How to Save Kuaishou and Kwai Videos to Your iPhone Photos
Safari saves downloads to the Files app, not Photos. Here's how to download a Kuaishou or Kwai video on iPhone or iPad and move it to your camera roll.
Already have a link? Paste it into the downloader and skip ahead.
Open the downloaderOn iPhone, the video lands in Files > Downloads, not in Photos. Open the Files app, tap the video, tap Share, then Save Video. Now it’s in Photos with everything else.
That one detail causes most of the “it didn’t work” messages I get from iPhone users. The download worked. The file just isn’t where people look. Here’s the whole route from share link to camera roll.
What you need
- iOS or iPadOS 13 or later. That’s when Safari got its own download manager.
- Safari. Chrome, Edge and Firefox work too, with one extra step I cover below. Safari is the smoothest.
- No app and no account. You don’t need a Kuaishou or Kwai login, and nothing to install.
Step 1: Copy the video link
In Kuaishou, open the video, tap Share, then 复制链接 (Copy link). In Kwai it’s Share, then Copy link in your app’s language.
The app copies a whole message with the link inside. Don’t bother trimming it.
Step 2: Paste it into the downloader in Safari
Open Safari and go to the downloader. Long-press the box and tap Paste. You can also tap the tool’s Paste button and allow it when iOS asks. Then tap Find video.
A tip I use myself: in Safari, tap Share, then Add to Home Screen. You get an icon that opens the downloader in one tap next time.
Step 3: Download the file
You’ll see the cover, the caption and one or more buttons. Tap Download MP4. Safari asks whether you want to download the file. Tap Download.
A small arrow in a circle appears in Safari’s address bar. Tap it to watch progress. When the circle fills, you’re done.
Which MP4? On some Kuaishou posts you’ll also see a Smaller MP4 (H.265) button. On iPhone, either is fine. iPhones have played H.265 (HEVC) since iOS 11, and the smaller file saves space.
Step 4: Move the video into Photos
- Open the Files app.
- Tap Browse, then Downloads. It sits under iCloud Drive or On My iPhone, depending on your settings.
- Tap the video to open it.
- Tap the Share icon (the square with an arrow).
- Tap Save Video.
It now appears in Photos under Recents and the Videos album. Delete the copy in Files if you want the space back.
The cover image works the same way. Open it in Files, tap Share, then Save Image.
Can’t find the Downloads folder?
Open Settings > Apps > Safari > Downloads. On iOS 17 and earlier, it’s Settings > Safari > Downloads. That screen shows where Safari saves files. If downloads go to iCloud Drive and your iCloud is full, switch it to On My iPhone.
Using Chrome, Edge or Firefox on iPhone
When the download finishes, Chrome shows a bar at the bottom. Tap Open in…, then Save to Files, and pick a folder. Then do step 4 above. Edge and Firefox work much the same way. If one of them gets stuck, switch to Safari. It’s the most reliable browser for downloads on iOS.
iPhone problems I see most
The video opens and plays instead of downloading. Press and hold Download MP4 and choose Download Linked File.
“Unable to download” or the progress circle stalls. Check your free space under Settings > General > iPhone Storage, then try again on Wi-Fi.
The download button stopped working. Buttons expire one hour after the lookup. Paste the link again for fresh ones.
The video has no sound in Photos. Check the Silent switch or Action button first. If other videos have sound, open the original post. Some clips are silent to begin with.
The audio file won’t go into Music. Download audio gives you an M4A file. It plays from Files, but the Music app won’t take files from Files. Keep it in Files, or use it in an editing app such as CapCut or GarageBand.
Anything else is in the troubleshooting guide.
On other devices too?
The steps differ a little on Android and on a PC or Mac. If you’re not sure the link is right, Kuaishou and Kwai link formats shows which ones work.