How to Repost a Video on Your Instagram Story (and Make It Play)
Tap the Share button (the paper plane) under the Reel or video and choose Add to story. In your story the video plays by itself, like any story video. Guides report that a shared Reel plays a preview of about the first 15 seconds, and viewers tap it to watch the whole Reel (Hootsuite, IQFluence). Instagram hasn’t published an exact length.
Share someone’s Reel or video to your story
- Tap the Share icon (paper plane) under the Reel or video post (Hootsuite).
- Tap Add to story (IQFluence).
- Optional: tap the video to make it fill the screen, and add text or stickers. Tagging the creator is a good habit (ManyChat).
- Tap Your story, or Close Friends to share it with your shorter list.
The steps are the same on iPhone and Android. Viewers can see who posted the video and tap through to that account (Instagram). Like every story, it disappears after 24 hours unless you add it to a Highlight.
Share your own Reel to your story
Open the Reel from the Reels tab on your profile and use the same Share > Add to story steps (SocialRails). To show the whole video instead of a preview, post the video file itself as a story from your camera roll (Hootsuite). Story videos up to 60 seconds play as one clip, and longer ones are split into parts (Instagram). Do this only with videos you made, since re-uploading someone else’s video can break copyright.
Why “Add to story” is missing
- The account is private. You can add someone’s post to your story only if their account is public and they allow resharing (Instagram Help).
- The owner turned resharing off for their posts (Instagram Help).
- The Reel was shared to Close Friends only. Those can’t be reshared (SocialRails).
More reasons, with fixes, in why you can’t repost on your Instagram story.
What about the sound?
Instagram hasn’t said how audio works in shared Reels. One guide notes that when the song isn’t licensed for your account type or country, the audio can be muted (SocialRails).
Repost instead
Since August 6, 2025, Instagram also has a Repost button. It shares a public Reel or post to your followers’ feeds, keeps it in a Reposts tab on your profile and credits the original creator (Meta). Unlike a story, a repost doesn’t disappear after a day. Creators can choose whether others may repost their content (Buffer). Step by step: how to repost an Instagram Reel.
If you’d like your own Reels reposted by more accounts, see Instagram Reposts.
FAQ
Why does the Reel only play for a few seconds in my story?
A shared Reel plays as a preview, which guides put at about 15 seconds. Viewers tap it to watch the rest.
Can I make the whole video play in my story?
Only by posting the video file itself as a story, and only if it’s your own video.
Can I stop people from sharing my Reels to their stories?
Yes. Turn off resharing in your privacy settings (Instagram Help).
Can I see who shared my post to their story?
Partly. See how to check who shared your Instagram post.