Facebook has a Save option on every video, and plenty of people assume it downloads the clip. It doesn't. It adds the post to your Saved list inside Facebook, and if the owner deletes the video or changes who can see it, your saved item stops playing. To keep the video on your iPhone, you need the file. Safari can download it, and nothing needs to be installed.
Copy the link
In the Facebook app, tap Share under the video or on the Reel and choose Copy link. In a browser, the address of the video page works too. Make sure the link points to the video itself. A link to a profile or to a photo post won't return anything.
Download in Safari
- Open Safari and go to the Facebook video downloader.
- Paste the link and tap Download.
- Tap "Download Video + Audio".
- Safari asks whether to download the file. Tap Download.
Open the downloader in Safari itself. The browser built into the Facebook app often fails to save files.
Move the video to Photos
Safari puts downloads in the Files app, so the video won't show up in Photos yet.
- Tap the download arrow in Safari's address bar, or open the Files app and go to Downloads.
- Tap the video.
- Tap Share and choose Save Video.
The video now sits in your camera roll. You can delete the copy in Files afterwards to free space.
Quality
ICANDL saves the highest quality Facebook offers for the video, up to 4K when it was uploaded that way. A video uploaded at a lower resolution downloads at that resolution, because no tool can make it sharper than the upload.
Audio only
To keep only the sound, such as a sermon, a speech or a song, tap "Download Audio Only" instead. You get an MP3. The Facebook audio download page covers the audio options in more detail.
What won't work
Videos shared only with friends, posts in private groups and videos from deactivated accounts can't be read. ICANDL works with public videos only and doesn't store the files it processes. Keep downloads for personal use unless the owner allows more.
On Android? Read how to save a Facebook video to your gallery.
How to Save a Facebook Video to iPhone Camera Roll
Download a public Facebook video in Safari and save it to Photos
