Instagram, aside from photo content, stores a multitude of videos that are worth saving and watching all over again. However, the platform doesn’t natively allow you to download Instagram videos. The only exception is Reels—Instagram introduced the ability to download Reels right from the platform, but only in the US.
But what about other Instagram videos? Or Reels that you want to download living outside the United States? This piece covers best ways to download Instagram videos in 2023 safely and hassle-free on your iPhone and Android smartphones, as well as desktop.
Which Instagram Videos Exist in 2023
To be on the same page, let’s briefly cover which video types Instagram actually supports in 2023.
All in all, there are three. The most popular video format is, of course, Instagram Reels. You can also share video content as stories and Instagram Live streams. In 2023, there are no IGTV or regular feed posts.
Let's quickly tackle each.
Instagram Stories
Initially inspired by Snapchat, Instagram stories are short videos (they can be photos as well, though) that disappear 24 hours after they have been posted. You can share minute-long videos in stories; however, the initial length was 15 seconds.
You can save stories as Highlights to prevent them from vanishing into thin air and remain visible on your page for good. Stories can be edited with interactive stuff like polls, quizzes, stickers, AR filters, product tags, music, etc.
You can download your own stories in your smartphone gallery by pressing the Save button.
💡If Instagram stories are a vital part of your Instagram marketing content strategy, check our guide on how to grow their views!
Instagram Live
To interact with your audience in real-time, users host Instagram Live streams as workshops, Q&A panels, interviews, and other formats. Instagram Live lets viewers ask questions and get answers from creators and brands right during the broadcast. Creators and brands, in turn, can add shopping tags to sell products directly during the live stream. An Instagram Live can be hosted by one or two accounts.
When you’re on the air with your live broadcast, your account appears at the front of the stories bar with a Live badge. You can share the finished stream to your feed within 30 days before they are deleted.
Instagram Reels
Reels have become a primary video format that replaced IGTV and video feed posts. Instagram Reels can be up to 90 seconds long and are recorded right on Instagram or made with third-party apps. If you record the Reel natively on Instagram, you can edit it with AR filters, add closed captions, use green screen mode, timer, speed controls, add songs from the Instagram audio library or create custom backtracks.
How to Download Instagram Videos to Camera Roll on iPhone & Android
Since Instagram is a mobile-first platform, let’s start with the ways to download videos from Instagram on your smartphone. The most straightforward way is to record your phone’s screen.
Screen Record a Video on iPhone or Android
On iPhone: To start recording, ensure you can access the feature from your control screen: Open Settings -> Control Centre -> add Screen Recording to Included Controls.
Then follow these steps:
- Open the Instagram app.
- Find the Reel you like and play it.
- From there, swipe down the top of your screen to access the control screen.
- Click the record button there and capture the Reel. Audio will also be recorded.
- When the Reel ends, press the record button again, and the video will automatically be saved to your camera roll, which you can watch, share or edit as you like.
On Android: Follow these steps to record a Reel from your phone screen:
- Swipe down from the top of your screen.
- Find the screen recording button.
- Head over to the Reel you want to save.
- When the video is captured, go to the Photos app, hit Library, go to Movies, and find your video there.
💡To ensure a high-quality screen recording, set the required volume beforehand and turn off pop-up notifications from other apps if you don’t want them to be captured above your video. You can do the latter by turning on the Do Not Disturb mode.
How to Download Instagram Videos with a Third-Party App
There are a plethora of mobile apps that can save videos from Instagram. Before installing any third-party software on your phone, We recommend these solutions: Repost for Instagram (both for iOS and Android), InsTake (both iOS and Android).
Some other options are InstaDown or InSaver for iPhone and AhaSave or ETM Video Downloader for Android.
All these apps function similarly: You just need to copy the link to the Instagram Reel, paste it into the app, and hit the Download button. Some tools might want you to log in in-app with your Instagram account credentials.
How to Download Instagram Videos Posted to Your Story
On Instagram, you can natively download a video that you've shared in your stories. Here’s how:
- Open the Instagram story you’ve shared.
- Click on More (the three dots in the bottom right corner) and pick Save.
- Select Save.
This video story will be saved to your camera roll.
How to Download Instagram Videos on Desktop
Just like for smartphones, there are desktop solutions, websites, and browser extensions that let you download Instagram videos. Let’s cover them below.
4K Stogram Video Downloader & Viewer
4K Stogram is one of them—a desktop tool, compatible with Windows, macOS, and Linux devices that allows you to download Instagram photos, videos, back up your Instagram account, save stories, highlights, tagged and saved posts, and a lot more.
Follow these easy steps to download Reels, video stories, or Live videos to your computer.
1. Launch 4K Stogram. It's available for macOS, Windows and Linux.
2. Log in to your account in-app.
3. Enter the name of the Instagram account you want to download Reels, stories, or Live videos from.
4. Select a suitable option from the suggestions list.
5. Click the settings button located next to the Download button. The Download Options window will open.
6. Click the switches to turn off the download of all types of content except Feed and Stories.
7. Toggle the Content format section and select the Only Video option.
Tip: In the settings, you can also set a specific time period you want to download Instagram Reels from. Click the date field and select the period on the in-app calendar.
💡 The application only downloads publicly available Reels and Live broadcasts, with the Share to Feed option checked before they are uploaded.
8. Click the Download button.
That’s it! In a few seconds, Instagram Reels, stories, and Live videos will be downloaded to your computer.
How to Save Instagram Videos to Collections & Download Them
Instagram allows you to save the videos you like as Saved and sort them into collections. You can create your own dashboards and add photos and Reels there. Thus, you can save the content you’d like to get back to later without filling up your phone storage.
Here’s how to add a video to your saved posts collection:
- Find the video (in this case, Reels only) you’d like to save.
- Click on the bookmark icon at the bottom of the video. The Reel will be automatically saved to your All Posts collection on Instagram.
- If you want to save them to another collection, hit Save to Collection if you have collections already.
- If you don’t have collections yet, create it from scratch: Find your Saved tab after pressing on the burger menu on your profile page -> Press + icon at the top right corner -> create a new collection.
Of course, you can access this content only on Instagram, so it’s not an option if you intend to save videos from Instagram to watch them offline.
💡 But there’s a workaround. 4K Stogram, which we told you above, can download your Instagram saved posts, too!
If you ever wanted to access your Saved posts offline or download all posts from your Instagram collections, follow the steps below.
1. Launch 4K Stogram.
2. Log in to your Instagram account in-app.
3. Click Edit at the menu bar, select Download > My Saved Posts.
Tip: You can change the folder all files are downloaded to at Tools -> Preferences -> Output Folder.
That’s it! Enjoy looking through your Saved posts from Instagram on the desktop.
How to Download Instagram Videos: Bottom Line
As you can see, there are multiple ways to save an Instagram video for good. The only question is: Isn’t it illegal?
While downloading Instagram videos for personal use is not illegal, it can become tricky when it comes to repurposing the content. Avoid passing off someone else's work as your own or tampering with the content in any way. To avoid any confusion, always give credit to the Instagram account where you originally found the video and make it clear that it is not your original content.