How to Download Instagram Videos on PC or Laptop
You don’t need any software to save an Instagram video to a computer. A normal browser is enough, and it works the same on Windows, Mac and Chromebook. The one fiddly part is finding the link, so we’ll start there.
Step 1: get the video’s link
Open instagram.com and find the video. Click the three dots (⋯) on the post and choose Copy link. If you’ve opened a Reel on its own page, you can also just copy the address from the top of your browser.
Step 2: paste it and download
- Open the video downloader in a new tab.
- Paste the link into the box (Ctrl+V on Windows, Command+V on Mac) and press Download.
- Click the quality button you want. The first one is the best available.
- Your browser saves an MP4 file to your Downloads folder.
A faster way: use the address bar
Put saveinstant.app/go/ in front of the Instagram link and press Enter. For example, saveinstant.app/go/https://www.instagram.com/reel/…. The page opens with the link already filled in and fetched, so you skip the copy-and-paste step.
Where did the file go?
- Chrome or Edge on Windows: press Ctrl+J to see recent downloads.
- Chrome on Mac: press Command+Shift+J.
- Firefox: press Ctrl+Shift+Y (Command+Shift+Y on Mac).
- Safari: click the download arrow in the toolbar.
If the video plays in the browser instead of saving
Some browsers open the file instead of saving it. Right-click the video and choose Save video as, or click the three dots on the player and pick Download. In Chrome and Edge that works every time.
If the file won’t play
Instagram videos are standard MP4 files, and Windows Media Player, QuickTime and VLC all open them. If one doesn’t, try VLC. It plays almost everything and it’s free.
Good to know
- It only works with public videos. If you can’t watch it without logging in, we can’t fetch it either.
- You get the quality Instagram stores. For Reels, our HD guide explains what to expect.
- Downloading to watch later is one thing, reposting is another. Ask the creator first, and see where the lines are.