With Facebook albums containing valuable memories and photos you want to keep, it’s important to know how to properly save these albums to your device’s camera roll so you have them backed up and can access them offline. Thankfully, Facebook makes it possible to download full albums from both the desktop and mobile app with just a few clicks. Here’s a comprehensive guide on how to save Facebook albums to your camera roll on iPhone, Android, and from a computer.
Saving a Facebook Album on iPhone
The iPhone makes it simple to save an entire Facebook album to your Photos app with just a tap. Here’s how to do it:
- Open the Facebook app on your iPhone.
- Go to the album you want to save. Tap on the album from your Timeline or News Feed.
- Tap on the three dots “…” icon in the top right corner.
- Select “Save Album” from the menu.
- This will save the full album to your Camera Roll in the Photos app. You’ll see a confirmation message when it’s completed.
And that’s all there is to it! The album will now be accessible in your Photos app offline. You can go to the Albums tab and see it saved along with your other images and videos.
Checking Album Status
If the album has a lot of high-resolution photos, it may take some time to fully save. To check on the status:
- Go to your Photos app
- Tap “Albums” at the bottom
- Scroll down and find the Facebook album
- If there is a cloud icon next to it, it is still saving
- When the cloud icon disappears, the album is fully saved
You will be able to view the album while it saves, but leave the Photos app open until it finishes to allow the save process to continue.
Saving Facebook Albums on Android
The process for saving Facebook albums to your camera roll on Android devices is very similar to iPhone.
Here are the steps:
- Open the Facebook app on your Android phone.
- Navigate to the album you want to save from your Timeline or News Feed.
- Tap the three dots “…” icon in the top right corner.
- Select “Save Album” from the menu.
- The album will now save to your device’s camera roll folder.
You will see a notification when the album finishes saving, then you can access it through your Photos app like normal.
Finding Saved Albums
To locate your saved Facebook albums on an Android device:
- Open the Photos app
- Swipe in from the left side to open the menu
- Tap “Albums”
- Scroll down to find the Facebook album
If you have a lot of albums, you may have to scroll down quite a bit to locate it. The naming will match what the album is called on Facebook.
Using a Computer to Save Facebook Albums
You can also save your Facebook albums to your computer for safekeeping and offline access. Here’s how:
- Go to Facebook.com on your computer browser.
- Click on the album you want to save from your homepage.
- Click the three dots “…” icon at the top right of the album.
- Select “Download Album.”
- Choose the download location on your computer.
- The full album will download to the selected folder.
The album will be in a zipped folder that contains all the images. You can unzip this folder to access the photos individually.
Choosing Download Quality
When downloading the album, you have the option to choose the quality of the photos:
- Low quality: Small file size but lower photo resolution.
- Medium quality: Decent resolution for most uses.
- High quality: Larger files but maximum resolution.
Choose based on how you plan to use the photos. Low quality works for web usage, while high is best for printing or editing.
| Quality | Resolution | File Size |
|---|---|---|
| Low | 640×480 px | Small |
| Medium | 1280×720 px | Average |
| High | Full original | Large |
Saving Albums on Mobile Through Facebook Links
An alternative way to save Facebook albums to your mobile device is by using download links.
Here’s how it works:
- On your computer, go to the album page.
- Click the three dots and choose “Copy Link.”
- This copies the album’s unique URL.
- Text or email yourself this link.
- Open the link on your phone and it will open the album.
- Tap the three dots and choose “Save Album” to download it.
While a bit more complex, this method allows you to quickly get the album URL from your computer, then initiate the download directly from your phone by opening the link.
Saving Albums You’re Tagged In
Albums that you’re tagged in can also be saved to your camera roll. Here’s how:
- Go to your profile and open “Photos of You.”
- Find the album you’re tagged in and open it.
- Tap the three dots icon.
- Select “Save Album” and it will download.
The same steps apply on both mobile and the desktop website. This lets you archive memorable albums even if they were created by someone else.
Saving Albums You’re Mentioned In
In addition to albums you’re tagged in, you can also save albums where you’re mentioned in captions:
- Go to your profile and open “Posts You’re Mentioned In.”
- Find the album mention and open the album.
- Tap the three dots and choose “Save Album.”
Again, this works both on mobile and on the desktop site. It’s a handy way to save albums where you may not be tagged but are called out in the text.
Saving Shared Albums
For albums that have been shared with you specifically:
- Go to the “Shared with Me” section under Photos.
- Open the shared album.
- Tap the three dots.
- Select “Add to My Albums.”
This will both save the album and add it to your main list of albums on your own profile.
Downloading Albums Shared in Groups
To save albums shared in Facebook Groups:
- Go to the group and open the album post.
- Click the three dots at the top.
- Choose “Download Album” to save it.
Keep in mind you will only have access to these albums while you remain a member of the group.
Troubleshooting Issues Downloading Albums
While Facebook albums are easy to download most of the time, you may occasionally encounter issues. Here are some troubleshooting tips:
- Check your internet connection – A weak or unstable connection can disrupt the download.
- Restart your device – Shut down and restart your phone or computer to clear any memory issues.
- Update the Facebook app – An outdated version may have download bugs.
- Free up storage space – Your device may not have enough storage to complete the download, so try deleting unused apps and files.
- Try re-requesting the album link on a computer if on mobile – Sometimes the mobile downloads fail even after multiple tries.
For shared or tagged albums you can’t directly download, you can also manually save each photo one by one. Just tap on each image individually and save it.
Conclusion
Saving Facebook albums provides an easy way to back up your memories while decluttering your social media profile. Whether you want to preserve special life events, have offline access, or free up space on Facebook, downloading albums to your camera roll and devices ensures these photos remain safely stored and organized. Using the album saving feature on both mobile and desktop takes just seconds, giving you peace of mind that your favorite pictures will stay protected.