You clicked Save video, found it later in your Saved list, and thought the job was done. Then one day the post was gone, and so was your copy.
Facebook's Save button keeps a bookmark, not a file
This is the most useful thing to understand about saving on Facebook. The Save video option only adds a pointer to your Saved list. Nothing is copied to your device.
The moment the author deletes the post, changes who can see it, or closes their account, your bookmark leads nowhere.
It is a reading list, not a backup. Fine for "I will watch this tonight". Useless for "I want to keep this".
If the video is yours, Facebook hands it over
Before reaching for anything else, check whether the video is yours. Facebook has built-in ways to get it, and they give you the real file.
Reels you posted yourself can be downloaded straight from the reel, though the options differ for posts made before and after September 2025. (Facebook Help)
A live you hosted can be downloaded to your computer once the stream has ended, as long as you have not deleted it. You will find it in your video library, with a download option in the top-right corner. (Facebook Help)
And if you want everything at once, Facebook's download-your-information export includes the media you have shared. It is slow and arrives as a zip file, but it is complete.
How to save someone else's video in 3 steps
Copy the video link
Click the date under the post to get its address, or use the … menu then Copy link. On a phone, Share then Copy link.
Paste it into the extractor
Open the Facebook downloader and paste. Every kind of Facebook link works, short ones included.
Download the MP4
The best available quality is picked for you, with the sound included.
Save your Facebook video now
Paste any public Facebook link and get an MP4, audio included. No account needed.
Open the downloaderPublic or private: the line that decides everything
A video posted publicly by a page, a creator or an open group can be taken from its link. A video limited to friends, or posted in a closed group, cannot.
Getting to it would mean signing in as you. And giving your Facebook password to another site is a bad deal in every case. That account is usually tied to your real name, your photos, and often your logins elsewhere.
Open the link in a private browsing window. If the video plays without asking you to log in, it is public and you can save it. If Facebook shows a login screen, it is not — and no other tool will change that.
Every kind of Facebook link
Facebook hands out a lot of different link shapes, which makes people think theirs is wrong when it is fine:
| Shape | Where it comes from |
|---|---|
| fb.watch/… | The share menu on a phone |
| facebook.com/watch/?v=… | The Watch tab |
| facebook.com/…/videos/… | A page or profile post |
| facebook.com/reel/… | A Facebook Reel |
| m.facebook.com/… | The mobile site |
| facebook.com/share/v/… | The newer share format |
They all lead to the same video. The short ones are redirects that have to be followed first, which is why they sometimes take a moment longer.
Not everything in your feed is a Facebook video
A lot of failed downloads come from one misunderstanding: the video playing in your feed is not always hosted by Facebook.
When someone shares a YouTube link, Facebook shows an embedded player. The post is on Facebook. The video is not. Same for links from Vimeo, Twitch, or a news site with its own player.
The clue is the post itself. A Facebook video fills the post and shows Facebook's own controls. A shared link shows a preview card with a website name under it. If you see a website name, use that site's downloader instead.
Facebook Stories have their own clock
Stories on Facebook work like Instagram's: they vanish after 24 hours, and once gone the file is no longer sent. Nothing brings them back afterwards.
If a story matters, deal with it the same day.
Why HD is not guaranteed
Facebook keeps several versions of each video, but not every video has an HD one. Clips filmed on an old phone, or reposted several times over, may only exist in low quality.
When that happens, no downloader can do better, because the better file does not exist. Facebook also tells publishers to upload at 1080p or below, so 1080p is realistically the ceiling.
Reposting is the real quality killer. A video downloaded and reuploaded four times has been squeezed four times, and it shows.
On iPhone, Android and computer
Nothing to install anywhere. On iPhone the file goes to Files, under Downloads; long-press, Share, then Save Video moves it to your camera roll. On Android it goes to Downloads and appears in the gallery on its own. On a computer, it follows your browser's usual folder.