Facebook Video Search Scraper

Facebook Video Search Scraper

Facebook Video Search Scraper is a fast, reliable Facebook video search results scraper that extracts structured data from Facebook Watch for any keyword. It solves the manual copy-paste problem by turning search queries into clean records with titles, direct video URLs, thumbnails, durations, owner profile info, and relative publish time. Built for marketers, developers, data analysts, and researchers, this Facebook video search automation tool scales from a few keywords to large lists, making it ideal for social listening, trend tracking, and content analysis. It works as a Facebook video crawler for public Watch results and can capture Facebook Reels alongside standard videos.

What data / output can you get?

Below are the exact fields this Facebook video scraper saves to the dataset. Values come directly from Facebook Watch search results and include Reels and short videos.

Data type	Description	Example value
facebookUrl	The Facebook Watch search URL used for the query	https://www.facebook.com/watch/search?q=football
videoUrl	Direct link to the public video (reel or long-form)	https://www.facebook.com/reel/1358643215896084/
label	Accessibility label that often includes title, page name, duration and views	"Estevao Willian... · Video length: 3:28 · 19K views"
thumbnail_image.uri	Thumbnail image URL (if available)	https://scontent.fepa12-1.fna.fbcdn.net/...jpg
video_duration_text	Video length in mm:ss or similar	"0:48"
video.id	Facebook video ID (if present)	"1286936426537684"
video_owner_profile.__typename	Owner type (e.g., User)	"User"
video_owner_profile.name	Owner/page name	"Chelsea Highlight Myanmar"
video_owner_profile.url	Owner/page/profile URL (if available)	https://www.facebook.com/aguskafree
video_owner_profile.is_verified	Normalized verification flag	false
video_broadcast_status	Broadcast status (may be null)	null
save_description	Saved/posted text (if present)	"#football #freekick #short..."
title	Video title or caption	"Football dribbling tutorial skills"
relative_time_string	Relative time with view text (when present)	"5 hours ago · 19K views"
inputUrl	The same Facebook Watch search URL as above	https://www.facebook.com/watch/search?q=football
facebookId	Alias of the search URL for compatibility	https://www.facebook.com/watch/search?q=football
query	The keyword you searched for	"football"

Notes:

• Exports: Download your dataset as JSON or CSV directly from Apify.
• Bonus metadata: The actor includes structured owner profile objects and normalized verification status. Some fields may be null when not provided by Facebook (e.g., video_broadcast_status, thumbnail_image, video).

Key features

• 🔍 Keyword-based video discovery Enter any topic or phrase in Search Keywords and the actor turns it into a Facebook Watch search URL automatically to scrape matching videos and Reels.

• 🎞️ Reels and Watch video coverage Extracts across key Facebook video surfaces using roles like VIDEOS, VIDEO, REELS, and SHORT_VIDEOS for broader coverage than a basic Facebook video URL extractor.

• 📦 Structured owner metadata Captures a normalized owner object (name, URL, ID, verified flag), making it a reliable Facebook video metadata extractor for downstream analysis.

• ⚙️ Scalable pagination Uses cursors and batched requests to collect up to your Max Videos per Query limit efficiently — ideal for building a Facebook video crawler at scale.

• 🧠 Clean, ready-to-use fields Outputs direct videoUrl, title, video_duration_text, thumbnail_image, and relative_time_string so you can analyze without post-processing.

• 🌐 Proxy reliability built-in Automatically uses Apify Residential proxy for stability and block avoidance, helping ensure consistent Facebook video data scraping.

• 💾 Easy exports and integrations Results are saved to an Apify dataset that you can export as JSON or CSV, or connect to your systems via the Apify API for Facebook video search automation.

• 🚫 No login required Scrapes publicly available Facebook Watch results without cookies or authenticated sessions, making it a safe Facebook public video scraper.

