Facebook Reels allow users to create and share short-form videos up to 60 seconds long. When watching Reels in your feed, you’ll notice that some are cropped to preview just a portion of the full video. This is done to condense vertical videos into the horizontal feed display. However, there are a couple ways to watch Reels videos in their entirety on Facebook.
Watching Full Reels in the Facebook App
The easiest way to watch a Facebook Reel in full is to simply tap on it. This will open the Reel in full-screen portrait mode, allowing you to view the complete video from start to finish.
When you tap a Reel to view it full screen, you’ll also get additional options like liking, commenting, sharing, and following the creator. You can swipe up to access these controls. Tap the X in the upper-right corner when you’re ready to exit full-screen mode.
Using Full Screen Mode in Your Browser
If you’re accessing Facebook from your computer’s web browser, Reels will appear cropped horizontally as they do in the mobile app feed. To view them vertically in full, you can right-click the Reel and select “Open video in new tab” or “Open video in new window” from the menu.
This will open the Reel on its own page in full vertical mode. You can then click the full screen icon (which looks like four arrows pointing outward from a square) to make the video take up your entire display. Exit full screen by pressing the ESC key or by clicking the icon again.
Searching for Full Length Reels
You can also search for Reels that are full length instead of previews. To do this from Facebook’s homepage or news feed on mobile:
- Tap the search bar at the top
- Type “#FullReels” and hit search
This will display results showing you longer, full length Reels rather than cropped preview versions. Using hashtags like #FullReels is a way for creators to label their videos as being the complete, vertical product rather than a cropped horizontal preview.
From a computer browser, you can also search for “#FullReels” the same way to find full length videos.
Using Facebook Watch
Facebook Watch is the platform’s dedicated hub for videos including Reels. Here you can browse and view full length Reels in vertical mode rather than previews.
To access Facebook Watch:
- Tap the Menu icon (three horizontal lines) on mobile
- Scroll down and tap Facebook Watch
This will open the Watch feed, where you can scroll through and view complete Reels. When opened from Watch, Reels will play in full vertical mode by default.
Save Reels to Watch Later
As you come across Reels you want to watch in full that are showing as previews, you can save them to view complete later.
To save a Reel:
- Tap the three dots above the cropped preview
- Select “Save Video”
This will add the Reel to your Saved section on profile. To access saved Reels:
- Go to your profile
- Tap Saved
- Select Reels
From here you can scroll through and open any saved Reels to watch vertically in full.
Using Reels Playlists
Facebook allows you to add Reels to playlists for easy viewing later. After creating a playlist, you can add both full length and preview Reels. When opened from the playlist, the Reels will play in full vertically.
To create and add Reels to a playlist:
- Tap the + sign in the Facebook app and select Reels
- Tap My Reels > Create New Reels Playlist
- Give the playlist a name and tap Create
- To add Reels, tap + on your new playlist
- Search for and select a Reel to add it
You can then go to your profile and open the playlist to watch saved Reels in full vertical mode.
Using Reels in Facebook Groups
In Facebook Groups, Reels will display vertically in full rather than as cropped previews. When you come across a preview Reel that you want to see complete, you can share it to a Group to view it full screen.
To share a Reel preview to a Group:
- Tap the three dots above the cropped Reel preview
- Select Share
- Tap the Group you want to share it to
Once shared, open the Group and you’ll be able to view, watch, and engage with the full length Reel.
Downloading Reels
If you want to save a Reel permanently and watch it repeatedly in full vertical mode, you can download it to your device’s local storage.
To download a Reel on iOS:
- Tap the three dots on the Reel preview
- Tap Share > Save Video
- Go to your Facebook Saved folder in your profile
- Tap the three dots on the saved Reel and select Download
On Android:
- Tap the three dots on the Reel preview
- Tap Download
This will save the Reel video file to your camera roll or downloads folder so you can access it offline.
Using the Reels Web Player
Facebook offers a Reels web player that allows you to watch Reels vertically and in full screen from your computer browser.
To use it:
- Go to any Reel preview in your browser
- Right click and copy the URL of the preview
- Go to https://www.facebook.com/reel/player
- Paste the Reel URL into the white box
- Hit enter or click Load
This will open the Reel in the web player vertically and full screen. Use the on-screen controls to pause, play, and rewind as needed.
Conclusion
While Facebook’s feed previews Reels horizontally and cropped, there are many ways to access the full vertical videos. Tapping previews, using Facebook Watch, saving Reels to profile or playlists, sharing to Groups, downloading, and using the Reels web player all allow you to view complete Reels in their original vertical form. So next time you see a preview Reel you want to watch in its entirety, use one of these methods to access the full video.
| Method | How To |
|---|---|
| Tap the preview | Tap the cropped Reel preview to open full screen |
| Browser full screen | Open Reel in a new tab and click the full screen icon |
| Search #FullReels | Search this hashtag to find full length vertical Reels |
| Use Facebook Watch | Find full Reels in the Watch video hub |
| Save Reels | Save preview Reels to watch complete later |
| Use playlists | Add Reels to playlists to watch full versions |
| Share to Groups | Share previews to Groups to see them vertical and full |
| Download Reels | Save Reels to your device’s storage |
| Reels web player | Load Reel links to watch in the desktop player |