How to download videos from Twitter

How to download videos from Twitter
(Image credit: Aytac Unal/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

Knowing how to download videos from Twitter is essential if you want to save that fascinating bit of content you've just seen for posterity.

While it started as just a way of quickly sharing 140-character messages (later doubled to 280), nowadays Twitter is every bit as media rich as Facebook. Grabbing a photo from the site is simple enough, but the company doesn’t make it as easy to download videos.

Don’t worry: saving videos from Twitter is possible, it just takes a few extra steps. Whether you’re on a desktop, laptop, tablet or smartphone, there are several ways of downloading that Twitter video for posterity. Here are your best options.

How to download videos from Twitter in your desktop browser

1. First, you need to find a Twitter video to download, so head to Twitter in your browser of choice, be it Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari or another option.

2. Find a video to download. Note that people sometimes embed YouTube videos on Twitter, and downloading them is a different process. (Check out our guide for how to download videos from YouTube here.) 

You should only try the steps below on clips without a YouTube logo, such as this one of us engaging the Motorola Razr’s retro mode.

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3. Click on the date below the video, and you’ll be taken to the URL of the tweet in question. Copy it from your address bar. 

How to download videos from Twitter — click on date

(Image credit: Twitter)

4. Our pick of the myriad Twitter video download sites is SaveTweetVid because, unlike some of its rivals, it doesn’t bombard you with popups. So head to www.savetweetvid.com in your browser.

5. Paste the URL into the white text box, and click "Download."

How to download videos from Twitter — SaveTweetVid

(Image credit: SaveTweetVid)

6. Pick the video quality you want. But remember that the higher the quality, the larger the file size.

How to download videos from Twitter — SaveTweetVid file size

(Image credit: SaveTweetVid)

7. The video will appear on the next page. Right click it, and select “Save video as” to download the Twitter video to your computer.

How to download videos from Twitter — SaveTweetVid save as

(Image credit: SaveTweetVid)

How to download videos from Twitter to an iPhone or iPad

Downloading Twitter videos on iOS is a bit more fiddly than using your desktop browser, but it’s still pretty straightforward when you know how.

1. First you need to download a free app from the Apple App Store. It’s called Documents: Files, PDF, Browser and it’s made by a company called Readdle Inc.

2. With that downloaded, open the official Twitter app and find the video you want to save.

3. Along the bottom of the tweet, there will be four icons. Tap the one on the far right — it has an arrow pointing upwards out of a tray.

How to download videos from Twitter — Twitter app arrow

(Image credit: Twitter)

4. Select “Copy Link."

How to download videos from Twitter — Twitter app copy link

(Image credit: Twitter)

5. Now leave Twitter and open your new Documents app. Press the blue compass logo to open the browser — it’s in the bottom right on iPhone, or in the panel on the left on iPad.

How to download videos from Twitter — Documents app

(Image credit: Readdle, Inc)

6. In the browser, type or copy and paste the URL www.twdown.net into the address bar.

how to download videos from Twitter — TWdown.net

(Image credit: Readdle, Inc)

7. Paste the URL of the tweet you copied earlier into the box on site, and then pick the video quality you want.

How to download videos from Twitter — select file size

(Image credit: Readdle, Inc)

8. Give the file a more memorable name, and then press “Done."

how to download videos from Twitter — change filename

(Image credit: Readdle, Inc)

How to download videos from Twitter to an Android phone or tablet

Thankfully, the way to download Twitter videos on Android is far more streamlined.

1. Install the Download Twitter Videos app on your Android phone or tablet.

how to download videos from Twitter — Download Twitter Videos app

(Image credit: Google)

2. Open the video you want to download in the official Twitter app, and press the "Share" button. 

How to download videos from Twitter — Share in Twitter

(Image credit: Twitter)

3. Press “Share via” and then scroll down the apps until you see the Download Twitter Videos icon. Tap it.

How to download videos from Twitter — Download Twitter Videos app

(Image credit: Google)

4. Tap the video quality you want, and the clip will be saved. And that's it — you’re done.

How to download videos from Twitter — Select file size

(Image credit: Download Twitter Videos)

More Twitter how to guides

If you'd like some more guides on how to use Twitter then check out our articles on how to see who unfollowed you on Twitter, how to mute words on Twitter, how to use audio Tweets on Twitter, how to turn iOS Live Photos into Twitter GIFs, and how to lock down your Twitter privacy settings

Alan Martin

Freelance contributor Alan has been writing about tech for over a decade, covering phones, drones and everything in between. Previously Deputy Editor of tech site Alphr, his words are found all over the web and in the occasional magazine too. When not weighing up the pros and cons of the latest smartwatch, you'll probably find him tackling his ever-growing games backlog. Or, more likely, playing Spelunky for the millionth time.