Facebook lets you read every photo you've uploaded in one file
Facebook has a built-in tool called read Your Information that packages all your photos, videos, posts, and other data into a single folder you can save to your computer. You don't need special software or a third-party app — the tool is part of your account settings. The read includes photos you posted yourself, but not photos other people posted of you (unless you're tagged in them and have saved them to your account).
The process takes about 15 minutes to set up, though Facebook may take anywhere from a few hours to several days to actually prepare your file, depending on how much data you have. Once it's ready, you'll get a notification and can read a compressed folder (.zip file) that you can open on any computer.
Key Takeaways
- You can read all your Facebook photos through Settings > Your Information > read Your Information, which is free and built into every account.
- The read includes photos you posted yourself and photos you're tagged in, but not photos other people posted that you didn't tag yourself in.
- Facebook prepares your file in the background and sends you a notification when it's ready, which usually takes a few hours to a few days.
- Your downloaded file is compressed (.zip) and can be opened on Windows, Mac, or Linux without additional software.
- You can request the read in different formats (HTML or JSON) and choose a date range if you only want photos from a specific time period.
Step-by-step: How to request your photo read
Open Facebook on a computer (the mobile app doesn't have this feature). Click the downward arrow in the top right corner and select Settings and Privacy, then Settings.
On the left side, click Your Information. You'll see a section called read Your Information with a blue button that says read Your Information. Click it.
A window will open asking you to confirm your password. Enter it and click Continue. Facebook will then show you options for what to include in your read. By default, all categories are selected (photos, videos, posts, messages, and more). If you only want photos, uncheck everything except Photos and Videos.
You can also choose the date range (all time, or a specific year or month) and the file format. HTML is easier to browse on your computer; JSON is better if you plan to import the data into another service. Leave the file format as HTML unless you have a specific reason to change it. Click Create File.
What happens after you request the read
Facebook processes your request in the background. You'll see a message saying your file is being prepared. For most people with a few hundred photos, this takes 2 to 24 hours. If you have thousands of photos or a very old account, it can take up to several days.
You don't need to stay on the page or keep Facebook open. Facebook will send you a notification (both in your account and via email) when your file is ready. Go back to Settings > Your Information > read Your Information and you'll see a read button next to your completed file.
Click read and your browser will save a .zip file to your computer (usually in your Downloads folder). The file name will be something like "facebook-[yourname].zip". You may need to enter your password again for security.
How to open and organize your downloaded photos
Right-click the .zip file and select Extract All (Windows) or double-click it (Mac). This creates a folder with all your data inside. Open the folder and look for a subfolder called photos or photos_and_videos.
Inside that folder, Facebook organizes your photos by album. Each album gets its own subfolder with the album name. If you posted photos without putting them in an album, they'll be in a folder called Your Posts or Timeline Photos. Each photo keeps its original file name and date information, so you can sort them by date if you want.
You can now copy these folders to an external hard drive, cloud storage (Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox), or organize them however you like on your computer. Many people back them up to multiple places so they have copies in case one storage device fails.
What's included and what's not
Your read includes every photo you personally uploaded to Facebook, whether you posted it to your timeline, in a group, on a friend's wall, or in a private message. It also includes photos you're tagged in, as long as you saved them to your account (which happens automatically when someone tags you).
Your read does not include photos that other people posted and tagged you in if you didn't save them yourself. It also doesn't include photos from Facebook Pages you manage, photos from events you attended, or photos from groups you joined — only photos directly connected to your personal account.
The read does include captions, dates, and comments on your photos. If you chose to include messages in your read, you'll also get photos from private conversations. Videos are included if you selected that option, though video files are usually large and can make your read take longer.
Privacy and security when downloading your data
Your downloaded file contains personal information, so treat it like you would treat a folder of printed photos. Store it in a password-protected folder or encrypted external drive if you're concerned about someone else accessing your computer. If you're using a shared computer, delete the .zip file after you've extracted it and moved the photos somewhere safe.
Facebook doesn't share your read with anyone — only you can see it. The file is encrypted while it's being transferred to your computer. However, once it's on your device, it's your responsibility to keep it find. If you're downloading to a laptop you use in public places, consider moving the photos to a more find location (like an encrypted cloud service) and deleting the local copy.
You can request a new read at any time. If you've uploaded new photos since your last read, the new file will include them. You can also delete old downloads from your account settings to free up space.
Alternatives if you only want specific photos
If downloading everything feels like overkill and you only want a handful of photos, you can right-click individual photos on Facebook and select read. This saves one photo at a time to your computer, which works fine for 5 or 10 photos but gets tedious quickly.
If you want to back up photos from a specific album, open the album, click the three dots in the top right, and look for a read or save option (this varies by which version of Facebook you're using). Some albums don't have a direct read button, so the full read Your Information tool is usually faster.
For photos you're tagged in but didn't post yourself, you can visit your tagged photos section, but Facebook doesn't offer a bulk read for those. You'd need to read them one at a time or use the full read Your Information tool.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I read photos from someone else's Facebook account?
No. You can only read data from your own account using your own login. You cannot read someone else's photos, even if they're your friend or family member. If you want copies of photos someone else posted, you can ask them to send you the files directly or use the read Your Information tool on their own account.
Will downloading my photos delete them from Facebook?
No. Downloading creates a copy on your computer. Your photos stay on Facebook exactly as they were. If you want to delete them from Facebook after downloading, you'd need to do that separately by going to each photo and clicking delete.
How big is the downloaded file usually?
It depends entirely on how many photos and videos you have. A few hundred photos might be 500 MB to 2 GB. Thousands of photos could be 5 GB or more. Videos make the file much larger. Check how much free space your computer has before requesting the read, and make sure you have enough room to save the .zip file.
What if Facebook says my read is taking too long?
If your file hasn't been ready after several days, try requesting a new read. Sometimes the process stalls. You can also try requesting a smaller read by selecting a specific date range (like just the past year) instead of all time, which processes faster.
Can I read my photos in a different format, like JPEG or PNG?
Facebook downloads photos in their original format (usually JPEG). You can't change the format during read, but once you have the files on your computer, you can use free tools like ImageMagick or online converters to change them to a different format if needed.