Accessing & Downloading Your Information
Tools & Resources
If you want to download a copy of your information on Facebook, you can learn more about the Download Your Information tool.

Our Access Your Information Tool allows you to view your account data in a single place. We also have a number of tools and resources to help you review and control your information on Facebook.

What does the Access Your Information tool tell me about my account?

The Access Your Information tool provides a summary of your Facebook account information that you can access at any time and in a single place. We've categorized this information by type so you can find what you're looking for:

  • You can review information you've posted or shared, such as likes, comments, and videos, below Your Information.
  • You can view information about your Facebook account, such as location and search history, below Information About You.
  • Our Data Policy has more information about how we collect and use your information, how it's shared and how long we retain it. It also outlines your rights and how you can exercise them, and how we operate and transfer your information as part of our global services

You can review your information on Facebook (such as recent activity) from the Your Facebook Information section of your Facebook Settings.

To view Your Facebook Information from a computer:

  1. Go to the top right of Facebook and click .
  2. Click Settings.
  3. Click Your Facebook Information.
  4. Go to the information you want to review and click View.

These tools and resources are available in the Your Facebook Information section of your settings:

  • Access Your Information: A summary of your Facebook information that you can access at any time and in a single place. We've categorized this information by type so you can find what you're looking for.
  • Download Your Information: Download a copy of your Facebook information. You can download all your categories of information at once, or you can select the specific categories and date ranges you want. Learn more about downloading your information on Facebook.
  • Activity Log: Within your account, your activity log is a history of your activity on Facebook. From your activity log, you can review and manage things you share, from posts you've commented on or liked to apps you have used or anything you've searched for. Learn more about your activity log.
  • Manage Your Information: Learn how to manage your information on Facebook and get answers to common questions.
  • Delete Your Account And Information: Permanently delete your Facebook account and information.

Note: You can learn more about controlling your data and privacy settings in your Privacy Shortcuts.

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If you want to download a copy of your information from Facebook, you can use the Download Your Information tool.

To download a copy of your Facebook data:
  1. Click in the top right of Facebook, then click Settings.
  2. In the left column, click Your Facebook Information.
  3. Next to Download Your Information, click View.
  4. To add or remove categories of data from your request, click the boxes on the right side of Facebook.
  5. Select other options, including:
    • The format of your download request.
    • The quality of photos, videos and other media.
    • A specific date range of information. If you don't select a date range, you'll request all the information for the categories you've selected.
  6. Click Create File to confirm the download request.

After you've made a download request, it will appear as Pending in the Available Files section of the Download Your Information tool. It may take several days for us to finish preparing your download request.

Once we've finished preparing your download request, we'll send a notification letting you know it's ready.

To download a copy of data you requested:
  1. Go to the Available Files section of the Download Your Information tool.
  2. Click Download and enter your password.
You can also click Show more to view information about your download request, such as the format and when it will expire.

Note: You can always view your Privacy Shortcuts to learn about the ways you can control your data and privacy on Facebook. If you want to review recent activity on your Facebook account or want to review your Facebook account information, you can use the Access Your Information tool.

Can I pick and choose which information I would like to download?

Yes. When you download a copy of your data on Facebook, you'll have control over which categories of data you want to include in the download, as well as which date range of data you want to include of the data you want to receive. These choices are available when you make the request for your information. Learn more about what's included.

What's the difference between an HTML or JSON copy of my data?

When you request a copy of your information on Facebook, you can choose to receive it in an HTML or JSON format:

HTML: An easy to view format of your data on Facebook. You'll receive a .ZIP file that, once opened and extracted, will contain an .HTML file named index that you can open like a web page on your web browser. The .ZIP file will contain folders with files, including any images and videos you've requested.

JSON: A machine readable format of your data that could allow you to transfer your information more easily when uploading it to another service.

You can also choose the quality of your media files (photos, videos) when you request a copy of your information. If you choose a higher quality version of your media, your download will be larger and take up more space.

What security measures are in place to make sure someone else doesn’t download a copy of my information?

