This wikiHow teaches you how to download videos from Facebook Messenger to your iPhone or Android. The only types of videos that can be saved from Messenger are videos sent from your Camera Roll or others. Since Messenger doesn't allow you to save videos shared from within the app, you're forced to use a free app and site called "SaveFrom". Keep in mind that you can't download Facebook videos that aren't public, and locked public videos are just for viewing.
Step
Part 1 of 4: Saving Submitted Videos
Step 1. Make sure the video you want to save is sent from the Camera Roll
If a related video is shared from Facebook, you cannot use this segment to save the video. However, if you or a friend upload a video to a chat room from your phone, tablet, or computer, you should be able to save it from the chat room to your Camera Roll.
Step 2. Open Messenger
Tap the Messenger app icon, which resembles a chat bubble with a blue lightning bolt, on the phone or tablet where you want the video to be saved.
If you're not logged into Messenger, enter the information when prompted, before continuing
Step 3. Find the video
Select the conversation to which the video was sent, then scroll through the page until you find the video.
Step 4. Hold finger on video
This way, different options will appear on the screen, one of which is in the toolbar at the bottom of the screen.
Step 5. Tap Save
It's in the toolbar at the bottom of the screen. Once done, the video will be saved to the Camera Roll, although it may take a few minutes for the video to appear there.
- For Android users, tap Save Video (save video) here.
- If the video doesn't download after a few minutes, open Messenger again and try again, making sure to leave Messenger open until the video downloads.
Part 2 of 4: Copy and Share Shared Facebook Video Address
Step 1. Find out the videos that can't be downloaded
While you can download most public videos, you can't download private videos or share them only for " Friends of Friends ".
In addition, you cannot download public videos that are protected from viewing (eg protection of graphic content)
Step 2. Open Facebook Messenger
Tap the Facebook Messenger app icon, which resembles a chat bubble with lightning. The Messenger page will open if you are logged in.
If you are not logged in, enter your mobile number and/or password when prompted
Step 3. Select a chat room
Tap the chat for which you want to download the video. If so, the related chat page will open.
- If you don't see the conversation list, tap the label Home house-shaped at the bottom of the screen.
- If Facebook Messenger opens a chat room, you can exit by tapping the "Back" button in the upper-left corner of the screen.
Step 4. Find the video
Scroll down the chat room until you find the video you want to save.
Remember, the related video must be a public message. If the video is a "friends-only" message (or even friends-of-friends-only), you can't download it
Step 5. Tap and hold the video
The menu at the bottom of the screen will then appear.
Step 6. Tap Save to Facebook
This is the menu at the bottom of the screen. This will add the video to the “Saved” section of your Facebook account.
Step 7. Open Facebook
Close or minimize the Messenger app, then tap the Facebook app, which is a white "f" on a dark blue background.
Like Messenger, you'll need to log into your Facebook account if you haven't already
Step 8. Tap
It's in the lower right corner of the screen (iPhone) or the top right corner of the screen (Android). The menu will appear.
Step 9. Scroll down and tap Saved
This button is a purple icon in the menu. Click to open a list of saved links, videos and posts.
Step 10. Find saved videos
The related video should be at the very top of the " Saved " page.
Step 11. Tap
This button is to the right of the video. Tap to open the menu.
Step 12. Scroll down and tap Copy Link
It's at the bottom of the menu. This way, you copy the video's address to your phone's clipboard, which will be used to download the video on your iPhone or Android.
Part 3 of 4: Downloading Shared Facebook Videos on iPhone
Step 1. Download the Docs app
You will use this free app to download and save videos from Facebook. Open the app
App Store on iPhone, then perform the following steps:
- Tap Search (search)
- Tap the scatter bar.
- Type in documents
- Tap Search
- Tap GET (get) to the right of the "Documents by Readdle" heading.
- Enter Touch ID or Apple ID when prompted.
Step 2. Open Documents
Tap OPEN in the App Store, or tap the Documents app icon, which is a multicolored "D" on a white background.
Step 3. Skip the introduction page
Swipe from right to left on the screen 3 times, then tap not now (not now) in the upper right corner of the screen. You will be taken to the main Documents page.
Step 4. Open an internet browser
Tap the compass-shaped icon in the lower-right corner of the screen.
Step 5. Open the SaveFrom website
Tap the "Go to this address" search bar at the top of the screen, then type savefrom.net and tap Go.
If an ad opens after the SaveFrom site loads, tap X in one corner of the screen to close it.
