Download Instagram Stories To Your Phone or Computer

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Karen Lin

Instagram 101 | Aug 17, 2023

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If you are a frequent social media user, Instagram stories may be your favorite method of sharing content. They are quick and easy to use and offer various editing tools to customize your pictures and video posts. Many people also prefer stories to feed posts as they feel more authentic.

However, as you may know, Instagram stories only last 24 hours – and then are automatically deleted from the app. What if you want to save content that you see in stories? This can include both your own pictures and videos as well as others. You may have always wondered if there is a way to download Instagram stories.

If so, we are here with good news. Turns out, you can download Instagram stories. We’ve got all the details you need to know. Below, we break it down for you, from saving your content to downloading photos and videos from other users. Make sure to have your phone handy to give these methods a try. You’ll save the best Instagram content to your device in no time.

A person using a smartphone to download Instagram stories.

What Are Instagram Stories?

First things first. If you are new to Instagram or perhaps an infrequent user, you may not know what Instagram stories are. After all, the social media app is constantly releasing new features, which can be hard to keep up with. Before we dive into learning how to download Instagram stories, let’s take a step back and learn the basics.

Instagram first launched stories back in 2016. While many people compared them to Snapchat, they quickly became a favorite way for users to share content on the app. Stories offer an easy and instant way to post whatever is on your mind. They let you quickly share moments throughout the day, captured in photo and video formats. The story format is similar to a slideshow, appearing together in a sequence.

Users are able to access and view Instagram stories by scrolling through the stories icons at the top of their feed page. They can also go directly to someone’s Instagram profile and tap on the profile picture to tune into their stories.

You can even re-post another user’s story if that person has added your handle as a tag. This is a way for you to share content without having to do the work. You can simply click a button to add to your story. Just like that, the photo story or video is now part of your story sequence.

As we briefly mentioned above, it’s important to note that all Instagram stories disappear after a 24-hour time period. You’re in luck if you’re eager to save and share stories. It is possible to download Instagram stories, both your own and others.

A person teaching a friend how to download Instagram stories.

Why Do You Want to Download Instagram Stories?

You might be wondering why someone would want to download Instagram stories. The answer is easy. It offers Instagram users a way to capture and save their favorite content. By downloading stories, the content will save to your device in your photo or video album. This lets you easily repost to your own story or even share it with friends and family through text messages or email.

First, let’s talk about downloading your own content. Many people use Instagram’s built-in camera to capture their content when posting to stories. This allows for pictures and videos to be properly formatted. However, it makes sense that you would also want to save the content to your device. The process to do this is easy, and we will outline the steps for you further down below.

Many people also want to save and download Instagram stories that come from other users. There are a few reasons for this. Perhaps a friend uploaded a great photo or video that included you, but they forgot to tag your Instagram handle. By downloading the story, you can easily re-post it by accessing it from your phone’s camera roll.

Or maybe you saw a funny story posted by a random user or social media celebrity. Do you ever wish you could share it on your own profile as part of your content strategy? To download content shared by others, you’ll need to utilize the help of third-party apps and websites. Don’t worry, we will highlight a few favorite options below.

Women looking at their phone to download Instagram stories.

How to Download and Save Your Own Instagram Stories

Downloading and saving your own story content is easily done directly from within the Instagram app. We recommend doing this before you publish the content to your Instagram stories. Below, we’ve outlined the steps needed to download Instagram stories you post to your own account.

  1. Open Instagram and select the plus sign icon from the upper right-hand corner. Then, tap on story.
  2. Next, capture your story content through the Instagram camera feature. Remember, this can be either photos or videos.
  3. You can now edit your content, adding text, emojis, or stickers.
  4. Finally, tap on the three dots icon in the upper right-hand corner. Next, select the save/download icon. This will save the content directly to your phone.

Now you are all caught up on how to save your own Instagram story content through the app. Let’s learn how to download stories that other people post.

How to Download Instagram Stories on Different Devices

Now you are all caught up on the what and the why. Finally, it’s time to dive into the how. That’s right, we’re about to learn how to download Instagram stories on your phone. Of course, a person’s preferred phone type can vary. There are people who only use Apple products, while others prefer to connect on Android devices. Some are even those who like to access Instagram through their laptop or PC computer.

Keep reading on as we teach you how to download Instagram stories, no matter the type of device you use. We will highlight a few top-rated third-party story downloader services that easily do the work for you.

A smartphone opened to the social media folder, highlighting the Instagram app.