How to use Facebook Video Search Scraper - step by step

1. Create or log in to your Apify account.
2. Open the “Facebook Video Search Scraper” actor in the Apify Console.
3. Add Search Keywords:
   • Enter one keyword per line in startUrls (e.g., football, cricket, basketball).
4. Set limits:
   • Adjust Max Videos per Query to control how many results you collect per keyword (default 20; up to 1000).
5. Configure proxy (optional):
   • proxyConfiguration is optional; the actor will automatically set up a residential proxy for reliability.
6. Start the run:
   • Click Start. The actor will fetch Watch search pages, paginate, and save structured results.
7. Monitor progress:
   • View live logs for page counts and saved item totals.
8. Export results:
   • Open the Dataset tab for the run and export as JSON or CSV. Integrate via the Apify API if you prefer automated pipelines.

Pro tip: Chain this Facebook video search scraper with your data warehouse or BI tools via the Apify API to power dashboards and ongoing social listening.

Use cases

Use case	Description
Market research & trend analysis	Track emerging topics by scraping Facebook videos by keyword across Watch and Reels, then analyze titles, durations, and relative publish time.
Competitor content tracking	Monitor competitor pages that surface in video search to study posting cadence, captions, and formats.
Social listening & brand monitoring	Build datasets from keyword searches to spot brand mentions, campaigns, and creator activity.
Content strategy & curation	Discover high-signal clips by duration and title patterns using this Facebook video scraper for ideation workflows.
Academic & media studies	Collect public Facebook video metadata for research at scale with consistent structure and owner fields.
Data engineering pipelines	Automate Facebook video data scraping and export JSON to ETL/ELT workflows for enrichment and reporting.

Why choose Facebook Video Search Scraper?

This production-ready Facebook video search results scraper focuses on precision, reliability, and structured output.

• 🎯 Accurate, structured fields: Consistent keys like videoUrl, title, video_duration_text, and video_owner_profile for dependable downstream use.
• ⚡ Built for scale: Cursor-based pagination and batch saving deliver large result sets per query smoothly.
• 🔧 Developer-friendly: Use Apify datasets and API for automation, scheduling, and integrations.
• 🔒 Public data only: Works as a Facebook public video scraper without logins or cookies.
• 🌐 Robust proxying: Residential proxy setup enhances stability on repeated or larger scrapes.
• 🔁 Better than extensions: Avoid brittle browser add-ons with a server-side, automation-ready actor.
• 💾 Easy exports: Download CSV or JSON from Apify in one click.

In short: a reliable Facebook Watch video scraper that balances coverage (including Reels) with clean, ready-to-use metadata.

Is it legal / ethical to use Facebook Video Search Scraper?

Yes — when used responsibly. This actor targets publicly available Facebook Watch search results and does not access private or authenticated data.

Guidelines:

• Scrape only public information and respect Facebook’s Terms of Service.
• Use results for research, analytics, or business intelligence — not spam.
• Ensure compliance with relevant regulations (e.g., GDPR/CCPA) and your organization’s policies.
• Consult your legal team for edge cases or specific jurisdictions.

Input parameters & output format

Example input

{
  "startUrls": [
    "football",
    "cricket"
  ],
  "maxVideos": 50,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": false
  }
}

Parameters

• startUrls (array, required)
  • Description: One keyword per line. The actor turns them into Facebook search URLs automatically. Examples: cricket, football, basketball, cooking, travel.
  • Default: none (UI prefill: ["football"])
• maxVideos (integer, optional)
  • Description: How many videos to scrape per keyword (1–1000). Higher = more results, longer run.
  • Default: 20
• proxyConfiguration (object, optional)
  • Description: Optional. No proxy by default. If Facebook blocks you, the actor tries datacenter then residential proxies.
  • Default: { "useApifyProxy": false }

