How to Download Audio From Instagram Reels (3 Honest Ways)
Here is how to download audio from Instagram Reels without installing anything sketchy. There are three ways, and which one fits depends on what you want to do with the sound.
A Reel is a video file with a sound track inside it. Instagram doesn’t offer a “save as MP3” button, so you either keep the sound inside the app, take it out of the video file yourself, or find where the song came from.
How to download audio from Instagram Reels: 3 ways
Way 1: save the sound inside Instagram
If you only want to use the sound in your own Reels later, you don’t need a file at all.
- Open the Reel and tap the song or “Original audio” name at the bottom.
- On the audio page, tap Save audio.
- Find it later under your profile › menu › Saved › Audio, or pick it straight from the music library when you make a Reel.
This keeps the sound linked to Instagram’s licence, which is the safest way to reuse music on the app.
Way 2: download the Reel, then keep only the sound
For a file you can play anywhere, first save the Reel as an MP4 with the Reels downloader. If you only wanted to know how to download Instagram Reels with audio, you can stop here: the MP4 already has the sound in it. To get a sound-only file:
- Computer: install the free VLC media player. Choose Media › Convert / Save, add the MP4, click Convert, pick the profile Audio – MP3 and press Start.
- iPhone: in the Shortcuts app, build a shortcut with the action Encode Media, switch on Audio Only, then add Save File. Share the MP4 to that shortcut and you get an M4A audio file.
- Android: many video editors have an “Extract audio” option; CapCut is one free example. Or move the MP4 to a computer and use VLC.
Way 3: find the song itself
When a Reel uses a released song, the audio page shows its title and artist. Streaming services such as Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube Music have the full track in much better quality than a Reel, and listening there pays the artist.
Instagram video download only music: what quality to expect
Instagram Reels audio is compressed so it streams quickly. It sounds fine on a phone speaker or earbuds, but it isn’t studio quality. Converting it to a “320 kbps” MP3 makes the file bigger without making it sound better, because the detail was never in the Reel to begin with.
If the downloaded Reel has no sound at all, the music may have been removed by Instagram for licensing reasons. Here’s how to check.
Can you use the audio?
Keeping a sound to listen to yourself is ordinary personal use. Putting it in your own videos outside Instagram is different: songs from Instagram’s music library are licensed for use on Instagram, and YouTube or TikTok may block or claim a video that reuses them. “Original audio” belongs to the person who recorded it, so ask them first. Our plain guide to the rules explains more, and the Instagram Help Center covers music on Instagram itself.
Frequently asked questions
Can I download only the audio from an Instagram Reel?
Not directly from Instagram. Download the Reel as an MP4, then keep only the sound with VLC on a computer, the Shortcuts app on an iPhone, or a video editor with an Extract audio option on Android.
Why is there no MP3 button?
We give you the original file Instagram stores, with its sound inside. Taking the sound out yourself keeps the full quality and only takes a minute.
Does the downloaded Reel keep its music?
Yes, when Instagram still has the music for that Reel. If a song’s licence ran out, Instagram mutes the Reel and the download is silent too.