Quick answer
Open the Tumblr blog in your browser, scroll to load all posts, click the Bulk Image Downloader extension, and download all images as ZIP. Works on public blogs without login.
Tumblr is notorious for purges, account deletions, and content removal. Blogs with years of archived images disappear overnight. If you follow a photo blog, art blog, or reference collection, downloading it locally is insurance against platform instability.
Why Tumblr blogs vanish
Tumblr's instability is legendary:
- 2018 NSFW purge. Tumblr deleted hundreds of thousands of posts labeled NSFW, even artistic content.
- Account deletion. Users delete accounts; all content is gone within weeks.
- Blog deactivation. Inactive blogs are sometimes deactivated.
- Content policy changes. Reblogs and old posts can be deleted if they violate new policies.
- Archival. Art blogs, photography archives, and historical content worth preserving.
How to download a Tumblr blog
- Open the blog in your browser (tumblr.com/blog/blogname).
- Scroll to the bottom of the blog to load all posts. Tumblr infinite-scrolls; this may take 10-30 minutes for a blog with 500+ posts.
- Once you reach "No more posts", click the Bulk Image Downloader extension.
- The extension lists all images and videos on the page. Select "All" and download as ZIP.
For very large blogs, consider downloading in batches: "2020 posts", "2021 posts", "2022 posts".
Lazy loading and scrolling patience
Tumblr's infinite scroll loads posts as you scroll:
- Each scroll loads ~10-20 new posts.
- A 500-post blog takes 20-30 minutes to scroll fully.
- Videos and GIFs load last (often not until you scroll past them).
Do not run the extension until you have reached the end. Partial scroll means partial archive.
Public vs. private blogs
Public blogs are downloadable without login. Private blogs require you to follow and be approved by the blog owner. The extension respects Tumblr's access rules.
Reblogged content
Tumblr blogs include reblogs from other users. When you download, you are archiving the entire feed as you see it, including reblogs. This is comprehensive but may result in duplicate images if the same image was reblogged multiple times.
At-a-glance comparison
| Tool | No login (public) | Infinite scroll handling | Video support | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulk Image Downloader | Yes | Yes (manual scroll) | Yes | Slow (manual) |
| Tumblr-dl (CLI) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Fast |
| right-click save | Yes | No | Limited | Very slow |
