Reels on Instagram
Recording and Editing Reels
Reels allows you to record and edit short videos up to 30 seconds in the Instagram Camera. You can add effects and music to your reel or use your own original audio.
To record a reel from the Instagram app:
- Tap
at the bottom, then tap
at the top. You can also tap
at the top, then scroll to Reels at the bottom.
- Tap and hold
to record a clip or tap it to start recording and tap it again to end the clip. You can also tap your camera roll in the bottom left to add a video from your camera roll.
- Tap
to watch, trim or delete the previous clip you recorded.
- Tap
to add stickers, drawings and text to your reel or download it to your device. Use the slider at the bottom to edit when you want text to appear.
- Tap
- Tap Share, then tap Done.
Note that you can record one or multiple clips that add up to 30 seconds. The progress bar at the top shows how long you’ve recorded. If you share your reel to Explore, it can also be seen on the Reels section of your profile.
Keep in mind, you won’t be able to use interactive stickers (example: poll, Q&A, challenge) in your reel. Learn more about saving and editing a draft of your reel.
When you record a reel, you’ll see a tool menu on the left. You can tap:
to search for a song in our music library. You can choose which part of the song you want to play.
to change the speed of your reel. This will affect both the video and audio of your clip.
to add a camera effect. Swipe left at the bottom of the screen and select an effect. To see more effects, swipe all the way to the left and tap
.
to choose the length of your clip. When you return to your clip, you see a countdown before your clip starts recording.
to see the end of your last clip. You can use the transparent photo to align your next clip before recording. This will only appear after you record your first clip.
Note that you can also record a reel with your own audio. Learn more about using audio in your reel and who can see your reels.
You can record a reel with your own original audio, with original audio by another Reels creator, or with music from the Instagram music library using the Audio tool in Reels.
Original audio should be unique audio that you created, either while filming your reel in the Instagram app or in a video you uploaded. When you post a reel with your original audio, it will display your username. If you upload someone else's music as original audio, we may change the description to the artist's username and song.
When you post a reel on a public account, anyone on Instagram can record a reel using your original audio. If your account is set to private, no one will be able to record a reel using your original audio.
Why did I receive a notification that my reel was added to an audio page?
When we detect that your original audio may contain licensed music or audio, we’ll automatically add attribution for the artist and song title. Your reel will be added to the audio page for that song, where more people on Instagram may find it.
What if the attribution is wrong?
If we’ve identified the wrong audio track, you can remove your reel from the audio page. Tap 
You can record a reel and save it to your Instagram account or camera roll before sharing it. Drafts will be saved until you share or delete them. There isn’t a limit to how many drafts you can save.
Keep in mind, downloading your reel won’t save any music you added from the Instagram music library.
To save a draft of your reel to your Instagram:
- Tap
- Tap
To edit a draft of your reel from your Instagram:
- Tap
or your profile picture in the bottom right to go to your profile.
- Tap
- Tap Drafts, then select the reel you want to edit.
To save a draft of your reel to your camera roll:
- Tap
- Tap
Save on the left.
To edit a draft of your reel from your camera roll:
- Tap
- Tap
at the top or swipe right from anywhere in Feed.
- Scroll to Reels at the bottom of the screen.
- Tap
in the bottom left and choose the draft of your video from your camera roll you want to edit.
You can record more clips and add music, effects, stickers and text to your reel.
Managing Reels
On Instagram, you can manage:
- Who can mention you in the caption of their reel by changing your account's mention settings. You’ll receive a notification when someone mentions you in a reel. Learn more about how mentions work on Instagram.
- Your comment filters.
Note that you won't be able to stop seeing Reels on Instagram.
Who can see and share your reels follows your account's privacy settings:
- For public accounts: Anyone on Instagram can see and share your reels. People may see your reels on places like the Reels tab and effect, hashtag and audio pages. Anyone on Instagram can record a reel using your original audio.
- For private accounts: Only your approved followers can see and share your reels. When someone shares your reel, only your followers will be able to see it. No one will be able to record a reel using your original audio.
Keep in mind, reels you post will appear in the Reels section on your Instagram profile. Who can see your profile depends on your account’s privacy settings.
Reels you post to Feed will also appear on your main profile grid. Reels shared to Stories and Direct will disappear in 24 hours and won’t appear on your profile.
To see info about your reel:
- Tap
- Tap
- Who liked and commented on your reel
- Video plays (how many times your reel starts to play). This doesn't include replays.
- Whether your reel was chosen to be featured on Reels
You can delete a reel you shared on Instagram.
To delete your reel from the Instagram app
- Tap
- Tap
- Tap the reel you want to delete then tap
(iPhone) or
(Android) at the bottom.
- Tap Delete, then tap Delete.
Note that you won't be able to stop seeing Reels on Instagram.
Discovering Reels
To find reels to watch from the Instagram app:
- Tap
- Scroll down to see more reels.
Note that you can also scroll through your Feed to see reels from creators you follow.
We aim to reduce the visibility of reels containing content about politics on unconnected surfaces (example: scrolling through Reels). Reels from people you follow will still be shown on Profile and Feed, and politics content won't have reduced visibility on these surfaces.
How do I find reels that use a certain audio or hashtag?
To find reels with a certain audio or hashtag, you can:
- Tap the audio name or hashtag at the bottom of the reel to see a page with other reels that use the same audio or hashtag.
- Search for specific hashtags in the search bar at the top.
Tap Use Audio on a reels audio page to record a reel with the same audio. If you record a reel with original audio, your original reel will appear first on the page with other reels that use the same audio.
On Instagram, we show you public reels in places like the Reels tab that are recommended to you based on reels you’ve watched, liked or commented on and accounts you follow.
You may also see reels that are labeled Featured. Featured reels are chosen by Instagram to help you discover new content from a diverse mix of creators across a variety of topics.
In addition to the guidance above, Instagram chooses reels to recommend and feature that:
- May be entertaining for a wide audience
- Can inspire people to create (example: start a trend others can participate in)
- Have music from the Instagram music library or original audio that is made with the Reels audio tool
- Are filmed vertically
- Show events that are meaningful and relevant to our community
- Show creators with diverse backgrounds and views
Note that if your reel is featured, you'll get a notification from Instagram.
We aim to make less visible and won’t feature reels that:
- Are blurry, low resolution, contain borders, logos, watermarks or if the majority of the image is covered by text
- Aren't your own original videos
- Focus on political issues or are made by political figures, parties or government officials (or on their behalf)
- Go against our Community Guidelines (example: contains hate speech or graphic violence) or our Recommendation Guidelines
Keep in mind that reels from people you follow will still be shown on Profile and Feed and we won’t make them less visible.
Reporting Reels
If you see someone's reel and think it goes against Instagram's Community Guidelines, you can report it.
From the reel you want to report:
- Tap
- Tap Report, then follow the on-screen instructions.
Keep in mind that your report is anonymous, except if you’re reporting an intellectual property infringement. The account you reported won’t see who reported them.