Want to learn the best ways to save Instagram videos in 2024? With Instagram‘s continued popularity for short-form video content, downloading and organizing all those videos can be a challenge.
In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll walk you through the top methods for saving your own Instagram videos as well as ones posted by others. I‘ve tested and compared the various options to help you choose which solutions work best depending on if you use mobile or desktop.
Let‘s dive in!
Why Save Instagram Videos?
Here are the top reasons you may want to save Instagram videos:
- Backup your memories and creative video projects
- Repurpose video content for other platforms
- Store funny or meaningful videos to rewatch later
- Use for business marketing materials or competitions
- Curation and organization into topical collections
Having the ability to download and manage Instagram videos gives you more control over this content rather than keeping it trapped within the app.
Saving Your Own Instagram Videos
Let‘s start with a walkthrough on saving videos you have posted yourself on Instagram.
Download Uploaded Videos
For any videos you upload directly to Instagram through the app, there is a built-in way to save them.
Here are the steps:
- Go to your profile page
- Tap on the video you want to save
- Tap the three dot menu in the top right
- Choose ‘Save video‘
This will save a copy of your original uploaded Instagram video right to your camera roll.
Saving Instagram Stories and Reels
What about videos you record and post more spontaneously to your Instagram Stories or Reels?
Instagram makes it easy to download these too:
- In your profile, navigate to your story or reel
- Tap the three dot menu on the video
- Select "Save"
This adds any story or reel video to your camera roll so you can rewatch later or use outside of Instagram.
Automatically Saving Uploads
Rather than manually saving all your Instagram video uploads, you can enable auto-save:
- Go to your profile
- Tap the Settings gear icon
- Tap Account > Original Posts
- Toggle on "Save Posted Videos"
Now whenever you upload a new video to Instagram, it will automatically save a copy to your camera roll.
I do recommend keeping an eye on your device storage with this option enabled. Saving multiples Instagram videos takes up more memory over time.
Saving Others‘ Instagram Videos
What about downloading Instagram videos posted by other accounts you follow or discover? You have a few options for this as well.
Add to Collections
Instagram‘s built-in Collections feature is perfect for saving videos you want to easily reference later. Rather than downloading, videos are stored securely within the Instagram app.
Here‘s how to use Instagram Collections:
- When viewing a video, tap the three dot menu
- Choose "Save to Collection"
- Select which Collection to add it to
To organize and view your saved collection videos:
- Tap your profile icon
- Tap the menu icon
- Choose "Saved"
From here, you can name and manage collections plus view all your saved videos in one place!
Download with Third-Party Apps
If you want to download videos from Instagram rather than just saving them to collections, third-party apps are your best bet.
These apps allow you to browse Instagram and then download any video you come across to your device‘s storage.
Based on expert testing, my top recommended tools for downloading Instagram videos are:
- CleverGet Video Downloader (for desktop) – Easy to use for PC and Mac. Lets you download multiple formats.
- Story Saver (for iPhone/Android) – Simple app for finding and saving Instagram videos to your camera roll.
The basic steps for using an Instagram video downloader app are:
- Install on your device
- Connect to your Instagram account
- Search for videos or paste video URL
- Tap download icon on the video
- Video saves to device storage
These apps provide the unique advantage of working across any public Instagram account while giving you full ownership of the videos for personal use.
Organizing With Instagram Collections
As mentioned above with Instagram Collections, this is an excellent organizational system for the videos you love watching on Instagram.
Rather than having a camera roll cluttered with downloaded videos, Collections let you sort and store videos within Instagram itself.
If you use Instagram to discover new content creators or keep up with trends, creating thematic Collections is very useful.
For example, you could have Collections like:
- Favorite Makeup Tutorials
- ASMR Videos to Help me Sleep
- Top Reels for Cooking Inspiration
The key benefits of Collections include:
- Adding unlimited videos to each Collection
- Creating as many custom Collections as you need
- Easily viewing Collections sorted by name or recent saves
- Works for both photos and videos in one place
So for casual Instagram users who want to save the occasional video they love versus downloading everything, Collections are the perfect middle ground!
Final Thoughts
I hope this guide gave you clarity on the plethora of ways to save Instagram videos in 2024 – from built-in tools, third party apps, using Collections, and more.
Here are my key takeaways:
- Enable auto-save settings to easily backup your own uploaded videos
- Use Instagram Collections to store favorites videos for organized viewing
- For mass downloads from other accounts, leverage a video download app
- Use a combination of methods based on your specific needs!
Have any other questions on saving, downloading, or managing Instagram videos? Let me know in the comments!
