How to Save Instagram Videos

Any device, anywhere—keep that video to watch later

By
Scott Orgera
Scott Orgera
Writer
Scott Orgera is a former writer who covering tech since 2007. He has 25+ years experience as a programmer and QA leader, and holds several Microsoft certifications.
our editorial process
Scott Orgera
Updated November 10, 2019

Although Instagram is widely known for its user-shared photos, videos are also a big part of the social media service's content. 

In some cases, you may want to save Instagram videos to watch at a later time, or just to store on your computer or mobile device for posterity. Luckily, this can be done in just a couple of short minutes.

How to Save Your Instagram Videos or Stories

Downloading and storing stories or videos you previously uploaded or created on Instagram can be done by taking the following steps.

Saving media to the cloud
 Tang Yau Hoong / Getty Images

  1. Open the Instagram app.

  2. Open the story or video you wish to save.

  3. Tap its corresponding menu button, located in the lower right-hand corner and represented by three dots.

  4. When the pop-up menu appears, tap Save or Save Photo/Video. iOS users can also tap Save Story, which allows you to retrieve the entire contents of a story as one video file.

How to Save Another User's Instagram Videos

While it can be useful to retrieve your own Instagram videos, many users often want to download videos shared by others. On a Mac or PC, this can be done via the web-based version of Instagram, while Android and iOS users have to resort to a third-party app or the workaround described below.

Saving Videos From Instagram to Your Computer

  1. Open your web browser and navigate to the page containing the Instagram video you wish to download. 

  2. Right-click anywhere on the page outside of the video post itself. 

  3. When the context menu appears, select View Page Source or Inspect Element. This option varies based on the browser.

  4. A new tab should now appear, displaying source code for the entire page. Launch the browser's Find field by using the following keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+F on Windows; Cmd+F on macOS.

  5. When the search field appears, enter the following text: mp4

  6. Several results will be highlighted, each accompanied by a complete URL. Copy and paste the first one.

    save instagram video on computer

  7. Open a new tab and paste the copied URL into the address bar. Press Enter or Return.

  8. The video should now load in its own standalone player. Right-click anywhere within the video window and select Save video as. 

  9. You can now specify the filename and location where you'd like to store the MP4 video file on your hard drive.

Saving Videos From Instagram to Your Phone or Tablet

Android and iOS users may have the option to save other users' Instagram videos to their device's camera roll but must do so through a third-party app. Unfortunately, the large majority of these apps do not deliver as promised, and many are even coupled with malware or other unwanted software.

If you're looking to save an Instagram video and transfer it to your smartphone or tablet, we recommend first downloading it on a computer via the instructions above, then transferring it to your device via email or another sharing method.