Category Archives: Data Download

Facebook Data Download – What to do with it after you get it



In our last post, we described how to download your Facebook data file. If you’re leaving Facebook, make sure you download your history, but even if you’re staying around, it’s interesting to see what’s in the download. Here’s how to check out your data download once you get it.

1. Download your Facebook data. Here’s the instructions for that: Facebook Data Download

2. Once you get the email that your file is ready, click on the link in the email, enter your password on the Facebook page that opens from the link (you have to enter your password even if you are already signed in to Facebook in another tab) and click the button to start the download.

3. The download is a zip file. On the profile that we used, the data download was 666 MB in size. Yours will vary from that, of course.

4. A zip file, in case you didn’t know, is compressed. It’s like buying something in a bubble pack. You have to spend a bit of time unzipping the file in order to see the data that’s in it. No worries. Windows knows how to handle the file. Find the file on your computer and right click it. This is what you’ll see:

Photo of Unzip Menu
Choose ‘Extract all’

 

5. The extraction of the zip file creates a folder. Double click that folder to get to yet another folder, named for the Facebook profile you downloaded. Double click that folder to get to this:

Photo of Folder Contents
The Facebook data is turned into one web page. Double click the index.html file.

 

6. Everything from the data file is available from the index.html page. Double click it and it will open in your default web browser. Here’s what you’ll see:

Photo of Facebook Data Download Web Page
It’s all here. Click on the items on the left side to see them on the right.

 

That’s it! The page is very plain, as you will see, but your data is all there…perhaps. The messages seem to be a bit sketchy, from what we’ve seen. Some are there, some are marked ‘unknown’, etc. The problem may be due to the fact that some of your friends have left Facebook or maybe they aren’t your friends now, something like that.

This should all be straightforward but if you have questions, just comment below and we’ll work it out for you.

Thanks for reading!

 

 

 

 

Facebook Data Download – How to do it



Before you leave Facebook, make sure you download a copy of your Facebook history. Many people leave Facebook every day. Sure, more people join Facebook than leave it but the word is that many of us are concerned about our privacy as Facebook ramps up to make more money for its investors.  Here’s how to save your Facebook history:

1. Navigate to your Account Settings (click the down arrow to the right of the word ‘Home’ from any page in Facebook and choose Account Settings.)

2. This is what you want to see:

Photo of Facebook Data download 1
Click on ‘Download a copy’ to get to the next screen.

 

3.

Photo of Data Download menu
Click on the green ‘Start My Archive’

 

4.

Photo of Data Download Menu 3
A little blurb pops up. Read it and click the green ‘Start my archive’ button again.

 

5.

Photo of Data Download Menu
Facebook sends you an email so click Confirm to start the process.

 

6.

Photo of Data Download Menu
You can watch the process here or just wait for the email. Depending on the amount of your involvement in Facebook, this could take a long time.

 

You’re done! Just wait for the email and download the zip file when it’s ready. Here are a couple of tips for you, just so you don’t get too excited about the whole thing:

Tip 1: The file may or may not include everything that you have posted or messaged on Facebook. One of our data downloads didn’t include all of the private messages, for instance. The photos were there, the notes too but not all of the messages.

Tip 2: Photos in which you’ve been tagged will not be included in the data download unless they are your photos. The data download is your data, not someone else’s. Don’t expect the tagged photos to be part of the download.

Once you get the zip file, right click it and Windows will unzip if for you when you choose ‘extract all’. Then you can go back through your Facebook life and reminisce.

Thanks for reading!