​How to Download IG Reels – 4 Step-by-Step Methods

Have you ever tried to download IG Reels and found yourself stuck in a maze of links and unreliable apps? Between Instagram’s lack of a built-in download feature, unclear methods, and quality issues, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed or just give up. But don’t worry, this guide is here to make it simple. I’ll walk

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you through four easy, reliable methods to help you download IG reels. By the end of this article, you will have looked into different ways through which you can save instagram reels. So let's get started looking into how we can download IG reels.

Use Instagram’s In-App Feature (Temporary Save)

The Instagram app has its own built in feature that lets you save reels. However, it does not allow you to save the videos as a file to your phone, but rather in a separate collection for you; kind of like a bookmark or the watch later feature on YouTube.

Step 1: Head over to the Instagram app, find the reel you want to save and open options.

Step 2: Once you have opened the options , click the “Save” button.

Step 3: After that, another menu will open showing that you have saved the reel.

The video is not downloaded to your gallery or available offline. It’s similar to bookmarking. You can come back to it later, but you don’t have a copy of the file.

Use Toolsmart’s Instagram Video Downloader

For the best balance of ease, safety, and quality, this is the method I recommend most. Toolsmart’s Instagram Video Downloader works on both phones and computers and lets you download IG Reels in seconds, without any watermark, login, and annoying pop-ups.

Step 1: Go to the Instagram reel you want to save, and open the send menu.

Step 2: Once you have the menu open, tap on the “Copy Link” icon and your link will be copied and saved in the clipboard.

Step 3: Next, you need to open Toolsmart’s Instagram Video Downloader Tool, paste the link into the box and hit the Download button.

Step 4: On the next screen, you can see a list of formats that you can download the video in. Choose the one that works best for you.

Toolsmart is ad-free, watermark-free, and doesn’t ask you to install anything. If you want a fast and clean way to download IG Reels, this tool is your best bet.

Use a Screen Recording

If you want to avoid using any website or third party tool, screen recording is a built-in option that works for both iPhone and Android users. It’s easy, reliable, and most importantly, it is safe and secure. Plus, you don't have to download anything or go to any other website.

For Android:

Screen recording on android is pretty straightforward.

Step 1: Firstly, swipe down to access Quick Settings and find the Screen Recorder option.

Step 2: Next up, open the status bar once the reel is finished.

Step 3: Once you have opened the status bar, press the stop button to stop recording, and the reel will be saved to your gallery.

For iPhone

Screen Recording on an IPhone is more or less exactly like Screen Recording on an Android.

Step 1: Firstly, open the Control Panel and click on the screen recording icon.

Step 2: Once the reel is finished playing, open the control panel again.

Step 3: Click on the Screen Recording button again to stop recording and save the file to your gallery.

While screen recording is easy and secure, it does reduce quality a bit and adds extra steps if you need to trim the video. But still, it is a good method to save reels to your gallery.

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Use a Third-Party App

There are a handful of mobile apps that let you download IG Reels directly to your gallery. These are often used when people prefer not to rely on browser tools. The ease of use of a third party app is what appealed to me as it is always there and just one click away.

Step 1: Firstly, open the Play Store, and download InstSaver.

Step 2: Then, go to the Instagram reel you want to save, and open the send menu.

Step 3: Once you have opened the menu, click the copy link button.

Step 4: Then all you have to do is to open the InstSaver app, paste the link and hit the download button.

The app does, however, have ads, which felt pretty frustrating to me, but other than that, it got the work done without any problems.

FAQs

Q1: Is it legal to download Instagram Reels?

Yes, for personal use only. Reposting or reusing someone’s content without permission may violate copyright laws.

Q2: Can I download Reels from private accounts?

No. Reels from private accounts aren’t accessible for download, even with tools like Toolsmart.

Q3: Does Toolsmart’s Instagram Video Downloader work on mobile?

Yes. It’s fully mobile-friendly and works great on iOS and Android browsers.

Q4: Is Toolsmart safe to use?

Absolutely. It’s browser-based, doesn’t require installation, and has no hidden malware or redirects.

Q5: Will screen recording reduce video quality?

Most of the time, it does reduce quality. The result depends on your screen resolution and recording settings. If quality matters, use Toolsmart’s IG Video Downloader instead.