Turning a Facebook link into a video can be a great way to share Facebook content in a different format. Whether you want to embed a Facebook video on your website, use Facebook videos in presentations, or just save them for offline viewing, converting a Facebook link to video is easy with the right tools.
Obtain the Facebook Video Link
The first step is to get the proper link to the Facebook video you want to convert. You can’t simply take a link to a Facebook post – you need the specific link that goes directly to that video file on Facebook’s servers.
To get the video link, go to the Facebook video post on either the desktop website or mobile app. Click the dropdown menu in the top right corner of the post and choose “Copy Link”. This copies the post URL to your clipboard.
Paste this URL into a new browser tab. At the end of the URL you should see something like /videos/123456789123456/. This is the unique ID for that specific video file. Replace everything before that with https://www.facebook.com to get the direct video link.
For example, if the post link you copied was:
https://www.facebook.com/NASA/posts/1234567890
You would convert it to the video link:
https://www.facebook.com/videos/1234567890
Download the Facebook Video File
Now that you have the direct video link, you can use an online tool to download the actual video file. There are a number of free converter tools and websites available.
Here are some recommended options:
- SaveFrom.net – Converter and downloader for YouTube, Facebook, and many other video sites.
- FbDown.net – Specialized for downloading Facebook videos.
- VideoProc – Video converter and editor with options to download Facebook videos.
Just paste the Facebook video URL into one of these tools. You’ll be able to download the video in MP4 format. The quality options available will vary depending on the original source video.
Embed a Facebook Video
Once you’ve downloaded the Facebook video, you can embed it into a website or blog just like any other video file.
Upload the MP4 file to your site’s media library or host it on a dedicated video platform like YouTube or Vimeo. Then use the embed code provided to add the video to your content.
For example, here is sample HTML code to embed a video from YouTube:
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VIDEO_ID" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Just replace VIDEO_ID with the unique ID from your hosted video URL. Customize the width and height attributes as needed to fit your site’s content area.
Convert Facebook Video to MP3
You may also want to extract just the audio from a Facebook video post. This allows you to listen to the audio offline or integrate it into podcasts and other audio content.
Use an online audio converter tool to extract the sound from a Facebook video and save it as an MP3 file. Some options include:
- VideoProc – Converter with options to extract Facebook video audio.
- OnlineVideoConverter – Supports extracting audio from Facebook and many other video sites.
- Online Audio Converter – Allows input of Facebook video URLs to convert video to MP3.
The process is similar to downloading the full video. Just input the Facebook video URL and convert to MP3. You can then download the audio-only version of the video.
Edit a Facebook Video
You may want to trim, crop, resize, or otherwise edit a Facebook video before sharing or using it elsewhere. Here are some ways to edit Facebook videos:
Online Editors
Tools like Clipchamp, Kapwing, and WeVideo offer basic online video editing right in your browser. Just upload the Facebook video and use their interfaces to crop, trim, add text/graphics, change resolution, and more.
Desktop Editing Software
For more advanced editing, use paid software like Adobe Premiere, Final Cut Pro, or DaVinci Resolve. Import the Facebook video into your project timeline and edit it like any other footage with pro tools and effects.
Mobile Apps
On your smartphone you can use apps like VivaVideo, VideoShow, FilmoraGo, or Splice to edit your Facebook videos. Features may be more limited than desktop tools but provide basic trimming and filters.
Screen Record a Facebook Video
An alternative to downloading the video file is to simply screen record the Facebook video playing on your computer. This captures a video of the video playing on your screen.
Quicktime Player on Mac or the Xbox Game Bar on Windows 10 allow you to easily screen record any on-screen content. There are also dedicated screen recording tools like OBS Studio.
Simply start your screen recording, play the Facebook video in your browser, then stop recording once it ends. You’ll now have a new video file of the Facebook video playing.
Facebook Video File Formats
Facebook uses the following video formats and codecs:
| Format | Codecs |
|---|---|
| MP4 | H.264, AAC |
| MOV | H.264, AAC |
| AVI | MPEG-4 Visual, MP3 |
| WMV | VC-1, WMA |
| FLV | H.264, AAC |
The most common format used on Facebook is MP4 with H.264 video and AAC audio. This provides high quality while minimizing file size.
Facebook Video Resolution
Facebook videos display at up to 1080p HD resolution when played on the website. However, the native upload resolution varies depending on the source:
| Source | Resolution |
|---|---|
| Uploaded Video | 720p HD (1280×720) |
| Recorded on Mobile | Varies based on phone camera |
| Facebook Live | 360p SD (640×360) |
| IGTV Video | 1080p HD (1920×1080) |
Higher resolution video will have larger file sizes. So a trade-off is made between resolution and upload convenience. Videos can be transcoded to lower resolutions after uploading for efficient streaming.
Facebook Video Length Limits
Facebook enforces maximum video lengths on different types of videos:
| Video Type | Max Length |
|---|---|
| General Upload | 120 minutes |
| Facebook Live | 8 hours |
| IGTV Upload | 60 minutes |
| Story Video | 15 seconds |
| Ad Video | 240 minutes |
Any video longer than the limit must be split into multiple parts before uploading to Facebook’s servers.
Conclusion
Converting a Facebook video link to a shareable file is easy with the right tools. By downloading, screen recording, or embedding you can reformat Facebook videos to use almost anywhere. Editing options allow you to customize the video before sharing.
Understanding Facebook’s video specifications around formats, resolution, and length limits helps ensure your converted videos meet requirements. With this guide you have all the key information for converting Facebook links to videos you can use offline or on other platforms.