Want to download a fun Instagram reel to your phone so you can view it anytime? 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”.^[1] 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 teaches you how to save an Instagram Reel to your camera or gallery roll on Android, iPhone, or iPad.

[Edit]Things you have to know

• If you share someone else’s roll to your story, the roll will automatically save to your camera roll.
• There are many 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.

[Edit]Steps

[Edit]Save your own reels

1. Touch the reel you want to download. You’ll find all of your reels under the Reels tab, which is at the top of your profile. If you want to download a reel you’ve already shared on Instagram, it’s incredibly easy. The audio will also be downloaded!
   
   • It is no longer possible to download draft reels that you have not yet shared. If you have a draft you want to save, check out this method to learn how to save it.
2. Tap the three dots on the reel you want to download. Tapping the three dots on the reel will open a menu.^[2]
   
3. Tap . This saves the video to your phone’s camera roll, where you can view it anytime or share it on other platforms, including TikTok.^[3]
   

[Edit]Saving someone else’s reels through stories

1. Touch the reel you want to download. While there is no built-in way to download someone else’s Reel, there is a very simple solution which is to first share the Reel with your stories. Once you’ve shared your roll, it will automatically save to your phone or tablet’s camera roll.
   
   • You won’t have to keep the reel on 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 In fact If you don’t want anyone to see you post the reel, you can create a close friends list that only has one friend (like your Finsta or just one person who probably isn’t looking at your stories at the time of posting). ).
2. Tap the Share icon. It looks like a paper airplane and you will see it on the right side of the reel.
   
3. Tap . It will be the first option.
   
4. Tap to share the reel. Or, if you just want to share it with your close friends list, tap Intimate friends to share. Both options will work to download the reel.
   
   • You will now find the saved roll in your camera roll or gallery. Just open the Photos app on your phone or tablet to see it.
5. Delete the story after posting it (optional). If you don’t want to keep the reel you shared to your story, you can easily delete it.
   
   • Tap your story in the top left corner of Instagram.
   • When you get to the shared reel, tap on the three dots in the bottom right corner and choose Delete.

[Edit]Use a reel download website

1. Another easy way to download any reel is to use a free online reel 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 your PC or Mac web browser. Just keep in mind that this will only work for public reels; for private reels, you will need to record the screen.
   
   • https://igram.io
   • https://instavideosave.net
   • https://igdownloader.com/reels-downloader

[Edit]Install a reel downloader app

1. If you plan on downloading 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 will not 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 will touch Open Instagramgo to the reel you want to save, tap the three dots and then tap copy link. Go back to Instant Save, which will play a quick ad and then detect the URL you copied. Tap Save to unload the reel.
     • Instdown: After downloading the app, open Instagram, go to the camera roll, tap the three dots, and then tap copy link. Then open ‘Instdown’, which will detect the copied URL, and tap Trigger to download the roll to your camera roll.
   • Android:
     • Video Downloader for Instagram – After downloading, go to the reel on Instagram, tap on the three dots and then tap on copy link. Then open Video Downloader, tap Paste the linkand then touch Discharge.
     • Reels Video Downloader: After installation, go to the reel on Instagram, tap on the three dots and then tap on copy link. Then open Reels Video Downloader, tap on reel unloadertap Pasteand then touch Discharge.

[Edit]Screen recording on any reel

1. Open the reel you want to save. If you want to save someone else’s roll 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 draft reels you haven’t posted yet.
   • The trick here is timing – you’ll want to start recording the screen as soon as you start playing the reel. But you’ll also be able to trim the video after recording, so it’s not a big problem if you catch some of your screen movements.
2. Open the screen recording tool on your phone or tablet.
   
   • iPhone and iPad:
     • Open 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.^[4]
     • 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 are using a Samsung Galaxy, select media sounds to make sure you capture the audio as well. On stock Android, enable “Record Audio” and choose audio device.
     • Tap Begin (Standard Android) or start recording (Samsung galaxy).^[5]
3. Record the roll. Go back to the Instagram window and record the reel until you’ve captured everything.
   
   • Stop recording to save the video. Once you have captured the video, you can stop the recording. That is how:
   • iPhone/iPad: Touch the red status bar at the top of the screen, then touch Arrest.^[6]
   • Android: Swipe down from the top of the screen and tap the Screen Recording icon (Standard Android) or the Stop button (Samsung).
4. Edit the video (optional). If you want to trim the beginning and/or end of the video so that you only have the reel, you can easily edit the video.
   
   • iPhone/iPad:
     • Open the Photos app and tap on the recorded video.
     • Tap Edit on top.
     • In the timeline below the video, drag the left arrow to the desired beginning and the right arrow to the desired end.
     • Tap Made and choose Save video.
   • Android:
     • Open the Google Photos app and tap on the video. Or, if you’re using a Samsung Galaxy, you can also use the Gallery app.
     • Touch the video again to bring up the controls.
     • Tap the edit icon at the bottom.
     • Drag the left slider to the desired start and the right slider to the desired end.
     • Tap save copy.

[Edit]Tips

• You can tap on all three dots on a reel and choose Save to mark the reel for later. This won’t save the roll to your camera roll, but you can easily find it again by tapping the three-line menu and choosing Saved.
• If you have a professional Instagram account, you can access stats that make it easy to see how many people have shared your reels.

[Edit]References