Instagram Videos & Reels Downloader

Instagram Video & Reel Downloader

Instagram Video & Reel Downloader extracts direct, full-quality video and photo download links from public Instagram Reels, videos, carousels, and photos, including clean media URLs, post metrics, captions, and creator details. Provide one or more post URLs or shortcodes to receive structured records containing ready-to-download MP4 and JPG links with optional permanent cloud storage. Content creators, marketing teams, and developers can automate competitor research, backup creative assets, and build media pipelines without requiring an Instagram login or browser extension.

Quick start

1. Open Instagram Video & Reel Downloader on the Apify platform.
2. Enter one or more Instagram post or Reel URLs into Post / Reel URLs (postUrls).
3. (Optional) Set Save files to storage (saveFiles) to true if you need permanent download links stored in Apify Key-Value Store.
4. Click Start and monitor the execution in the run console.
5. Export your structured records from the Dataset tab as JSON, CSV, or Excel.

{
  "postUrls": [
    "https://www.instagram.com/reel/DdJomaZFWkW/"
  ],
  "saveFiles": false
}

What data you get

Each processed post returns a comprehensive record containing post metrics, author metadata, and a structured downloads array for every video or image slide:

• Media download links: Direct headline videoUrl and thumbnailUrl, plus an itemized downloads list with dimensions (width, height), media type, downloadUrl, and permanent savedUrl (when storage is enabled).
• Post attributes: Post ID, shortcode, canonical post URL, media type (video, image, carousel), product type (clips, feed), creation timestamp (takenAt), caption text, and video duration in seconds.
• Engagement metrics: Like count, comment count, view count, and play count.
• Author profile: Username, full name, profile picture URL, and verified status badge.

Output example

Below is a verified output record from a real Reel:

{
  "input": "https://www.instagram.com/reel/DdJomaZFWkW/",
  "postId": "3983893906924595478",
  "shortcode": "DdJomaZFWkW",
  "postUrl": "https://www.instagram.com/p/DdJomaZFWkW/",
  "mediaType": "video",
  "productType": "clips",
  "takenAt": "2026-09-11T16:00:04.000Z",
  "caption": "What does it mean to live life after you've been given a second chance? Twenty-five years after 9/11, survivors reflect on the people who helped them make it home.\n\nSee the reunions in #911Reunited, now streaming on @DisneyPlus and @hulu. For more first-person accounts, explore the National Geographic archive at the link in bio.",
  "videoDuration": 85.098663,
  "likeCount": 30549,
  "commentCount": 135,
  "viewCount": 0,
  "playCount": 0,
  "authorUsername": "natgeo",
  "authorFullName": "National Geographic",
  "authorProfilePicUrl": "https://instagram.falg1-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t51.82787-19/683576066_18653628823019133_9051036240972105113_n.jpg",
  "authorIsVerified": true,
  "thumbnailUrl": "https://instagram.falg1-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t51.82787-15/805027862_18696160270019133_2927811009723395662_n.jpg",
  "videoUrl": "https://instagram.falg1-2.fna.fbcdn.net/o1/v/t2/f2/m86/AQNDf48Nb6pc94ZIuLR_0zU63tjAl4hRF3_OIx-n6tO7FM5PslOjNfd_XmPFWXJreFNaIfcgcrDiD41htSTZm8Jg3x7EjQ209FTcfdY.mp4",
  "downloads": [
    {
      "index": 0,
      "type": "video",
      "imageUrl": "https://instagram.falg1-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t51.82787-15/805027862_18696160270019133_2927811009723395662_n.jpg",
      "videoUrl": "https://instagram.falg1-2.fna.fbcdn.net/o1/v/t2/f2/m86/AQNDf48Nb6pc94ZIuLR_0zU63tjAl4hRF3_OIx-n6tO7FM5PslOjNfd_XmPFWXJreFNaIfcgcrDiD41htSTZm8Jg3x7EjQ209FTcfdY.mp4",
      "width": 720,
      "height": 1280,
      "downloadUrl": "https://instagram.falg1-2.fna.fbcdn.net/o1/v/t2/f2/m86/AQNDf48Nb6pc94ZIuLR_0zU63tjAl4hRF3_OIx-n6tO7FM5PslOjNfd_XmPFWXJreFNaIfcgcrDiD41htSTZm8Jg3x7EjQ209FTcfdY.mp4",
      "savedUrl": null
    }
  ]
}