Example output

[
  {
    "facebookUrl": "https://www.facebook.com/watch/search?q=football",
    "videoUrl": "https://www.facebook.com/reel/1358643215896084/",
    "label": "Estevao Willian Vs Qarabag - UCL Performance  #CHM  #football\nChelsea Highlight Myanmar\nVideo length:3minutes; 28seconds\n5 hours ago  \n 19K views",
    "thumbnail_image": { "uri": "https://scontent.fepa12-1.fna.fbcdn.net/...jpg" },
    "video_duration_text": "3:28",
    "video": { "id": "1358643215896084" },
    "video_owner_profile": {
      "__typename": "User",
      "id": "61550516546696",
      "__isNode": null,
      "__isActor": "User",
      "name": "Chelsea Highlight Myanmar",
      "url": "https://www.facebook.com/people/Chelsea-Highlight-Myanmar/61550516546696/",
      "is_verified": false
    },
    "video_broadcast_status": null,
    "save_description": "Estevao Willian Vs Qarabag - UCL Performance  \n\n #CHM\n #football",
    "title": "Estevao Willian Vs Qarabag - UCL Performance   #CHM  #football",
    "relative_time_string": "5 hours ago · 19K views",
    "facebookId": "https://www.facebook.com/watch/search?q=football",
    "inputUrl": "https://www.facebook.com/watch/search?q=football",
    "query": "football"
  },
  {
    "facebookUrl": "https://www.facebook.com/watch/search?q=cricket",
    "videoUrl": "https://www.facebook.com/reel/1286936426537684/",
    "label": "FOOTBALL SKILLS\nFavour Somtoo\nVideo length:0minutes; 48seconds\n11 minutes ago",
    "thumbnail_image": { "uri": "https://scontent.fepa12-1.fna.fbcdn.net/...jpg" },
    "video_duration_text": "0:48",
    "video": { "id": "1286936426537684" },
    "video_owner_profile": {
      "__typename": "User",
      "id": "100043617788862",
      "__isNode": null,
      "__isActor": "User",
      "name": "Favour Somtoo",
      "url": "https://www.facebook.com/ojukwunze.favour",
      "is_verified": false
    },
    "video_broadcast_status": null,
    "save_description": "Step overs are really beautiful to watch  \n#football #FabrizioRomano",
    "title": "FOOTBALL SKILLS",
    "relative_time_string": "11 minutes ago",
    "facebookId": "https://www.facebook.com/watch/search?q=cricket",
    "inputUrl": "https://www.facebook.com/watch/search?q=cricket",
    "query": "cricket"
  }
]

Notes:

• Some fields may be null or missing when not present in the source (e.g., video_broadcast_status, thumbnail_image, video).
• Owner URLs are normalized when available; verification is returned as a boolean (is_verified).

FAQ

Is there a free way to try this Facebook video scraper?

Yes. You can run the actor on Apify and export results to CSV/JSON. Trial usage is available on the platform so you can validate output before scaling.

Do I need to log in to scrape Facebook videos?

No. This tool works as a Facebook public video scraper and does not require login or cookies. It targets publicly available Watch search results.

Does it scrape Facebook Reels as well as standard videos?

Yes. The scraper processes roles including REELS, VIDEOS, VIDEO, and SHORT_VIDEOS, making it suitable as a Facebook Reels scraper and Facebook Watch video scraper.

What data fields are included in the output?

The dataset includes videoUrl, title, video_duration_text, thumbnail_image, video.id, a structured video_owner_profile, relative_time_string, and more. See the Output Format section for a full example.

How many results can I collect per keyword?

You control this with maxVideos (1–1000). The actor paginates with cursors and batches results until the target is reached or results are exhausted.

Can I export results to CSV or JSON?

Yes. After a run finishes, open the Dataset and export to JSON or CSV. You can also use the Apify API to pull results into your systems for Facebook video data scraping workflows.

How does the scraper handle blocking or rate limits?

The actor sets up an Apify Residential proxy for reliability, and includes retry logic. It will switch proxies when necessary to continue scraping.

Is it legal to scrape Facebook video search results?

Yes — for public data and when done responsibly. Ensure you respect Facebook’s Terms of Service and applicable laws, and use the data for research and analytics.

Final thoughts

Facebook Video Search Scraper is built for fast, structured extraction of public Facebook Watch results by keyword — including Reels. With clean fields (titles, direct video URLs, durations, owner profiles, and relative time) and reliable proxying, it’s ideal for marketers, developers, analysts, and researchers. Connect via the Apify API to automate Facebook video search automation and export datasets to CSV/JSON. Start extracting smarter insights from Facebook video search today.