We have a number of security measures in place to help keep your account secure and protect your information on Facebook. Before you can begin downloading a copy of your information, we'll first ask you to enter your password. We may also ask you to complete additional verification steps before allowing your download to begin. To help protect your account, your download request will expire after a few days, and you can always request a new one.

Our security systems are always running to help mitigate threats before they reach you and your friends on Facebook, and we offer tools like Security Checkup and two-factor authentication as additional ways to improve the security of your account. Learn more about keeping your account secure.

Note: Keep in mind that your data request may contain private information. You should keep it secure and take precautions when storing or sending it, or uploading it to another service. You can always select specific sections when requesting a copy of your information.

I don't have an active Facebook account. How can I request my personal data stored by Facebook?

If you deactivated your account:

If you previously had a Facebook account but it's currently deactivated, you can reactivate your account by logging back into Facebook or by using your Facebook account to log in somewhere else.

Once you re-activate your account, you'll be able to access your information throughout your account or by using the Download Your Information tool.


If you deleted your account or have never signed up for one:

If you deleted your Facebook account, you'll no longer be able to access information related to this account. Some information you shared may still appear on other people's Facebook accounts. For example, if you sent someone a message or wrote on their timeline, they may still have their copy of the message or timeline post - similar to an email.

If you don't have a Facebook account but believe Facebook may have information about you, you can contact us to request a copy of your information.

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I have other questions about my data
Something that’s public can be seen by anyone. That includes people who aren’t your friends, people off of Facebook and people who use different media such as print, broadcast (ex: television) and other sites on the Internet. For example, if you use our services to provide a real-time public comment to a television show, that may appear on the show or elsewhere on Facebook.
What information is public?
Information you share that is always public: Some of the information you give us when you fill out your profile is public, such as your age range, language and country. We also use a part of your profile, called your Public Profile, to help connect you with friends and family. Your Public Profile includes your name, gender, username and user ID (account number), profile picture, cover photo and networks. This info is also public. Some of the ways this helps us connect you are:
  • Your name, profile picture and cover photo help people recognize you.
  • Gender helps us describe you (ex: "Add her as a friend").
  • Listing your networks (ex: school, workplace) allows others to find you more easily.
  • Username and user ID (ex: your account number) are in the URL of your profile.
  • Age range helps provide you with age-appropriate content.
  • Language and country help us provide appropriate content and experiences.
Information you share publicly: When you choose to share something with Public (ex: when you select Public from the audience selector), it’s considered public information. If you share something and you don’t see an audience selector or another privacy setting, that information is also public. Learn more about using the audience selector to control who you share with when you post to Facebook.
Stuff other people share: If other people share info about you, even if it’s something you shared with them but did not make public, they can choose to make it public. Also when you comment on other people’s public posts, your comment is public as well.
Posts on Facebook Pages or public groups: Facebook Pages and public groups are public spaces. Anyone who can see the Page or group can see your post or comment. Generally, when you post or comment on a Page or to a public group, a story can be published in News Feed as well as other places on or off Facebook.
Remember that public information can:
  • Be associated with you, even off Facebook.
  • Show up when someone does a search on Facebook or on another search engine.
  • Be accessible to Facebook-integrated games, applications and websites you and your friends use.
  • Be accessible to anyone who uses our APIs, such as our Graph API.
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When you choose to delete something you shared on Facebook, we remove it from the site. Some of this information is permanently deleted from our servers; however, some things can only be deleted when you permanently delete your account.
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Tip: Learn how to download a copy of your Facebook information using the Download Your Information tool.

These are the categories of Facebook data that are available to you from your account [Table 1] as well as the download your information tool [Table 2].
We store different categories of data for different time periods, so you may not find all data from the time you joined Facebook. You won't find information or content that you deleted because content deleted from your account is also deleted from Facebook servers.
Remember, most of your Facebook data is available to you by logging into your account. Also note the categories of data we receive, collect, and save may change over time. We'll update these tables if that happens.

