How to Download Instagram Stories, Reels & Highlights in 2026

Why You'd Want to Download Instagram Content

Here's something that's always bugged me about Instagram — there's no save button for other people's stories. They post something cool, and 24 hours later it's gone forever. No way to bookmark it, no way to save it. Reels and posts stick around longer, but there's still no official download option.

So why would you want to download Instagram content? Tons of reasons honestly:

Maybe your friend posted a hilarious story and you want to save it before it disappears. Maybe you're a designer and you spotted some inspo you want to reference later. Or maybe you're doing competitive research and need to archive what other brands are posting.

I tested about 8 different tools to figure out the best way to do this, and most of them were either painfully slow, full of sketchy ads, or just didn't work. But I found a few gems. If you also want to browse content privately while you're at it, check out my guide on viewing stories anonymously.

Downloading Stories — The Quick Way

Alright, the fastest method I found for downloading stories is PeekStories. No signup, no app install, just works.

Here's the process — takes maybe 15 seconds:

1. Head to peekstories.com 2. Type in the Instagram username 3. Click on Stories 4. Find the one you want 5. Hit the download button

That's it. Photos save as high-quality JPGs, videos save as MP4s. No watermarks slapped on, no quality loss, no weird file formats. The download starts immediately too — none of that "processing your request" nonsense that some tools pull.

One thing to remember though — stories vanish after 24 hours. So if you spot something you want to keep, grab it before it's gone.

What About Reels?

Reels were trickier to find a good downloader for. A lot of tools that handle stories just completely ignore reels — which is frustrating because reels are probably the most popular content type on Instagram right now.

PeekStories handles reels though. You search for a user, go to their Reels tab, and you get this nice swipeable player that works just like the Instagram app. You can preview each reel before downloading, which saves you from blindly grabbing stuff.

Reels download as MP4 files. Quality's been solid in my testing — same resolution as the original. I downloaded about 20 reels from different accounts and every single one looked identical to the original.

Highlights — The Underrated Content Type

Highlights are basically Instagram's way of letting you keep stories permanently. Instead of disappearing after 24 hours, they sit right there on someone's profile in those little circles.

Downloading highlights works the same way on PeekStories:

1. Search for the account 2. Click the Highlights tab 3. Pick the highlight collection 4. Browse through the stories inside it 5. Download whatever you want

What I like about highlights is that they don't expire. So unlike regular stories where you're racing against the 24-hour clock, you can take your time here. A brand's "Products" highlight from 6 months ago? Still there. Your favorite travel blogger's "Japan Trip" collection? Still downloadable.

Don't Be Dumb About It — Some Ground Rules

Real talk — just because you CAN download someone's content doesn't mean you should go wild with it.

Respect copyright. If you're downloading content for personal use — saving a friend's funny video, archiving design inspo — you're probably fine. But the moment you start reposting someone else's content as your own, or using it commercially without permission, you're crossing a line. Fair use exists, but it's not a blanket excuse.

Also, steer clear of any tool that asks for your Instagram password. That's a huge red flag. Legit downloaders like PeekStories never need your login info — they work entirely through the website. If a tool wants your credentials, it's almost certainly a phishing attempt.

For a comparison of which tools are safe and which ones are sketchy, check out my best anonymous Instagram viewers roundup.