You have years of memories sitting inside Facebook: vacation albums, birthday videos, that clip of your kid's first steps. If your phone died tomorrow, could you get those files back? Yes, and you do not need any outside software to do it. Facebook has a built-in export tool called Download Your Information (DYI), and it hands you a copy of everything you ever posted. If your main goal is a safety net, our guide to backing up your Facebook memories frames the whole process around keeping those files safe.

This guide walks through the whole process: where the tool hides in Settings, which options actually matter, and how to grab a single video without exporting your entire account. We also cover an important limit up front. Facebook re-compresses media when you upload it, so your export contains Facebook's stored copies, not your camera's raw files.

One thing this guide will not do is point you to third-party downloader sites or browser extensions. They are not needed for your own content, and for anyone else's content they violate Facebook's Terms of Service and usually copyright law. Everything below uses official Facebook features only.

Key takeaways

  • Facebook's built-in Download Your Information (DYI) tool exports everything you posted, with no third-party apps
  • Choose "Some of your information," check Posts and Photos and videos, and set Media quality to High
  • Exports hold Facebook's compressed copies, not camera originals; small ones are ready in 10-15 minutes, large ones in 2-3 days
  • Share the specific files afterward with ShareIt.onl: 10 files / 200 MB, no sign-up, zero re-compression

Where to Find the Download Your Information Tool

Facebook moved this tool into Accounts Center, so the path is longer than it used to be. Here is the current route on both desktop and the mobile app:

  1. Open Settings & privacy, then Settings.
  2. Click Accounts Center (usually at the top left).
  3. Choose Your information and permissions.
  4. Tap Download your information, then Download or transfer information.
  5. Pick your Facebook profile (and Instagram too, if they are linked and you want both).
  6. Choose Some of your information to pick categories, or All available information for a full backup.

For photos and videos only, choose "Some of your information" and check just Posts and Photos and videos. A full export of a 10-year-old account can run 5 GB to 50 GB or more, while a media-only export is often a fraction of that.

The Export Settings That Actually Matter

Before Facebook builds your file, it asks four questions.

Setting Options What to pick
Date range All time, or a custom range Custom range if you only need one event or one year
Format HTML or JSON HTML for browsing, JSON for re-importing or archiving
Media quality High, Medium, Low High, always, if you care about the files
Download to Device, or a cloud service Device, so you hold the actual files

HTML vs. JSON: which format should you choose?

HTML gives you a clickable set of pages that works in any browser. Double-click the index file and you can scroll your photos and videos like a private, offline Facebook. JSON gives you raw structured data, which matters if you plan to load your archive into another app or keep a machine-readable record. If you are unsure, pick HTML; the media files are identical either way.

Media quality: always choose High

The Low setting can shrink photos dramatically to keep the export small. Since Facebook already compressed your media once at upload, choosing Low compresses it a second time. Pick High so you get the best copy Facebook has. Our Facebook video quality guide explains exactly what that first round of compression does to your footage.

Waiting for and Opening Your Export

After you submit the request, Facebook builds the archive in the background. Small exports can be ready in 10 to 15 minutes; large ones can take 2 to 3 days. You will get a notification and an email when it is done, and you then have about 4 days to download it before the link expires. Miss the window and you simply request it again.

Warning: Once your export is built, the download link expires in about 4 days. If you miss that window you can request the archive again, but you start the whole wait over from scratch.

The download arrives as one or more ZIP files. Facebook lets you set a maximum size per file (from 1 GB up to 10 GB), so a big archive may arrive in several numbered parts. Unzip them all into one folder, open the HTML index, and everything is browsable. Your videos land in a media folder as standard MP4 files, and photos as JPGs.

Saving a Single Video Without a Full Export

If you just want one clip you posted last week, skip DYI entirely. For videos you uploaded yourself, open the post, click the three-dot menu in the corner, and look for Save video or a download option. On your own uploads, Facebook lets you pull the file straight back down. Photos are even easier: open the photo, click the three-dot menu, and choose Download.

Two catches. First, this only works on your own uploads, not on other people's posts. Second, you get Facebook's compressed version, which may be noticeably smaller than the file you started with. For a full walkthrough of posting settings that affect this, see our guide to sharing videos on Facebook.

Back Up First, Then Share the Originals

An export is a backup, not a sharing method. Nobody wants a 12 GB ZIP of your entire account just to see three birthday videos. Once your files are safe on your computer, share the specific ones people asked for.

That is where ShareIt.onl fits. Upload up to 10 files and 200 MB in one go, with no sign-up. You get a link that expires automatically plus a QR code, and the person on the other end receives your exact file, byte for byte, with zero re-compression. It works just as well for photo batches as for video, and for clips too big for that 200 MB window, we compare other options in our roundup of the best ways to share large videos.

A simple habit that prevents heartbreak: keep the camera-original file on your phone or computer, post the copy to Facebook, and send the original through a direct link when quality matters. We break down that workflow in Send the Original Video Facebook Would Compress.

FAQ

How long does a Facebook data download take?
It depends on account size. A media-only export from a small account can be ready in under 15 minutes, while a full archive from a long-running account can take 2 to 3 days. Facebook notifies you by email and in-app when the file is ready.
Are the downloaded videos the same quality as my originals?
No. Facebook compresses every video at upload, so your export contains that compressed version. Choosing High media quality gets you the best copy Facebook stores, but the camera-original file on your device will always be sharper.
Can I use a third-party downloader to save videos faster?
You should not. Downloader sites and extensions violate Facebook's Terms of Service, and grabbing content you do not own usually breaks copyright law too. The official DYI tool and the Save video option cover every legitimate need for your own content.
Can I download someone else's photos or videos?
Not through official tools, and that is by design, since you do not own that content. The right move is to ask the person to export or save the file themselves and send it to you directly through a private link.