Table 1: Information you can find by logging into your account
What info is available?What is it?Where can I find it?
About MeInformation you added to the About section of your timeline like relationships, work, education, where you live and more. It includes any updates or changes you made in the past and what is currently in the About section of your timeline.Activity Log
Check-insThe places you’ve checked into.Activity Log
ConnectionsThe people who have liked your Page or Place, RSVPed to your event, installed your app or checked in to your advertised place within 24 hours of viewing or clicking on an ad or Sponsored Story.Activity Log
Credit CardsIf you make purchases on Facebook (ex: in apps) and have given Facebook your credit card number.Account Settings
EventsEvents you’ve joined or been invited to.Activity Log
FollowingA list of people you follow.Activity Log
Last LocationThe last location associated with an update.Activity Log
Likes on Others' PostsPosts, photos or other content you’ve liked.Activity Log
Likes on Your Posts from othersLikes on your own posts, photos or other content.Activity Log
Likes on Other SitesLikes you’ve made on sites off of Facebook.Activity Log
Linked AccountsA list of the accounts you've linked to your Facebook account.Account Settings
NotesAny notes you’ve written and published to your account.Activity Log
Posts by YouAnything you posted to your own timeline, like photos, videos and status updates.Activity Log
Posts by OthersAnything posted to your timeline by someone else, like wall posts or links shared on your timeline by friends.Activity Log
Posts to OthersAnything you posted to someone else’s timeline, like photos, videos and status updates.Activity Log
Privacy Settings Your privacy settings.Privacy Settings
Recent ActivitiesActions you’ve taken and interactions you’ve recently had.Activity Log
Registration DateThe date you joined Facebook. Activity Log
Removed FriendsPeople you’ve removed as friends.Activity Log
SearchesSearches you’ve made on Facebook.Activity Log
SharesContent (ex: a news article) you've shared with others on Facebook using the Share button or link.Activity Log
Status UpdatesAny status updates you’ve posted.Activity Log
Vanity URLYour Facebook URL (ex: username or vanity for your account).Visible in your timeline URL
VideosVideos you’ve posted to your timeline.Activity Log


