How to Download Instagram Reels: A Step-by-Step Guide
Instagram launched its Reels feature in 2020 as a way for users to create and share short, engaging videos set to music or other audio. Reels quickly took off in popularity, with many going viral both on and off the platform. Because of this, you may come across a Reel that you want to save to watch again later or share with friends outside of the app. Luckily, there are a few different methods you can use to download Instagram Reels.
Option 1: Download Reels Using the Instagram App
The simplest way to save a Reel is by using Instagram‘s built-in bookmark feature. Here‘s how:
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Find the reel you want to save and tap the three dots icon in the bottom right corner.
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From the pop-up menu, select "Save."
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To access your saved Reels, go to your profile page and tap the three horizontal lines in the top right, then select "Saved."
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Your saved reels will appear under the "All Posts" tab. You can also create Collections to organize saved posts into categories.
Keep in mind that saving a Reel this way won‘t let you access the video file itself to share outside of Instagram. It simply bookmarks it within the app for easy access later. If you want to download the actual video file, read on for more options.
Option 2: Use an Online Instagram Reel Downloader
There are various websites that allow you to paste in a link to an Instagram Reel and download the MP4 video file to your device. Some popular ones include:
- DownloadGram.com
- ReelDownloader.com
- InstagReels.com
- w3toys.com
The process is similar on most of these sites:
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Open Instagram and find the Reel you want to download. Tap the three dots and select "Copy Link."
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Go to the Reel downloader website and paste the link into the text box on the homepage.
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Click the Download button. Some sites will ask you to complete a CAPTCHA to prove you‘re not a bot.
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Once the Reel has processed, click the Download button again to save the MP4 file to your device.
While convenient, there are some potential security risks to keep in mind when using online downloading sites. Make sure you only use reputable, well-established services, as sketchy sites could potentially inject malware into the files you download.
Additionally, some sites may prompt you to log into your Instagram account to download Reels. Be very cautious about this, as giving your login credentials to third-party sites could put your account at risk if that site is compromised. Stick to sites that only require the Reel link, not your password.
Option 3: Use Screen Recording
If you want to avoid third-party websites altogether, you can use your phone or computer‘s built-in screen recording function to capture the Reel as it plays on your screen. The process will vary slightly depending on your device:
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On iPhone: Swipe down from the top right corner to access the Control Center. Tap the Screen Recording button (a white circle within a white circle) and wait for the 3-second countdown. Once you see the red recording indicator in the top left, open the Instagram app and play the Reel you want to record. Once it‘s done, tap the red indicator and select Stop.
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On Android: The screen recording process varies based on device, but most newer Android phones have the feature available in the Quick Settings panel when you swipe down from the top of the screen. Look for a Screen Record button (a white circle with a red interior dot). If you don‘t see it, you may need to edit your Quick Settings to add it. Once you start the recording, capture the Reel and then stop the recording.
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On Mac: Open QuickTime Player and go to File > New Screen Recording. Click the arrow next to the record button to select your recording settings, then click Record. Open the Instagram Reel in your web browser, then click to stop recording and save the file.
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On PC: You can use the built-in Xbox Game Bar (Windows key + G) or download a third-party app like OBS Studio to record your screen. Once you start recording, open the Instagram Reel in a web browser and then stop the recording when it‘s done.
The downside of screen recording is that the quality may not be as good as downloading the original video file, since you‘re essentially making a recording of a recording. But it is the most secure method as it doesn‘t require entering your login info anywhere.
Staying Safe While Downloading Instagram Reels
No matter which method you use to download Instagram Reels, it‘s important to keep security in mind. Avoid sites that seem untrustworthy or spammy, and never enter your Instagram login credentials into any website or app you don‘t fully trust.
This brings us to an important aspect of cybersecurity that helps protect your online accounts and private data: hashing.
What is Hashing?
Hashing is a cryptographic process that takes an input value (like your Instagram password) and produces an encoded output of fixed length called a hash. Hashing is a one-way function, meaning you can‘t reverse-engineer the original input from its hash.
The same input will always produce the same hash, but even a small change to the input will result in a completely different encoded value. For example, here are the SHA-256 hashes for two very similar sentences:
"The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog"
d7a8fbb307d7809469ca9abcb0082e4f8d5651e46d3cdb762d02d0bf37c9e592
"The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog."
ef537f25c895bfa782526529a9b63d97aa631564d5d789c2b765448c8635fb6c
Note how adding a single period to the end drastically changes the output hash.
In cybersecurity, hashing plays an important role in a few key areas:
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Password Storage: When you create an account on a website, the site doesn‘t store your actual password in plain text. Instead, it hashes your password and stores only the encoded hash. When you go to log in, the password you enter gets hashed and compared to the stored hash. If they match, you‘re authenticated and logged in. This way, even if a hacker gains access to the password database, they won‘t be able to see users‘ actual passwords, only the encoded hashes.
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File Integrity Verification: Hashing is often used as a checksum to verify that a file hasn‘t been altered or corrupted. When a file is created or downloaded, its hash is calculated and recorded. Later, the file‘s hash can be recalculated and compared to the original hash. If even a single bit has changed, the hashes won‘t match, indicating the file has been modified.
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Digital Signatures: Hashing is also a key part of digitally signing documents and communications. The content of the message is hashed, and that hash is encrypted using the sender‘s private key. The recipient can then decrypt the hash using the sender‘s public key and compare it to their own hash of the message contents. If they match, that verifies the message hasn‘t been altered and came from the holder of the private key.
While you don‘t need to understand all the technical details of how specific hashing algorithms work, it is good for your overall online safety to have an awareness of how hashing helps protect your accounts and data.
Beyond that, using strong, unique passwords is one of the most important things you can do to secure your online presence. Avoid reusing the same password across multiple accounts, as a breach of one could compromise them all. Whenever offered, enable two-factor authentication for an added layer of protection. And always be cautious about entering your login credentials into unfamiliar websites or apps.
In Conclusion
Downloading Instagram Reels is a great way to save and share your favorite short-form videos, but it‘s crucial to do so safely. Stick to methods that don‘t require giving out your login info, like using Instagram‘s built-in saving feature, screen recording, or reputable web-based downloaders.
If a site does ask for your credentials to download a Reel, treat that as a red flag and look for an alternative. Don‘t risk your account security just to grab a quick video.
By being aware of how hashing secures your data and following cybersecurity best practices like using strong passwords and enabling 2FA, you can significantly decrease your risk of falling victim to hackers or data thieves.
Stay safe out there and happy Reeling!
