Instagram has its own reel download: open a public reel, tap Sharing options, then Download, and it saves to your gallery with an Instagram watermark and the creator's username. It disappears when the creator turns downloads off or the account is private. Save to a collection for anything else, export your own reels from Accounts Center, and skip downloader sites, which break Instagram's terms.
To download an Instagram reel, open it, tap the Sharing options (paper plane) button and tap Download: the video saves to your phone's gallery. Instagram allows this on reels from public accounts unless the creator has switched downloads off, and every downloaded reel carries an Instagram watermark, the creator's username and the audio credit.
Checked October 2026 against Instagram's Help Center on who can download your reels, managing reels, exporting your information and copyright when posting, and Instagram's Terms of Use.
So you rarely need a reel saver app or downloader site, and you should not use one: they break Instagram's terms, and the copy they give you is no more yours to repost than the official one. This page covers the four official ways to keep a reel, why the button sometimes is not there, and what you may do with the file. For account problems rather than Reels, see the Instagram account help hub.
Instagram reels download: the official button
Instagram's own download sits in the share sheet. These steps work in the Instagram app on Android and iPhone.
- 1Open the reel
In the Reels tab, your feed or the creator's profile.
- 2Tap Sharing options
The paper plane icon on the right of the reel.
- 3Tap Download
It sits in the row of options with Copy link and Share. Expected: a short saving message.
- 4Open your gallery
The reel is in your camera roll or Photos, with the Instagram watermark and the creator's username.
What the downloaded file includes, per Instagram's Help Center: an Instagram watermark, the creator's username and audio attribution. Original audio can be included when the reel it came from is downloadable. Instagram also says downloaded reels are not allowed to be used for commercial purposes.
Why you can't download some Instagram reels
A missing Download option is a setting, not a bug. Instagram lists the conditions, and there is no official way around any of them.
- The creator turned off Allow people to download your reels, for that reel or for all of them
- The account is private: nobody can download its reels unless it goes public
- The creator is under 18: for public accounts their downloads start switched off
- The reel is older and the creator has not opened downloads for older reels
If the button is not there, the creator has decided their reel stays on Instagram. Respect that, and keep it with Save instead.
Save reels to Collections instead
For most people "download" really means "keep it so I can find it later". Save does that for every reel you can watch, whatever the creator's download setting.
- Tap Save (the bookmark) on the reel to add it to your saved posts.
- To sort it, add it to a collection, such as "Hooks to study" or "Recipes".
- Instagram also lets you make a collaborative collection with other accounts, which works well for a team swipe file.
The catch: a saved reel is a bookmark, not a file. If the creator deletes it, the bookmark has nothing left to open. For anyone studying reels to improve their own, saves are the better habit anyway. Our piece on saves versus likes explains why saves are also a signal creators watch.
| Method | Works on | What you get | Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Download button | Public reels where the creator allows it | Video in your gallery, with watermark, username and audio credit | Personal viewing only; not for commercial use |
| Save to a collection | Any reel you can watch | A bookmark inside Instagram, no file | Nothing to open if the creator deletes the reel |
| Download your own reel | Reels you posted, and drafts on that phone | Your video on your phone | Music from the Instagram library is not saved in a draft download |
| Export your information | Everything on your own account | Your posted media, in a file from Accounts Center | Can take up to 30 days; available for 4 days once ready |
Download your own reels and drafts
Your own reels follow the same steps: open the reel, Sharing options, Download. A few extra routes exist because the content is yours.
- 01Posted reel
Sharing options, then Download
- 02Draft
Download from the editor on the same phone
- 03Whole account
Export your information in Accounts Center
- 04Choose quality
Higher media quality makes a larger file
- 05Store it
Off the phone: drive or computer
Drafts live only on the phone that made them, so download any draft you care about before you change phones or reinstall the app. Our guide to recovering Instagram reel drafts covers that, including why a draft download leaves out music from Instagram's library.
To export everything you have posted, Instagram's Help Center gives this route (checked October 2026):
- Profile, Menu, then Meta Account or Accounts Center, then Your information and permissions.
- Tap Export your information, then Create export, and pick the profile.
- Choose Export to device, then the information types, date range, format and media quality.
- Tap Start export. Instagram says the link can take up to 30 days, and once it is ready you have 4 days to download it from Available downloads.
If you want the cleanest file for reposting your own reel on another platform, export it from your editing app before upload rather than downloading it back from Instagram. Our Reels export settings guide covers the resolution and bitrate to use.