How to Download Instagram Stories on iPhone

If you are an iPhone user, listen up. This section is for you. Ready to learn how to download Instagram stories to your phone? Let’s begin. As we mentioned, you’ll need to use a third-party app or website to do this.

One popular story download app for iPhone users is Reposter for Instagram. You can quickly download this app by accessing the App Store from your phone. A free version of this app is available, or you can upgrade and pay for their Pro Package.

With Reposter, you do not need to log into your own Instagram account through the app. This is a feature that many users like. To use Reposter for Instagram, just search for the user in question from the app’s homepage. After you locate the story you’d like to download, tap the share button. You will have the option to either share or save the content.

How to Download Instagram Stories on Android

Prefer to use an Android device? We’ve got you. In this section, we’ll cover everything you need to know about how to download Instagram stories to your phone. Let’s review a few top choices for third-party apps available on the Google Play store.

Our first recommendation is a service by the name of Quick Save. You’ll want to remember that it requires connecting the app to your Instagram account. After this is complete, you can choose to download selected content or share it on other social media platforms. This app is currently free to use but does include ads.

For another option, Android users should look into Video Downloader for Instagram. As the name indicates, this service focuses on the ability to download video Instagram stories. With over 50 million downloads, Video Downloader for Instagram boasts a user rating of 4.7. Similar to Quick Save, you’ll need to give the app access to your Instagram account in order to download any videos.

How to Download Instagram Stories on PC

Accessing Instagram through the app is perhaps the most popular way to use the social media platform. However, there are many people who prefer to use the web-based version of Instagram instead. This allows them to view content on a bigger screen and gives them the ability to use a real keyboard.

So, are you wondering how to download Instagram stories on PC computers? If so, we’re here with the answers. You’ll need to access a third-party website with a link option to copy and paste from Instagram.

To get you started, allow us to suggest Story Saver. This popular web-based service allows you to save and download Instagram stories as well as Instagram highlights. The best part? Story Saver is extremely easy to use. Simply copy the story post URL from Instagram and paste it into the offered box on the website. From here, the content automatically downloads to your computer.

A phone opened to the Instagram app in front of a computer.

How to Download Private Instagram Stories

You may be wondering how to download private Instagram stories – that is, stories by users with a private Instagram account. When a profile is private, the user must approve and accept any new follower requests. This is also true for direct message requests. Without being accepted, other users cannot see any of their content, from feed posts to stories.

If you are already following the user in question, you will have no issue using the above methods to download Instagram stories. Essentially, you can utilize the help of a third-party app or website to save story content directly to your phone. Since you are currently approved to follow the account in question, you will have no issues accessing and viewing their stories.

However, dealing with private accounts that you do not actively follow becomes a bit more difficult. As we mentioned above, you will not be able to view any of their content until you request to follow them – and they approve it.

Some people may wonder if there is a way to download Instagram stories from private accounts that they do not follow. As of right now, this is not possible. Since the account in question has chosen to make their Instagram account private, it is best to ensure they keep their privacy.

How to Download Instagram Stories With Comments

One of the great interactive features of Instagram stories is the ability to respond to or comment on them. A comment is sent to the user in the form of a direct message. You can also react to active stories by quickly tapping in the “send message” box and selecting one of the pre-loaded emojis or avatars.

You may be wondering if it is possible to download Instagram stories with comments. As we mentioned above, story response comments are sent directly to the direct message inbox of the user. They do not attach to the story itself. So, it is not possible to download Instagram stories with comments included. However, the comment will always be visible in your direct messages – even once your story has expired.

A man using his smartphone to download Instagram stories.

How to Download Instagram Stories With Music

Of course, music is one of the fun extras you can add to your Instagram story. Catching tunes help to bring your content alive and grab the attention of the story viewer. This can lead to more eyes on your content and, hopefully, a higher engagement rate. But what if you want to download the Instagram story – and the music? Is it possible to learn how to download Instagram stories with music?

The answer is yes. Many of the third-party apps and websites available will allow you to save the music attached to the story. We recommend reading through the guidelines before you begin to make sure this feature is available. This way, you know exactly what will (or will not) be available after downloading Instagram stories using their service.

At Path Social, we’ve built up an in-house platform of Instagram influencers and an AI-targeting algorithm over the past decade. That’s how we reach interested and engaged users who are organic. And that’s why no one can replicate our results, which means you’ll build an Instagram community that lasts! Start growing and gaining Instagram followers today.