Done with Facebook? How to transfer your photos and videos before you ditch your account

Done with Facebook? How to transfer your photos and videos before you ditch your account
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Are you thinking about breaking up with Facebook? You’re not alone. Many people are fed up with Facebook’s policies along with the site’s pervasive data collection and tracking that doesn’t seem to stop.

You can take control back even if you want to stay with the site. Tap or click here for 10 critical Facebook privacy and security settings you need to change right now.

Facebook makes its money by selling your data to third-party companies. They make a ton of money in targeted advertising. Tap or click here to adjust the ad tracking that happens to you on and off Facebook. 

Odds are, you have important photos and videos posted to your Facebook account. Let’s make sure you don’t lose any.

Use the Data Transfer Project tools

The newly expanded Data Transfer Project tool makes it easy to export all your images and videos. Of course, Facebook never does anything without an ulterior motive, and this helpful tool is no exception. By implementing this tool, Facebook attempts to appease certain politicians and regulators who have their sights set on breaking up the social media giant.

The Data Transfer Project tool worked initially with only Google Photos. Now, you have the option to export to Dropbox, which is more straightforward. I’ll use Dropbox in the steps below.

How to transfer your videos and images

Before you start, make sure you have an active Dropbox account. You get 2GB of space free when you sign up, and you can earn more storage when you recommend others sign up.

A quick note before you get started: You can only export one media type at a time. If you’d like to transfer both photos and videos, complete the process for one and repeat the steps to export the other.

Make sure you have your Facebook password on hand before you start — you’ll be asked to input it during the process. Then, follow the instructions below:

  • Log in to Facebook.com or open the Facebook mobile app.
  • Click the downward arrow in the top-right corner (web) or the three-line menu at the bottom of the screen (mobile).
  • Select Settings & Privacy.
  • Click Settings.
  • Scroll down to the Your Facebook Information section.
  • Click Transfer a Copy of Your Photos or Videos. You may need to re-enter your password.
  • Click the arrow next to Choose Destination and select Dropbox from the dropdown menu.
  • Choose whether you want to export your photos or your videos and click Next.
  • Sign in to your Dropbox account and allow Facebook Data Transfer to access your Dropbox account.
  • Click Confirm Transfer.

All the photos or videos you’ve uploaded to Facebook will be transferred to Dropbox. You can monitor progress on the “Transfer a Copy of Your Photos and Videos” page of your Facebook settings, and Facebook will send you a notification when the transfer is complete.

Make sure all your memories are transferred

Once the transfer is complete, the photos and videos you imported will be saved in a new folder in your Dropbox account. To find the folder on Dropbox.com:

  • Sign in to dropbox.com.
  • Click All files in the left sidebar.
  • Click the Apps folder.
  • Click the Facebook Data Transfer folder.
  • Click the Photo Transfer or Video Transfer folder. Photos and videos will be sorted by album, if applicable.

Tags: ad tracking, Dropbox, Facebook, Google, Kim Komando Show, photos, security, tech support, transfer, videos