How to Download Video from Facebook Ad Library

Need to save that amazing video ad you just saw in the Facebook Ad Library? Whether it's for building a swipe file, sharing inspiration with your team, or just analyzing what makes your competitors tick, downloading videos is an essential part of creative research. This guide will show you a few simple, reliable ways to download any video directly from the Facebook Ad Library without needing any special software.

Why Download Videos from the Ad Library?

While taking a screenshot is quick, having the full video file is far more powerful. It’s a common practice for smart marketers and marketing agencies, and for good reason.

Creative Inspiration: Build a private "swipe file" of top-performing ad creatives. When you're stuck for ideas, you can review what’s proven to work for other brands in terms of editing styles, hooks, and calls-to-action.
Competitive Analysis: Go beyond just seeing that a competitor is running video ads. Download their content to analyze their messaging, value propositions, offer pacing, and overall narrative structure, frame by frame.
Team Collaboration: Sending a link to the Ad Library can be clunky, and ads can disappear. Downloading the video allows you to easily share the exact creative you're referencing with designers, copywriters, or videographers via Slack, email, or a project management tool.
Offline Access: Keep a record of standout ads. Campaigns get turned off, so the ad you loved last week might not be in the library tomorrow. Having an offline copy ensures you don't lose that great example.

First, A Quick Refresher: How to Find the Ad

Before you can download the video, you first need to locate it. If you're already familiar with the Facebook Ad Library, you can skip this section. If not, here's a quick walkthrough:

Navigate directly to the Facebook Ad Library.
Select the appropriate country and set the Ad category to "All ads."
In the search box, type in the name of the advertiser's Facebook Page you want to investigate.
Scroll through the results to find the specific video advertisement you're interested in. You can use the "Filters" option to narrow down the results by platform (like Instagram), media type (videos), and date.

Once you’ve found the video you want, you’re ready to save it.

Method 1: Using "Show Video URL" for a Direct Download

This is the simplest and most reliable method for most users. It uses your browser's built-in functionality and only takes a few clicks.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

Find the Ad: Locate the ad in the library that you wish to download.
Play the Video: Click the "play" button on the video once to let it load and start playing. Pausing it right after is fine.
Right-Click the Video: Hover your mouse directly over the playing (or paused) video and right-click on it.
Copy the Video URL: A context menu will appear. Click on "Show video URL." A small pop-up box will display the direct URL of the video file.
Copy the Link: Click the "Copy" button or manually highlight the URL and copy it (Ctrl+C or Cmd+C).
Open in a New Tab: Open a new browser tab, paste the copied URL into the address bar, and press Enter.
Save Your Video: The video will now load by itself on a blank page. Right-click on the video again and select "Save video as..." Alternatively, look for a three-dot menu (...) in the bottom-right corner of the video player, click it, and select "Download."

That's it! You can now name the file and save the high-quality MP4 directly to your computer.

Method 2: Using Browser Developer Tools

If for any reason the first method doesn't work, this slightly more technical approach is your next best bet. It looks a little intimidating at first, but you're just using your browser's "Developer Tools" to peek behind the curtain and find the source file. It works on Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and other modern browsers.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

Locate the Ad Details: In the Ad Library, find your chosen ad and click the three dots (...) in the top right, then select "See ad details" to get a permanent link to that specific ad. This helps isolate the video you want.
Open Developer Tools: Right-click anywhere on the page (but not on the video itself) and choose "Inspect" from the menu. This will open a panel on the side or bottom of your screen filled with code. Don't worry, you don’t need to understand it.
Go to the "Network" Tab: At the top of the Developer Tools panel, you'll see several tabs like "Elements," "Console," and "Sources." Click on "Network."
Play the Video: With the Network tab open, press the play button on the video ad on the page. You will see a list of files start to populate in the Network panel. This is your browser logging all the elements being loaded.
Filter for the Video File: In the Network panel, there's a filter box (it may have a funnel icon). Type .mp4 into this box. You should now see only one or a few files listed. The one you want will likely have "video" in the name.
Open the File: Right-click on the name of the file ending in .mp4 in the list and select "Open in new tab."
Save From the New Tab: Just like in the previous method, the video will open by itself in a new tab. Right-click it and choose "Save video as..." to download it to your drive.

About Those Third-Party "Downloader" Tools

If you search for how to download Facebook videos, you'll inevitably run into a long list of websites that promise easy, one-click downloads. While some might work, it's wise to be cautious.

Many of these sites are designed to serve aggressive advertisements, track your activity, or potentially expose you to malware. Pasting URLs into a third-party service also brings up privacy concerns. Since the browser-native methods described above are secure, reliable, and completely free, there is little reason to risk using an unknown third-party tool.

A Quick Word on Ethics and Copyright

It’s important to remember why you’re downloading these videos. All ad creatives are the intellectual property of the advertiser who made them. Use them responsibly.

For Internal Use Only: Download ads exclusively for internal research, inspiration, and analysis. Think of it as studying, not stealing.
Don't Republish: Never re-upload a competitor's video to your own social channels, use it in your own ads, or present it as your own work. This is copyright infringement and can have serious legal consequences, not to mention it's just bad practice.

The goal is to learn from the best to improve your own unique creative, not to copy their work wholesale.

Final Thoughts

Downloading videos from the Facebook Ad Library is a simple but powerful technique for marketers looking to sharpen their creative strategy. By keeping a swipe file of compelling ads, you can analyze what resonates with your audience and get inspiration for your next campaign. The browser-based methods we covered are the safest and most effective ways to build this personal library.

Looking at competitor creative is a great way to understand what messaging is working, but the real power comes from understanding your own performance data without the guesswork. We designed our reporting tools to solve this problem. With Graphed, you can connect your advertising platforms and ask plain-English questions like, "Show me my Facebook campaigns with the highest click-through-rate" or "Create a dashboard comparing Facebook Ads spend vs. revenue by campaign for last month." We instantly build the dashboards and reports you need, helping you spend less time gathering data and more time acting on it.