How to Download Your Facebook Data in 2023
Facebook is one of the most popular social media platforms in the world, with over 2.8 billion monthly active users as of December 2020. If you are one of them, you might have shared a lot of personal information, photos, videos, messages, posts, comments, likes, reactions, and more on your Facebook profile over the years. But do you know what Facebook knows about you? And how can you access, download, or transfer your Facebook data to another service?
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In this article, we will show you how to download your Facebook data in 2023, using both desktop and mobile devices. We will also explain why you might want to download your data, what risks you should be aware of, and how to view and manage your downloaded data. Let's get started!
Why You Might Want to Download Your Facebook Data
Downloading your Facebook data can be useful for various reasons. Here are some of them:
Reasons to download your data
You can see what information Facebook has collected about you, such as your profile information, activity log, ads preferences, location history, facial recognition data, and more.
You can review and delete any data that you don't want Facebook to have or use.
You can backup your data in case you lose access to your account or decide to delete it.
You can transfer your data to another service or platform that supports data portability, such as Google Photos or Dropbox.
You can use your data for personal or professional purposes, such as creating a digital scrapbook, analyzing your social media habits, or conducting research.
Risks of downloading your data
While downloading your Facebook data can be beneficial, it also comes with some risks that you should be aware of. Here are some of them:
Your data file may contain sensitive or private information that you don't want others to see or access. For example, your messages, photos, videos, contacts, or browsing history.
Your data file may be large and take up a lot of storage space on your device or cloud service.
Your data file may be vulnerable to hacking or theft if you don't protect it with a strong password or encryption.
Your data file may not include everything that Facebook knows about you or has shared with third parties. For example, some metadata, cookies, or server logs.
Your data file may not be compatible with other services or platforms that you want to transfer it to. For example, some formats, resolutions, or quality levels.
How to Download Your Facebook Data on Desktop
If you want to download your Facebook data on a desktop computer, follow these steps:
Step 1: Go to Settings & Privacy
Log into your Facebook account and click on the account icon in the top right corner. Then select Settings & Privacy from the drop-down menu.
Step 2: Click on Your Facebook Information
On the Settings page, click on Privacy in the left column. Then click on Your Facebook Information in the left column.
Step 3: Choose What Data to Download
On the Your Facebook Information page, click on Download Your Information. You will see a list of categories of data that you can download, such as Posts, Photos and Videos, Comments, Likes and Reactions, Friends, Messages, and more. You can select or deselect the categories that you want or don't want to download by checking or unchecking the boxes next to them. You can also click on the View Details link to see more information about each category.
At the top of the page, you can also choose the date range, format, and media quality of your data file. The date range lets you specify the time period of the data that you want to download. The format lets you choose between HTML or JSON. HTML is easier to view in a web browser, while JSON is more compact and machine-readable. The media quality lets you choose between high, medium, or low quality for your photos and videos. High quality will result in a larger file size, while low quality will result in a smaller file size.
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Step 4: Request and Download Your Data
Once you have chosen what data to download and how to download it, click on the Create File button at the bottom of the page. Facebook will start preparing your data file and notify you when it is ready. This may take some time depending on the amount and type of data that you have requested.
When your data file is ready, you will receive a notification on Facebook and an email to your registered email address. You can then go back to the Download Your Information page and click on the Available Files tab. You will see your data file with a Download button next to it. Click on the Download button and enter your Facebook password to confirm your identity. Your data file will start downloading to your computer.
How to Download Your Facebook Data on Mobile
If you want to download your Facebook data on a mobile device, such as a smartphone or tablet, follow these steps:
Step 1: Open the Menu and Tap on Settings & Privacy
Open the Facebook app on your device and tap on the menu icon in the bottom right corner (for iOS) or the top right corner (for Android). Then scroll down and tap on Settings & Privacy.
Step 2: Tap on Settings and Scroll Down to Your Facebook Information
On the Settings & Privacy page, tap on Settings. Then scroll down and tap on Your Facebook Information under Privacy.
