There are a few different Chrome extensions that can be used to download photos from Facebook. The most popular and highly rated extension for this purpose is DownAlbum.
DownAlbum is a free extension that allows you to easily download all photos from a Facebook profile, page, group or album directly from the Facebook website. It supports downloading single photos, multiple photos, entire albums and even all photos from a profile or page.
Some key features of DownAlbum include:
- Download photos in their original quality – no compression or resizing
- Batch download multiple photos or entire albums with one click
- Supports public and private profiles, pages, groups and albums
- Download photos posted by yourself or others
- Save photos organized neatly into folders on your computer
In this article, we will cover everything you need to know about using DownAlbum to download Facebook photos.
Installing the DownAlbum Extension
Installing DownAlbum is quick and easy. Just follow these steps:
- Open the Chrome Web Store and search for “DownAlbum”
- Locate the DownAlbum extension listed as offered by “DownAlbum Software”
- Click “Add to Chrome” to install it
- A pop-up will appear, click “Add Extension”
- DownAlbum is now installed!
Once installed, you will see a new DownAlbum icon added to the top right corner of your Chrome browser. This allows quick access to the extension whenever you want to download Facebook photos.
Installing on Other Browsers
DownAlbum is available exclusively as a Chrome extension. It will not work on other browsers like Firefox, Safari, Edge, etc.
However, if you primarily use a different browser, don’t worry! There are similar extensions available:
| Browser | Extension |
|---|---|
| Firefox | Facebook Download Photo |
| Safari | FastSave for Facebook |
| Edge | Facebook Image Downloader |
The features and download process is generally the same across these extensions. Simply search for them in your browser’s app store.
With DownAlbum installed, you are ready to start downloading Facebook photos. Let’s go over how to use it.
Downloading Single Photos
Downloading individual photos with DownAlbum is very straightforward:
- Navigate to the Facebook photo you want to download
- Click the DownAlbum browser extension icon
- A dropdown will appear with the photo preview and folder save options
- Select which folder you want to save the photo to
- Click “Download”
The photo will begin downloading right away into the selected folder. The default Downloads folder will be chosen if you do not pick another option.
You’ll see a notification from DownAlbum after the download is complete. Then simply access the photo from whichever folder you chose!
Public vs Private Photos
DownAlbum can download both public and private Facebook photos you have access to.
For public photos, DownAlbum can download them directly from any profile or page. For private photos limited to friends, you just need to be logged into your Facebook account that’s friends with the profile.
Batch Downloading Multiple Photos
Manually downloading each photo separately can become tedious. Fortunately, DownAlbum has a batch downloading feature that lets you download entire photo albums or multiple photos at once with a single click.
Here is how to batch download Facebook photos:
- Go to the Facebook album or profile page containing the photos
- Click the DownAlbum extension icon
- Check the boxes next to each photo you want to download
- Select a save folder at the bottom
- Click “Download Selected” to start the batch download
All checked photos will begin downloading to your selected folder. This makes grabbing many photos from an album or page incredibly easy.
Downloading Full Photo Albums
For albums with lots of photos, rather than checking each one manually, use the “Download Album” option.
This will detect all photos in the album and download them with one click. Just click the extension, pick a folder, and click “Download Album”.
Downloading Profile and Cover Photos
Beyond regular photos, DownAlbum can also grab profile pictures and cover photos from Facebook profiles and pages.
To do this:
- Go to the profile or page you want
- Click the DownAlbum extension icon
- Click “Download Profile Photo” or “Download Cover Photo”
- Select a save folder and click “Download”
This provides an easy way to save profile and header images you want to keep or use elsewhere.
Grabbing Photos of Specific People
When browsing someone’s profile, you can use DownAlbum’s “Download Person’s Photos” option to grab all photos of that person in one batch.
This detects and downloads all photos on their profile where they are tagged. It’s great for quickly getting photos of a certain friend or family member from their profile.
Accessing Downloaded Photos
By default, DownAlbum will save all your downloaded photos organized into folders on your computer.
You can find your downloads by:
- Opening the DownAlbum extension and clicking “View Downloads”
- Going directly to the folder location:
- Windows: Downloads > DownAlbum
- Mac: Users/[User Name]/Downloads > DownAlbum
- Accessing your computer’s Downloads folder, the default location
The folder structure groups photos into sub-folders based on the album or page name. This keeps photos neatly organized.
You can then access, view, edit or share the photos as you normally would on your computer.
Changing Download Folders
Want to save downloaded Facebook photos somewhere other than Downloads?
DownAlbum allows setting a custom default download folder:
- Open the DownAlbum Chrome extension
- Click “Settings”
- Under “Default Download Folder”, click Change
- Browse and select the new folder
- Click OK to save
Now photos will save to your chosen folder unless you override it for a specific download.
Downloading Videos
In addition to photos, DownAlbum also supports downloading Facebook videos.
The process is the same:
- Navigate to the Facebook video
- Click the DownAlbum extension
- Select folder to save video
- Click Download
The video will be saved as an MP4 file that you can then watch on your computer. You can batch download multiple videos at once too.
Converting Videos to MP3
DownAlbum has a handy option to download videos as MP3 audio files instead. This converts and saves just the audio track.
To do this:
- Follow the steps to download a video
- Before clicking Download, check “Convert Video to MP3”
- Click Download
The video will now be downloaded and converted to an MP3 audio file.
