Importing Posts from Facebook

You can import your Facebook posts and their attached photos or videos into The Internet Press. You can review everything before it is uploaded and remove any posts you do not want to import.

Step 1: Request your Facebook export

1. Sign in to Facebook.
2. Open Settings & privacy, then select Settings.
3. Open Accounts Center.
4. Select Your information and permissions.
5. Select Export your information or Download your information.
6. Choose Create export or Download or transfer information.
7. Select your Facebook profile.
8. Choose Some of your information.
9. Select:
   
   • Posts
   • Photos and videos
   • Friends or Friends and followers, if available
10. Choose Download to device.
11. Use these export settings:
    
    • Date range: All time
    • Format: JSON
    • Media quality: High
12. Select Create files or Start export.

Facebook will notify you when the export is ready. This may take some time, especially if your account contains many photos or videos. Facebook allows you to select specific information categories and date ranges when preparing an export. Learn more in Facebook’s Help Center.

Step 2: Download the export

1. Return to Accounts Center → Your information and permissions → Export your information.
2. Open Available downloads.
3. Download the completed export.
4. Keep the downloaded file in .zip format. Do not unzip it.

Your Facebook export contains personal information. Store it securely and do not share it with anyone.

Step 3: Preview the import

1. Sign in to The Internet Press.
2. Open User Preferences.
3. Find Import from Facebook and select Start Import.
4. Choose the .zip file you downloaded from Facebook.
5. Leave Search for possible Press matches for Facebook friends selected if you want to look for people you may know.
6. Select Preview Export.

The export is read and converted locally first. Nothing is uploaded during this preview step.

Step 4: Review your posts

Your Facebook posts will appear as they will look in The Internet Press timeline.

• Select Remove post to exclude an individual post.
• Posts containing “happy birthday” are marked with a yellow caution symbol.
• Select Delete flagged post to remove one flagged post.
• Select Remove all flagged to exclude every flagged post at once.
• Select Load More to continue reviewing a large export.

Removing a post from the preview does not delete it from Facebook. It only prevents that post from being imported.

Step 5: Complete the import

1. When you are satisfied with your selection, select Import Selected Posts.
2. Keep the import window open while the upload and import are running.
3. Wait for the completion message before closing or reloading the page.

Only the posts remaining in your selection will be imported. Facebook friends are used only to search for possible profile matches; they are not automatically added or followed.

Troubleshooting

The export is rejected

Confirm that you uploaded the original .zip file and that the Facebook export format was set to JSON, not HTML.

No posts appear in the preview

Create a new Facebook export and make sure Posts is selected. Select Photos and videos if you also want attached media.

Some photos or videos are missing

Request a new export with Media quality set to High and make sure the complete ZIP has finished downloading.

The file is too large

Create exports using smaller date ranges and import them one at a time. Do not select unrelated categories such as messages, advertising information, or login history.