How do I download directly from Facebook?

With over 2 billion monthly active users, Facebook is one of the most popular social media platforms for sharing photos, videos, and other media. While Facebook makes it easy to view and share media on their site, downloading content directly from Facebook for personal use or backup can be tricky. There are a few different methods users can try to save photos, videos, and other files from Facebook.

Can I download photos or videos posted on Facebook?

Yes, it is possible to download photos and videos that have been posted to Facebook, either by yourself or by your friends. However, Facebook does not provide a direct “download” button for media like other sites do. This is because Facebook wants users to engage with content on their platform instead of taking it elsewhere. Despite this, there are workarounds that allow users to save Facebook media to their device storage or cloud services.

Saving photos and videos on mobile

The easiest way to save photos and videos from Facebook is by using the Facebook mobile app on your iOS or Android device. Here are the steps:

1. Open the Facebook app and find the photo or video post you want to save.
2. Tap on the photo/video to open it.
3. Look for the 3-dot menu button in the top-right and tap it.
4. Select “Save Video” or “Save Photo” depending on the media type.
5. The photo or video file will now be saved to your device’s storage. You can access it from your phone’s media gallery app.

Saving photos and videos on desktop

To save media files from Facebook using a desktop web browser, the steps are similar:

1. Go to www.facebook.com in your web browser and locate the post with the photo/video.
2. Click on the photo/video to open the full-size view.
3. Right-click on the opened image/video frame and choose “Save Video As…” or “Save Image As…”
4. Select a download location on your computer like Documents, Desktop, etc.
5. The media file will now be saved. Locate it in your chosen folder.

This allows you to download and save virtually any photos or videos you come across on Facebook. Do keep in mind that if the media was not posted by you, downloading it for personal use may be an infringement of the poster’s copyright.

How can I download my Facebook photos and videos in bulk?

Manually saving each photo or video from Facebook one at a time can be extremely tedious. Luckily there are better options to mass download all your Facebook media or backups in just a few clicks.

Using the Facebook app

The Facebook mobile app has a built-in tool for downloading your photos and videos in bulk:

1. Open the Facebook app and tap the three-line Menu button.
2. Scroll down and select “Settings & Privacy” then “Settings”.
3. Tap on “Media and Contacts”.
4. Under “Media Management”, select “Photos and Videos”.
5. Tap “View Photos and Videos” to bring up your media library.
6. In the top-right corner, tap the three-dot button and choose “Download Photos/Videos”.
7. Select all photos/videos or just the ones you want to save.
8. Tap “Download” to save copies to your device storage.

Using Facebook’s Download Your Information tool

Facebook also provides users with a “Download Your Information” self-service tool for exporting all kinds of personal data from your account. This includes your photos, videos, posts, profile info, and more. To use it:

1. Go to facebook.com/dyi in your desktop web browser.
2. Click “View” to access the Download Your Information page.
3. Select “Photos and Videos” under the “Media” section.
4. Choose your desired date range and media quality.
5. Click “Create File” to start generating your downloadable archive.
6. Once ready, you will receive a notification to download your media.
7. Save the .ZIP files containing your photos and videos collection.

This gives you a comprehensive archive with all your Facebook media that you can keep as a backup.

How to download my Facebook data for account backup

In addition to downloading just your media from Facebook, you can backup and export all data associated with your account using the Download Your Information tool:

1. Go to facebook.com/dyi and login.
2. Deselect all data types.
3. Scroll down and enable “Deselect All”.
4. Now select only “Photos and Videos” and “Posts”.
5. Choose the desired date range for backup.
6. Select “High” media quality.
7. Click “Create File”.
8. Once ready, download the data archive files.

This will give you a ZIP folder with your Facebook photos, videos, and a complete record of your timeline posts and activities for safekeeping.

Third-party apps to download Facebook media and data

There are also third-party apps and software available to backup and export your Facebook data:

• Beehive – Online web app to download Facebook photos, videos, and data.
• Social Book Post Manager – Desktop software for Windows and Mac to backup Facebook media.
• FBDown – Browser extension to save Facebook videos.
• SaveFrom.net Helper – Browser extension to download Facebook media.

These tools can provide faster and more flexible options for downloading and organizing your Facebook content compared to Facebook’s own tools.

Is it legal to download media from Facebook?

The legalities around downloading and reusing content from Facebook depend on whether you own the media, or have permission from the content owner:

• It is perfectly legal to download and save your own photos and videos that you uploaded to your Facebook account.
• If someone has shared a photo, video, or other media that they own with public access, it may violate their copyright to download that content without permission.
• If you want to reuse, remix, or redistribute media belonging to someone else, you must get their explicit consent first.

In essence, you have full rights over media you originally created and uploaded. But taking media created by others requires the owner’s authorization even if it was published publicly on Facebook.

Best practices for downloading from Facebook

Here are some best practices to follow when downloading content from Facebook:

• Whenever possible, only download your own media that you directly uploaded.
• Check the privacy and sharing settings of any media not created by you before downloading.
• If you want to reuse media from friends or pages, ask for permission beforehand.
• Use Facebook’s tools responsibly in accordance with their terms of service.
• Organize and back up any Facebook media you download into separate storage.
• Delete the downloaded Facebook files when you no longer need them.

Exercising caution around downloading media that belongs to others will help avoid potential copyright issues.

Conclusion

While Facebook does not have a direct media download function, there are workarounds that enable users to save photos, videos, and other content to their devices or cloud storage. Mobile apps, desktop tools, browser extensions, and third-party software provide ways to bulk download entire Facebook media libraries or full account data for backup purposes. However, copyright restrictions apply when downloading media you do not own. Always get consent from the content owner first before reusing media from friends or public pages. By following best practices, you can safely save Facebook content important to you for personal archival use.