Came across something smashing on your Instagram feed and want it saved immediately? Do you know how to download an Instagram video?
If not, this blog will be your friend in need.
Instagram videos serve as a powerful marketing tool with over 85% of businesses incorporating videos in their strategy. Instagram makes videos accessible through features like Stories, Live, IGTV, and more.
Instagram lacks a built-in mechanism to save videos to your collection, but alternative methods exist. This guide covers how to download Instagram videos across different platforms.
TL;DR
Instagram doesn’t offer a native download feature, but you can still save videos using clever tricks.
On desktop (PC): Inspect the page source, locate the
.mp4link, open it and “Save video as…”On iPhone: Copy the video link, paste it into a Safari-based downloader, then save it to Photos via Safari’s download manager.
On Android: Watch the video to cache it, then retrieve it from
Android/data/com.instagram.android/cache/videos.For Reels: Use third-party tools (Repost, InSaver) or save them via Instagram’s “Save” feature to bookmark.
Online tools: Use services like InstaDownloader, DownloadGram, KeepVid, etc., by pasting in the URL.
Browser extensions: Add-ons like Video Downloader Professional can grab videos directly, supporting high-quality downloads.
Private account videos & IGTV: Use dedicated apps (Save Insta, Repost for Instagram, Video Downloader for IGTV) with copy‑link workflows.
- Extra tips: Save your own stories or Lives via built‑in menu options; extract audio separately if needed.
- RecurPost also offers a scheduler to repurpose downloaded content efficiently.
How to Download Instagram Videos on PC
You can download Instagram videos on PC directly from the source code without online services or third-party tools:
- Open the video that you would like to download
- Right-click on the video and from the menu, select “Inspect element”. It can also be “View page source” on your browser.
- Now press Crtl+F keys to open the “Find” icon and type in “.mp4”
- The search will open up a section of code. Here, you need to copy the link next to “src”’
- Now simply paste this link into a new tab and the video shall start playing. Then right-click again and select “save video as”. You can download the video that way.
How to Download Instagram Videos on iPhone
iPhone users can download Instagram videos by following these steps:
- Open the Instagram application on your phone and go to the video you want. Now click on the three dots above the video and choose “copy link”
- Go to Safari and open the Instagram video downloader, then paste the video link there. Hit the download button to begin the Instagram post download, and the servers will fetch the video for you.
- Your video would be ready now, hit the download button. Then safari will ask you to download the video or photo, hit the button
- The progress of your download can be tracked from the downloads icon. Once the upload is finished, hit that icon to check the downloaded video
- Now select the video, then choose the Share icon, and select “Save video” to save the downloaded version in your photo gallery
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How to Download Instagram Videos on Android
Android devices automatically cache viewed Instagram videos. Here’s how to access them:
- First, you need to go to the video you want and watch it
- Make sure you watch the whole video for it to be downloaded entirely
- Now, open your phone’s “File manager” and go to Android>data>com. Instagram, android>cache>videos.
- Here you are going to find all the videos viewed by you and they will have .extension
- You can tap on them and choose the “video” option to play them
These videos remain in cache storage and will be deleted if you clear your phone cache.
How to Download Reels Video From Instagram
Instagram reels cannot be downloaded without third-party apps like Repost or InSaver. However, you can save reels within Instagram:
- Open the Instagram app and select the search button. From there you can look for the reels video you want to save
- This can also be done from a user’s profile. For this, just select the new reels tab next to IGTV and select the reels video you want to download to open it
- Once the reel is open, choose the three-dots icon from the menu at the bottom and then choose “save”
- Now, to access the saved reel, go back to your home screen and tap your profile icon > the hamburger menu icon > Settings > Account > Saved.
Read: Instagram Post Size
Read: Instagram Post Ideas
How to Download Instagram Videos Online
To download Instagram videos online in 4K quality, use these third-party apps:
- InstaDownloader
- W3toys
- Video Downloader – for Instagram Repost App
- InstaOffline
- DownloadGram
- KeepVid
- Downloader for Instagram + direct message
If you’re looking to download videos from Facebook, be sure to check out our comprehensive guide here for step-by-step instructions!
How to Download Instagram Videos Using Copy-Paste URL Method
The copy-paste URL method is one of the simplest ways to download Instagram videos. Here’s the detailed step-by-step process:
- Open Instagram and navigate to the video you want to download
- Tap the three dots menu above the video post
- Select “Copy Link” to copy the Instagram video URL to your clipboard
- Open your web browser and go to any Instagram video downloader website
- Paste the copied URL into the download field on the website
- Click the “Download” or “Get Video” button
- Choose your preferred video quality and format
- Click the final download button to save the video to your device
This method works for public posts, Reels, and IGTV videos, making it versatile for most Instagram content types.
