With over 2 billion monthly active users, Facebook is one of the most popular social media platforms today. People use Facebook to stay connected with friends and family, join interest groups, get updates from brands and public figures, and more. One common activity on Facebook is watching videos, which can range from funny clips to informative tutorials.
You may find a video on Facebook that you want to save and keep on your phone’s gallery. However, Facebook doesn’t make it straightforward to download and save videos directly to your phone. While there are Facebook apps that allow saving videos, you may not want to download another app just for this purpose.
Fortunately, there are methods to save Facebook videos to your Android or iPhone gallery without needing a separate app. This article will provide step-by-step instructions to easily save videos from Facebook using just your mobile browser.
Saving Facebook Videos on Android
Here is how to save Facebook videos on an Android phone or tablet without an app:
- Open the Facebook app on your Android device and find the video you want to save.
- Tap on the three dots in the upper right corner of the video post.
- Select “Copy Link” from the dropdown menu.
- Open your Chrome or other browser on the device.
- Paste the video link you copied into the search bar and search.
- Tap on the video to play it.
- Tap on the three dots in the upper right corner to open a menu.
- Choose “Download” from the menu.
- The video will now download onto your device into the “Download” folder.
- Go to your device’s Files/Downloads folder and you will find the Facebook video there.
- You can now move the video to your photos gallery or other folder on your device.
And that’s it! By copying the Facebook video link and opening it in your browser, you can download the video directly without any extra apps. The process may vary slightly on different Android devices, but the general instructions are the same.
Saving Facebook Videos on iPhone
Here are the steps to save Facebook videos on an iPhone or iPad without an app:
- Open the Facebook app and find the video post you want to save.
- Tap on the three dots at the top right corner of the video post.
- Select “Copy Link” from the menu.
- Open Safari or another browser on your iPhone.
- Paste the link you copied into the search bar.
- Tap the video to play it.
- Tap and hold on the video as it plays.
- Select “Download Video” from the popup menu.
- The video will download to your Photos app into an album called “Downloads” or similar.
- Go to your Photos app and you’ll find the Facebook video saved there.
- You can move the video to another album or shared folder on your device.
The process is very similar to Android. Just copy the video link, open in browser, and hold to download. The downloaded video may be saved to a different album on iOS, but you can easily access it in your Photos app.
Tips for Saving Facebook Videos
Here are some useful tips to keep in mind when saving videos from Facebook:
- Make sure you have enough storage space on your phone before downloading videos.
- It’s easier to save the video if you first copy the link on the Facebook app, then paste into a browser.
- Some Facebook videos can’t be downloaded due to privacy settings or copyright. You’ll get an error message if this is the case.
- You may need to log into Facebook in your mobile browser in order to download videos.
- The video quality may decrease slightly after downloading compared to playing it directly on Facebook.
- If you want to post the video elsewhere, make sure you have permission or rights to share that content.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
Here are some common troubleshooting tips if you have issues saving Facebook videos on your phone:
Can’t find the video link
– Update the Facebook app to the latest version. Older versions may not have the Copy Link option.
– Try viewing the video in a browser on your PC. You should be able to right-click and copy the link there.
Video won’t download from browser
– Make sure you are clicking the video to play it before tapping Download.
– Check if the video has download restrictions due to privacy or copyright rules.
– Videos longer than a few minutes may have issues downloading. Try shorter videos.
Downloaded video has no sound
– This can happen with some video formats. Try an online converter to convert the file to MP4 with audio.
– Re-download the video and the sound should now work.
Video disappears from device gallery
– Saved videos may get deleted automatically after a certain time. You can change this setting in your phone’s storage settings.
– Try moving the video to a different folder or marking it as a Favorite to avoid automatic deletion.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it legal to download videos from Facebook?
It is generally legal to download videos from Facebook for personal use, as long as you own the content or have permission to use it. However, you should not re-upload or share the content elsewhere without permission, as that can violate copyright laws.
Will downloading videos reduce their quality?
There may be a slight reduction in video quality after downloading compared to streaming directly on Facebook, but it should not be a significant difference. The extent of quality change depends on the original video resolution and file size.
Can I download videos posted in private Facebook groups?
If the video is posted in a private group that you’re a member of, you can download it using the same method. But you likely won’t be able to share it elsewhere since the content is private to group members only.
What are the best video formats to download from Facebook?
MP4 and MOV formats usually work best for downloading and saving Facebook videos. These formats preserve the original video quality while taking up a moderate amount of file space.
How do I download longer videos from Facebook?
Longer videos like live streams or videos over 20 minutes may not download properly using the mobile browser method. For longer videos, consider using a desktop browser and downloader extensions to save the full-length files.
Conclusion
Saving videos from Facebook to your Android or iPhone gallery is simple to do without requiring any extra apps. Just copy the video link from the Facebook app, open it in your mobile browser, and use the download option. The videos will be saved to your local storage for easy access anytime.
Following these straightforward steps, you can build up an offline collection of your favorite videos from Facebook. Just make sure to only download videos you own or have permission to use. With the convenience of mobile browsers, you no longer need to install multiple apps just to save videos from one social media platform.