Facebook Video Search Scraper

Facebook Video Search Scraper

The Facebook Video Search Scraper is a fast, production-ready Facebook video scraper that finds and extracts public Facebook Watch search results by keyword — perfect for marketers, developers, data analysts, and researchers. It solves the manual effort of exploring video search results by turning keywords into structured data you can analyze at scale. Use it as a Facebook video search tool, a Facebook Watch video scraper, or a Facebook video crawler to automate discovery, extract Facebook video URLs, and build datasets for content intelligence.

What data / output can you get?

This actor returns structured JSON for each video discovered on Facebook Watch search results. Below are the real fields it outputs, with examples.

Data field	Description	Example value
facebookUrl	The Facebook Watch search URL used for the query	https://www.facebook.com/watch/search?q=football
videoUrl	Direct path to the video on Facebook	https://www.facebook.com/reel/1358643215896084/
title	Video title or caption extracted from metadata	Estevao Willian Vs Qarabag - UCL Performance 🇧🇷🔥 #CHM #football
label	Accessibility label with publisher, length, time, and views (when available)	Estevao Willian Vs Qarabag… Video length:3minutes; 28seconds · 19K views
thumbnail_image.uri	Video thumbnail URL (if present)	https://scontent.fbcdn.net/...jpg
video_duration_text	Duration string shown with the thumbnail	3:28
video.id	Video identifier from metadata (if present)	1358643215896084
video_owner_profile.name	Publisher/page/user name	Chelsea Highlight Myanmar
video_owner_profile.url	Publisher/page/user profile URL (when available)	https://www.facebook.com/people/Chelsea-Highlight-Myanmar/61550516546696/
video_owner_profile.is_verified	Whether the owner profile is verified	false
relative_time_string	Relative timestamp and views from metadata	5 hours ago · 19K views
save_description	Saved/posted text/hashtags (if present)	#football #freekick #short…
query	The search keyword you provided	football
facebookId	Mirrors the search URL for consistency	https://www.facebook.com/watch/search?q=football
inputUrl	Mirrors the search URL for consistency	https://www.facebook.com/watch/search?q=football
video_broadcast_status	Broadcast status (if provided by Facebook)	null

Notes:

• Some keys may be null or missing if Facebook doesn’t provide them for a given result.
• Export your dataset from Apify in JSON, CSV, or Excel for downstream analysis and integrations.

Key features

• 🔍 Keyword-based Watch search Enter a list of keywords and the actor turns them into Facebook Watch search URLs automatically to scrape Facebook videos by keyword. Ideal for Facebook video search automation workflows.

• 🧩 Structured video metadata extraction Captures titles, labels, durations, owner profiles, thumbnail URLs, relative timestamps, and video IDs — a precise Facebook video metadata scraper for analysis-ready data.

• 🔁 Pagination & batch collection Fetches results in batches with cursors and continues until your per-query cap is reached, acting as a reliable Facebook video crawler for larger result sets.

• 🛡️ Robust proxy handling Uses Apify residential proxies under the hood for improved stability on Facebook Watch endpoints, with automatic switching when needed.

• ⚡ Async performance, Apify-native Built with aiohttp and the Apify SDK for speed and reliability in production, ready to run at scale as a Facebook video search scraper tool.

• 💾 Dataset-ready outputs Results are saved directly to your Apify dataset for easy export to JSON, CSV, or Excel and integration into dashboards or pipelines.

• 🧠 Developer-friendly automation Trigger runs and fetch datasets via the Apify API or SDKs to integrate with ETL tools and workflows, from Make/Zapier to custom scripts.

• 🎯 Purpose-built for Watch search Focuses specifically on Facebook Watch search results, making it ideal to scrape Facebook Watch search results and extract Facebook video URLs consistently.

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 Store.
3. Add your search keywords:
   • In Search Keywords, enter one keyword per line (e.g., football, cricket). The actor will convert them to Facebook Watch search URLs automatically.
4. Configure limits:
   • Set Max Videos per Query (1–1000) to control how many videos to collect for each keyword.
5. Set proxy (optional):
   • The actor manages proxies automatically and uses residential proxies for reliability.
6. Start the run:
   • Click Start. The actor will resolve search parameters, paginate results, and save videos to the dataset.
7. Monitor progress:
   • Watch live logs to see pages processed, saved counts, and completion summaries.
8. Export your data:
   • Open the run’s dataset and export results to JSON, CSV, or Excel. Connect the dataset via API for automation.

