How to save Snapchat videos on iPhone and Mac

Snapchat is a really fun app used by millions of people worldwide who are enamored with social sharing and filters for selfies and videos. Snapchat stands apart from the competition because it's ephemeral, meaning the pictures and videos shared to others last only 24 hours before they're gone forever.

While Snapchat is a fun way to share moments with others, it's also frustrating you can’t revisit a picture or video someone sent you. There's the option to take screenshots or record the screen on your mobile device, but the app tells the other person when you do so.

We’ll show you how to save a Snapchat video to your mobile device, share it to your Mac, how to save videos from Snapchat to share with other devices, and how to save a video from Snapchat chat.

Devices you can save Snapchat videos on

Saving videos from Snapchat requires the Snapchat app. Snapchat has a website, but it’s just a landing page telling you what Snapchat is, and links to download it. You can’t view snaps, or manage your settings. There’s not even a login option on snapchat.com!

Snapchat has apps for iOS and Android, but not Mac. It’s possible a Mac version of Snapchat will arrive with macOS Big Sur, which has better capabilities for developers who want to make mobile apps for the desktop, but don’t hold your breath. Instagram still doesn’t have a desktop app, and there’s no indication Snapchat is readying their app for Mac.

Because it relies on cameras, Snapchat prefers to limit its app to mobile devices. So saving a video requires a bit of mobile know-how before you can send the videos to your Mac. 

How to save Snapchat videos on iPhone

Knowing how to save videos on Snapchat isn’t as simple as you’d think. There are often several ways to save video on Snapchat, so we’ll show you how to do all of them!

But before we start, consider how much storage space your iPhone has. If you’re low on space, it may be because you’ve got duplicate files saved to your memory. If this sounds like your issue, you need CleanMy®Phone.

CleanMy®Phone is a really powerful app focused on finding duplicate files on your iPhone’s storage so you can delete or move them. It tells you which files can be deleted safely, and has the ability to focus its search engine on media files if you want.

How to save Snapchat videos to your camera roll

People love using Snapchat as their main camera because it has fun filters, the option to add text to the screen, and other editing features many camera apps don’t have. When taking a video on Snapchat, you have the ability to save those videos to your phone without having to share them to a story or with friends via Snapchat. Here’s how:

1. Open the Snapchat app on your iPhone
2. Press and hold the large shutter button on the bottom center of the screen to take a video
   Note: You can swipe right while holding the button down to go ‘hands free’ and not be forced to hold the button down while you film. There’s also a small button next to the shutter button for filters you can select before recording.
3. When you end your recording, you can edit your video using the tools on the top right, or leave it as-is
4. Select the ‘save’ icon at the bottom of your screen
5. Choose “Memories & Camera Roll” as the save option
6. Select the “Save” button

How to save a Snapchat video from your own story

If you’d like to save a video you shared to a story, here’s how:

1. Open Snapchat on your iPhone
2. Tap your profile icon on the top left of the screen
3. On your profile screen, find the section named “Stories”
4. Next to “My Story,” select the down-arrow ‘save’ icon

Your video will be saved to your Camera Roll on your iPhone. If you have more than one video in your Snapchat story, the app will ask which you’d like to save to your iPhone.

How to save Snapchat videos from other users

As mentioned above, when you take a screenshot or record your screen in Snapchat, it may let others know. So if you’re trying to record a video from another user’s Snapchat story, or in chat, be sure they are aware you’re doing so.

And when you’ve got the all-clear to save someone else’s video, all you have to do is record your screen. Here’s how to do it:

1. Enable screen recording on your iPhone
   Note: This is a default option in Control Center, accessible by swiping down from the top right of your iPhone’s screen. If you don’t find it, head to Settings > Control Center to add it.
2. Begin a screen recording session
3. Open the Snapchat app on your iPhone
4. Select the video you want to record and let it play
5. End your screen recording session
   Note: You can end screen recording by tapping the time on the top left of your screen, then selecting “Stop” in the popup window that appears. You can also swipe down from the top right of your screen again, then press the screen recording icon to end the recording session.

How to save Snapchat videos on Mac

Because there’s no Snapchat app for Mac, the tactics above won’t work for your Mac. Instead, you will need a few clever apps available via Setapp.

Save a Snapchat video from iPhone to Mac

Once you’ve recorded or saved a Snapchat video via the instructions above, all you need to do is send it to your Mac with AnyTrans for iOS.

AnyTrans is a far faster and better way to sync files between mobile and desktop, as it uses a plugged connection to transfer and manage files. Here’s how to use it to send Snapchat videos from your iPhone to Mac:

1. Open AnyTrans for iOS on your Mac
2. Plug your iPhone into your Mac with a Lighting cable
3. Find your iPhone in the AnyTrans app
4. On the right side of the screen, choose Videos
5. Select the videos you want to save to your Mac
6. Choose “To Mac.” 

Your videos will be sent to a folder in your Documents section named “AnyTrans”. 

Save a Snapchat video from Android to Mac

If you’ve saved a Snapchat video on your Android device and want to save it to a Mac, don’t worry! All you need is AnyDroid, the Android counterpart to AnyTrans.

First, let’s discuss how to save Snapchat videos on Android:

1. Open Snapchat on your Android device
2. Take a video
3. Select the “Save” icon at the bottom of the screen

When you’ve got the video you want to send from your Android device to a Mac, simply open AnyDroid on your Mac and plug your Android handheld in. Here’s how to save Snapchat videos from Android to Mac:

1. Open AnyDroid on your Mac
2. Plug your Android handset into your Mac
3. Discover your Android device on the left of the screen under “Device Manager”
4. Select “Videos”
5. Choose the videos you want to save to your Mac
6. Choose “To Mac.” 

That’s it! Your files will be saved to your Mac, just as they are with AnyTrans for iOS.

Conclusion

Transferring files from your mobile devices to a Mac is easy with the right apps. CleanMy®Phone is available for free with a seven day trial of Setapp, the most complete suite of productivity apps available for your Mac.

Along with these three apps, you’ll have unlimited access to the entire Setapp suite of 240+ Mac and iOS apps, all of which you can use at your discretion. When your trial period ends, Setapp is only $9.99 per month for continued, unlimited access!