Instagram lets you bookmark a Reel to your Saved collection, but that only keeps it inside the app — it does not put a file on your device. If you want an actual video file in your camera roll or gallery, you need a separate step.
On iPhone
- Open the public Reel in Instagram and tap the three-dot menu (or the paper-plane share icon).
- Choose Copy Link.
- Open Safari, go to ReelSave, and paste the link into the download box.
- Tap Download Video, then choose a quality.
- Safari saves the file to the Files app by default. From there, open the file and use the share sheet to save it to Photos, which puts it in your camera roll.
On Android
- Copy the Reel's link the same way, using the three-dot menu or share icon.
- Open Chrome (or your default browser), go to ReelSave, and paste the link.
- Tap Download Video and pick a quality.
- Most Android browsers save video downloads directly into your Gallery or a Downloads folder automatically — no extra export step needed.
A Few Things That Trip People Up
- Private accounts won't work. If you can't view the post while logged out of Instagram, it can't be fetched.
- Partial links fail silently. Make sure the full URL, including everything after the last slash, gets copied.
- Quality depends on the source. A downloader can only pass through whatever resolution the original Reel was uploaded in.
See the full step-by-step with device notes on the How It Works page.