Facebook Reels are short, vertical videos – usually 15 to 90 seconds – and they are now one of the busiest parts of the app. The trouble is that Facebook gives you no real way to keep them. The bookmark icon only saves a link, and if the creator deletes the Reel, it’s gone. The FBDown Facebook Reels downloader saves the actual video file, in HD, to your phone or computer.
It’s built for the format: vertical 9:16 video, full length, original audio, and no watermark added by us.
How to download Facebook Reels
1. Copy the Reel link
In the Facebook app, open the Reel and tap the Share arrow (or the three dots), then Copy link. On a computer, open the Reel and copy the address from the browser bar. Reel links usually look like facebook.com/reel/123… or fb.watch/….
2. Paste the link above
Return to FBDown and paste the link into the box at the top of this page. Mobile users can tap Paste. Press Download.
3. Save the Reel in HD
You’ll see the Reel’s cover and the available qualities. Tap Download HD to get the sharpest vertical video, usually 1080×1920. Choose SD for a lighter file. Done – the Reel is in your Downloads folder or gallery.
What makes a Reel different from a normal FB video
Reels are delivered differently from regular feed videos. They are vertical, often have music from Facebook’s licensed library, and Facebook splits them into adaptive streams that change quality as your connection changes. A basic screen recorder captures whatever quality your phone happened to get – often blurry – plus the interface on top.
FBDown requests the Reel’s renditions directly and gives you the clean file:
| Screen recording | FBDown | |
|---|---|---|
| Resolution | Whatever loaded, often 540p | Best available, up to 1080p |
| Interface on screen | Likes, comments, buttons | None |
| Audio | Phone speaker / mic noise | Original track |
| File size | Large | Normal MP4 |
| Time | Same as video length | A few seconds |
Reels in HD: what to expect
Most Reels created on phones in the last few years are recorded at 1080p, and Facebook usually keeps a 720p and a 1080p copy. Some older Reels, or Reels cross-posted from other apps, top out at 720p. Whatever the highest version is, FBDown puts it first and labels it.
Because Reels are vertical, they look best on a phone. If you want to use a Reel in an edit for a horizontal video, download the HD version – scaling up a low-resolution vertical clip looks noticeably soft.
Downloading Reels on Android, iPhone and PC
Android: Chrome saves the Reel to Downloads; it also appears in Google Photos or your gallery under “Download”.
iPhone: In Safari, after the file downloads, open the Downloads list (the arrow icon), tap the video, then Share → Save Video. It will be in your Photos app, ready to post or edit.
Desktop: The Reel saves as an MP4 in your Downloads folder. Any player can open it, and editors like CapCut, Premiere or DaVinci Resolve import it directly.
Good reasons to save Reels
- Backing up your own Reels. If you create content, keep the final versions in case your account gets locked or a Reel gets removed by mistake.
- Repurposing your work for other platforms without the quality loss of re-recording.
- Watching offline – recipes, workouts and tutorials are handier saved on your phone.
- Saving a moment – a public Reel from a friend’s wedding or a school event.
What you shouldn’t do is take someone else’s Reel and post it on your page as if it were yours. Apart from being unfair to the creator, Facebook and other platforms detect reposts and can strike the account that uploads them. If you want to share a Reel, the original link does that best, or ask the creator for permission and credit them.
Troubleshooting Facebook Reels downloads
The tool says no video found. Copy the link from the Reel itself, not from the creator’s profile or the Reels tab. The link should contain /reel/ or fb.watch.
Only SD is offered. The Reel was uploaded or processed at lower quality. There’s no HD copy on Facebook’s servers for anyone to fetch.
The Reel is private. If the creator limited it to friends, it can’t be downloaded. Only public Reels work.
The audio is missing. Some Reels use music that’s been muted in certain countries for licensing reasons. If Facebook mutes it for you, the download will be silent as well.
The page opened the video instead of saving it. On a computer, right-click the video and choose Save video as.
Also on FBDown
Want the song from a Reel? The Facebook to MP3 converter extracts just the audio. Saving a 24-hour Story instead? Use the Facebook Story downloader. For long videos and Watch shows, the main Facebook video downloader works best, and Instagram Reels go through the Instagram video downloader.
All of it is free, works in the browser, and keeps HD as the default.