Reel saver apps and downloader sites: why to skip them
They promise the same thing without the limits, and they are the one option on this page we tell you not to use.
- Breaks Instagram's rule against automated collection without permission
- Often asks you to log in with your Instagram account
- Ad-heavy pages, pop-ups and pushed app installs
- Strips the watermark, so the creator loses credit
- Ignores the creator's download setting
- Allowed by Instagram, inside the app
- No extra login, no third party
- Keeps the watermark, username and audio credit
- Respects the creator's choice to switch downloads off
- Free
The terms point is specific. Instagram's Terms of Use say you can't access or collect information in unauthorized ways, including accessing or collecting information in an automated way without Instagram's express permission. A site that fetches a reel for you from a pasted link is doing exactly that.
If it has already happened, change your password now, turn on two-factor authentication and follow the hacked account recovery steps if you notice anything you did not do.
Can you repost a reel you downloaded?
Not without the owner's permission. Instagram's Help Center says you can still infringe copyright even if you downloaded the content or gave credit to the owner, and it recommends posting only what you made or getting written permission first. The download button gives you a copy to watch, not a licence to republish.
To put someone's reel in front of your followers, use Instagram's own tools: our guide on how to repost on Instagram covers Repost, sharing to your story and remixing. Re-uploading a copy as your own post also strips the creator of credit. If you want reels people save and share on their own merit, our Instagram Ignited program covers hooks, Reels scripting and editing, and reading Insights.
How to stop people downloading your reels
Creators control the setting in three places, per Instagram's Help Center: per reel under More options when you share it, on a reel you have already posted, and for all reels in your account privacy settings. The toggle is called Allow people to download your reels. Copies already downloaded stay where they are, so switch it off before you post something you do not want kept, and remember a private account blocks downloads entirely.
Troubleshooting
- The download finished but the file is not in the gallery. Check that Instagram has permission to save to your photos in the phone's settings, then download again.
- The downloaded reel has no sound. Some audio is not included in a download. Original audio comes along only when the reel it came from is downloadable.
- Your own reel downloads without its music. Music added from Instagram's library is not saved in a draft download. Note the track name and add it again when you repost.
- The export email never arrived. Instagram says it can take up to 30 days. Check the notification email you chose and the Available downloads section in Accounts Center.
Downloading Instagram Reels: FAQ
How do I download an Instagram reel?
Open the reel, tap the Sharing options (paper plane) button and tap Download. The video saves to your phone's gallery or camera roll. Instagram lets anyone download reels from public accounts unless the creator has turned downloads off; reels from private accounts cannot be downloaded. Downloaded reels carry an Instagram watermark, the username and audio attribution. Checked October 2026.
Why is there no Download option on a reel?
The creator has turned off Allow people to download your reels, the account is private, or the account belongs to someone under 18, for whom Instagram sets reel downloads off by default on public accounts. Older reels may also not be downloadable unless the creator changed their settings. There is no official workaround: save the reel to a collection instead.
Can I download Instagram reels without the watermark?
Not through Instagram. Its Help Center says downloaded reels include an Instagram watermark, the creator's username and audio attribution. The watermark is how a creator stays credited when the file travels. Your own reels are different: download them from the editor before posting, or export your information from Accounts Center to get your original media.
Are Instagram reel downloader sites legal?
They break Instagram's Terms of Use, which say you cannot access or collect information in an automated way without Instagram's express permission. They also expose you: many ask you to log in with your Instagram account, run aggressive ads or push app installs. Separately, reposting a downloaded reel without the owner's permission can infringe copyright, whichever tool made the copy.
Can I repost a reel I downloaded?
Only with the owner's permission, ideally in writing. Instagram's Help Center says you can still infringe copyright even if you downloaded the content or gave credit to the owner, and that downloaded reels may not be used for commercial purposes. To share someone's reel with your followers, use Instagram's Repost or share-to-story tools, which keep the creator credited.
How do I download my own Instagram reels?
Open your reel, tap Sharing options and tap Download. For a reel you have not posted yet, download it from the editor or from Drafts on the same phone. To get every reel at once, use Accounts Center: Your information and permissions, Export your information, Create export, then Export to device, and pick the media quality.
How do I stop people downloading my reels?
Turn off Allow people to download your reels. You can do it for one reel under More options when you share it, for reels already posted, or for all reels in your account privacy settings. Making the account private also blocks downloads. Copies people already downloaded are not affected, so change the setting before you post anything you do not want saved.