Pro tip: Chain this actor with your analytics tools or a data warehouse pipeline to power ongoing Facebook video search automation and reporting.

Use cases

Use case	Description
Market research & trend analysis	Identify trending topics and creators by collecting public Watch search results at scale.
Competitor & content benchmarking	Track titles, durations, and posting cadence across topical searches to inform content strategy.
Social video analytics	Build datasets to analyze relative posting time, view patterns, and verified owner profiles.
SEO & keyword intelligence	Test keyword clusters and scrape Facebook video search results to inform social content planning.
Academic & media studies	Assemble public datasets for research into social video dissemination and engagement patterns.
Data engineering pipelines	Automate extraction and export to integrate with BI, dashboards, or ML feature stores via API.

Why choose Facebook Video Search Scraper?

Built for precision and automation, this actor focuses on Facebook Watch search so you can reliably extract public video data without brittle browser extensions.

• 🎯 Accurate, structured output: Consistent fields geared for analysis and enrichment.
• 🚀 Scales with your needs: Batch pagination and limits per query for controlled collection.
• 💻 Developer access: Orchestrate with the Apify API or SDKs in your language of choice.
• 🛡️ Stable on the open web: Residential proxy usage improves reliability on public Watch endpoints.
• 🔗 Integration-friendly: Export from the dataset to CSV/JSON/Excel and plug into your stack.
• 💰 Cost-effective: Run with Apify’s infrastructure and trial minutes before committing.
• 🧩 Purpose-built: A focused Facebook Watch video scraper that avoids the instability of extensions.

Is it legal and ethical to use this actor?

Yes — when used responsibly. This actor targets public Facebook Watch search results and does not access private or logged-in-only data. Always:

• Collect publicly available information only.
• Respect Facebook’s Terms of Service and your local laws (e.g., GDPR/CCPA).
• Use the data for legitimate purposes such as research, analytics, or business intelligence.
• Consult your legal team for edge cases or regulated workflows.

Input parameters & output format

JSON input example

{
  "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
• 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 in input. The actor manages proxying internally for reliability.
  • Default: none

JSON output example

[
  {
    "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/v/t15.5256-10/577538485_1159678812970391_7650325657049177277_n.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"
  }
]

Notes:

• thumbnail_image, video, video_owner_profile, and video_broadcast_status may be null if not provided by Facebook for a particular result.
• The actor adds query to each item for traceability to your input keyword.

FAQ

Is there a free way to try the Facebook Video Search Scraper?

Yes. The actor offers trial minutes on Apify (e.g., 120 trial minutes listed on the actor page). You can start a few test runs, inspect the dataset, and upgrade if you need more capacity.

Do I need to log in to Facebook to use this?

No. The actor targets public Facebook Watch search results and does not require a Facebook login or cookies to run.

Can I use this with Python or the Apify API?

Yes. You can trigger runs and download datasets via the Apify API, and integrate with the Apify SDKs in Python or Node.js to automate your Facebook video search pipelines.

How many videos can I scrape per keyword?

You control this with maxVideos, which accepts 1–1000. The actor paginates and batches requests until the per-query limit is reached or no more results are available.

Does it support hashtags or phrases?

Yes. Treat hashtags or phrases as keywords in Search Keywords (startUrls). The actor will search Facebook Watch and collect matching public video results.

Does this use the Facebook Graph API?

No. It collects public Watch search results via web endpoints and Facebook’s GraphQL search responses, not the Facebook Graph API.

Can it scrape videos from specific Facebook pages or groups?

This actor is designed for keyword-based Watch search. It doesn’t accept page or group URLs directly — instead, it discovers videos using your keywords across Watch search results.

What exactly is included in the output?

Each item includes the search URL, direct video link, title, accessibility label, duration text, optional thumbnail URL, video ID, owner profile details (name, URL, verification), relative time string, save_description (if present), and your input query for traceability.

Final thoughts

The Facebook Video Search Scraper is built for discovering and extracting public Facebook Watch video results at scale — cleanly, quickly, and reliably. Teams across marketing, analytics, research, and engineering can automate Facebook video search workflows, export structured data, and plug it into dashboards or models. Developers can orchestrate runs via the API and SDKs to power repeatable pipelines. Start extracting smarter today and turn Facebook Watch search into actionable, structured insight.