Like most social media platforms, Facebook does not directly allow a user to download videos posted on it. At the most, you can save it or download it to watch it later on the site without data usage. But, to download the video to the storage of your computer requires an external agent.
This agent comes in the form of a facebook video downloader. These can come in the form of a website, a software application or a browser extension. Depending on the frequency with which you download Facebook videos, you can choose whether you want an online video downloader, an application or an extension.
In all these cases, the initial steps are common, while the steps involving the FB video downloader itself differ from one to the other. These are as follows:
- Open Facebook and go to the video you want to download.
- Right-click on the video and press “Copy video URL”; alternately, you may click on the ellipsis on the top-right of the post, click on “Embed”, then on “Advanced Settings” in the window that appears and copy the link in the “URL of video” text bar.
- Now, do one of the three actions below:
- Search and click on a video downloader in your computer that supports FB videos. Now paste the copied link in the search bar. A preview of the video may load. Now choose the format and quality you want to download the video in and press “Download”.
- Install an FB downloader extension for your browser. It is best to do this right in the beginning. In most cases, copying the link will then automatically activate a pop-up that loads and displays download options for the video. Choose the desired one and click on “Download”.
- Have a video downloader app installed. After copying the link, open the software. You may have to manually paste the URL or the software may automatically detect it and provide the download options. Click on the one you want and press “Download”.
- You can now view the video from the “Downloads” folder, or whichever folder has been specified as default in your computer.
If you are downloading a video from a public page, you can do it without logging in to your FB account. However, videos from a private page or group can only be downloaded if you are logged in to Facebook. It must be mentioned here that videos on private pages are, by logic, not meant for sharing. So, always ask their permission before downloading a video from a private account.
It is also worth mentioning that whether you use an online downloader, an application or an extension to download FB MP4 videos should be dictated by the frequency with which you download them. If you download quite frequently, it is advisable to use an extension as this will eliminate the need to toggle between the browser tab and the downloader tab or window. For occasional downloads, use software and for those who rarely download, an online downloader is best.
