How to Save Photos from Facebook: A Step-by-Step Guide

Losing precious photo memories can be heartbreaking. If you’re wondering how to save photos from Facebook, you’re in the right place. Whether you’re planning to deactivate your account, want a backup of your visual history, or simply want to keep your photos offline, Facebook offers straightforward methods to download your images.

This comprehensive guide will walk you through the process of downloading all your Facebook photos at once, ensuring you preserve your cherished memories. We’ll cover both desktop and mobile methods, making it easy for you to save Facebook photos regardless of your device.

Downloading All Your Facebook Photos: Desktop Guide

Using your computer to download Facebook photos in bulk is a simple process. Follow these steps to save photos from FB to your desktop:

Navigate to Settings & Privacy from your profile menu. Click on your profile picture located at the top right corner, then select “Settings & privacy” and proceed to “Settings”.

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Alt text: Accessing Facebook settings and privacy menu to initiate photo download.
Go to Your Facebook Information. In the left-hand panel, click on “Privacy”, and then select “Your Facebook Information” (if you’re managing a Page, it will be “Facebook Page Information”).

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Alt text: Selecting Your Facebook Information option to manage data download.
Initiate the download process. Click on “Download profile information” to start the process of downloading your data.

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Alt text: Choosing Download Profile Information to download Facebook data.
Customize your download request. Choose your preferred file format (HTML or JSON), media quality (High, Medium, or Low), and the date range for your photos. For a full backup, select “All time” for the date range.

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Alt text: Customizing download settings including format, quality, and date range.
Select “Posts” for photos. Click “Deselect All” and then specifically select “Posts” to ensure you’re only downloading your photos and related post data. If you also want photos from groups, select “Groups” as well.

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Alt text: Deselecting all and selecting Posts to download only photo related data.

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Alt text: Posts option selected for downloading photos from Facebook posts.
Request your download. Scroll down and click “Request a download”. Facebook will then prepare a ZIP file containing your photos.

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Alt text: Clicking Request a download to initiate the photo download process.
Download the ZIP file. Facebook will notify you via email and Facebook notification when your file is ready. Click the link in the email or notification to go to the “Available files” tab in the Download Your Information page.

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Alt text: Facebook notification indicating the availability of the download file.
Confirm and save. Click “Download”, enter your password when prompted, and confirm the download. Choose a location on your computer to save the ZIP file, named “facebook-(your username).zip” by default.

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Alt text: Facebook login prompt for confirming the download request.
Access your photos. Once downloaded, unzip the file. Your photos can be found in the postsmedia folder within the extracted files.

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Alt text: Media folder location within the downloaded Facebook data containing photos.

Downloading All Your Facebook Photos: Mobile App Guide

If you prefer to save photos from Facebook using your mobile device, the Facebook app provides a similar process:

Access Settings & Privacy in the app. Tap your profile picture to open the menu, scroll down, and select “Settings & privacy” then “Settings”.

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Alt text: Navigating to settings and privacy within the Facebook mobile app.
Navigate to Download Your Information. Go to “Off-Facebook Activity” under the “Security” section, then “More Options”, and finally “Download Your Information”.

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Alt text: Steps to find Download Your Information option in Facebook mobile app settings.
Select “Posts” for photos. In the “Request copy” tab, tap “Deselect all”, and then select “Posts”.
Customize download settings. Scroll to the bottom and choose your desired date range, format, and media quality.
Create File. Tap “CREATE FILE” to submit your download request.

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Alt text: Setting download preferences and creating file request on mobile.
Download the file. Wait for the “Pending” status to change, then tap “Download”. You’ll also receive a notification and email when it’s ready.

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Alt text: Downloading the prepared file from Facebook on mobile.
Log in and save. Facebook will open in your browser for login if needed. Accept the download, and the ZIP file will be saved to your phone.

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Alt text: Mobile browser login and confirmation for downloading Facebook photos.
Unzip and access. Use a file explorer app to unzip the downloaded file. Your photos will be in the postsmedia folder.

Why Should You Save Your Facebook Photos?

There are several compelling reasons to download photos from Facebook. The most common scenarios include:

Account Deletion: If you decide to delete your Facebook account, downloading your photos ensures you don’t lose your visual memories associated with your profile.
Backup and Archiving: Creating a local backup of your Facebook photos provides an extra layer of security. Online platforms can experience issues, and having a personal copy protects your images.
Privacy Concerns: You might want to remove photos from your Facebook account for privacy reasons but still wish to keep a personal archive.
Changing Platforms: If you’re transitioning away from Facebook, downloading your photos allows you to migrate your visual content to other platforms or storage solutions.

Downloading a Single Album or Photo

For saving individual photos or albums, Facebook offers quicker options:

Download Album: Navigate to the album you want to save, click the three-dot menu (More options), and select “Download Album”.

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Alt text: Download Album option in Facebook for saving photo albums.
Download Single Photo: Open the photo to its full view, click the three-dot menu, and choose “Download”. On the mobile app, after opening the photo, tap the three-dot menu and select “Save to phone”.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I download Facebook videos?

To save your own Facebook videos, go to “More” > “Videos” > “Your Videos” and click the pencil icon on the video. Choose the quality and click “Download” under the “More” menu. Downloading videos from other users may require third-party apps or browser extensions due to Facebook’s privacy policies.

How do I download a Facebook Live video?

You can download your own saved Facebook Live videos from the “Your Videos” page following the same steps as regular videos. For downloading Live videos of others, you might need to explore third-party apps that comply with Facebook’s terms of service.

By following these steps, you can effectively save photos from FB and ensure your precious memories are safely backed up. Whether you’re using a computer or mobile device, Facebook provides the tools you need to preserve your visual history.