How to Make an Instagram Story Longer Than 15 Seconds

Caught yourself trying to upload a video to your Instagram Story, only to have it awkwardly cut off at the last second? We’ve all been there. This guide breaks down exactly how to upload stories longer than Instagram’s standard clip length, so you can share your full video without the frustrating truncation. We’ll cover the updates Instagram has made and provide clear, simple methods for posting longer videos seamlessly.

First, Let's Clear Something Up: The 15-Second Rule Is (Mostly) Gone

For years, a single Instagram Story clip was capped at 15 seconds. If you uploaded a longer video, Instagram would automatically chop it into a series of 15-second segments. That was the rule, and we all learned to work around it.

However, Instagram has updated this. Now, you can upload a continuous video up to 60 seconds long, and it will post as a single, uninterrupted Story clip.

If your video is 60 seconds or less, you don't have to do anything special at all. Just upload it, and Instagram handles the rest. This is fantastic for sharing shorter, impactful moments without any jarring cuts.

But what if your video is longer than 60 seconds? Maybe it's a two-minute tutorial, a three-minute behind-the-scenes look, or a five-minute Q&A. That’s when you need a strategy to make sure your content is viewed as you intended. Let's get into the best ways to do it.

Method 1: Manually Split Your Video Before Uploading

This is the most straightforward, no-frills method. It doesn’t require any new apps, just a little bit of patience and your phone’s built-in video editor. The concept is simple: you cut your long video into 60-second chunks yourself before uploading them to Instagram.

This method gives you complete control over where each clip begins and ends, which is useful for creating clean transitions or ending on a cliffhanger to encourage viewers to tap to the next segment.

Here’s How To Do It:

• Step 1: Open Your Video in Your Phone’s Photos App. Whether you’re on an iPhone or an Android, your native gallery or photos app has basic video editing tools. Open your video and find the "Edit" function.
• Step 2: Trim the First 60-Second Segment. Use the timeline editor to select the first part of your video, from 0:00 to 1:00 (or 0:59 to be safe). Make sure to "Save as New Clip" or "Duplicate and Trim." Never save the changes to the original file, or you risk losing your full-length video.
• Step 3: Repeat for the Remaining Segments. Go back to the original full-length video. Now, trim the next segment (for example, from 1:00 to 2:00) and save it as another new clip. Continue this process until your entire video is divided into 60-second parts.
• Step 4: Upload to Instagram Stories. Now head to Instagram. Start a new Story and swipe up to access your camera roll. Tap the "Select Multiple" icon (it usually looks like a stack of squares) and choose your newly created video clips in the correct order. Instagram will add them to your Story as sequential segments.
• Step 5: Review and Post. Before hitting "Share," tap through your Story segments to ensure they flow correctly. You can add stickers, text, or music to each segment individually. Once it looks good, you're ready to post.

The upside? It's free and precise. The downside? It can be tedious and time-consuming, especially for much longer videos.

Method 2: Use a Third-Party App to Split Videos Automatically

If manually trimming sounds like a chore, you’re in luck. There are dozens of apps designed specifically to slice your long videos into perfectly timed segments for Instagram Stories. These apps do the work for you, saving you time and ensuring every clip is exactly the right length without any guesswork.

These tools are game-changers for creators who regularly post longer-form video content to their Stories.

Recommended Apps for Splitting Videos:

• For iOS:
  • CutStory: A popular and user-friendly option that lets you import any video and exports it into perfectly timed clips for Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and more.
  • StorySplitter: Straightforward and effective. It does one thing and does it well: chopping videos for social media.
• For Android:
  • Video Splitter for Instagram: As the name suggests, this app is built specifically for this purpose. You can choose the length of your clips to match Instagram’s requirements.
  • Story Cutter for Instagram: Another excellent choice that automates the whole process, leaving you with sequentially numbered clips ready for upload.

How to Use a Video Splitting App:

1. Download the app of your choice from the App Store or Google Play Store.
2. Open the app and grant it permission to access your photo library.
3. Select the long video you want to post.
4. Choose the platform - in this case, "Instagram Story" - and the app will automatically set the segment length to 60 seconds.
5. Let the app process the video. It will save the individual clips to your camera roll, often numbered in order for easy uploading.
6. Open Instagram and upload the segments using the "Select Multiple" feature, just as described in the manual method.