Step 3: Select Download Profile Information
On the Your Facebook Information page, tap on Download Profile Information. You will see a list of categories of data that you can download, similar to the desktop version. You can select or deselect the categories that you want or don't want to download by checking or unchecking the boxes next to them.
Step 4: Customize and Confirm Your Data Request
At the bottom of the page, you can also customize your data request by tapping on Customize File Format. You can choose the date range, format, and media quality of your data file, similar to the desktop version.
Once you have customized your data request, tap on Create File at the bottom of the page. Facebook will start preparing your data file and notify you when it is ready.
When your data file is ready, you will receive a notification on Facebook and an email to your registered email address. You can then go back to the Download Profile Information page and tap on the Available Files tab. You will see your data file with a Download button next to it. Tap on the Download button and enter your Facebook password to confirm your identity. Your data file will start downloading to your device.
How to View and Manage Your Downloaded Facebook Data
After you have downloaded your Facebook data, you can view and manage it on your device or cloud service. Here are some tips on how to do that:
How to open and explore your data file
Your data file will be in a ZIP format, which means that it is compressed and contains multiple files and folders. To open and explore your data file, you need to unzip or extract it using a software program such as WinZip, 7-Zip, or The Unarchiver. You can also use online tools such as ezyZip or Archive Extractor.
Once you have unzipped or extracted your data file, you will see a folder named facebook-yourname. Inside this folder, you will find various subfolders and files that correspond to the categories of data that you have downloaded. For example, you will find a folder named photos_and_videos that contains all your photos and videos that you have uploaded or shared on Facebook. You will also find a file named index.html that you can open in a web browser to view your data in an organized and interactive way.
How to delete or transfer your data file
If you want to delete or transfer your data file, you need to locate it on your device or cloud service and perform the appropriate action. For example, if you want to delete your data file from your computer, you need to move it to the trash or recycle bin and empty it. If you want to transfer your data file to another service or platform, you need to upload it or share it using the available options.
However, before you delete or transfer your data file, make sure that you have backed it up or secured it properly. As we mentioned earlier, your data file may contain sensitive or private information that you don't want others to see or access. Therefore, you should protect it with a strong password or encryption, and store it in a safe location.
Conclusion
Downloading your Facebook data can be a useful way to see what information Facebook has collected about you, review and delete any data that you don't want Facebook to have or use, backup your data in case you lose access to your account or decide to delete it, transfer your data to another service or platform that supports data portability, or use your data for personal or professional purposes.
In this article, we showed you how to download your Facebook data in 2023, using both desktop and mobile devices. We also explained why you might want to download your data, what risks you should be aware of, and how to view and manage your downloaded data.
We hope that this article was helpful and informative for you. If you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to leave a comment below. Thank you for reading!
FAQs
Q: How long does it take for Facebook to prepare my data file?
A: It depends on the amount and type of data that you have requested. It may take from a few minutes to several hours or days. You can check the status of your request on the Download Your Information page or the Download Profile Information page.
Q: How long does Facebook keep my data file available for download?
A: Facebook keeps your data file available for download for a few days after it is ready. You can see the expiration date of your data file on the Available Files tab. If you don't download your data file before it expires, you will need to request it again.
Q: How can I cancel my data request?
A: You can cancel your data request by going to the Download Your Information page or the Download Profile Information page and clicking on the Delete Request button next to your pending request.
Q: How can I update my data request?
A: You can update your data request by canceling your pending request and creating a new one with the updated options.A: You can update your data request by canceling your pending request and creating a new one with the updated options.
Q: How can I download my data from other Facebook products, such as Instagram, WhatsApp, or Messenger?
A: You can download your data from other Facebook products by following the instructions on their respective websites or apps. For example, you can download your Instagram data by going to Settings > Security > Download Data on the Instagram app or website. You can download your WhatsApp data by going to Settings > Chats > Chat Backup on the WhatsApp app. You can download your Messenger data by going to Settings > Your Facebook Information > Download Your Information on the Messenger app or website.
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