Step 6. Enter your Facebook video address
Tap the "Enter the URL" text box near the top of the page. After bringing up the on-screen keyboard, tap the text box again to bring up the text options, and tap Paste (paste) in the text option to paste the copied address.
Step 7. Tap Download
It's a green button in the middle of the page. Once done, the "Save File" page in Documents will open.
- SaveFrom automatically determines the highest quality available video for download, but you can lower it by tapping MP4 HD, then tap an option in the drop-down menu.
- If you see a message that says "Download link not found", the video is not 100 percent public and cannot be downloaded.
Step 8. Tap Done
It's a blue button in the upper-right corner of the screen. The video will start downloading to the "Downloads" folder of the Documents app.
If necessary, you can rename the video before downloading it by deleting the text in the " Name " box and replacing it with the desired video name
Step 9. Tap on the “Downloads” icon
It's an arrow pointing down at the bottom of the screen. Tap this button to open a list of ongoing downloads; your video title should be on this list.
Step 10. Go to the location of the video
Tap the eye-shaped icon to the right of the video's name to open the Downloads folder.
Step 11. Save the video to Files app on iPhone
While you can't save videos directly to the iPhone's Photos app in Docs, you can copy videos to the Files app on iPhone:
- Tap ⋯ in the lower right corner of the video icon.
- Tap Share in the pop-up menu.
- Tap Save to Files near the bottom of the screen.
- Tap On My iPhone (on my iPhone), then tap all the folders that appear below it.
- Tap Add at the top right of the screen.
Step 12. Open
Files.
Press the iPhone's Home button to minimize the Documents app, then tap the Files app icon which resembles a blue folder on a white background.
Step 13. Save the video to the iPhone Photos app
Now that the video is in the Files app, you can move it to the iPhone's Photos app by doing the following:
- Tap Browse in the lower right corner of the screen.
- Tap On My iPhone
- Tap the folder where the video is located.
- Tap the video.
-
Tap the "Share" icon
Iphoneshare in the lower left corner of the screen.
- Tap Save Videos at the bottom of the pop-up menu.
Part 4 of 4: Downloading Shared Facebook Videos on Android
Step 1. Download the ES File Explorer app
Skip this step if you already have ES File Explorer on Android. To download it, go to Google Play Store
and do the following:
- Tap the search bar.
- Type es file explorer
- Tap ES File Explorer below the search bar.
- Tap INSTALL
- Tap ACCEPT when requested.
Step 2. Open Google Chrome
Tap the Chrome app icon, which resembles a red, yellow, green, and blue ball.
Step 3. Open the SaveFrom site
Tap the address bar at the top of the screen, and type savefrom.net, then tap Enter or Go on the Android keyboard.
Step 4. Paste the video address
Tap the text box near the top of the page, tap again when the Android keyboard appears, and tap Paste in the pop-up menu.
Step 5. Tap Download
It's a green button in the middle of the page, just below the video preview and to the left of the text MP4 HD. The video will open in the browser's default video player.
- The browser will play the video in the highest quality available automatically.
- If you see a message that says "Download link not found", it means that the video is not 100 percent public viewable and cannot be downloaded.
Step 6. Tap
It's in the lower right corner of the video player. If so, a menu will appear.
Step 7. Tap on “Download” icon
This button is in the menu. The video will automatically download to your Android hard drive or SD card.
Step 8. Open ES File Explorer
Exit Chrome, then tap the ES File Manager app icon in the App Drawer.
If this is your first time installing ES File Explorer, you may need to swipe or tap on a series of app introduction pages before you can continue
Step 9. Select a storage option
Tap option Internal or SD Card depending on where you want to save the downloaded file.
Step 10. Tap Downloads
This folder is near the center of the page, although you'll need to scroll down to see it. All downloaded files on Android, including Facebook Messenger videos, will be here.
On some Android devices, this folder may be titled Download.
Step 11. Move the video to the Android Photos app
You can move videos from the " Downloads " folder to the " Camera " folder, which is where the Photos app on Android stores their photos:
- Tap and hold the Facebook Messenger video to bring up a menu.
- Tap in one of the right corners of the screen.
- Tap Move to
- Tap DCIM
- Tap Camera
- Tap OK at the bottom of the window.
Tips
Usually, apps for downloading videos that shouldn't be downloadable will be removed from the app store of the respective platform after a while
Warning
- Saved videos from Messenger tend to be of lower quality than when they were first uploaded.
- Only download Facebook videos for personal use.
