Facebook’s endurance as a social media platform serves as a collection of photos and written memories for many. With its timeline option, you have a clear path down to go down memory lane. What photos did your family tag you in during the last holiday?
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Who posted that one great photo of you at graduation? Facebook touts an audience of over 2 billion, so the number of check-in opportunities and photos captured is extremely vast.
For varied reasons, sometimes you want to pull some of those photos off Facebook. Maybe the best picture of you and a group of loved ones exists only online and you want to frame it. Or, you need to download these photos from someone else’s account, to maintain access to keepsake memories.
Whatever your intent is, at some point you may ask yourself: how can I download and print photos from Facebook?
Access Your Photos
This first thing you'll want to do is make sure you can access all of your Facebook photos.
Step 1
Save your photos. Since Facebook isn’t primarily an image-sharing platform, downloading your photos can be a bit tricky. You can do it on your smartphone, but it may be easier to organize and review them on your home computer. In addition, it will avoid using precious phone storage. There are two choices to save your photos.
Download them individually. This is a great option for your own photos, or someone else’s. You don’t need to access their account to print them—you can save them individually.
Click on the post containing the photo, and hover your mouse over it. After a few seconds, options will appear at the bottom of the photo—Like, Comment, and Share.
If you look closely, there are two other options in the lower right-hand corner. These choices are "Tag Photo" and "Options." Click on Options and another menu of choices pops up. Out of this menu, select Download. That will save each photo to your Downloads folder.
Download everything. Facebook has an option that allows you to save all the data from your account. If you’re trying to select photos for a project like a memorial collage, it might be harder to sift through.
If your priority is saving memories, reviewing someone’s social media account could provide a keepsake. If you want to download everything, photos and all, go to facebook.com/settings. This will bring up a list of general settings, like your name and contact information.
At the bottom of this list, you have the option of selecting ‘Download a copy of my Facebook data.’ Click this. Then, click Start My Archive. To prevent information theft or hacking, you’ll need to input your password to help Facebook confirm your identity.
What’s included? Facebook will email you a copy of your posts, videos, and photos that you’ve shared to your page. It will also email copies of messages and chat conversations, and any information filled out in the About section.
How can I access these photos? As mentioned above, you’ll receive an email with a link referring you to a "zipped file," or a truncated file that expands once you open it on your computer.
Once again, you’ll be asked to type in your password, and the file will start downloading. Once you locate the file in your downloads, you can open and "unzip the zipped file." There will be a Photos folder inside. You can open it and view all your photos.
Step 2
Upload them to a photo printing site. There are lots of photo printing options these days. You can print and pick up your photos at a physical location, like Walgreens or CVS. But you can also use online services like Printique, Shutterfly, and Snapfish.
For most services, you’ll need to create an account to choose what you want. Do you want your photos printed onto products, like a mug? Or do you want high-quality printed photos?
Step 3
Select your options, then click the Upload button. This lets you upload that folder of photos you downloaded from Facebook, or individual photos as well. To save money, don’t upload everything all at once.
Review the folder full of your photos and select the ones you want to make sure you’ll only get copies of good photos. Then, follow the prompts. You can pick the size, finish, and more. Once you’re ready to complete your order, pay online and wait for them to be delivered to your door!
Choose a Store
You might not want to use online photo printing services. In that case, physical store locations have partnered with Facebook to print photos. Walgreens is a good example. Other stores have done it too.
Step 4
Download the app. Most stores offer an app for your use to make it easy to access any relevant services you may need. Make sure you create an account and download the app, which is usually available for free.
Step 5
Connect the app and your Facebook account. Once you’ve logged into the app, tap the Photos icon. This will change slightly for each individual store—but the basic steps remain the same.
Tap on the Photo icon, and then tap Prints. This will take you to a list of options, and Facebook is one of them. Tap on the Facebook icon, and then log in to connect your account to the app.
Step 6
Choose your photos. Facebook has many uses, including sharing photos. Given its myriad of user options, you may not be able to find all your photos instantly. From individual posts to photo albums, collecting them in one place may be time-consuming.
However, once you’ve found them all, select the ones you want to print. This will upload them to the app you’re using, and you can tap Next.
Step 7
Choose your size. To start, decide on specifics. How many photos do you want, and in what size? If you’re making a memory board, it might be easier to pick uniform sizes.
Whatever your project is, you have the option to change sizes for each image. To do this, tap on the Add Size button underneath each photo. If your budget is tight, check on pricing. It usually changes by size, and 4 by 6-inch photos are typically cheaper than larger alternatives.
Step 8
Complete your order. Most stores run photo printing sales during certain times of the year. The holidays, or back-to-school time, are both great chances to save.
Everyone wants pictures of their kids to keep or to send holiday cards for extended family. Check for sales, or look online for coupons. If you have a coupon code, tap the Apply Coupon button. Type it in and tap Apply, then Next.
Step 9
Pick a location and contact information. What store are you ordering from? Most cities have a CVS, Walmart, Walgreens, or other major supermarket chains.
If you have location services turned on, your phone will automatically select the store closest to you. If you want them sent to a different store, input that information. Then, enter your name, phone number, and email address. For most stores, you don’t need to input payment information. You can pay when you pick up your photos.
Step 10
Check out. You’ll need to make two more decisions before submitting your order. Your phone will display choices—do you want to receive future information and promotions from the store? Select your option.
Then, you’ll need to accept the terms and conditions. You can now tap Submit Order, and you’re good to go!
Get the Prints You Need
Gathering photos might be a last-minute task. It might also be an item on a long to-do list. From going through their estate to figuring out burial finances, you might have a lot on your plate when deciding how to accurately organize a loved one’s memories.
In any event, saving memories can be a very rewarding task. With the ease of taking digital photos, it is likely that you’ll have accumulated a fair amount online. Consider planning ahead and share your end-of-life preferences now. You’ll be able to tell loved ones what to do with your memories so they can also hold onto them and reminisce with fondness.
Looking for more on organizing your pictures? Read our guides on how to organize digital photos on your computer and how to organize your old family photos.
Post-planning tip: If you are the executor for a deceased loved one, handling their unfinished business can be overwhelming without a way to organize your process. We have a post-loss checklist that will help you ensure that your loved one's family, estate, and other affairs are taken care of.
Sources
- Clement, J. “Facebook users worldwide 2019.” Statista.com, Statista. 19 November 2019. Statista.com