Why private posts don't work
When an account is private on Threads, the owner has chosen who can see their posts: only the followers they approved. ThreadSave doesn't log in to Threads and has no followers, so it sees exactly what a logged-out visitor sees. For a private account, that is nothing.
We could, in theory, try to get around this, for example by asking you to log in through our site or by using borrowed accounts. We don't, for three reasons:
- It goes against the author's choice. A private account is a clear signal that the person doesn't want their posts shared beyond a chosen audience.
- It's unsafe for you. Giving your Threads or Instagram password to any third-party website puts your account at risk. ThreadSave never asks for it.
- It breaks Meta's rules. Accessing content behind privacy settings through automated means goes against the platform's terms.
Be careful with any tool that claims to download from private accounts. Such tools usually want your login details, ask you to install something, or don't work at all.
How to tell whether a post is public
The simplest test takes ten seconds:
- Copy the post link (here's how).
- Open a private or incognito window in your browser, where you are not logged in to Threads.
- Paste the link there. If you can see the video or photo, the post is public and ThreadSave can read it. If you see a login prompt or "This account is private", it can't.
Being able to see a post in the Threads app doesn't prove it's public: you might be one of the approved followers.
What you'll see in ThreadSave
If you paste a link to a private post, ThreadSave shows: "We couldn't find any media in this post. It may be private, deleted, or text-only." We can't tell these three cases apart, because in each one no media is visible from outside. The same message appears for deleted posts and text-only posts. Our troubleshooting guide covers the other messages.
What if an account becomes private later?
Accounts can switch between public and private at any time. A post that downloaded fine yesterday stops working once its author makes the account private. ThreadSave doesn't keep copies of media, so there is no older version we could hand out.
What you can do instead
- Ask the author. If you follow a private account and want a video, asking the person to send it to you is the respectful route. Most people are glad to share with someone who asks.
- Save your own posts. If the private account is yours, Meta lets you download a copy of your own data from the Accounts Center in the app settings. The exact menu wording changes from time to time.
- Use the in-app save option. Threads lets you bookmark posts to view later inside the app. This doesn't create a file, but the post stays easy to find.
