How to download a private Facebook video: what can and cannot be saved

To download a Facebook video that asks you to log in, copy the post's link, paste it into the private Facebook video downloader and pick a file from the list. If Facebook refuses to show the video to a logged-out visitor, our server opens it once more with its own Facebook account. That is enough for videos in public groups and for public videos that Facebook hides behind its login wall.

It is not enough for everything people call private. A video set to Friends or Only me, a post in a private group and a deleted post are only served to the accounts the owner allowed, and our account is not one of them. No link-based downloader can open them, this one included.

This guide walks through the steps, explains which kinds of Facebook video can be saved and which cannot, and covers what to do when the download fails.

What you need

• The link of the post that holds the video: a group post, a page post, a Reel, or a facebook.com/share/… or fb.watch link.
• A post that is public, or in a public group. Whether you yourself can watch it while logged in does not matter; what matters is whether an ordinary account that is not your friend could.
• Any browser: Safari or Chrome on a phone, or Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari on a computer. No account, no install, and nothing to log in to.

What "private" means on Facebook, and what can be saved

People call a Facebook video private for very different reasons, and only some of them stop a download.

• A public video behind the login wall: Facebook shows logged-out visitors a box asking them to log in, but the post is public. This works, because our server can look at it logged in.
• A post in a public group: anyone can see it, but Facebook often asks for a login first. This works too.
• A video set to Friends or Only me: Facebook serves it only to the people the owner chose. This does not work.
• A post in a private group: only members see it. This does not work, even if you are a member, because the server opens the link with its own account, not yours.
• A deleted post, or one the owner has since restricted: there is nothing left to fetch. This does not work.
• A Story: Stories have their own Facebook Story downloader, with the same rule: public Stories only.

Why friends-only videos cannot be downloaded

Facebook decides who receives a video file when someone asks for it. For a friends-only video, it checks whether the asking account is on the owner's list, and sends nothing to anyone else. A downloader works by asking Facebook for the file from its own server, so it can only receive what Facebook hands to that server's account. No link, trick or setting changes that.

A site that says it can download friends-only or private-group videos is asking you to do one of two things: log in to Facebook through it, or paste your cookies or the page's source code. Both hand over access to your account. Do not give either to any website; the guide on choosing a safe video downloader explains what else to look out for.

If you need a video from a private group or a friend, the honest route is the simplest one: ask the person who posted it to send you the file.

Which file to pick

MP4 · HD is the right choice for most people: it downloads at once and plays on every phone, computer and TV. Pick Standard when space or data is tight. Choose a 1080p or taller row only when you will watch on a large screen; those versions use the VP9 codec at those sizes, which recent phones, browsers and VLC play, but QuickTime on a Mac does not.

For a talk, a lesson or a sermon you only want to listen to, take the M4A for the original sound or an MP3 for the widest compatibility.

On other devices

The steps are the same on Android, iPhone, iPad, Windows and Mac, because everything happens in the browser. On a computer the post's link is easiest to get by clicking its timestamp, which opens the post on its own page. Each link is handled one at a time, with no daily limit; paste the next one when the first download has started. Nothing is bundled into a ZIP file.

If the download fails

The message "That Facebook video could not be fetched. Check that the post is public, then try again." almost always means one of the cases that cannot work. Go through these in order:

• Check the audience icon next to the post's date. A globe means public; two people means Friends; a padlock means Only me.
• Check the group: under its name Facebook says whether it is a public or private group.
• Open the link in a private browser window. If the post says it is unavailable even to logged-in strangers, it is restricted or deleted.
• Make sure the link points to the post itself, not to the group, the profile or a search page.
• If a blue row says "The server is busy preparing other files. Try again in a minute.", it is not a problem with the video: at most about two files are being prepared at once. Wait a moment, or take an HD row, which downloads directly.

The guide on why a video link won't download covers the other reasons a link can fail on any platform.

Saving group videos responsibly

A video posted in a group was shared with its members, not with the world. Keeping a copy to watch later is ordinary personal use. Passing it on, posting it elsewhere or cutting it into your own video is different: ask the person who posted it first, and remember that the video belongs to whoever made it. Facebook's terms say the same about content its users upload. The copyright guide explains where personal use ends.

Which Facebook videos a link can save

How each kind of Facebook video behaves when its link is pasted into a downloader:

In short

Paste the post's link into the private Facebook downloader: it saves public videos behind the login wall and posts in public groups, in HD at once or 1080p after a short render. Friends-only, Only me, private-group and deleted videos cannot be saved from a link by anyone, so never hand a site your login to try.