How to download your Facebook data

A complete walkthrough for requesting your Facebook data export — saved posts, photos, videos, messages, and timeline. UnplugMe support for Facebook is in active development; you can request and store your archive now, and we'll have full parsing live soon.

What you'll get

Facebook's "Download Your Information" feature gives you a ZIP containing your account data. Choose JSON for machine-readable output. Inside, you'll find:

• Your posts, photos, and videos (with the actual media files included)
• Saved items and bookmarks
• Comments and reactions you've made
• Messages from Messenger
• Your friends list and groups
• Profile info, life events, and timeline
• Marketplace, events, and pages you follow

Important: unlike Instagram or TikTok, Facebook's export includes the actual media files for your own posts. UnplugMe organizes these into a clean local archive matching your timeline structure.

Step-by-step instructions

1. Open Facebook on the web Go to facebook.com and sign in. The desktop web flow is the most reliable — the mobile app routes through Meta's Accounts Center and has fewer category options.
   Screenshot slot Facebook home page with the user logged in.
2. Open Settings & privacy Click your profile picture in the top-right, then click Settings & privacy › Settings.
3. Find "Your Facebook information" In the left sidebar of Settings, click Your Facebook Information. (On newer Meta layouts, this may appear under Privacy & safety instead — look for the same wording.)
   Screenshot slot Settings sidebar with "Your Facebook Information" highlighted.
4. Click "Download Your Information" On the Your Facebook Information page, click Download Your Information › View. You'll land on the download configuration page.
5. Select the data categories Facebook shows a long list of categories. Either check Select All for a full archive, or pick specific ones. For UnplugMe purposes, at minimum: Posts, Photos and Videos, Saved Items, Comments and reactions, Friends, Profile Information.
   Screenshot slot The category checklist with relevant boxes ticked.
6. Set the date range Change the date range dropdown to All time. The default is often "Last year" only, which would miss most of your account history.
7. Set format to JSON, media quality to High Two critical settings:
   • Format: JSON (UnplugMe requires JSON — "HTML" format won't work with the parser)
   • Media quality: High (or "Highest available" depending on your account)
8. Click "Create file" Facebook queues your export. You'll see a "Pending" status under the Available copies tab on the same page.
   Heads up: Facebook exports can take much longer than other platforms — a few hours for small accounts, several days for large ones with lots of media. Don't close the request page; bookmark it.
9. Wait for the email Facebook will email you when your file is ready. The subject line is typically "Your Facebook download is ready." The download link is also available under Settings › Your Facebook Information › Download Your Information › Available copies.
10. Download the ZIP Click the download button on the Available copies tab. Facebook may ask you to re-enter your password as a security check. The ZIP can be very large (10+ GB) if you have years of photos — make sure you have disk space.
    Screenshot slot The Available copies tab with a download button next to your request.
11. Save the ZIP somewhere safe Once UnplugMe's Facebook adapter ships, you'll drop this ZIP into the extension and we'll handle the rest. Until then, keep the file backed up — Facebook's download links typically expire after a few days.
    Get notified when Facebook support launches: Use the contact page to drop us a note and we'll email you the day it ships.

Other platforms

Got data on more than one platform? We're working on all of them.