Everything you need to know about saving Instagram videos, Reels, photos, stories and audio with VideoDropper: quality, devices, privacy, copyright and quick fixes when something does not work.
What VideoDropper does, what it costs and how to use it.
VideoDropper is a free website that saves public Instagram content to your device. Paste a link and you can download videos and Reels as MP4 files, photos and carousel images as JPG, story photos and videos, and the sound of a Reel or video as an MP3.
It runs in your browser on phones, tablets and computers, so there is nothing to install.
Open the post in Instagram, tap the share icon and choose Copy link. Come back to VideoDropper and tap Paste, or paste the link into the box yourself. We look up the post, show a preview, and you tap Download on the file you want.
On a computer, copy the address from your browser's address bar instead of using the share menu.
Yes. There is nothing to pay, no subscription and no account to create. To keep the service fast for everyone, we limit how many links one connection can check per minute. If you ever see a "too many requests" message, wait about a minute and try again.
No. VideoDropper never asks for your Instagram username or password, and you do not need to be logged in to anything.
If any site asks for your Instagram login in exchange for downloads, close it. A legitimate downloader does not need your credentials.
Links to public posts and Reels, which contain /p/ or /reel/ in the address, and public story links in the form instagram.com/stories/username/1234567890/. Always paste the full link.
Profile links, direct messages, live streams in progress and anything from a private account cannot be downloaded.
No app is needed. VideoDropper works in any modern browser. If you want quick access on your phone, use your browser's menu to add the page to your home screen.
Quality, sound, format and what to expect from your video file.
The highest quality Instagram provides for that post. Most Reels and feed videos are stored at up to 1080p, so we pick the largest version available and show it as one download rather than making you choose between sizes.
We cannot add detail that the original does not have, so we do not offer 4K upscaling.
Sometimes Instagram stores a high-resolution video and its audio as separate streams. When that happens we join them for you. If a file still has no sound, the original probably has none, for example when licensed music was removed or muted. In that case the result is labelled "no sound".
You can also try the Audio page to check whether the post has a soundtrack.
Yes. We download the original file, so a vertical Reel stays vertical. We do not crop, resize or re-compress the picture. When a video and an audio stream have to be joined, they are copied together rather than re-encoded, so no quality is lost.
VideoDropper does not add a watermark, logo or username overlay. If the creator placed branding inside the video itself, it stays, because we do not edit the file.
Each video in a carousel appears as its own item in the result, numbered in order, so you can download the one you want.
A 30-second Reel is usually a few megabytes, and longer or higher-resolution videos are larger. Speed mostly depends on your connection.
Some videos are joined from separate video and audio streams on our server as you download. Your browser may not show the total size until the file finishes, which is normal. Keep the tab open until it completes.
A live stream that is still running cannot be downloaded. Once a live is saved as a regular post or Reel, paste its link like any other video. Long videos shared as normal posts or Reels work as well.
Full-size images, multi-slide posts and file formats.
You get the largest version Instagram stores for that post. Instagram resizes uploads, often to about 1080 pixels wide for feed photos, so the saved file can be smaller than the camera original. It is still the real image file, which is better than a screenshot.
Paste the post link. Each slide appears as its own item with its own Download button. There is no single "download all" button yet, so you save the images one by one.
Photos are saved as JPG files, which open on every phone, computer and editing app.
Yes. A carousel that mixes photos and videos lists both, with a preview where available.
If a photo is yours, the best source is your own device, or the export from Instagram's "Download your information" option, which includes your uploads. VideoDropper fetches the version Instagram serves publicly.
Not at the moment. VideoDropper downloads photos from posts, not profile pictures.
Saving public stories before they expire.
Open the story and copy its link, or copy the address from a desktop browser. Open the Stories page, paste the link and tap Download on each photo or video card. A story link looks like instagram.com/stories/username/1234567890/.
Stories are visible for 24 hours. After that they disappear from Instagram, so there is nothing left for any tool to fetch. If you want a story, save it while it is live.
The usual reasons are that the story has expired, the account is private, the story was deleted, or the link is incomplete. Check that the account is public and the story is less than 24 hours old, then copy the link again and paste it fresh.
VideoDropper does not use your Instagram account, so nothing we do is tied to your profile, and Instagram does not send a notification when a story is downloaded. We cannot speak for how Instagram records activity on its own side, and if you watch the story in the app while logged in, you appear in the viewer list as usual.
Story links in the format above are accepted, but we cannot yet promise that Highlights work in every case. If a Highlight link fails, it is nothing you did wrong.
Story photos are saved as JPG and story videos as MP4, so they open in any gallery or editor.