Table 2: Information you can download using the Download Your Information tool
What info is available?What is it?Where can I find it?
About MeInformation you added to the About section of your timeline like relationships, work, education, where you live and more. It includes any updates or changes you made in the past and what is currently in the About section of your timeline.Downloaded Info
Account Status HistoryThe dates when your account was reactivated, deactivated, disabled or deleted.Downloaded Info
Active SessionsAll stored active sessions, including date, time, device, IP address, machine cookie and browser information.Downloaded Info
Ads ClickedDates, times and titles of ads clicked (limited retention period).Downloaded Info
AddressYour current address or any past addresses you had on your account.Downloaded Info
Ad TopicsA list of topics that you may be targeted against based on your stated likes, interests and other data you put in your timeline.Downloaded Info
Alternate NameAny alternate names you have on your account (ex: a maiden name or a nickname).Downloaded Info
AppsAll of the apps you have added.Downloaded Info
Birthday VisibilityHow your birthday appears on your timeline.Downloaded Info
ChatA history of the conversations you’ve had on Facebook Chat (a complete history is available directly from your messages inbox).Downloaded Info
Check-insThe places you’ve checked into.Downloaded Info
CurrencyYour preferred currency on Facebook. If you use Facebook Payments, this will be used to display prices and charge your credit cards.Downloaded Info
Current CityThe city you added to the About section of your timeline. Downloaded Info
Date of BirthThe date you added to Birthday in the About section of your timeline.Downloaded Info
EducationAny information you added to Education field in the About section of your timeline.Downloaded Info
EmailsEmail addresses added to your account (even those you may have removed). Downloaded Info
EventsEvents you’ve joined or been invited to.Downloaded Info
Facial Recognition DataA unique number based on a comparison of the photos you're tagged in. We use this data to help others tag you in photos. Downloaded Info
FamilyFriends you’ve indicated are family members.Downloaded Info
Favorite QuotesInformation you’ve added to the Favorite Quotes section of the About section of your timeline.Downloaded Info
FollowersA list of people who follow you.Downloaded Info
Friend RequestsPending sent and received friend requests.Downloaded Info
FriendsA list of your friends.Downloaded Info
GenderThe gender you added to the About section of your timeline.Downloaded Info
GroupsA list of groups you belong to on Facebook.Downloaded Info
Hidden from News FeedAny friends, apps or pages you’ve hidden from your News Feed.Downloaded Info
HometownThe place you added to hometown in the About section of your timeline.Downloaded Info
IDA copy of the ID you submitted to confirm your identity and to help improve our automated systems for detecting fake IDs and related abuse.Personal Data Request
IP AddressesA list of IP addresses where you’ve logged into your Facebook account (won’t include all historical IP addresses as they are deleted according to a retention schedule).Downloaded Info
LocaleThe language you've selected to use Facebook in.Downloaded Info
LoginsIP address, date and time associated with logins to your Facebook account.Downloaded Info
LogoutsIP address, date and time associated with logouts from your Facebook account.Downloaded Info
Matched ContactsContact information that may be associated with your account.Personal Data Request
MessagesMessages you’ve sent and received on Facebook. Note, if you've deleted a message it won't be included in your download as it has been deleted from your account.Downloaded Info
NameThe name on your Facebook account.Downloaded Info
Name ChangesAny changes you’ve made to the original name you used when you signed up for Facebook.Downloaded Info
NetworksNetworks (affiliations with schools or workplaces) that you belong to on Facebook.Downloaded Info
Pages You AdminA list of pages you admin.Downloaded Info
Pending Friend RequestsPending sent and received friend requests.Downloaded Info
Phone NumbersMobile phone numbers you’ve added to your account, including verified mobile numbers you've added for security purposes.Downloaded Info
PhotosPhotos you’ve uploaded to your account.Downloaded Info
Photos MetadataAny metadata that is transmitted with your uploaded photos.Downloaded Info
Physical TokensBadges you’ve added to your account.Downloaded Info
PokesA list of who’s poked you and who you’ve poked. Poke content from our mobile poke app is not included because it's only available for a brief period of time. After the recipient has viewed the content it's permanently deleted from our systems.Downloaded Info
Political ViewsAny information you added to Political Views in the About section of timeline.Downloaded Info
Posts by OthersAnything posted to your timeline by someone else, like wall posts or links shared on your timeline by friends. Downloaded Info
Recent ActivitiesActions you’ve taken and interactions you’ve recently had.Downloaded Info
Registration DateThe date you joined Facebook. Downloaded Info
Religious ViewsThe current information you added to Religious Views in the About section of your timeline.Downloaded Info
Removed FriendsPeople you’ve removed as friends.Downloaded Info
Screen NamesThe screen names you’ve added to your account, and the service they’re associated with. You can also see if they’re hidden or visible on your account.Downloaded Info
Spoken LanguagesThe languages you added to Spoken Languages in the About section of your timeline.Downloaded Info
Status UpdatesAny status updates you’ve posted.Downloaded Info
WorkAny current information you’ve added to Work in the About section of your timeline.Downloaded Info
VideosVideos you’ve posted to your timeline.Downloaded Info
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Account Contents
Federal law does not allow private parties to obtain the content of communications (example: messages, timeline posts, photos) using subpoenas. See the Stored Communications Act, 18 U.S.C. § 2701 et seq.
Parties to litigation may satisfy party and non-party discovery requirements relating to their Facebook accounts by producing and authenticating the content of communications from their accounts and by using Facebook’s "Download Your Information" tool, which is accessible through the Settings drop down menu.
If a person cannot access their content, Facebook may, to the extent possible, attempt to restore access to deactivated accounts to allow the person to collect and produce their content. However, Facebook cannot restore account content that had been deleted. Facebook preserves account content only in response to a valid government requests.
Account Information
Facebook may provide the available basic subscriber information (not content) where the requested information is indispensable to the case, and not within a party’s possession upon personal service of a valid subpoena or court order and after notice to affected account holders.
If you are domiciled within the U.S. or Canada, the subpoena must be a valid federal, California or California domesticated subpoena, addressed to and served on Facebook, Inc. If you are domiciled outside the U.S. or Canada, the subpoena or court order must be addressed to and served on Facebook Ireland Limited.
Any such subpoena or court order should be limited in scope to seek basic subscriber information only, and set out the specific accounts at issue by identifying them by URL or Facebook user ID (UID). Names, birthdays, locations, and other information are insufficient.
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