How to Make a Video Not a Reel on Instagram

Trying to post a standard video to your Instagram feed, only for the app to hijack it and force it into a Reel full of glitchy editing tools? You're not alone. Instagram is laser-focused on its short-form video feature, but sometimes you just want to share a simple, classic video post without the extra bells and whistles. This guide will walk you through exactly how to make your video post as a regular in-feed video, not a Reel, and explain why choosing the right format matters for your brand.

Why Does Instagram Turn My Videos Into Reels Anyway?

First, it's helpful to understand what's going on behind the scenes. Instagram's aggressive push for Reels isn't a bug - it's a core business strategy. The company is in a heated competition with TikTok for audience attention, and short-form, vertically shot videos are the main battleground. By automatically converting your videos into Reels, Instagram is trying to populate its Reels feed, keep users on the app longer, and ultimately serve more ads.

In mid-2022, Instagram announced that most new video posts under 15 minutes would be shared as Reels. This change consolidated video formats and pushed creators toward making content that feeds the discovery algorithm. While it simplified things for some, it created a major headache for creators, marketers, and brands who had specific reasons for wanting to post a traditional in-feed video. The good news is, there's a simple and reliable way around it.

Reel vs. In-Feed Video: What's the Real Difference?

Before jumping into the "how," let's quickly cover the "why." Choosing between a Reel and a standard in-feed video post isn't just about personal preference, it impacts how your audience sees and interacts with your content. Understanding the strategic differences helps you make smarter content decisions.

When to Use Reels:

• Goal: Reach New Audiences. Reels are primarily discovery tools. The algorithm is designed to push your content to people who don't follow you yet, based on their interests and engagement patterns. If your main goal is growth and getting new eyes on your brand, Reels are your best friend.
• Content Style: Trend-Driven &, Entertaining. Reels thrive on trending audio, popular challenges, quick cuts, and fast-paced education. They are designed to be consumed quickly and are perfect for grabbing attention with bite-sized entertainment or "edutainment."
• Format: Vertical Video (9:16). Reels are made for full-screen mobile viewing. Any other format will be displayed with clunky black bars at the top and bottom.

When to Use Standard In-Feed Videos:

• Goal: Nurture Your Existing Community. In-feed videos are primarily shown to your current followers. They are excellent for building deeper connections, sharing brand stories, and providing value to the community you've already built.
• Content Style: Slower, More Detailed Storytelling. This format is ideal for content that needs more room to breathe. Think a mini-documentary, a heartfelt customer testimonial, an in-depth product demo, or a beautiful cinematic shot you don't want confined to a vertical frame.
• Format: Flexible Aspect Ratios. This is the key benefit. You can post landscape (16:9), square (1:1), or a slightly vertical portrait (4:5) video without having it awkwardly cropped or padded. This gives you far more creative control over your composition.

Bottom line: Reels are for reaching out, while in-feed videos are for digging deep with the people who are already listening.

The Easiest Way to Make a Video Not a Reel: The Aspect Ratio Trick

At the end of the day, Instagram's automatic conversion to Reels is all about one thing: the format. Instagram desperately wants vertical, 9:16 video content for its Reels feed. The easiest and most reliable way to prevent your post from becoming a Reel is to give Instagram a video it can't comfortably format as one. The trick is to use a non-vertical aspect ratio.

Here's the step-by-step process that works every time.

Step 1: Get Your Video Ready in a Landscape or Square Format

Before you even open Instagram, make sure your final video file is not in a 9:16 vertical format. The most common "non-Reel" formats are:

• Landscape (16:9): The classic widescreen format you see on YouTube or your TV.
• Square (1:1): The original, iconic Instagram format.
• Wide Portrait (4:5): This format fills more of the screen than a square post but is significantly less vertical than a Reel.

You can shoot your video horizontally on your phone to get a native 16:9 file. If you've already shot a vertical video, you can edit it using a tool like CapCut, InShot, VN Video Editor, or even your phone's built-in photo editor. Just create a new project with a 1:1 or 16:9 canvas and place your vertical video inside it. This will typically add black bars or a blurred background to the sides, but it forces the file into a non-Reel aspect ratio.

Step 2: Start a New Post in Instagram

Open the Instagram app and tap the plus (+) icon at the bottom of the screen, just like you would to create any other post. From the pop-up menu, select "Post". This will take you to your phone's camera roll.

Step 3: Select Your Video and Adjust the Framing

Choose the landscape or square video file you prepared in Step 1. By default, Instagram will likely show it cropped into a square frame. This is the moment where most people give up, but the next step is the most important one.

In the bottom-left corner of the video preview, you'll see a small frame icon (<, >,). Tap this icon. This tells Instagram to use the video's original aspect ratio instead of a forced crop.

You will immediately see your preview change. If you chose a landscape video, the view will zoom out to show the full widescreen frame. If you chose a 4:5 video, it will expand to fill that space. Once you do this, Instagram recognizes that this is not a Reel-formatted video and will treat it as a standard feed post for the rest of the publishing process.

Step 4: Continue Through the Editing and Sharing Screens

Once you tap "Next" from the gallery, you'll notice the interface looks different from the Reels editor. Instead of seeing options for adding trending audio, clips, and stickers, you'll see the familiar interface for standard posts:

• Filters: The classic Instagram photo and video filters.
• Trim: A simple tool to trim the beginning or end of your video.
• Cover: The ability to select a cover frame from the video or upload a custom one from your camera roll.

This is your confirmation that you're on the right track. You've successfully flagged this post as a "regular" video.

Step 5: Write Your Caption and Publish

The final screen is the posting screen. Write your caption, tag accounts, add a location, and hit "Share." Your video will now be published directly to your profile grid and the main feed of your followers. It will not appear in the Reels tab on your profile, and it won't be prioritized for distribution in the Reels discovery feed. You did it!

A Quick Word About Video Length

You might have heard that video length can prevent a video from becoming a Reel. In the past, this was more consistent - videos longer than 90 seconds often defaulted to standard in-feed posts. However, Instagram's rules are constantly shifting. Now that the app merges almost all videos under 15 minutes into the Reels format, length alone is no longer a reliable way to control the post type. The aspect ratio method is far more consistent and gives you direct control over the outcome, regardless of whether your video is 15 seconds or five minutes long.

Wrapping It Up Strategically

Knowing how to post a video that's not a Reel isn't just a technical trick, it's a strategic tool. Content strategy on Instagram is no longer one-size-fits-all. Some of your ideas will be perfect for reaching new people through catchy, trend-based Reels. Others will serve your existing community better as thoughtful, beautifully shot in-feed videos that build brand loyalty and trust.

By mastering the simple aspect ratio workaround, you take back creative control and can purposefully choose the format that best serves the goal of each piece of content you create. You get to decide whether you want to chase the algorithm for discovery or serve the audience you've worked so hard to build.

Final Thoughts

While Instagram's algorithm pushes creators toward Reels, you're never completely without control. By preparing your video in a non-vertical format like landscape (16:9) or square (1:1), you can reliably bypass the default conversion and post a classic in-feed video. This puts the strategic power back in your hands, allowing you to choose the best format for your audience and your message.

Speaking of keeping control over our content, navigating the different format requirements for each platform can be a full-time job. With our own social strategy, we use Postbase because it's designed for the reality of modern social media - a reality filled with short-form videos, Stories, and ever-changing rules. It allows us to schedule content across multiple platforms at once without worrying about format issues or posts failing. It just ensures what we plan is what gets published, every single time.