How to save Facebook videos and Reels

Facebook has no download button for most videos, and the ones you find in your browser's developer tools are often silent. The reason is the same as on several other platforms: Facebook streams picture and sound separately. This guide shows how to save a public Facebook video or Reel as one normal MP4, on a phone or a computer, and explains why some videos cannot be saved at all.

What works

Videospeichern can save:

• public videos posted by pages and profiles,
• public Reels,
• Watch videos and clips shared with an fb.watch short link.

Each comes as an MP4 with its sound, and optionally as an MP3 of the audio alone. Facebook photo posts are not read; the Facebook video downloader is for videos only.

What does not work is anything Facebook hides from people who are not logged in: videos shared with friends only, posts in private or closed groups, and videos that have been removed. Videospeichern never logs in to Facebook, so it sees exactly what a logged-out visitor sees.

Step 1: copy the link

In the Facebook app: tap Share under the video and choose Copy link. For a Reel, the Share button sits on the right edge of the screen.

In a browser: open the video so it plays on its own page, then copy the address from the address bar. Addresses such as facebook.com/watch?v=…, facebook.com/reel/…, facebook.com/<page>/videos/… and fb.watch/… all work. Share links of the form facebook.com/share/… are expanded automatically.

Step 2: paste and save

Open the Facebook downloader, paste the link into the field and wait for the Facebook chip to appear. Then tap Save. The result card appears once the video has been read.

Step 3: pick HD, SD or MP3

Facebook usually offers two or more resolutions of a video. The card lists them with the sharpest at the top, along with an estimated size. Choose the top row for the best picture, or a lower one if you are short on space or on mobile data.

When you tap Save, a short countdown runs while the file is prepared. Then the download starts on its own. If nothing happens, use Didn't start? Download again.

For the soundtrack alone, choose MP3 · audio only.

Why the file has sound

Many Facebook videos are delivered as two streams, one with the picture and one with the audio, which Facebook's player combines while you watch. If you grab only the picture stream, you end up with a silent video. Videospeichern fetches both and joins them into a single MP4 while it downloads, without re-encoding either stream. The explainer on HLS and DASH goes into how these streams work.

Where the file goes

• iPhone (Safari): the Downloads folder in the Files app. Open the file, tap Share and Save Video to move it into Photos.
• Android (Chrome): the Download folder in internal storage, where gallery apps find it.
• Computer: your browser's download folder, usually called Downloads.

The guide on finding downloaded videos on iPhone and Android covers the phone side step by step.

"This video needs a login"

This is the most common message with Facebook links, and it has a few causes:

1. The audience is limited. The video was shared with friends, friends of friends or a custom list. Only those people can see it, and only while logged in.
2. It sits in a private group. Group posts are only visible to members.
3. It was removed. Deleted videos, and videos Facebook has taken down, show a login page or an error to logged-out visitors.
4. Facebook asked for a login anyway. Now and then Facebook shows a login wall to logged-out visitors even for public content, especially after many requests from one network. Waiting a little and trying again can help.

In the first three cases there is nothing any downloader can do without logging in as someone who is allowed to see the video, and Videospeichern does not do that. The guide on why private posts cannot be downloaded explains the reasoning.

Live videos

A Facebook live video can only be saved after it has ended and been published as a regular video. While it is still live there is no finished file to download.

Keeping it fair

Page owners and creators hold the rights to their videos. Saving a public clip to watch later, or keeping a copy of a video you posted yourself, is a common and harmless use. Re-uploading someone else's video is not something Videospeichern can make legal. The guide on whether downloading social media videos is legal sets out the facts.