How to Post Two Videos on an Instagram Story

Want to place two videos side-by-side, or one on top of the other, in a single Instagram Story? You're in the right place. Layering multiple videos is a fantastic way to create more dynamic before-and-after reveals, show different perspectives at once, or simply stand out in a crowded feed. This guide will walk you through the easiest native trick inside Instagram and the more powerful professional method using a free video editor to get that perfect split-screen look.

The Easiest Method: Using the Photo Sticker

If you need a quick and simple way to overlay one video on top of another without leaving the Instagram app, the photo sticker is your best friend. This method is perfect for reaction-style content where one smaller video plays on top of a larger, full-screen background video. It takes seconds to do and requires no outside tools.

The core idea is to set your main video as the background and then use the sticker function to import the second video as a smaller, movable layer.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Open Instagram Stories: Launch your Instagram app and swipe right from the home screen to open the Story creation camera.
2. Add Your Background Video: Record a new video or swipe up to select a video from your camera roll. This will be the main, full-screen video that a viewer sees first.
3. Open Your Stickers: Once your background video is in place, tap the Sticker icon (the square smiley-face) in the top menu.
4. Find the Photo Sticker: Scroll through the sticker options until you find the one that looks like a photo from your gallery (it's often a circle containing your most recent picture and has a small icon of a mountain and sun). This is your portal to adding another piece of media.
5. Select Your Second Video: Tapping the photo sticker will open your camera roll. Now, select the second video you want to include in your Story. Don't worry that it’s called a "photo sticker" - it works for videos, too!
6. Position and Resize: Your second video will now appear as a smaller rectangle floating on top of your background video. You can pinch with two fingers to make it bigger or smaller, rotate it, and drag it anywhere you want on the screen.
7. Change the Shape (Optional): A cool little trick is that you can tap the video sticker once you've placed it to cycle through different shapes. Instagram usually offers a rectangle, square, circle, star, and heart cutout. This is great for adding some creative flair.
8. Finalize and Post: Add any other elements you need - like text, captions, or music - and hit "Your Story" to publish it. When people view your Story, both videos will play simultaneously.

Pros and Cons of This Method

• Pros: It’s incredibly fast and easy, and it’s all done natively within the Instagram app. It’s perfect for casual reactions, on-the-fly comparisons, or showing a detail shot over a wider view.
• Cons: You don’t get a true side-by-side or split-screen effect, it's always an overlay. The biggest issue is audio - both videos will play their sound at the same time, which can create a noisy, jumbled mess. To manage this, make sure one or both of the videos are muted before you start, or choose clips where the audio doesn't clash.

Misconception vs. Reality: Why Instagram's Layout Mode Doesn't Work for Two Videos

Many users first turn to Instagram’s native "Layout" tool when they want to create a collage. It seems like the obvious choice. The Layout feature lets you split your Story screen into various grids - two, three, four, or even six sections - and it's fantastic for creating multi-photo collages without leaving the app.

However, there's a significant limitation that often stumps creators: Layout mode is primarily designed for photos, not multiple videos.

You may be able to add a video to one of the sections in your grid, but trying to add a second video simply won't work. The tool wasn't built for that functionality. You can mix one video with several photos, but you can’t populate a grid with multiple video files. Don't worry if you’ve struggled with this - it's a common point of confusion. To achieve a clean, professional-looking side-by-side video collage, you need to use an external video editing app.

The Pro Method: Using a Video Editing App for a True Split-Screen Effect

For a true side-by-side or top-and-bottom video, the best method is to use a free mobile video editing app to combine your clips into a single video file before you upload it to Instagram. This gives you complete creative control over the size, position, audio, and timing of each video. It's how top brands and creators produce those flawless split-screen Stories.

Apps like CapCut, VN Video Editor, and InShot are all excellent free options. For this walkthrough, we'll use CapCut because it's powerful, user-friendly, and extremely popular.

Step-by-Step Guide Using CapCut:

1. Download CapCut and Start a New Project: If you don't already have it, download CapCut from your device's app store. Open the app and tap "New Project."
2. Choose your First Video: Your camera roll will open. Select the first video you want in your split-screen layout and tap "Add." This video will be added to your project's timeline.
3. Set the Correct Format: Before you do anything else, you need to make sure your project canvas is the right size for an Instagram Story. Look for the "Format" or "Aspect Ratio" button in the bottom toolbar. Tap it and select the 9:16 ratio. This gives you the tall, vertical canvas needed for Stories and Reels.
4. Resize and Position the First Video: Select the video clip in the preview window (or on the timeline). Use two fingers to pinch and shrink it down. Drag it to one side of the screen, like the left half or the top half. You should see the black 9:16 canvas behind it.
5. Add the Second Video as an Overlay: Now it’s time for video number two. In the main toolbar at the bottom of the screen (not the video's timeline), tap the "Overlay" button, and then "Add Overlay."
6. Select and Position Your Second Video: Choose your second video from the camera roll. It will now appear on top of your first video. Just like before, pinch to resize it and drag it to fill the other half of the screen. You can carefully align the edges to create a seamless split-screen effect.
7. Adjust Audio Levels: This is the key advantage of using an external app. On the timeline, you will see two separate layers for your videos. You can tap on a video layer and use the "Volume" tool to turn its sound off completely, lower it, or keep it at full volume. This prevents the chaotic audio overlap that happens with the sticker method. For example, have one video provide the main audio while the other is muted.
8. Trim Clips to Match Length: If your videos are different lengths, you can drag the ends of each clip on the timeline to make them start and end at the same time. This keeps your Story neat and ensures neither clip ends abruptly while the other is still playing.
9. Export Your Video from CapCut: When you're happy with your video collage, tap the export icon in the top-right corner of the screen (it usually looks like an arrow pointing up). Be sure to choose a high resolution (1080p is perfect for Instagram) and frame rate, then tap "Export."
10. Upload Your New Video to Instagram: After CapCut finishes exporting, your final split-screen video will be saved to your camera roll as a single file. Now you can open Instagram, go to your Story creator, and upload your perfectly edited video. You can add music, stickers, and text within Instagram as a final touch before posting.

Creative Ways to Use Two Videos in Your Story

Now that you know how to do it, what can you create? Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• React and Engage: Use the sticker method to place a video of your face reacting to another video. This is a classic, engaging format that feels personal and direct.
• Before-and-After Transformations: A split-screen is perfect for showing results. This could be anything from a hair/makeup transformation, a dirty room becoming clean, or an empty plate next to a video of the finished recipe.
• Product Demos vs. Real-Life Use: Show a slick promotional video of your product on one side and a real-user testimonial or user-generated content (UGC) on the other. This builds trust and shows your product in action.
• Dual Perspectives of an Event: Recording an event? Get two different angles and play them side-by-side. For example, show the crowd's reaction and the performer on stage simultaneously.
• Illustrate a Process: Use one video for a wide shot of a creative process (like painting or cooking) and a second for a zoomed-in detail shot showing the intricate work.

Final Thoughts

Whether you’re using Instagram's built-in sticker for a quick overlay or a dedicated app like CapCut for a polished split-screen, adding two videos to a single Story is a powerful technique for making your content more engaging and professional. Mastering these methods will open up new creative avenues and help your brand’s personality shine through.

Creating this kind of eye-catching content is one thing, but keeping it consistently scheduled is another challenge. At Postbase, we built our platform specifically for today's visual-first social media, including video-heavy formats like Stories and Reels. Our tool makes it easy to schedule your crafted videos in a visual calendar, so you can plan ahead and never miss a beat without getting bogged down by clunky, outdated software.