Last updated on February 21st, 2024
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Are you looking for a reliable Facebook video downloader to save your favorite videos to your computer? Then, read on…
A lot of people go to the Facebook site almost every day to get some of the latest info, including watching videos or songs shared by their friends. You may also share some of your favorite audio & videos and articles with your friends.
Have you encountered a moment when you truly liked a video on Facebook and wanted to save it to your computer or tablet? However, Facebook does not provide you with a direct way to save the video. No worry, as there are still many ways to save those videos!
There are many different methods that you can use to save videos from FB. This article will introduce to you all the 3 free and paid methods to save or download online videos to your computer hard drive. Of course, there will be some tools involved!
Recommended reading: How to Download Streaming Video from Any Website?
Copy & Download the Facebook Video URL (Uniform Resource Locator)
To save the private video from Facebook, you need to know the steps involved:
Step 1: Make sure, the video you need to download must be uploaded on Facebook itself and not elsewhere. Normally, the Facebook video URL looks like this:
i.) https://web.facebook.com/XXXXXX294037986/videos/626291575XXXXXX/ OR
ii.) https://fb.watch/fIMN-mapk2/ – if you get this format, just paste the copied URL to the browser address bar and you will get a similar address like option i.) above.
Step 2: Copy the video URL. You may encounter several situations but just use the following method to get the video address. Sometimes, you may need to play the video to get the video URL.
- Click on the ‘3 dots’ on the right-hand top corner of the video and choose “Copy link”.
- You also can right-click on the date (i.e. February 20 at 7:06 am) and “Copy link address”. Make sure the video URL is similar to step 1 above.
Step 3: Then paste the URL to the Facebook video download software or use this unique method to download it.
Secret Method to Download Facebook Video
1. From the copied video URL, it can be like this: https://web.facebook.com/watch/live/?ref=watch_permalink&v=823405278790637
2. Now, change the word ‘web’ or ‘www’ to ‘mbasic’, so the URL will look like this: https://mbasic.facebook.com/watch/live/?ref=watch_permalink&v=823405278790637
3. Now, right-click on the video and choose “Open link in new tab” and the video will open in a new browser tab.
4. Right-click on the video, and choose “Save video as…” and you will be prompted to save the video. Give a suitable name and click on the “Save” button to save the video.
Another 3 Methods to Download Videos From Facebook
You can use any one of the methods below to get the video downloaded from the Facebook site. The video downloader software is free to trial while the online downloader, as well as the browser add-ons, are completely free.
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Facebook Video Download Software
Facebook video downloader is software to help you save your favorite videos from Facebook and some other video-sharing sites. Normally we just call it a video downloader and it offers better features with a higher quality of output. Some video downloaders are free to use while others need to pay to enjoy their full features.
The free video download software may lack updates and its features are limited. Many software developers have developed a full-featured audio video downloader that allows you to download all the videos anywhere. Among the popular Facebook private video download software:
This is a software tool designed to help users download online videos from various streaming platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Disney+, Hulu, and more. It enables users to tailor their downloads according to their preferences (i.e. format & quality) and device compatibility.
This is not a streaming downloader but you can download videos from sites like YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, and others to their local storage for offline viewing. It can download videos in high resolutions, including 4K and even 8K, provided that the source video supports it. Also, downloading Youtube playlists & channels is possible.
This is not a video downloader and it’s a video recorder! It allows users to capture their computer screen activity along with audio. It’s commonly used for creating tutorials, capturing video calls, recording gameplay, meetings, and more.
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Online Facebook Video Downloader
It’s also called a web video downloader. With this kind of downloader, you do not need to download any software as video downloading is done directly from the web. All you need to do is copy the Facebook video URL, paste it to the column provided on their website, and click the Download button.
The major advantage of this kind of downloader is that it’s free and no software installation is needed. However, when you visit the sites you will see some ads surrounding the download column. This method also relies heavily on your Internet connection and the download speed will affect the time you get the video downloaded.
Here is a good online Facebook video downloader site:
Here are the steps to use the software:
Step 1: Copy the Facebook video URL that you want to download.
Step 2: Navigate to the fdown.net site. You will see a column to paste the Facebook URL, so just paste the URL there. Click on the “Download” button. After processing, you will see the screen below:
Step 3: Click on the “Download Video in Normal Quality” button and the video will be downloaded in .MP4 format.
This is another free online Facebook video download that allows you to download videos in normal as well as HD including 1080p, 2K, or even 4K videos with sound. The great thing about this application is that it can run on PC, tablet, or mobile smartphones. You can freely use the software, but you will encounter some ads appearing.
Here are the steps to use the application:
Step 1: Copy the Facebook video URL that you want to download.
Step 2: Visit snapsave.app, paste the copied URL to the column provided, and hit the “Download” button. You will see the following screen:
Step 3: If you just want to download a video with 360p, click on the “Download” button. Otherwise, for higher-quality videos, you need to click on the “Render” button and you need to watch/wait for the ads (video) for 30 seconds.
Step 4: Once the video ad is finished, click on the “Download video” button and the video will be downloaded.
Video: Another Method to Download Videos from Facebook
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Facebook Video Downloader Add-on or Extension
Usually, we refer to it as a Facebook downloader browser add-on. There are two major browsers that we use, add-ons for Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome extensions. All of them are free.
You need to install the add-ons or extensions and sometimes you may need to restart the browser. After installation, you will see an icon appear beside the address bar. When you’re on a video page, click the icon and then click “Download”.
Compared to the two methods above, this method is less reliable since you cannot guarantee that it can get the Facebook video saved to your computer. Also, some add-ons may contain adware. But the add-ons/extensions recommended below are not bad.
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Video DownloadHelper for Firefox and Chrome
This is one of the download tools that can work with both browsers. Besides Facebook, it can support all the popular video-sharing sites including YouTube, Dailymotion, Vimeo, Metacafe, UStream, etc.
Mozilla Firefox: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/video-downloadhelper/
Google Chrome: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/video-downloadhelper/lmjnegcaeklhafolokijcfjliaokphfk
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FBDown Video Downloader for Chrome or Firefox
With this Chrome extension, you can download video and audio (mp3) from many sites (not only Facebook) and it also supports parallel downloads. However, some user reviews that sometimes it’s hard to download from the Facebook site itself and other sites like Dailymotion. You can visit their site at fbdown.net.
For Firefox: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/facebook-videos-downloader/ [currently unavailable]
For Chrome: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/fbdown-video-downloader/fhplmmllnpjjlncfjpbbpjadoeijkogc?hl=en [currently unavailable]
Conclusion: Both Free and Paid Video Downloaders or Add-ons Can Be Used!
All the video download tools recommended here can be used to get the Facebook video. If you are unable to download the video using one add-on, you still can use other downloaders to try your luck.
But to tell the truth, the paid video capture software is the most reliable and can most probably save the video from any site that you want. This is for professionals who always deal with audio-video downloading, editing, or converting in their job.
For those who are a newbie or normal people who try to save video files for fun or as a hobby, you can start with the free tools recommended in this article. After all, paid video-grabbing software is still the best choice.
I hope that this page can help you find the best Facebook video downloader for your needs.