What Is Facebook DYI (Download Your Information) and How to Use It

Facebook's "Download Your Information" tool — also called DYI — is an official feature that lets you export a copy of your Facebook data. This includes every video you've ever uploaded, your photos, posts, messages, and much more.

It exists because of privacy regulations (like GDPR in Europe), which require platforms to let users access and take their own data. Whether you're backing up your content, leaving Facebook, or just want your videos back, DYI is the official, sanctioned path.

What Is Facebook DYI?

DYI stands for Download Your Information. It's a built-in Facebook tool that creates a downloadable archive (ZIP file) of your Facebook content and activity data.

You can choose exactly what to include:

• Your content: Photos, videos, reels, stories, posts, notes
• Messages: Messenger conversations, group chats
• Profile data: Name, birthday, profile pictures, timeline info
• Activity data: Comments, likes, search history, ads you've interacted with
• Connections: Friends list, followers, groups, pages

You can also choose a date range (all time or a specific period) and select the file quality for media (Low, Medium, or High).

How to Use Facebook DYI — Step by Step

Step 1: Open the DYI tool

Go to facebook.com/dyi in any browser (desktop or mobile). You can also find it by navigating to:

• Desktop: Facebook → top-right menu (▾) → Settings & privacy → Settings → Your Facebook information → Download your information
• Mobile app: Menu (☰) → Settings & privacy → Settings → Your Facebook information → Download your information

Step 2: Select what to include

You'll see a list of data categories. For downloading videos, you want:

• Videos (includes all videos you've uploaded to your profile)
• Reels (if you want your short-form reels separately)
• Posts (includes text posts and videos embedded in posts)

Uncheck everything else to keep the archive size manageable. If you want everything, leave all boxes checked — but the archive will be much larger and take longer to prepare.

Step 3: Set the date range

Select All time to get everything, or choose a specific year or date range if you only need recent content.

Step 4: Choose the format

• HTML: Opens in a browser, easier to browse manually
• JSON: Machine-readable, useful if you're importing data into another tool

Both formats include your actual video files as attachments — the format only affects the index/metadata files. For just downloading videos, either works.

Step 5: Choose media quality

This is important. Select High quality to get the best version Facebook has stored. Low and Medium are significantly compressed.

Note: "High quality" is not the same as your original upload. Facebook processes and re-encodes all uploaded videos. High quality is the least compressed version Facebook kept — it's typically close to, but not identical to, your original file.

Step 6: Request the download

Click Request a download. Facebook will start preparing your archive.

Step 7: Wait for the email

Facebook sends a notification to your registered email address when the archive is ready. This can take:

• A few minutes for small accounts
• A few hours for accounts with lots of photos and videos
• Up to 24 hours for very large accounts

Step 8: Download your archive

Open the email and click the Download link. You'll be taken to Facebook's download page — log in if prompted — and the download will start.

The file is a ZIP archive. If it's large, Facebook splits it into multiple ZIP files (File 1 of 3, File 2 of 3, etc.).

Important: The download link is only active for about 4 days. Download the archive as soon as you get the email.

Step 9: Extract and find your videos

Unzip the archive. Videos are in the videos folder (or reels for short-form content). Each video is a separate MP4 file with a filename that includes the original post date.

What DYI Does NOT Include

Facebook DYI is comprehensive, but it has some gaps:

• Videos posted to a Page you admin: These require a separate Page-level export (from Page Settings → Your Facebook information).
• Videos you shared but didn't upload: If you shared someone else's video, the file won't be in your archive — only your own uploads are included.
• Facebook Stories: Stories are included if they haven't expired, but older stories may not be available.
• Group videos: Videos you uploaded to a group may or may not be included depending on the group's privacy settings.
• Live video recordings: Past live videos should be included if they were saved to your timeline — but check this based on your account's live recording settings.

Why Use DYI Instead of Third-Party Downloaders?

There are many third-party Facebook video download tools on the internet. Here's why the DYI export is preferable for your own content:

1. Original quality: DYI gives you the highest quality version Facebook has stored. Third-party tools scrape streaming URLs, which are typically compressed.
2. All your content: DYI exports everything in one archive. Third-party tools require you to process each URL one at a time.
3. Safety: Third-party sites carry risks — malware, phishing, or requiring login access. DYI keeps you entirely within Facebook's own systems.
4. Reliability: Third-party tools break frequently as Facebook changes its page structure. DYI is a stable official feature.

DYI for Pages and Business Accounts

If you're a Page admin and need to export Page videos (not personal profile videos):

1. Go to your Facebook Page.
2. Click Page settings (gear icon or Settings tab).
3. Under Your Facebook information, click Download your information.
4. Select Videos and set quality to High.
5. Request the download — the process is the same as personal accounts.

For businesses using Meta Business Suite, additional export options may be available through the Insights and Content sections.

Quick Reference

Facebook DYI is the safest, most complete, and most reliable way to get your own Facebook videos. If you only need a single video quickly, the in-app "Save video" option is faster — but for bulk exports or when you want maximum quality, DYI is the right tool.