如何保存微信的小视频 How to keep WeChat 'Sights'

微信小视频非常方便，但很难将其下载到本地电脑长期保存。网上有介绍方法，如百度经验上办法，但目前看来它可能只适用安卓系统，而且或已失效（可能由于版本更新）。对Windows Phone无效，而对于更加封闭的苹果iOS系统看来更没有希望。以下是笔者发现的一个可行的办法。

1. 下载微信Windows桌面版（注意这个程序只有移动设备微信的部分功能，但对于这里的问题是一个有效的工具）

2. 安装

3. 按照提示登录微信（需要手机协助），假设登录的账号为'my-wechat-id'

4. 由于Windows桌面版微信只显示本次会话的内容，所以你可能需要将需要下载的小视频从另外一个微信账号发到上述'my-wechat-id'这个账号。

5. 于是在桌面版上就能收到这些小视频。

6. 目前无法从这个程序本身下载这些视频，因为这可能没有实现或不允许。

7. 但不要紧，你只需要走到C:\Users\<你的Windows登录用户名>\Documents\微信文件\<my-wechat-id>\Video（最新的微信版本应该已经将微信数据文件的保存路径默认转移到了C:\Users\quanb\AppData\Roaming\之下，寻找确认这个路径方法就是通过右键单击微信在系统托盘里的图标，然后选择“设置”，然后在左边 第二个页面“通用选项”，在右边的设置页中能找到，而视频则在这个微信数据文件夹的Video子目录下）， 就能看到这些文件了（这里假设系统在C盘，这里的部分文件路径是根据英文版翻译，所以如果不对，需要找到正确的对应文件夹）

8. 小视频在这个文件夹中以缩略图（jpg文件）和视频（mp4）成对出现。

WeChat 'Sights' is widely used, however it's hard to download the media contents on the computer for permanent keeping. Below are the procedures to do it that have proven working.

There are a few Chinese posts regarding this issue all using Android files, but it seems they don't work any more (presumably mainly due to the restrictions introduced in recent versions or accessibility of hidden files on Android as a linux like platform), at least on the author's Android device. Given iOS being an even more closed and restricted system, the chance to get this done on an Apple mobile device is even slimmer (unless WeChat otherwise permits this as a feature).

1. Download WeChat Windows Desktop version(which has partial functionalities of a mobile version but is useful for the purpose of this article)

2. Install it.

3. Log on WeChat on this desktop app by following the instructions (you need a workable mobile version to authorise the login), assuming you use your account with Wechat ID 'my-wechat-id'

4. As the WeChat Windows desktop app only displays messages that have been sent during the current session, you may need to forward the 'Sights' you wanted to download from another account (other than 'my-chat-id') to the account you are using on the desktop app with ('my-wechat-id'), unless you figure out a way to re-send them to yourself, which I don't know of.

5. Then you should be able to see the 'Sights' as normal on the Windows desktop app

6. Downloading the videos directly from the app is not allowed/supported/implemented.

7. The workaround is you go to an actually very well-known and accessible folder: C:\Users\<current Windows user name>\Documents\WeChat Files\<my-wechat-id>\Video (Since wechat updated the default data path, the data path can be obtained from wechat's Settings->General->Manage File, and the videos should be under the Video subfolder)

8. All the 'Sights' are there as pairs of preview image (JPG) and video (MP4) for you to keep and enjoy.