Do you ever get amazing or hilarious videos sent right to your Instagram DMs that you just have to watch again later? Or perhaps want to save as memories before they disappear? As Instagram has grown into a hub for messaging and sharing video content beyond the public feed, more and more users are finding value in saving videos received in Direct Messages for future reference and use.
Back when Instagram Direct first launched, it was impossible to directly save videos from private messages to your camera roll or device storage. But as the feature has evolved, creative tricks emerged to download videos from DM – mostly by using third party apps. However, now in 2023 Instagram has greatly improved abilities to quickly save DM videos, making permanent access just a tap away.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore everything around saving videos from Instagram Direct Messages on both iPhone and Android. Read on for expert techniques, tips and tools to safely store meaningful, funny or memorable videos sent through Instagram DM no matter your device.
Why Do People Want to Save Instagram DM Videos?
Before getting into the step-by-step details, let‘s discuss why someone would even want to download a video received in an Instagram Direct Message in the first place. There are a few common reasons:
- To make a backup of a meaningful, funny or personally relevant video you want to keep even if the original gets deleted. This helps preserve special memories and moments.
- To have offline access to DM videos for continued entertainment without using mobile data
- To allow editing or modification from your main photo gallery and re-share later
- To avoid missing out if viewing gets interrupted and you want to watch videos again later
- To post entertaining videos from your DMs onto your main Instagram profile or stories
- To save then upload video content to other platforms like YouTube or TikTok
As Instagram DM becomes more popular for having personal conversations and sharing "stories" beyond the public feed, the desire to save this video content surge.
Fortunately, Instagram now makes downloading videos super quick and easy whether posting from feed or messaging. Read on to see the steps!
Overview of Techniques for Saving Instagram Videos from DM
Thanks to Instagram platform updates, there are now built-in options to save videos directly from DM on both iPhones and Android devices. Here‘s an overview before getting into the step-by-steps:
- iOS Approach: Tap and hold the video thumbnail then tap "Save Video"
- Android Approach: Press and hold the video thumbnail then tap "Download"
- Cross Platform Approaches:
- Use phone‘s screenshot capture while video plays
- Utilize a third party app like Insaver, DownloadGram orsimilar
The simplest and most straightforward route is using the native options now available directly within Instagram itself. But power users often still prefer specialized tools and apps for faster saving, conversions, etc.
We‘ll explore the pros and cons of each method below. The best one for you depends on your specific smartphone platform, Instagram usage habits, and plans for any videos saved from DMs.
Saving Instagram DM Videos on iPhone
Thanks to a 2020 update, Instagram now lets iOS users download videos from Direct messages with just a couple taps:
- Open desired Instagram conversation
- Tap on the video thumbnail to open the full screen view
- Touch and hold the video itself until a small menu pops up
- Select Save Video option
- Access saved videos from main Photos app Camera Roll album
Make sure to allow Instagram access to your Photos in iPhone iOS Settings for saving abilities.
And that‘s all it takes! With just a few seconds, any Instagram video sent to you through a DM can now be permanently saved on your iPhone.
The benefits of using this built-in tool include:
- Simple and fast process needing only native Instagram app
- Saves exact copy of video for high quality
- Automatically appears in your Camera Roll for easy editing and sharing
- Provides offline viewing and backup of special videos
The only real downside is needing to manually save one video at a time. But for quickly grabbing special IG DMS videos, the official route can‘t be beat!
Next let‘s examine the techniques for Android devices.
How to Download Videos from Instagram DM on Android
Android users rejoice! Saving videos from Instagram Direct Messages is just as straightforward as iPhone. Here are the quick steps:
- Open the Instagram Direct Message with the desired video
- Press and hold your finger on the video thumbnail
- Select "Download" option from the pop-up menu
- Find and view the video in your device‘s Photos/Gallery app
Alternatively, you can tap the 3-dot menu at top right of DM screen and choose "Save Photo" or "Save Video" instead of the long press method.
Either way, videos saved from Instagram Direct to your Android device get stored in the camera roll automatically for simple viewing later.
Reasons to use the built-in DM video downloader include:
- No extra apps required beyond default Instagram
- Quickly saves videos from any message to your camera roll
- Offline viewing and backup available
- Easy sharing from main gallery app too
As you can see, both major mobile platforms make it incredibly easy to save that special or hilarious DM video to your permanent camera storage. But advanced users still leverage third party tools to enhance the experience.
Third Party Apps for Downloading Multiple Instagram Videos
While the native options for saving Instagram DM videos work great, many users still prefer specialized apps and tools. Top options like Insaver, DownloadGram and 4K Stogram give you additional flexibility:
- Save multiple videos at once instead of one-at-a-time
- Convert downloaded videos to different file formats
- Add videos to collections for easy organization
- Access advanced editing features from right within the app
- Markdown video titles and details automatically
- Works for saving feed videos too – not just DMs
So while the built-in routes certainly get the job done, third party services bring some bonus functionality. But this does introduce another app just for Instagram video saving.
We recommend most users stick with the simple standard DM download techniques. But power creators and those wanting batches of videos offline may find value in these specialized tools.
What About Instagram Disappearing Message Videos?
Instagram also offers disappearing messages and viewing that allows DMs to automatically get deleted after being opened once. This vanishing message capability comes from technology on Instagram sister app Snapchat centering around temporary content.
Unfortunately, you cannot permanently save ephemeral videos sent through Instagram Direct the same as traditional DM media. However, crafty users have found some workarounds:
- Quickly screen recording video before expires
- Taking a screenshot during playback
- Using specialized disappearing content saver apps
But note – going around expiring message restrictions violates Instagram terms in their community guidelines. Save temporary videos shared privately in DMs carefully and legally!
Storing and Managing Saved Instagram Videos
A final topic around keeping Instagram videos from direct messages relates to storage and organization after downloading.
The good news is that every video saved from Instagram DMs on iOS or Android automatically gets added directly into your native photo gallery and camera roll albums. This keeps your DM videos merged with all your standard photos and videos for one unified management system vs keeping copies stored within the Instagram app itself.
So whether using an iPhone, Android device or one of the best video saver apps, your Instagram DM videos end up visible alongside all your other phone‘s media content.
That means you can:
- Tap to view videos right from main Photo app
- Edit, share and manage as you would any other video
- Show friends videos saved from Instagram without switching apps
- Sync and backup camera rolls to cloud for extended storage
Treat Instagram DM downloads the same as photos/videos taken directly on your mobile device for seamless experience!
Conclusion & Next Steps
As you can see, saving meaningful, hilarious or impactful video content sent to your Instagram DMs is now super quick and straightforward. Both iOS and Android platforms offer specially designed tools integrated right into Instagram itself for grabbing videos in just a tap or two.
And even while disappearing messages don‘t allow permanent saving, specialized third party apps bring advanced functionality around downloading batches of videos, conversions, organizing, editing and so much more!
Now that you know exactly how to save videos from Instagram Direct on any device, what will you download from DM next? Let us know in the comments any other tips or tricks around keeping Instagram videos forever!