Facebook Reels can be saved directly to your phone's camera roll in a few taps, but the method depends on whether you want to save your own Reels or someone else's.
When you save a Reel, Facebook stores a copy on your device — not in the cloud. This means the video file takes up space on your phone and stays there even if the original Reel is deleted from Facebook. You can then share that file anywhere: text it to a friend, upload it to another app, or keep it for later viewing.
The process is straightforward and takes less than a minute. The button location is slightly different depending on whether you're using an iPhone or Android phone, but both work the same way.
Key Takeaways
- Tap the three dots on any Reel and select "Save video" to download it to your phone's camera roll.
- On iPhone, the saved video appears in your Photos app; on Android, it goes to your Downloads folder or Gallery app depending on your phone model.
- You can only save Reels that the creator has allowed to be downloaded — some creators disable this option.
- Saved Reels are stored on your device, not backed up to Facebook, so they take up phone storage space.
How to save someone else's Reel on iPhone
Open the Reel you want to save and look for the three dots (called the menu icon) in the bottom right corner of the video. Tap those three dots to open a menu with several options.
Scroll down in that menu until you see "Save video" and tap it. Facebook will download the Reel to your Photos app — you'll see a notification at the top of your screen saying "Video saved" or "Saved to Photos." The video is now on your phone and you can find it by opening the Photos app and going to your Camera Roll or the album where it was saved.
How to save someone else's Reel on Android
The steps are nearly identical on Android. Open the Reel, tap the three dots in the bottom right corner, and look for "Save video" in the menu that appears. Tap it and wait for the confirmation message.
On Android, the video usually saves to your Downloads folder or your Gallery app, depending on your phone model. If you don't see it right away, open your file manager or Gallery app and look in the Downloads section. Some Android phones also let you choose where to save the video before you tap the button — if you see a popup asking where to save it, pick your preferred location.
What to do if the save button doesn't appear
If you tap the three dots and don't see a "Save video" option, the creator has turned off downloads for that Reel. This is a setting the person who made the video can control, and there is no way around it — you cannot save a Reel if the creator has disabled downloads.
In this case, your only options are to screenshot the video (which captures a still image, not the moving video), screen record the Reel while it plays, or ask the creator directly if they can share the file with you another way.
How to save your own Reels
If you created the Reel yourself, you can save it the same way: tap the three dots and select "Save video." Your own Reels are always downloadable to you, regardless of what settings you chose when you posted it.
You can also save your Reel before you post it. When you're creating a Reel in the Facebook app, before you hit "Share," look for a "Save draft" button. This keeps the Reel in your drafts folder so you can finish editing it later. This is different from saving the finished video file to your phone — it just saves your work in progress inside the Facebook app.
Where your saved Reels actually go
On iPhone, all saved Reels go to your Photos app in the Camera Roll or a dedicated album. You can organize them by creating a new album and moving the videos there, or you can leave them in Camera Roll with your other photos and videos.
On Android, the location varies. Most phones save to the Downloads folder, which you can access through your file manager. Some phones have a dedicated Gallery app that automatically collects all videos. If you can't find your saved Reel, open your file manager, go to Downloads, and look for a folder called Facebook or Reels — the video should be there with a filename that includes the date you saved it.
Storage space and file size
Each Reel is a video file, and video files take up significant space on your phone. A typical Reel that's 15 to 60 seconds long uses between 5 and 50 megabytes of storage, depending on the video quality and length. If you save many Reels, they can add up quickly.
If you're running low on phone storage, you can delete saved Reels you no longer need by opening your Photos or Gallery app, finding the video, and tapping delete. This removes the file from your phone but does not affect the original Reel on Facebook — the creator's version stays posted unless they delete it themselves.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the person who made the Reel see that I saved it?
No. Facebook does not notify creators when someone saves their Reel. The creator cannot see a list of who saved their video or how many times it was saved. Saving is completely private on your end.
What if I saved a Reel and then the creator deleted it from Facebook?
The copy on your phone stays there. Deleting the original Reel from Facebook does not remove the file from your device. You still have the video and can watch it, share it, or delete it whenever you want.
Can I save a Reel if the creator set it to private?
If you can see the Reel, you can save it — the creator's privacy settings do not block the save button. If the Reel is truly private and you cannot see it at all, then you cannot save it because you cannot access it.
Does saving a Reel use my phone's data or internet?
Saving a Reel downloads the full video file to your phone, so it uses data if you're on cellular. Once saved, you can watch it anytime without using data. If you're on WiFi when you save it, there's no impact on your cellular plan.
Can I save a Reel to Facebook's cloud storage instead of my phone?
No. The save button only downloads to your device's local storage — your Photos app, Gallery, or Downloads folder. Facebook does not offer a cloud storage option for saved Reels. If you want a backup, you can upload the saved file to Google Drive, iCloud, or another cloud service yourself.