How to Download Instagram Reels, Posts and Stories

How to download from Instagram in 3 steps

To download Instagram Reels, posts or stories, you start from the link of the content, never from a screenshot or a screen recording. The method is the same on a phone and on a computer, and it takes three steps with SocialDownload.

1. 01

   Copy the link

   Under a Reel or a post, tap the paper plane icon, then Copy link. On a computer, open the post and copy the address from your browser.

2. 02

   Paste it and choose what to keep

   Paste the link on the SocialDownload home page. The Instagram logo appears when the link is recognized. Tick Video, Audio or Cover. For a photo post or a carousel, the images are offered when Instagram exposes them.

3. 03

   Download

   Press Download and the files land on your device. Everything you ticked for this link counts as one download.

This works without effort for most public Reels and posts. Stories, and sometimes other content, are a different story, because Instagram often asks visitors to sign in. The sections below explain each type of content, the formats you get and what to do when a link fails. For a quick overview, see the Instagram downloader page.

How to copy the link of a Reel, a post or a story

Each piece of content on Instagram has its own address. The link tells SocialDownload exactly what to fetch, so copying the right one is the most important step.

A profile link points at every post of an account at once. Downloading a whole profile is a feature of the desktop app; on the website, paste the link of one Reel or one post.

How to download Instagram Reels

Reels are the easiest content to save. Once the link is pasted, SocialDownload shows the qualities Instagram provides for that Reel. Tick Video to keep the clip with its sound, in the vertical format it was published in.

Quality: what to expect

Instagram serves video up to about 1080 pixels wide, so no Reel exists in 4K, whatever the camera that filmed it. The free download on the website goes up to 720p. When Instagram offers a sharper version, you can get it with a credit or in the desktop app.

Audio only

Tick Audio to keep the sound alone. M4A keeps the original audio stream without re-encoding, while MP3 is converted for compatibility with older players. Many Reels use a song or a sound created by someone else: the audio of a Reel is not automatically free to reuse.

Cover and transcript

Tick Cover to save the image shown before the Reel plays, in JPG, PNG or WEBP. A transcript is offered only when the Reel comes with captions that can be read; many Reels have none, and in that case the option stays unavailable, with a short note explaining why.

How to download Instagram posts, photos and carousels

A post can hold a single photo, a single video, or a carousel of several slides that can mix photos and videos. The link is the same kind in every case (instagram.com/p/), and SocialDownload adapts the options to what it finds.

• Photo post: the image is offered when Instagram exposes it, so you can keep the photo as it was published.
• Video post: it works like a Reel, with the same video, audio and cover options.
• Carousel: the images of the post are offered when Instagram exposes them. Because a carousel can also contain videos, check what the result lists before you download.

Whatever the type, one link counts as one download, even if you keep several files from it. Photos come in the resolution Instagram stores for the post; a download cannot make them sharper than that.

How to download Instagram stories and highlights

Stories are short photos or videos that disappear after 24 hours, unless the owner saves them in a Highlight on their profile. If you want to keep a story, you have to act before it expires; a Highlight stays available as long as the owner keeps it.

Stories are also the content for which Instagram most often requires visitors to be signed in. On the website, a story link may fail for that reason, even when the account is public. The desktop app can use your own browser session to open it, as explained in the next section.

When Instagram asks you to sign in

Instagram often asks visitors who are not logged in to sign in, and stories are the most frequent case. When that happens, the website cannot see the content and the download fails. You do not lose anything: a download that fails on the server side returns its credit automatically.

The desktop app solves this differently: it can use your own browser session, which is read on your computer, to open the content exactly as you see it when you are logged in. It only sees what your account is already allowed to see, and it does not make private content public.

• Public Reels and posts usually work on the website.
• Stories and content shown only to signed in users may need the desktop app.
• Private accounts stay private: the app never sees more than your account does, and content shared with you privately still needs the owner's consent before you save it.

What you can save from Instagram, and in which format

Here is a summary of everything you can save from an Instagram link, with the format of each file.

For transcripts in particular, our guide on how to get a video transcript explains the difference between captions written by the creator and automatic captions.

Instagram's own options for your content

If what you want to save is your own content, Instagram has an official route. In Accounts Center, the Download your information option lets you request a copy of your account data, including the photos and videos you posted. It takes a little longer, but it covers everything at once.

The bookmark icon under a post does something else: it saves the post to a collection inside the app. Nothing is stored on your device, and the post disappears from your collection if its owner deletes it.

Website or desktop app for Instagram

The website is ideal for the occasional Reel: one download per day is free, without an account, and credit packs take over when you need more. Credits require an account, do not expire, and one credit pays for one link with every file you tick for it.

The desktop app for Windows and macOS is better suited if you save Instagram content often. It offers unlimited downloads, whole profiles, and the use of your own browser session for content that requires a sign in. The lifetime license costs 47.99 EUR once, works on up to 3 devices at a time and includes updates. Files stay on your computer.

Download Instagram content responsibly

Save your own Reels and posts, content whose author agreed, or content you are allowed to reuse. Photos and videos on Instagram belong to the people who created them, and Instagram's terms apply to their use. Our responsible use page details the rules we follow.

Saving content from other networks works the same way: read how to download TikTok videos or how to download Facebook videos.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Instagram Help Center
• Instagram Terms of Use
• Meta Accounts Center