How to Download Instagram Story With Music (and Without Stickers)
Want to keep a story with its song, or without the stickers on top? It depends on whose story it is and how the music was added, so here are the cases one by one.
How to download Instagram story with music: your own stories
When you save one of your own stories to your phone (open it, tap the three dots, then Save), Instagram often leaves the music out. That’s a licensing rule, not a bug: songs from Instagram’s library may only be played inside the app.
If you just want a copy for yourself, two things work:
- Record your screen. On an iPhone, add Screen Recording in Control Center, start it, then play the story. On Android, use the Screen record tile in quick settings; on Android 11 and later, choose to record media sound when it asks. The recording then includes the music.
- Keep the clip you started with. The photo or video in your camera roll is the original. Add the song again in an editor if you want it in the file.
How to download Instagram story without stickers
Stickers, text and drawings are added on top of your photo or video in the story editor. To keep a clean copy, save before you add them: in the editor, tap the download arrow at the top first, then decorate and post. Once a story is posted, the saved version includes everything on it.
For someone else’s story, stickers and text are part of the posted picture, so no downloader can take them off.
Someone else’s public story
Copy the story’s link while it’s live and paste it into the story downloader. A story disappears after 24 hours, and its link stops working at the same moment. Whether the music comes along depends on how it was added: a song added with a music sticker is often played by the app separately and isn’t always part of the video file. Stories from private accounts can only be seen by approved followers, so they can’t be saved by any honest tool.
Save Instagram story highlights you made
Highlights are stories pinned to a profile, and they don’t expire. To keep your own:
- Open the highlight on your profile and go to the story you want.
- Tap the three dots and choose Save (photo) or Save video.
- To keep everything automatically from now on, turn on Settings › Archiving and downloading › Save story to archive.
Your archive keeps every story you post, even ones you never added to a highlight. Our guide on saving stories before they expire shows where to find it.
Quick answers by situation
- Your story, and you want the song: record your screen while it plays.
- Your story, and you want it clean: save it in the editor before adding stickers or text.
- Your older stories: open your profile menu › Archive › Stories archive.
- Someone else’\s public story: use the story downloader within its 24 hours.
A note on music and sharing
A saved copy is for you. Reposting someone’s story, or a story with a licensed song, outside Instagram can get it removed or muted. The Instagram Help Center explains Instagram’s music rules.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my saved story have no music?
Instagram often removes licensed songs when you save a story to your phone. Record your screen while it plays if you want a copy with the sound, for your own use.
Can I remove stickers from a story I already posted?
No. Once it’s posted, stickers and text are part of the story. Next time, tap the download arrow in the story editor before you add them to keep a clean copy.
Do highlights expire?
No. Highlights stay on your profile until you remove them, so there’s no rush to save them.