This is by far the most efficient way to maintain a clean workflow when dealing with longer videos. It's the "work smarter, not harder" approach.

Method 3: Pivot Your Strategy and Use Other Instagram Features

Sometimes, the best way to post a long video is to recognize that Stories might not be the ideal place for it. Instagram offers other formats designed specifically for longer-form content that might serve your goals better - especially if discoverability is a priority.

Go Deeper with Instagram Reels

Instagram Reels can now be up to 90 seconds long. If your video fits within this time frame, posting it as a Reel is often the smarter move. Why? Reels are heavily favored by the Instagram algorithm. They have their own dedicated tab and are prominently featured on the Explore page, giving your content a much better chance of being seen by people who don't already follow you.

A well-made Reel can have a lifespan of weeks or even months, while a Story disappears after 24 hours. For valuable content like quick tutorials or product showcases, a Reel is a more strategic choice.

Share the Full Video to Your Feed (and Promote It in Your Story)

For videos longer than 90 seconds, your main Instagram feed is the place to be. You can upload videos up to 10 minutes long (and even longer for some verified accounts). This is perfect for detailed tutorials, interviews, or mini-documentaries.

But how do you get your Story audience to see it? Here's the winning play:

1. Post your full-length video to your Instagram feed grid. Write a compelling caption and choose an eye-catching cover frame.
2. Once it’s live, tap the little paper airplane icon under your own post and select "Add Video to Your Story."
3. This creates a Story with a tappable link that directs viewers straight to your video post. Customize this Story with text like "Tap Here to Watch the Full Tutorial!" or use the "New Post" sticker to grab attention.

This hybrid approach gives you the best of both worlds: the immediate visibility of Stories and the permanence and discoverability of a feed post.

Leverage Instagram Live Replays

If the content you want to share is more conversational or in-the-moment, consider doing an Instagram Live. You can stream for up to four hours, giving you plenty of time for chats, Q&As, workshops, or virtual events.

After your Live broadcast ends, Instagram gives you the option to share a replay to your Stories. This replay is visible for 24 hours, allowing anyone who missed the live event to catch up. Structurally, it functions just like a very long Story.

Best Practices for Creating Engaging Multi-Segment Stories

Simply chopping up a long video isn't enough. You have to think about the viewing experience. The goal is to make the transitions so smooth that your audience barely notices they’re tapping through different clips.

• Maintain a Clear Narrative Flow. When you're manually splitting your video, try to make your cuts at natural endpoints - at the end of a sentence or a thought. An abrupt cut mid-word is a sure way to lose viewers.
• Use Stickers to Bridge the Clips. Help guide your viewers. Small text like "Part 2" or an animated arrow pointing to the right edge of the screen can signal that there's more to watch. This encourages them to keep tapping.
• Add Closed Captions. More than half of all Stories are viewed with the sound off. Use Instagram’s "Captions" sticker to automatically transcribe your audio. It’s absolutely essential for accessibility and keeping viewers engaged, especially on a multi-part story. Make sure you add it to every segment.
• Keep Your Visuals Consistent. If you use a filter, use it on all the segments. Use the same font styles and brand colors throughout the sequence. The more visually cohesive the clips are, the more seamless the story feels.

Final Thoughts

While Instagram's 60-second Story clips have made sharing longer moments much easier, you still have plenty of powerful options for content that goes beyond that limit. By manually splitting videos, using a third-party app, or leveraging other Instagram formats like Reels and feed videos, you can tell your complete story without compromise.

Having a plan before you post makes all the difference. As a team, we use our visual calendar in Postbase to map out our Story sequences alongside our Reels and other posts. Even though platform rules prevent direct scheduling of multi-segment Stories from a desktop, seeing exactly how those story arcs fit with our short-form video rollouts across TikTok and Shorts keeps our whole strategy cohesive. Instead of winging it, we build a clear, organized content plan that saves us from the chaos of last-minute posting.