5 Ways to Download Instagram Reels to Android or iPhone

Download any Instagram reel to your phone or tablet in seconds

Written by Isabelle Garson | Edited by Nicole Levine, MFA

Last Updated: March 29, 2023

Save Your Own Reels

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Save Another Person's Reels via Stories

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Use a Reels Downloader Website

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Install a Reels Downloading App

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Screen Record Any Reel

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Expert Interview

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Tips

Want to download a hilarious Instagram reel to your phone so you can watch it any time? If it's one of your own reels, you'll just need to tap the three dots on the reel and choose "Save to your device." But what about other people's reels? Unlike TikTok, which makes it easy to download almost any video, there's no download option on Instagram reels. But don't worry—there are several incredibly easy workarounds you can use to save any reel you want—even the audio! This wikiHow article will teach you how to save a reel from Instagram to your camera roll or gallery on an Android, iPhone, or iPad.

Things You Should Know

If you share somebody else's reel to your story, the reel will automatically save to your camera roll.
There are lots of free Instagram reel savers (some on the web, and several mobile apps) that are free and easy to use.
You can also screen record any reel, including your own drafts, without installing special software.

Section 1 of 5:

Save Your Own Reels

1
Tap the reel you want to download. You'll find all of your reels on the Reels tab, which is at the top of your profile. If you want to download a reel you already shared on Instagram, it's incredibly easy. The audio will download, too!
- It's no longer possible to download drafts of reels you haven't already shared. If you have a draft you want to save, check out this method to learn how to record it.
2
Tap the three dots on the reel you want to download ••• . Tapping the three dots on the reel will open a menu.

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3
Tap Save to your device. This saves the video to your phone's camera roll, where you can watch it anytime or share it on other platforms, including on TikTok.

Section 2 of 5:

Save Another Person's Reels via Stories

1
Tap the reel you want to download. While there's no built-in way to download somebody else's reel, there's a really easy workaround that involves first sharing the reel to your stories. Once you've shared the reel, it will automatically save to your phone or tablet's camera roll.
- You won't have to keep the reel in your stories if you don't want to. Just delete it after posting and you'll still have the video in your camera roll!
- If you really don't want anyone to see you post the reel, you can create a Close Friends list that only has one friend on it (such as your Finsta or just one person who probably won't be looking at their stories at the time you post).
2
Tap the Share icon. It looks like a paper airplane, and you'll see it on the right side of the reel.
3
Tap Add reel to your story. It'll be the first option.
4
Tap Your Story to share the reel. Or, if you only want to share it with your Close Friends list, tap Close Friends to share. Both options will work for downloading the reel.
- You'll now find the reel saved to your camera roll or gallery. Just open your phone or tablet's Photos app to watch it.
5
Delete the story after posting (optional). If you don't want to keep the reel you shared in your story, you can delete it easily.
- Tap your story at the top-left corner of Instagram.
- When you get to the shared reel, tap the three dots at the bottom-right corner and choose Delete.

Section 3 of 5:

Use a Reels Downloader Website

Another easy way to download any reel is to use a free online reels downloader. We found some simple options that are 100% free and won't add extra watermarks to your downloaded reels. You'll be able to use these sites in any web browser on your Android, iPhone, or iPad, as well as in your PC or Mac's web browser. Just keep in mind that this will only work for public reels—for private reels, you'll need to record the screen.

Section 4 of 5:

Install a Reels Downloading App

If you plan to download a lot of reels, you'll probably want to install an app on your phone or tablet. Fortunately, you have plenty of free options to choose from! The only limitation is that you won't be able to download private reels. If the reel you want to save is private, you'll need to screen record it.
- iPhone/iPad:
  - Instant Save: With this app, you'll tap Open Instagram, go to the reel you want to save, tap the three dots, and then tap Copy link. Return to Instant Save, which will play a quick ad and then detect the URL you copied. Tap Save to download the reel.
  - Instdown: After downloading the app, open Instagram, go to the reel, tap the three dots, and then tap Copy link. Then, open 'Instdown', which will detect the copied URL, and tap Generate to download the reel to your camera roll.
- Android:
  - Video Downloader for Instagram: After downloading, go to the reel on Instagram, tap the three dots, and then tap Copy link. Then, open Video Downloader, tap Paste Link, and then tap Download.
  - Reels Video Downloader: After installing, go to the reel on Instagram, tap the three dots, and then tap Copy link. Then, open Reels Video Downloader, tap Reels Downloader, tap Paste, and then tap Download.

Section 5 of 5:

Screen Record Any Reel

1
Open the reel you want to save. If you want to save somebody else's reel to your camera roll without first posting it to your stories, you can record it using the built-in screen recorder on your Android, iPhone, or iPad.
- This will also work for drafts of reels you haven't posted yet.
- The trick here is timing—you'll want to start screen recording as soon as you start playing the reel. But you'll also be able to trim the video down after recording, so it's not a big deal if you capture some of your screen movements.
2
Open your phone or tablet's screen recording tool.
- iPhone & iPad:
  - Open the Control Center. If your phone or tablet has a Home button, swipe up from the bottom of the Home screen. If you don't have a Home button, swipe down from the top-right corner of the Home screen.
  - Tap the Screen Recording icon, which is a circle enclosing a smaller circle. If you don't see this option, check out this article to learn how to enable Screen Recording.
- Android:
  - Swipe down twice from the top of the Home screen.^{[1]
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  - Tap the Screen Recording icon, which is a small circle surrounded by a dashed circle on stock Android, or a video camera on Samsung Galaxy.
  - If you don't see this option, tap Edit or the three dots, then drag the Screen Record icon to Quick Settings.
  - If you're using a Samsung Galaxy, select Media sounds to make sure you capture the audio as well. On stock Android, enable "Record audio" and choose Device audio.
  - Tap Start (stock Android) or Start Recording (Samsung Galaxy).^{[2]
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3
Record the reel. Return to the Instagram window and record the reel until you've captured the entire thing.
- Stop the recording to save the video. Once you've captured the video, you can stop the recording. Here's how:
- iPhone/iPad: Tap the red status bar at the top of the screen, then tap Stop.^{[3]
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- Android: Swipe down from the top of the screen and tap the Screen Recording icon (stock Android) or the stop button (Samsung).
4
Edit the video (optional). If you want to crop out the beginning and/or end of the video so you only have the reel itself, you can edit the video easily.
- iPhone/iPad:
  - Open the Photos app and tap the recorded video.
  - Tap Edit at the top.
  - On the timeline below the video, drag the left arrow to the desired beginning, and the right arrow to the desired end.
  - Tap Done and choose Save Video.
- Android:
  - Open the Google Photos app and tap the video. Or, if you're using a Samsung Galaxy, you can also use the Gallery app.
  - Tap the video again to bring up the controls.
  - Tap the edit icon at the bottom.
  - Drag the left slider to the desired beginning, and the right slider to the desired end.
  - Tap Save copy.