You paste a link to a specific story, so each download is for that story. We do not offer bulk downloads of a whole profile.
Turning Reels and videos into MP3 files.
Copy the Reel link, open the Audio page and paste it. We find the soundtrack and show a player so you can listen first. Tap Download and the sound is converted to an MP3 and saved to your device.
You can also paste a Reel or video link on the Video or Reels pages, where the MP3 appears as a second download under the video.
MP3, encoded at 320 kbps, the highest standard MP3 bitrate. It plays on practically every phone, computer, car stereo and editing app.
Instagram stores audio in a compressed format at a much lower bitrate. Converting at 320 kbps means the conversion adds no extra loss, but it cannot restore detail that the original does not contain. The file will be larger than the source for that reason.
For editing this is the safe choice, because you are not stacking another round of heavy compression on top.
No. We extract the whole soundtrack as it appears in the post. Separating voice from music needs audio-editing software.
For personal use such as a ringtone or alarm, many phones let you set a short audio clip, though the steps differ by device. For anything you publish, music and voices are protected by copyright, so get permission or use properly licensed audio. Platforms can mute or remove videos that use unlicensed sound.
A photo post, or a video that has no sound, has nothing to extract. If Instagram muted a Reel's music, the audio may be silent. Paste the link on the Video page to see what the post contains.
Saving files on iPhone, Android and computers, and fixing common problems.
Use Safari. Paste the link, tap Download and confirm in the download prompt. The file is saved in the Files app under Downloads. Open it, tap Share, then Save Video to add it to Photos.
Open VideoDropper in Chrome or your usual browser, paste the link and tap Download. The file goes to your Downloads folder and normally appears in your gallery shortly. If it does not, open the Files app and look in Downloads.
Paste the link into the box and click Download. The file is saved to your browser's Downloads folder, unless your browser is set to ask where to save each file.
In-app browsers often block file downloads. Open VideoDropper in Safari, Chrome or another regular browser instead.
Download and preview links stay valid for about 30 minutes. If you left the result open for longer, paste the post link again to get fresh ones.
To keep the service quick for everyone, we limit how many links one connection can check per minute. Wait about a minute and try again.
Check that the account is public, the post still exists, and the link is complete, with /p/ or /reel/ in the address for posts. Copy it again from Instagram and paste it fresh.
Instagram sometimes changes things on its side. If a link keeps failing, try again a little later, or contact us and include the link.
Any modern browser, including Safari, Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Samsung Internet, on iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows, macOS and Linux.
What we collect, what is allowed and how to respect creators' rights.
We never ask for your Instagram password, do not require an account and do not install anything on your device. Files are passed to you as you download them and are not stored on our servers.
Stay careful online in general: close any site that asks for your Instagram login or promises access to private accounts.
No. Private content is protected by Instagram and visible only to approved followers. VideoDropper works with public posts only and never asks for a login. Sites that claim otherwise are usually after your password, a survey or an app install.
As far as Instagram has publicly documented, it does not notify creators when someone downloads or screenshots a post, Reel or story. The exception is disappearing photos and videos sent in direct messages. VideoDropper does not use your Instagram account, so a download is not tied to your profile.
This is general information, not legal advice. Content on Instagram belongs to its creators and is protected by copyright, and Instagram's terms limit what you can do with it. Saving a public post for personal reference is very different from reposting it, selling it or using it in marketing.
For any public or commercial use, ask the creator for permission and credit them. Laws differ by country, so check the rules where you live if you are unsure.
Only with the creator's permission. Your own content is yours to save and reuse. If a creator has turned off downloads for their Reels in the app, treat that as a sign they do not want it saved, and respect it.
We do not keep the media you download. It passes through to your device. Like most websites, our servers and hosting provider process technical data such as IP address and request times for security and rate limiting. More detail is in our Privacy Policy.
No. VideoDropper is an independent tool. Instagram and Meta are trademarks of their respective owners.
We do not host Instagram content. If you are a rights holder, send a notice as described on our DMCA page and we will review it. To remove your own post, delete or archive it on Instagram. We cannot recall copies that someone has already saved to their own device.
If your answer is not here, write to us and include the Instagram link if something is not working. You can also read our step-by-step guides on the blog.
Jump straight to the downloader for the content you need.
Paste a public Instagram link and save the video in the highest quality available.
OpenSave public Reels as vertical MP4 files with sound, and keep the audio as an MP3 if you want it.
OpenTurn any public Reel or video into a 320 kbps MP3 you can play offline.
OpenSave public Instagram photos in full size, including every slide of a multi-image post.
OpenSave public Instagram Stories, photos and videos, before they expire after 24 hours.
Open