploaded directly to Facebook. Facebook allows users to share video links from various platforms. Users can also upload videos directly to Facebook. You can view the video’s source below the preview and title. If there is no source link visible, it means the video was uploaded directly to Facebook.
- If the video was uploaded from another site like YouTube, you can refer to the related guide.
Right-click on the video link. Select “Copy link address” from the dropdown menu. Alternatively, you can play the video, right-click on the video, select Show video URL, and then Copy the URL from the browser's address bar.
- The URL will look something like “http://facebook.com/photo.php?v=xxxxxxxxxxxxx” or “http://facebook.com/video/video.php?v=xxxxxxxxxxxxx”.
Go to a Facebook video download service. You can find many websites like this online. These sites often contain ads and numerous fake download buttons. Be sure to click the Download button next to the text box. If your browser has an ad-blocker, it will make it easier for you to spot the real download button on these pages.
Paste the URL into the text box. Click the Download button on the right. The page will assist you in downloading the desired video.
- If you see a message that the video you're about to download is set to Private, simply click on Private Video Downloader and follow the provided instructions.
Right-click on the download link. The video may be available in Low Quality or High Quality. Choose the quality that suits your needs. Right-click on the download link and select “Save link as…” to save the file. You can rename the file and choose the destination folder on your computer.
- The video will likely be in .mp4 format, so you’ll need a compatible video player to view it on your computer.
Download Private Videos on Facebook
Open Facebook in Google Chrome. You will need to use Chrome Web Developer tools to find the link to a private video. Chrome is a free browser, which you can download from Google.
Open the link to the video you want to download. It’s best to open the video on the same page.
Click the Chrome menu button. This button is located at the top-right corner and looks like ☰. Hover over “More tools” and select “Developer tools”. A small bar will appear at the bottom of the webpage.
- Click the “Undock” button. To do this, click the three vertical dots at the bottom-right corner and select “Undock into separate window”. This will make it easier to access Developer tools.
Click the Network tab in Developer tools. You will see a list of the applications running on the webpage.
Play the video. To view the video, you need to play it from start to finish in the Facebook window. Once the video finishes playing, click on the “Type” column to sort the displayed items by file type. Scroll down until you find the “video/mp4” file type. This file will be listed under media.
- If you’ve played the video but can’t find the file, keep the Developer tools page open and reload the Facebook page containing the video. Play the video from start to finish. You may need to repeat this step multiple times to find the video.
Right-click on the video link under the 'Name' column. Select 'Open link in new tab.' This will open a new tab that only contains the video.
Tip
- You will need a compatible video player to play the downloaded file. If you face issues, try using VLC Media Player!
