How to download Facebook all photos
You download Facebook all photos by requesting a Download Your Information export from Meta, selecting photos at high quality, and saving the ZIP file to your computer or cloud drive. That's the only method that reliably grabs albums, profile pictures, and timeline images together—not a Chrome extension that wants your password. I walked my parents through this before they deactivated their accounts; the export took a weekend, but every photo they ever uploaded came back.
What "all photos" actually includes
Set expectations before you wait three days for a ZIP:
Usually included:
- Photos you uploaded to albums
- Timeline photo posts
- Profile and cover photo history
- Most videos you posted (same export category)
Often partial or missing:
- Photos friends posted where you're tagged (friend's privacy controls)
- Images you commented on but didn't upload
- Deleted posts (unless Facebook still retains them in backup systems)
- Messenger photos (need Messages checked separately in DYI)
"All" means all your Facebook-hosted uploads and associated activity—not every image you've ever seen on the platform.
Step-by-step: request the full photo export
Desktop (recommended for large libraries):
- Visit facebook.com/settings.
- Click Your Facebook Information → Download profile information or Download Your Information.
- Choose Specific types of information.
- Enable Photos and videos. Add Posts if you want captions and context next to each image.
- Set Date range to All of my data.
- Select Media quality: High (originals where Meta still has them).
- Format: HTML to browse like a mini-website; JSON for developers and migration scripts.
- Click Request download.
Mobile app:
- Menu → Settings & privacy → Settings.
- Your Facebook Information → Download Your Information.
- Mirror the same toggles: Photos and videos, all dates, high quality.
- Submit and wait for the notification.
Meta emails you a link. Download before it expires—usually within a few days.
How big will the download be?
Rough math helps you pick storage:
| Photos (count) | High quality estimate | Medium quality estimate |
|---|---|---|
| 500 | 2–4 GB | 800 MB–1.5 GB |
| 2,000 | 8–15 GB | 3–6 GB |
| 5,000+ | 20–50+ GB | 8–20 GB |
Videos inflate size fast. A single 10-minute 1080p birthday video can be 400 MB alone. If the ZIP mixes photos and videos, sort videos into a separate folder after unzip—handy if you plan to compress large MP4s for sharing.
Unzipping and organizing
- Move the ZIP to a drive with free space (unzipped size ≈ ZIP size).
- Extract on Mac (Archive Utility) or Windows (Extract All).
- Open index.html in a browser if you chose HTML format—click through by year.
- Rename top-level folders for clarity:
facebook-photos-2026-export.
File names like n1234567890_1234567890123456_o.jpg are normal. Sort by Date Modified in Finder or Explorer if you want chronological order.
Alternatives when you don't need literally everything
One album: Open the album → look for Download album under ⋯ on desktop (not always available). Faster than a full export.
Recent photos only: In DYI, set Date range to last year instead of all data. Smaller ZIP, quicker turnaround.
Single images: Save photo on mobile or right-click on desktop. Wrong tool for "all," right tool for one meme.
What Videozify does and doesn't do
We don't download facebook all photos from a URL or login. Videozify handles YouTube conversion and editing files you already own—trimming video, compressing, extracting audio.
If your export includes reunion videos alongside photos, upload those MP4s to our video compressor to shrink them before emailing relatives. That's a post-export step, not a Facebook ripper.
Security: ignore the sketchy shortcuts
Red flags on third-party "download all Facebook photos" services:
- Asks for Facebook email and password
- Requires installing a browser extension with "read all data" permissions
- Promises instant download of someone else's profile
- Redirects through five ad pages before a blurry thumbnail
Meta's export is free, slow, and doesn't steal credentials. Pick slow.
Conclusion
How to download facebook all photos: one DYI request, high quality, full date range, patience for the ZIP. Organize locally, back up to a second drive, then deactivate guilt-free if that's the plan.
Videos in the same export too big to share? Run them through our free video compressor after you've unzipped the backup.