How to Download Instagram Videos Using Chrome Extensions
Chrome extensions offer another convenient way to download Instagram videos directly from your browser. Here are some reliable Chrome extensions you can use:
- Video Downloader Professional
- Turbo Downloader for Instagram
- Social Video Downloader
- IG Stories for Instagram
To use these extensions:
- Install your chosen extension from the Chrome Web Store
- Navigate to the Instagram video you want to download
- Click the extension icon in your browser toolbar
- Select the video quality and click download
Chrome extensions typically download videos at their original quality (up to 1080p) and work with regular posts, Reels, and Stories.
How to Download Private Account Instagram Videos
To download private Instagram account videos, first download the Save Insta app, then:
- Open your phone or PC browser and log in to your Instagram account.
- Go to the private account you like, select the video, and copy the link.
- Paste the link of the video in the first box above.
- Now, tap on the copy button, then open a new web page and paste the text on the page.
- Select all the text on the page and copy it.
- Go back to the private downloader and paste the text into the third box.
- Select the View button and the video will appear, then choose the download button and it will start downloading immediately.
- The video will be saved to your gallery.
Instagram Content Calendar Template
Conclusion
Instagram continues to grow with features like Instagram filters, enhancing its appeal. This guide provides methods for downloading Instagram videos across all platforms.
A social media scheduling tool can benefit you in several ways. A tool like RecurPost can help you pre-schedule all your Instagram posts that can get published at the best times for posting with social media bulk scheduling. This way, you can reach a massive user base and boost the engagement levels on your posts. You will also get detailed analytics reports to help you assess your best-performing content.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How to download an Instagram story video?
Save your own Instagram story video by:
– Open the Instagram app and log in to your account
– Choose “Your story”, from the top-left corner to be able to view all posts that you have added to your story
– Now, choose the story that you want to save, then choose the three dots at the bottom right, and select “save”
2. How to download an Instagram live video?
Save completed Instagram Live broadcasts by selecting “Download Video” to store in your camera roll. Only the video saves—comments, likes, and viewer interactions are not preserved.
3. How to copy an Instagram video from link?
If you want to copy an Instagram video via its link, you will have to follow these steps:
– Go to Instagram.com
– Log- into your account
– Now, open the video that you want to copy
– Once you open the post, click on the three dots
– Now, select “copy link” from the pop-up menu to copy the link to your clipboard
4. How to download Instagram videos without an app?
Here are the steps to follow if you want to download Instagram videos without an app:
– Log in to your Instagram account first and open the video that you want to download
– Click on the video to make it fullscreen
– Right-click on the video and then select “inspect”
– Once the HTML pops up, you can get the URL to your video.
5. How to download Instagram videos with music?
Here is how you can download Instagram story videos with music:
– Go to “settings” on your Instagram app
– Now, select story settings
– In the “savings” section, activate the option saying “save to archive” or “save to camera roll”
– For extracting just the audio from saved videos, use a dedicated IG audio download tool that can separate the sound track from the visual content
– Many third-party apps like Audio Extractor or Media Converter can help you isolate and save just the audio portion after you’ve downloaded the full video with music”
6. How to save or download Instagram videos to gallery without any app
To save or download Instagram videos without any app, you need to follow these steps given below:
– Open your device’s web browser (e.g., Chrome, Safari).
– Go to Instagram’s website (www.instagram.com) and log in to your account.
– Find the video you want to save and open it.
– Right-click on the video (or tap and hold if you’re using a mobile device).
– Select the option to “Save video” or “Download video.” The exact wording may vary depending on your browser.
7. How to open Instagram video in new tab ?
To open an Instagram video in a new tab, right-click (or tap and hold) on the video and select “Open link in new tab” from the context menu. This was the video will be opened in new tab.
8. How to find original video from Instagram ?
Finding the original source of a video shared on Instagram can be challenging, as Instagram doesn’t always provide direct links to the original videos. However, here are a few steps you can try:
– Check Description: Look for source mentions or credits in the post’s description or comments.
– Follow Profile: Follow the user’s profile for potential source links in their other posts.
– Search: Search for the video’s title or description on search engines or platforms like YouTube.
– Reverse Image: Use a reverse image search with a screenshot to find similar content.
– Tools: Try online tools like TinEye or platforms like Reddit for content identification.
9. How to download one time video on Instagram ?
Instagram doesn’t provide a built-in option to download one-time videos directly from the app. However, if you’re referring to a video posted in an Instagram story, you might be able to take a screenshot or screen recording on your device while the story is playing. Here’s how :
1. For Screenshots:
– Open the Instagram story with the one-time video.
– Pause the video if necessary.
– Take a screenshot of your device’s screen while the video is visible.
2. For Screen Recording:
– On most smartphones, swipe down from the top to access the quick settings panel, where you’ll find a screen recording option.
– Start the screen recording.
– Play the Instagram story with the one-time video.
– Stop the screen recording when the video has played.
Debbie Moran is a Digital marketing strategist with 5+ years of experience producing advertising for brands and helping leaders showcase their brand to the correct audience. She has been a part of RecurPost since 2019 and handles all the activities required to grow our brand’s online presence.
