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How to Download Your Facebook Data

Request a Facebook data archive through Settings or Accounts Center, choose categories and dates, and download it before deleting an account if you want to keep its contents.
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You can request a copy of your Facebook information from Facebook’s information and permissions or download/export controls, usually found in Settings or Accounts Center. Choose all available information for a broad archive, or select categories and a date range for a more focused download. Menu names and available options can vary by account and version.

Request a copy of your Facebook information

  1. Sign in to Facebook. Open Settings & privacy, then Settings. Look for Accounts Center and open it if available. Facebook also identifies information tools under the Your information section of profile settings or Your information and permissions in Accounts Center. Labels can vary, so look for download, export, or information-permissions wording. Facebook Help: Access and download your information.

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  2. Choose the Facebook profile or account whose information you want. If the flow displays multiple Meta profiles or accounts, check that you selected the right one before proceeding.

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  3. Choose all available information for a broad archive, or select the categories you need and set a date range. The category list and controls shown may differ; review your selections before submitting.

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  4. If the download flow offers a format choice, select one based on how you plan to use the archive. Meta describes HTML as easier to view and JSON as more suited to structured reuse or import by another service. That guidance comes from a 2019 Meta document, so follow the formats and explanations currently displayed in your account. Meta: Downloading your information.

  5. Submit the request. Return to the same download or export area to retrieve the archive once it is ready. Facebook’s preparation time is not established here, so use the status shown in your account rather than relying on a fixed estimate.

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  6. Download the prepared file to your device and check any expiration shown on screen. The Associated Press has recently reported that a prepared file is available for four days; treat that window as subject to change and use the expiry displayed in your account. Associated Press report on downloading Facebook and Instagram data.

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Choose what to include

Choice Useful when What to check
All available information You want a broad archive to keep or inspect. Review the categories actually offered; availability can vary.
Selected categories You only need particular information, such as photos or posts. Confirm that the categories you want are selected before requesting the file.
All time You want the broadest date coverage available for the selected information. Check the start and end dates shown in the flow.
Selected date range You need information from a specific period. Confirm the dates; a bounded range does not represent your full history.
HTML You expect to browse the archive yourself. It is Meta’s older description of the format; check current format options.
JSON You expect to work with structured data or use another service that can import it. Import support depends on the other service; JSON does not guarantee a complete transfer.

What a Facebook download does—and does not do

A downloaded archive is a copy of account information made available through the export flow. It is not a way to restore a Facebook account, guarantee that every item will transfer perfectly to another service, or establish that the archive contains everything Meta holds about you.

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Facebook lists downloading information separately from Access your information, which lets you review information on Facebook, and Transfer a copy, which sends selected content to another service. Choose the tool that matches your goal. Facebook Help: Access and download your information.

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Download before deleting your account

If you want to keep information from your account, request and save the archive before deleting the account. Facebook warns: “After your account has been deleted, you won’t be able to retrieve anything you’ve added.” Facebook Help: Permanently delete your Facebook account.

For long-term preservation, you can keep a second copy on another storage device, such as an external drive. This is optional; check that the archive has downloaded successfully before moving or deleting other copies.

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