How to Change a Song on an Instagram Post

Chose the wrong song for your Instagram post? It’s a frustrating moment that happens to everyone, from casual users to professional social media managers. This guide breaks down exactly what you can - and can't - do to fix it and provides the definitive workaround to replace the audio on your post. We’ll also cover tips to help you get your audio selection right the first time, every time.

Can You Directly Change the Song on an Existing Instagram Post?

Let's get straight to the point: no, you cannot directly edit or change the song on an Instagram post after it has been published. Once a Reel, video feed post, or photo carousel with music is live, the audio is permanently attached to that piece of content. This includes posts with trending sounds, T-Pain clips, or cinematic scores. The “Edit” button on a post allows you to change the caption, tag people, or add a location, but the music, video clips, and filters are locked in.

There are a few reasons for this limitation:

• Music Licensing Agreements: Instagram has complex licensing deals with record labels and artists. These agreements are tied to the specific use of a song at the moment it's posted. Allowing users to swap audio later would create a tangle of legal and licensing issues.
• Content Integrity: A video and its audio are often linked together creatively. Changing the song could drastically alter the context, mood, or meaning of the original post, which is something Instagram’s platform architecture isn't set up to handle on the fly.
• Technical Hurdles: Editing a video file that's already been processed and uploaded to servers is technically much more complicated than just changing a text caption.

So, if you can’t use an “edit” button, what’s the solution? The only way to change the song is to remove the old post and upload it again with the correct music. While it sounds drastic, it's a straightforward process if you follow a few simple steps to preserve your work.

The Official Workaround: How to Delete and Re-post with New Music

This "delete and re-post" strategy is the universally accepted method for fixing an audio mistake. To make it painless and ensure you don’t lose your hard work (like that perfectly crafted caption), just follow this step-by-step guide.

Step 1: Save Your Original Content

Before you even think about hitting delete, you need to save every piece of the post. You’ll want your original video/photo file and your caption, including any tags and hashtags.

How to Save Your Video File:

If you created the Reel or video directly in Instagram, you can save it back to your phone’s camera roll.

1. Open the post you want to change.
2. Tap the three dots (...) icon (usually in the bottom-right or top-right corner).
3. Select "Save to your device" or "Save."

Important Note: When you save an Instagram Reel that uses licensed music from the app's library, it will often download without the audio. This is to protect against copyright infringement. This is actually perfect for our purposes, as you’ll be left with a clean video file ready for a new soundtrack. If the audio was your original sound, it should save with the video.

How to Save Your Caption and Hashtags:

1. Navigate to your post.
2. Tap the three dots (...) and select "Edit."
3. Tap and hold on to your caption text until the "Select All" option appears.
4. Choose "Select All," then "Copy."
5. Paste the entire caption into a notes app or a new text message to yourself. This keeps your text, mentions, and hashtag blocks safe.

Step 2 (Optional): Note Your Engagement Record

Does it sting to lose the likes and comments you've already accumulated? Absolutely. For metrics-driven marketers or creators who want a record, take a quick screenshot of your post showing the number of likes, comments, and views. You might even want to jot down a few of the top comments so you can engage with those users again when you re-post.

Step 3: Delete the Original Post

Once you are 100% sure you have your video file and caption saved, it's time to delete the post with the wrong song.

1. Go to the post.
2. Tap the three dots (...) again.
3. Select "Delete" from the menu.
4. Confirm by tapping "Delete" again. Poof, it’s gone.

Don’t panic! Instagram often keeps deleted posts in a "Recently Deleted" folder for up to 30 days, which you can access through Your Activity in your settings if you make a mistake.

Step 4: Create and Publish the New Post (With the Right Song!)

Now, you’re just rebuilding the post with the correct components. This part should feel familiar.

1. Tap the plus sign (+) icon on Instagram to create a new post.
2. Select "Reel" or "Post."
3. Choose the video file or photo(s) you saved to your camera roll in Step 1.
4. Here's the main event: Tap the music note icon to open the Instagram Music library.
5. Search for the new song or sound you want to use. You can listen to previews, check if it’s trending, and select the specific clip (from 5 to 90 seconds, depending on your video length) you want to feature.
6. Adjust the volume mix if you have spoken audio in your original video by tapping the music note icon again and using the sliders to balance "Camera audio" and your chosen song.
7. Proceed to the next screen, where you’ll write your caption. Open your notes app, copy the caption you saved earlier, and paste it into the caption field. You’re done!
8. Tag any relevant accounts, add your location if needed, and hit "Share."

Your post is now live again, this time with the perfect soundtrack. The original engagement is gone, but the content now looks and sounds exactly how you intended it to.

Prevention is Better Than a Cure: Tips for Choosing Music Ahead of Time

Going through the "delete and re-post" process is a good fix, but avoiding the problem altogether is even better. Here are some strategies for building a better audio-selection workflow.

Create a Saved Audio Library

Ever found the absolute perfect song for a future Reel while scrolling through your feed? Don’t let it slip away. Instagram lets you save audio for later.

• When you find a Reel with a sound you like, tap the scrolling song title at the bottom of the screen.
• This will take you to the audio’s main page. At the top, you'll see a "Save Audio" button with a bookmark icon. Tap it.
• To find your saved sounds later, go to create a new Reel, tap the music icon, and you’ll find a "Saved" tab right at the top of the music library. Now you have a pre-approved playlist waiting for you.

Use Third-Party Video Editing Apps for More Control

For brands and creators who need ultimate control, editing video outside of Instagram is the professional standard. Apps like CapCut, InShot, or Splice allow you to pair your visuals with audio before you even touch Instagram.

The benefit is precision. You can trim, sync clips to the beat, and mix sound levels with much more detail. When you're finished, you can export the final video - with music included - and upload it to Instagram as a finished piece.

A Word of Caution: Be careful with copyrighted music when using this method. If you upload a video with a popular artist’s song that isn't licensed through Instagram's library, the platform might mute your audio, take down your post, or issue a copyright strike. It's often safer for business accounts to use stock music services or rely on Instagram’s pre-cleared library.

Double-Check Before You Share

The simplest advice is often the most effective. On the final "Share" screen before you publish, Instagram displays a small preview of your Reel or post. Take one last second to:

• Listen to the audio clip to make sure it’s the right part of the song.
• Read through your caption one last time for typos.
• Confirm you've tagged the right people.

This final check takes less than 10 seconds and can save you from the hassle of deleting and re-posting.

Final Thoughts

While you can’t swap a song on a live Instagram post, the “delete and re-post” method is a reliable and complete solution. By saving your video and caption first, you lose nothing but the initial engagement, and you get your content back online with the correct audio in minutes. Taking a more proactive approach - like saving audios you love and double-checking before publishing - will help you avoid this headache in the future.

At Postbase, we designed our platform to help creators and brands streamline their social media workflow from start to finish. Our visual content calendar gives you a bird's-eye view of everything scheduled to go live, so you can catch mistakes like the wrong audio before they become a problem. By planning and scheduling your content - especially short-form video - all in one place, you can confidently build a consistent presence without the last-minute stress.