How to Post a Video on Instagram Without Sound

Want to post a video to your Instagram feed, Story, or Reel but need to silence the original audio? It's a common situation - maybe you captured unusable background noise, or perhaps the visual just works better without sound. This guide will show you several easy methods for removing the sound from your Instagram videos, both directly within the app and using tools you already have on your phone.

Why Would You Want to Mute an Instagram Video?

While sound can be an incredible asset, sometimes removing it is the best creative or practical decision. You're not just getting rid of noise, you're taking control of the viewer's experience. Here are a few common reasons why creators and brands choose to post silent videos.

• Poor Audio Quality: This is the most obvious reason. If your video has distracting wind noise, muffled voices, or other background chatter, it's better to remove it entirely than to leave a bad impression. A clean, silent video looks far more professional than one with poor audio.
• The Sound is Irrelevant: For purely visual content like a stunning time-lapse of a sunset, a product demonstration set to text overlays, or B-roll footage, the original audio often adds nothing of value and can even detract from the visual centerpiece.
• You Plan to Use Instagram Music: To grab your audience's attention, you might want to replace the original sound with a trending song or audio clip from Instagram’s music library. This is especially effective for Reels, as it can help your content get discovered by more people.
• Optimizing for Sound-Off Viewing: Statistics consistently show that a large percentage of users watch videos with the sound off, especially when scrolling in public places. By designing your video to be understood visually, using text overlays and clear imagery, you cater to this majority and get your message across more effectively.
• Privacy Concerns: Did your video inadvertently capture a private conversation in the background? Muting the clip is the simplest way to respect people’s privacy while still sharing your content responsibly.

Method 1: Muting Directly Within the Instagram App

Instagram makes it incredibly easy to remove the audio from your video during the upload process. The steps vary slightly depending on whether you're creating a Reel, a Story, or a standard feed post. Here’s a breakdown for each.

Muting a Video for an Instagram Feed Post

The traditional in-feed video post has the most direct "mute" button once you know where to find it.

1. Tap the plus (+) icon at the bottom of the screen to start a new post.
2. Select a video from your phone's gallery. You can trim it if needed on this screen. Tap Next.
3. You're now on the editing screen where you can add filters. Look at the top center of your video preview. You'll see a small speaker icon.
4. Tap this speaker icon once. A slash will appear through it, confirming that the video is now muted.
5. Continue to the next screen to add your caption, tags, and location, then tap Share. Your video will be posted without its original sound.

That's it. It’s a simple toggle, but one that many users overlook while focused on filters and captions.

Muting a Video for an Instagram Reel

Muting Reels is just as easy but involves a slightly different part of the interface - the audio mixing panel. This is because Reels are built around sound, giving you more granular control.

1. Open Instagram and tap the plus (+) icon, then select Reel from the menu.
2. You can either record a new video or select a pre-recorded clip from your camera roll.
3. Once your video is loaded, tap Next to enter the editor.
4. At the top of the editing screen, tap on the music note icon. This opens the Audio controls panel.
5. You'll see two volume sliders: one for "Camera Audio" (your video's original sound) and another for any music or voiceover you might add.
6. Drag the "Camera Audio" slider all the way to the left until it shows "0."
7. (Optional) If you want, you can now tap "Add music" to select a song from Instagram's library. The new track will play while your original sound remains completely silent.
8. Tap Done. Add any text, effects, or stickers, then tap Next to write your caption and share your Reel.

Muting a Video for an Instagram Story

Muting a Story is similar to a Feed Post, with an easily-accessible toggle available right in the editor.

1. From the Instagram home screen, swipe right or tap your profile picture with the (+) sign to start a new Story.
2. Record a video using the Story camera or select an existing one by swiping up to access your camera roll.
3. Once your video is loaded in the Story editor, look at the row of icons at the very top of the screen.
4. Find the speaker icon and tap it once.
5. An "X" will appear next to the icon, indicating that the video's sound has now been muted.
6. You can now add music, GIFs, stickers, or text before sharing your silent Story with your followers.

Method 2: Preparing Your Video to Be Silent Before You Upload

While muting within the app is convenient for quick posts, sometimes you may want to mute the sound beforehand. This gives you a silent video file that you can use across multiple platforms without having to repeat the process. It's also a great way to handle more advanced edits.

Using Your Phone’s Built-In Video Editor

Most smartphones today come with simple yet powerful video editing tools built right into the photo gallery, so you don't need to download another app.

For iPhone (iOS Photos App):

• Open the Photos app and find your video.
• Tap Edit in the top-right corner.
• In the bottom-left of the video timeline, you'll see a yellow speaker icon. Tap it.
• The icon will turn grey with a slash through it, showing the audio is muted.
• Tap Done. You can choose to "Save Video" (which replaces your original) or "Save Video as New Clip".

For Android (Google Photos or Samsung Gallery):

The process for many Android phones may vary slightly, but it's generally similar and just as simple.

• Open your gallery app (like Google Photos or Samsung Gallery) and select the video you want to edit.
• Tap on the Edit button.
• Inside the editor, find the Audio or Sound icon (you might need to tap a "More" button to find it).
• Look for an audio or sound icon. Here, you'll find a volume slider that you can drag all the way to zero, effectively muting the clip.
• Save your changes. The new video file will be saved to your gallery, ready to share.

Using a Third-Party Editing App

Video-editing apps like CapCut, InShot, or VN Video Editor, many of which are free on both Android and iOS, give you professional-level editing control. Muting a video clip is a foundational step in these apps, and the process is easy.

Here’s the basic overview:

1. Import Video: Start a new project and import your chosen video clip.
2. Select the Clip: Tap on the video clip in your project's timeline to select it.
3. Find Volume Controls: Look for an icon named "Volume" or "Audio" and tap it.
4. Adjust the Slider: You’ll be presented with a slider. Drag the volume all the way down to a value of zero.
5. Export: Export the newly silent video to your camera roll. It is now ready to be shared on your Instagram profile.

Tips for Making Compelling Silent Videos

Without sound, your visuals need to work harder to captivate your audience, tell a compelling story, and get your message across.

• Use Burned-In Captions & Text: Since many people scroll through feeds with their phone muted, use text overlays to your advantage. Use large, legible fonts for titles to grab attention, and add smaller captions to provide context or tell a story.
• Make It Visually Stunning: With no audio to engage your audience, your visuals must be strong. Spend extra effort on capturing high-quality video clips using interesting camera angles, good lighting, and dynamic compositions.
• Replace Muted Audio with Instagram Music: Muting a poor-quality original audio track doesn’t mean your post has to be silent. Replace it with a trending song or a viral audio clip from Instagram's Music library. This can significantly increase your video's reach, especially for Reels.

Final Thoughts

Posting an Instagram video without its original sound is a straightforward editing move that every creator needs now and then. Whether you want to fix low-quality audio, create a more focused visual experience, or set your Reel to a trending soundtrack, these options give you complete creative control over your content.

Once you’ve created the perfect video clip and are ready to share it online, planning and scheduling can become a chore. At Postbase, we built our tool with video creators in mind. It helps you plan and schedule Instagram Stories, Reels, TikTok clips, YouTube Shorts, and any other video content across all your platforms from one simple calendar. Instead of uploading to each platform one by one, you can schedule everything effortlessly, giving you more time to focus on creating.