How to Download Instagram Videos on Mobile and Desktop

Grace

January 30, 2026

Starting as a simple photo-sharing app, Instagram has become a popular social media platform to share your life and creativity through pictures and videos. With Posts, Reels, and Stories, you can connect with friends and followers, as well as explore what is happening on the other side of the world. Posts and Reels can be shared on other platforms or by link. Creators can also allow others to download their Instagram videos. If you want to save Posts to watch offline, here’s how to download Instagram videos on your mobile and desktop devices.

1. Download Videos with the Instagram app
2. Online Instagram Downloaders
3. Screen Record Instagram on Your Phone
4. Instagram Downloader for Android
5. Instagram Downloader for iOS
6. Instagram Desktop Downloaders

1. Download Videos with the Instagram app

If an Instagram user has enabled the download feature for their posts and reels, then anyone on Instagram can save the videos to MP4 on their Android and iOS devices. However, downloaded videos will contain watermarks of the Instagram logo and the creator’s name.

Here’s how to download Instagram videos with the app:

1. Open the Instagram app on your Android or iOS device and find the video you want to download.
2. Tap the Share icon (the paper plane icon) on or under the video.
3. Swipe through the sharing options and tap “Download.” The video will be saved as an MP4.

Extra Tip: How to Enable Downloads on Instagram

If you want to enable downloads for your posts and reels, make sure your account is set to Public. No one on Instagram can download videos from private accounts.

Here’s how to enable downloads for your Instagram account:

1. Open the Instagram app, tap your profile icon at the bottom, and select the three lines in the top right.
2. Tap “Account privacy” and set it to Public.
3. Tap “Sharing and reuse” and switch on “Downloads.”

Here’s how to turn on downloads for an individual Post:

1. Make sure that your Instagram account is set to Public.
2. Go to a post on the Instagram app on your Android or iOS.
3. Tap the three dots at the top right of the post.
4. Select “Turn on downloading.” Now, this video post can be downloaded by other Instagram users.
5. Tap “Turn off downloading” if you don’t want others to save this video.

2. Online Instagram Downloaders

Online downloaders can always be helpful tools when downloading from video sharing platforms like Instagram. They’re typically free, easy to use, don’t need to install any app or software, and work on both mobile and desktop. The downside is the ad interruption during the downloading process. Sometimes, certain online downloaders may not work properly, but you can try other online tools or options mentioned in this guide.

Here, we recommend two online Instagram downloaders: Snapins and Toolzu. The first offers a multilingual interface, and the latter supports downloading from various platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and more. They share similar downloading procedures as follows:

1. Go to an Instagram post or reel. Tap the paper plane icon (mobile app) or the three dots at the top right (on desktop) and select “Copy Link.”
2. Visit the online Instagram downloader in a browser and paste the link to it.
3. Select the “Download” button to load the video.
4. Click the “Download” button under the video to save it as an MP4.

3. Screen Record Instagram on Your Phone

Another convenient way to save Instagram videos is by using the Screen Recorder on your Android and iOS devices. Screen recording is usually a built-in feature on Android and iOS devices, and you can easily access it in the control center.

However, when you screen record an Instagram video, it will capture everything on your phone screen, including the menu buttons, username, and more. While you can use the video editor on your phone to trim them, the video’s quality and resolution will be affected. Follow the steps below to record Instagram videos on Android and iOS.

On Android

1. Go to the Instagram video you want to record.
2. Swipe down from the top right of your Android device to enter the Control Center and tap the “Screen Recorder.” It will start recording your phone screen.
3. Return to Instagram and play the video. Once done, tap Stop Recording (usually a square) at the top left.

You can trim the recorded Instagram video with the built-in video editor:

1. Open the video from the Movies folder or Files > Recent.
2. Tap the three dots at the top and select “Edit.”
3. Select “Crop” from the menu and adjust the video as you need.

On iOS

1. Open the Instagram app and find the video you want to save.
2. On your iPhone or iPad, swipe down from the top right and select the round “Screen Record” button.
3. iOS devices will count down for 3 seconds before recording, giving you enough time to return to the Instagram video to record.
4. When finished recording, tap the Stop button at the top.

To trim your recorded video on an iOS device:

1. Open the Photos app and select the video.
2. Tap the Edit button (three lines with dots).
3. Select “Crop.”

4. Instagram Downloader for Android

When searching “Instagram video downloader” within the Google Play Store, you can find many apps shown up. However, most need to go through several ads to download even a single Instagram video. Some require users to upgrade to Premium to remove the commercials.

After research, we’ve found All Video Downloader & Player, a free Android app with a simple interface and an easy downloading process. In addition, it can download videos not only from Instagram but also from other platforms like Facebook and more. Here’s how to use it to download Instagram videos:

1. Install All Video Downloader & Player from the Google Play Store.
2. Go to the Instagram video you want to download, tap the paper plane icon, and select “Copy Link.” 
3. Paste the link to the app and tap the green arrow button.
4. Tap Download to save the video as an MP4 on your device.

5. Instagram Downloader for iOS

Instant Save is an iOS app to download Instagram videos on iPhone and iPad. While many others require subscriptions, this app stands out as an ad-supported, free tool available on the App Store. With a clean interface, it can automatically recognize links copied from Instagram and download videos for you. However, the download speed is slower compared to other methods in this guide.

Here is how you can download Instagram videos with Instant Save:

1. Download and install Instant Save from the App Store.
2. Copy the Instagram video link: tap the paper plane icon and select “Copy Link.”
3. Return to Instant Save and tap “Allow Paste.” Wait for the app to download the video.
4. Click “Save” to save the video to Photos.

6. Instagram Desktop Downloaders

While the Instagram app’s download feature is only available on mobile devices, Mac and Windows users can use professional downloaders like StreamGet All-In-One Video Downloader to save Instagram Reels. This smart tool downloads videos from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook to your computer and laptop for free. You can convert videos to MP4 and MKV in resolutions up to 1080p. StreamGet also supports downloading from popular streaming platforms such as Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Max, Hulu, Apple TV+, and Paramount+, even with an ad-supported subscription.

Key Features:

• Download videos from various streaming sites
• Work on both Mac and Windows
• Download Instagram videos to MP4 and MKV
• Free and ad-free Instagram downloading experience
• Download videos up to 1080p
• Safe and fast download
• Multilingual interface

Follow the steps below to download Instagram videos to MP4/MKV on your Mac or Windows.

Step 1. Download, install, and run Pazu StreamGet on your Mac or Windows. Select Instagram from the available streaming services.

Step 2. Click the three-line icon in the top-right and select “Preferences.” From here, you can customize download settings such as video format, quality, codec, output folder, interface language, and more.

Step 3. Copy and paste the Instagram video link to StreamGet and click the search icon.

Click the Download icon next to the title to start downloading.

Step 4. Click History to find the downloaded Instagram videos. If you want to switch to other platforms for downloading, click the List icon (the four-square icon) at the top right.