How to Download Videos and GIFs from X (Twitter)
X doesn't give you a download button for videos, but you don't need one. Copy the post link, paste it into the free FastSaver X downloader, and the clip saves as a normal MP4. It works in any browser on iPhone, Android, or desktop, with no app to install and no account to make.
Steps to download an X (Twitter) video
- Copy the post link. Tap the share arrow under the post and choose Copy link. On desktop, click the post's timestamp to open it on its own page, then copy the URL from the address bar.
- Check it's the right link. You want the URL of the specific post, the one with /status/ and a long number in it. Profile and timeline links won't work. x.com and twitter.com links are both fine.
- Paste it into FastSaver. Open fastsaver.io and drop the link in the box. There's a paste button if you don't feel like long-pressing, and it recognises X links on its own.
- Hit download. The video lands as an MP4 with a readable filename. GIFs come through the same way, as short looping MP4s.
- Find the file. Android and desktop put it in your Downloads folder; on iPhone it lands in the Files app.
Getting the file from Files into Photos on iPhone is the part that trips people up; the walkthrough on saving videos on iPhone and Android covers that move and where downloads live on each device.
Why GIFs come out as .mp4
X converted every animated GIF to video years ago, so what the app calls a GIF is really a short MP4 that loops. There's no .gif file on their servers to grab. The MP4 you download plays in your gallery and in any chat app, and it loops exactly like the original. For watching and sharing it's the better format anyway; you'd only need a converter if some tool of yours strictly demands a .gif.
When it won't work
A few things stop a download cold:
- Private or deleted posts. Open the link in an incognito window while logged out. If you can't see the video there, no tool can fetch it.
- Live streams. Not supported, on X or any other platform FastSaver handles.
- Photo posts. Obvious, but it happens: if the post has no video, there's nothing to extract.
One more limit: there's no MP3 option for X. FastSaver has an audio-only toggle for TikTok and YouTube, but X downloads are always video files. And keep what you save for personal use; reposting someone else's clip as your own is a different matter, which we cover in is it legal to download social media videos.
Nine times out of ten, a failed download just means the wrong link got copied. Grab it again straight from the share button and it'll go through.
Frequently asked questions
- Which link do I need to copy?
- The URL of the specific post, the one with /status/ and a long number in it. Profile and timeline links will not work.
- Why does my Twitter GIF download as an MP4 file?
- X stores GIFs as short looping videos, so the MP4 is the original file. It loops and plays the same in your gallery or any video player.
- Do old twitter.com links still work?
- Yes. FastSaver accepts both x.com and twitter.com links, so paste whichever one you have.
- Can I save just the audio from an X video as an MP3?
- Not from X. The audio-only MP3 toggle exists for TikTok and YouTube, but X downloads are video-only MP4 files.