How to download Instagram videos: the built-in button and the risks of downloader sites

Search for “download Instagram video” and you get page after page of downloader sites. Yet Instagram has its own button for public reels, plus several ways to save your own videos. Everything here comes from the Instagram Help Center as of November 2026.

1 / 5Someone else’s reel: the built-in button

1. 01
   Where it is

   Tap the share icon on a reel and choose Download — the video is saved to your phone. It only works in the app, not on a computer.

2. 02
   Public accounts only

   You can only download reels from public accounts. No one can download reels from a private account.

3. 03
   Up to the creator

   Creators can turn off downloads for all their reels or for a single video, and for public accounts of under-18s it’s off by default. No Download button means that reel can’t be downloaded.

4. 04
   The watermark stays

   A downloaded reel shows the Instagram logo, the creator’s username and the audio credit.

5. 05
   Not for commercial use

   Instagram says it plainly: downloaded reels aren’t allowed to be used for commercial purposes.

2 / 5Your own videos

1. 06
   Your own reel

   Save your reel from the same share menu with Download. You can also save it before posting — drafts are stored on your phone.

2. 07
   Stories

   Stories are saved by hand: before posting with Save, afterwards with Save story, which saves the whole story as one video. Posted stories also go to your archive, which only you can see.

3. 08
   Photos, automatically

   Turn on Save original photos and every photo you post is also saved to your phone’s gallery: menu › Your app and media › Archiving and downloading.

4. 09
   A copy of your whole account

   To download everything at once: Accounts Center › Your information and permissions › Export your information. The link can take up to 30 days, and the finished copy waits for you for 4 days.

3 / 5Saving isn’t downloading

1. 10
   The Save button

   Save under a post doesn’t put the video on your phone — it goes to Saved, a private section of your profile.

2. 11
   The creator won’t know

   Only you can see what you’ve saved: the creator can’t tell you saved their post. You can sort saved posts into collections.

4 / 5Downloading doesn’t give you the rights

1. 12
   “But I downloaded it”

   According to Instagram, posting someone else’s content can infringe their copyright even if you bought or downloaded it, credited the creator, found it online or didn’t mean to make money from it.

2. 13
   Ask first

   Instagram recommends getting written permission from the creator before posting their work.

3. 14
   Repost instead of re-uploading

   Share someone’s reel with a repost or in your story — that way the creator stays credited. Stitching clips together or adding a watermark doesn’t make a video original in Instagram’s eyes.

4. 15
   And your reach drops

   Instagram is less likely to recommend re-uploaded reels and videos with noticeable watermarks. A downloaded reel already has one baked in, so re-uploading it hurts you twice.

5 / 5Downloader sites and apps

1. 16
   Don’t give them your login

   Instagram warns that login details you hand to an unknown app give it full access to your account — from reading your private messages to posting spam in your name.

2. 17
   The rules forbid it

   Instagram’s Terms prohibit collecting data in an automated way without permission and asking for other people’s login details. A site that wants your login in exchange for a video is already breaking the rules.

3. 18
   Extensions and files

   Instagram advises caution with browser extensions and third-party apps, and not to download files from people you don’t know.

4. 19
   Instagram won’t DM you

   Instagram never sends you direct messages about your account. Its real emails show up in settings, under Emails from Instagram.

5. 20
   If you’ve already logged in

   Check in settings which apps have access to your account and revoke access for anything suspicious.

✓The bottom line

Someone else’s public reel can be saved with Instagram’s own button: Share › Download — unless the creator has turned it off. The watermark stays, and you can’t use the video commercially. Your own videos, stories and your whole account can be saved right inside Instagram. Don’t give your login to downloader sites, and don’t re-upload other people’s videos — repost them instead.

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