How to download Facebook videos on iPhone, iPad, desktop (2024 guide)

Stumbled upon an interesting video on Facebook and want to save it to your iPhone? While Facebook allows you to save videos to watch later within the app, there isn’t an official way to download them directly to your device.

How to download Facebook videos on iPhone, iPad, and Desktop

Thankfully, it’s possible with a few workarounds. Keep reading, and we’ll show you how to use them to download Facebook videos on an iPhone, iPad, or desktop.

How to download Facebook videos to your iPhone or iPad

Below are some handy ways to download videos from Facebook on your iPhone or iPad. You may choose from any of these methods as per your preference.

1. Download a Facebook video on an iPhone using an iOS shortcut

One of the simplest ways to download Facebook videos to your iPhone or iPad is by using the iOS Shortcuts app. There’s a shortcut called Facebook Video Downloader that makes this process a breeze. I prefer this method because you don’t need to install any third-party app and give them access to your gallery.

First, set up the shortcut on your iPhone or iPad using the following steps:

Go to the Facebook Video Downloader shortcut page.
Tap Get Shortcut, and it’ll redirect you to the Shortcuts app.
Select the Add Shortcut button.
Next, go to the App Store and search for the a-Shell mini app.
Tap the Get button to download the app.

Once you’ve installed the shortcut and the required app, you can download a Facebook video using the shortcut like this:

Access the Facebook video and tap the Share button under the post.
Select Copy Link.
Now, go to the Shortcuts app and tap the Facebook Video Downloader shortcut.
Hit Allow to proceed.
Next, select Always Allow.
The shortcut will run and redirect you to the a-Shell mini app. Wait while the video is processed and finished downloading.
Once done, you’ll get a popup asking for permissions to save the item to the Photos app. Select Always Allow.
Finally, you’ll see the Video Saved to Photos App message, indicating that the video has been downloaded. Tap OK to close it.

Note

I faced a-Shell errors when running the shortcut for the first time. If you face an error, too, open the a-Shell mini app and type pip install yt-dlp –upgrade. Then, once the command has completed running, type pip install –upgrade pip. Finally, force close the app and run the shortcut again.

2. Save a Facebook video on an iPhone using a third-party app

There are many third-party apps available for the iPhone and iPad to allow you to download videos from Facebook. Apps like Friendly Social Browser, FbSaver, FaceSave, etc., come in handy for this purpose.

However, to avoid privacy issues, ensure the Facebook video downloader app you’re using is from a trusted developer and doesn’t ask for many system permissions. Here, I’m using the FaceSave app.

Install the FaceSave app from the App Store and launch it.
Select Ask App Not to Track on the popup.
Tap Login and enter your Facebook credentials to log in.
Now, select the Paste button and hit Allow Paste on the prompt.
Tap Find to fetch the video.
It’ll now ask for Photos app permission. Tap Allow to grant it access.
When the Share Sheet opens, scroll down and tap Save Video.

Your desired Facebook video should now be downloaded to your iPhone Photos app.

Although this method is super easy, it contains intrusive ads, which can be annoying. Also, giving out your Facebook account information and gallery access to such apps could be risky. A safe bet is to use the shortcut method or download videos on your desktop as shown below.

How to download Facebook videos on your desktop

For those using a desktop, downloading Facebook videos is straightforward and requires just a simple URL trick. You don’t even need to rely on any Facebook video downloader tool. I’ll demonstrate the process using the Safari browser.

Access the Facebook video you want to download on your Mac or PC.
Click the three-dots icon in the top-right corner of the post.
Choose the Copy Link option from the popup menu.
Now, click the + icon in the Safari menu bar to open a new tab.
Paste the link in the address bar and hit Return/Enter.
You’ll now see the video in the browser. Click the address bar and replace www with mbasic.
If you don’t see www, click the address bar and put the cursor at the end of the URL before pressing Return/Enter.
Again, press Return/Enter, and it’ll redirect you to the mobile version of Facebook.
Finally, right-click on the video thumbnail and select Download Linked File.

That’s all! The Facebook video will be downloaded on your Mac or PC.

How to save a video on Facebook to watch later

Facebook lets you save videos to watch later like the bookmark function of a web browser. Using this feature is more convenient than downloading a video. Plus, this approach has the following benefits, too:

Saved to watch later videos are kept within the Facebook app. So, it doesn’t take up space on your device.
Downloading videos might infringe on copyright laws and Facebook’s terms of service.
You can access the saved videos from any device by logging into your Facebook account. On the other hand, downloaded videos stay on the device you used to save it.

That said, you need to have an active internet connection to watch your saved videos on the Facebook app or website. Let’s see how to do this:

1. Using the Facebook iOS app

Open the Facebook app and access the video you want to save.
Tap the three-dots icon on the post.
Select Save Video from the menu that appears.
You may also create Collections to organize the saved videos better.

2. Using the Facebook website

Visit the Facebook website using any browser.
Navigate to the video you wish to save.
Click the three-dots icon and select Save Video.
Choose a Collection and click Done.

Signing off

Downloading Facebook videos can be a handy way to keep your favorite content at your fingertips for offline viewing. Whether you choose to download them directly to your device or save them within Facebook, you can enjoy your videos anytime.

Which method do you prefer and why? Let us know in the comments below.

Are there risks associated with downloading Facebook videos using third-party services?

Yes, using third-party services can pose risks such as malware or violating copyright laws. Always ensure you use reputable services and respect content ownership.

Can I download Facebook live videos on my iPhone?

Downloading live videos is more complex, as they’re not stored on Facebook after the live stream ends. However, if you have access to the video link while it’s live, you can save it as watch later. I attempted to download live videos using the third-party Facebook video downloaded app or websites. The video was downloaded in MPD format and didn’t open.

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