Input settings

Field	Type	Description	Default
postUrls	array	List of Instagram Reel, post, video, or photo URLs or raw shortcodes (e.g. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DdJomaZFWkW/ or DdJomaZFWkW).	Required
saveFiles	boolean	When enabled, downloads each video and photo to Apify Key-Value Store and returns permanent, non-expiring savedUrl links.	false
proxyConfiguration	object	Proxy settings for Instagram requests. Apify Residential Proxy is recommended.	Residential

Proxies and network routing

To ensure high reliability and efficient bandwidth consumption:

• Instagram metadata extraction: Requests to Instagram endpoints route through Apify Residential Proxies to prevent rate limits and geographic blocks.
• Media file downloads: Actual media streaming and downloads (MP4 and JPG files) route through direct connections or datacenter proxies. Because Instagram CDN servers do not require residential IPs, this saves expensive residential data usage and delivers higher download speeds.

Use cases

• Creative swipe files & ad research: Collect trending competitor Reels and top-performing organic videos for creative analysis and inspiration.
• Multi-image carousel extraction: Download every individual picture or video clip in carousel posts in original resolution without manual screenshotting.
• Permanent content archiving: Instagram CDN download URLs typically expire after several hours. Enabling saveFiles permanently backs up digital assets directly to your Apify storage.
• AI & machine learning pipelines: Extract high-quality video footage alongside structured captions and creator metadata for computer vision, audio processing, or multimodal LLM training.

Programmatic integration

Run this Actor through the Apify API using your preferred language or client library.

Node.js (JavaScript)

import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: process.env.APIFY_TOKEN,
});

const input = {
    postUrls: [
        'https://www.instagram.com/reel/DdJomaZFWkW/',
    ],
    saveFiles: true,
};

const run = await client.actor('karamelo/instagram-downloader').call(input);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
console.log(`Retrieved ${items.length} downloaded post record(s):`, items);

Python

from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient(token="YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN")

run_input = {
    "postUrls": [
        "https://www.instagram.com/reel/DdJomaZFWkW/"
    ],
    "saveFiles": False
}

run = client.actor("karamelo/instagram-downloader").call(run_input=run_input)

for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    print(f"Shortcode: {item['shortcode']}, Media Type: {item['mediaType']}")
    for dl in item.get("downloads", []):
        print(f" - Slide {dl['index']}: {dl['downloadUrl']}")

Pricing and operational costs

This Actor is designed to run efficiently on the Apify platform:

• Runs comfortably within 1024 MB to 2048 MB memory allocations.
• Direct media streaming minimizes residential proxy traffic costs.
• Compute units are charged only for the actual run duration (typically 2–5 seconds per post).

Frequently asked questions

Does this Actor require an Instagram account or login cookies?

No. The Actor operates completely without logins, passwords, or session cookies. You can download media from any public Instagram post or Reel anonymously.

Why do Instagram direct download links stop working after a while?

Instagram CDN URLs contain authentication tokens (oh and oe query parameters) that expire after several hours. If you need permanent links that remain accessible indefinitely, set saveFiles: true. The Actor will download each video and image into your Apify Key-Value Store and provide a permanent savedUrl.

Does it support albums and multi-slide carousels?

Yes. When a carousel post is submitted, every slide (whether image or video) is extracted and placed into the downloads array with its respective index, dimensions, and download link.

What URL formats are accepted?

You can supply standard post URLs (/p/CODE/), Reel URLs (/reel/CODE/), Reels URLs (/reels/CODE/), IGTV URLs (/tv/CODE/), or bare shortcodes (e.g. DdJomaZFWkW).