Login Settings
To download private photos you are authorized to access, DownAlbum needs you to be logged into Facebook.
When you first install and open DownAlbum, it will prompt you to login to Facebook to enable private photo downloads.
If you are not logged in, it will only be able to download public photos. Make sure to login with the Facebook account that has access to the photos you want.
Multiple Accounts
If you use multiple Facebook accounts, you can log into DownAlbum with additional accounts too.
To add accounts:
- Open the DownAlbum extension
- Click your profile picture > Manage accounts
- Click Add account and log in with the additional account
This will let you seamlessly access private photos from all your connected accounts.
Troubleshooting Downloads
DownAlbum is generally very reliable at downloading Facebook photos without issues. But here are some troubleshooting tips for common problems:
Can’t Download Private Photos
- Make sure you are logged into DownAlbum with the account friends with the profile
- Double check the privacy settings on the profile or album
- Try temporarily changing the privacy to Public to test the download
Very Slow Download Speeds
- Try closing and reopening the DownAlbum extension
- Check your internet connection speed and restart your router if needed
- Avoid using DownAlbum during peak internet usage hours in your area
- Pause and resume the download to restart the connection
Extension Not Working
- Refresh the Facebook page and try again
- Force quit and restart the Chrome browser
- Check for DownAlbum extension updates
- Try fully uninstalling and reinstalling the extension
Following these tips should get DownAlbum downloading your Facebook photos again smoothly.
Advanced Features
Beyond the basics, DownAlbum has a few advanced features that provide added functionality:
Photo Captions
When downloading albums or batches of photos, enable the “Captions” setting to save each photo’s caption text in a separate text file. This includes the photo description and any comments.
Filename Customization
Want to customize how files are named when downloaded? Adjust the filename settings:
- Original filename – Uses Facebook’s original filename for the photo
- Custom name – Enter a custom naming pattern using tags like {caption} or {date}
Private Link Access
Normally, DownAlbum needs you logged into Facebook to download private photos. Optionally, you can access photos from a private link without logging in by entering the direct URL.
This can be useful for grabbing photos from links shared outside of Facebook.
Facebook Download Limits
Facebook does enforce some limits on how many photos you can download:
- Single user profiles – Up to 5000 total photos
- Single albums – Up to 1000 photos
- Single page profiles – Up to 10,000 total photos
These are rolling limits, so your count resets as existing photos get deleted over time.
DownAlbum will alert you if you exceed a limit while downloading. Consider spreading out very large downloads over multiple sessions to avoid hitting the limit.
Downloading Photos from Instagram
Photos from Instagram accounts can also be downloaded with DownAlbum. Even private profiles if you’re logged in!
Public Instagram Photos
To download public Instagram photos:
- Go to the user’s Instagram profile page
- Click the DownAlbum extension icon
- Click “Download Instagram Photos”
- Select a folder and click “Download”
This will download all photos from that Instagram profile.
Private Instagram Photos
For private profiles, first log into your Instagram account in DownAlbum via Settings > Add account.
Then visit the private profile and download the photos – your login will grant access. You can also download your own private photos this way.
Instagram Photo Captions and Metadata
Enabling the “Captions” setting in DownAlbum will also grab captions and metadata from Instagram downloads, saving them in separate text files.
Limits
Instagram has stricter limits, only allowing up to 100 photos downloaded per profile. Consider spreading downloads over several sessions to stay under the limit.
Other Supported Sites
In addition to Facebook and Instagram, DownAlbum can download photos from a few other sites:
Google Photos
Download private and public photos from connected Google Photos accounts.
Flickr
Download full resolution photos and albums from Flickr profiles.
Imgur
Quickly save image and album uploads from Imgur.
Tumblr
Grab all images from any Tumblr blogs.
Support for downloading from these additional sites makes DownAlbum more versatile as a full social media download tool.
Premium Version
DownAlbum has an optional premium paid version that unlocks some extra capabilities:
- Download Facebook videos in HD
- Faster unlimited downloads
- Simultaneously download from multiple accounts
- Premium support
A lifetime premium upgrade is available for a one-time fee. This may be worthwhile for power users downloading lots of media.
The free version of DownAlbum still offers full core functionality though sufficient for most needs.
Alternate Tools
Let’s discuss a couple popular alternate tools for downloading Facebook photos:
4K Stogram
4K Stogram is a multi-site downloader supporting Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and more. It offers similar core downloading features to DownAlbum.
However, the interface is a bit more technical and less user-friendly. But an option for those open to a different tool.
FBDown
FBDown is another Facebook specialist download tool. It has a nice straightforward interface and good performance.
One key advantage is the ability to backup and archive full conversations and comments. But overall features are limited compared to DownAlbum.
While there are other options, DownAlbum remains the top recommendation specifically for Facebook and Instagram photos.
Conclusion
Downloading photos from Facebook is made quick and easy with the DownAlbum Chrome extension. It enables grabbing individual photos, batches, or whole albums with one click.
Core features include:
- Download photos in original full quality
- Batch download multiple photos, albums or profile photos
- Save photos organized into folders
- Download public and private photos you have access to
- Support for downloading Facebook videos
- Also download photos from Instagram and other sites
DownAlbum takes the hassle out of trying to manually save photos from Facebook. Install it as a Chrome extension and start building your collection!