How to Put a Full Instagram Reel on Your Story

Ever find an amazing Instagram Reel and hit the Add to story button, only to discover it gets awkwardly chopped off after just 15 seconds? You're not alone. This guide will walk you through exactly how to put a full, uncut Instagram Reel on your Story. We'll cover the most reliable method that works every time, plus the strategic reasons why sharing full Reels can be a game-changer for your content.

The Simple Share: What Happens When You Post a Reel to Your Story by Default?

Before jumping into the workarounds, it's helpful to understand what's happening and why Instagram Stories shorten Reels. Instagram Stories are designed for short, digestible clips, with each individual story slide lasting a maximum of 15 seconds. Reels, on the other hand, can now be up to 90 seconds long.

When you use the standard "Add reel to your story" feature, Instagram simply creates a preview. It shows the first 15 seconds of the video as a teaser, often with a tappable link that directs followers back to the full Reel on the original creator's feed. While this can drive traffic to the Reel itself, it doesn't let you share the entire video within the seamless, tap-through experience of your Story.

Here's the standard process:

1. Find a Reel you want to share.
2. Tap the paper airplane icon (Share button).
3. Select "Add to story."
4. Customize the Story by resizing the Reel, adding text, stickers, or GIFs.
5. Post it to your Story.

The result is a single 15-second clip. This is great for a quick shout-out, but not if you want to show the full masterpiece. For that, you'll need a smarter approach.

The Best Method: Screen Recording Your Way to a Full Reel

The most effective and reliable way to post an entire Reel to your Story is by using your phone's built-in screen recording feature. This method works perfectly on both iPhone and Android, doesn't require any third-party apps, and respects Instagram's terms of service. It just takes a few extra steps to get it right.

Step 1: Prepare for a Clean Recording

Your goal is to capture the Reel without any distracting on-screen clutter like the Instagram interface, your phone's status bar, or notifications. A little prep work makes a huge difference.

• Hide the Interface: Open the Reel you want to record. Tap gently on the video one time. This should make the username, likes, comments, and other icons fade away, giving you a clean, full-screen view of the content.
• Turn on "Do Not Disturb": This is a simple but vital step. Activate your phone's "Do Not Disturb" mode to prevent notifications for texts, calls, or other apps from popping up mid-recording and ruining your clean shot.
• Check Your Volume: Make sure your phone's media volume is turned up so the screen recording captures the Reel's audio in high quality.

Step 2: Start Screen Recording the Reel

Both iOS and Android have easy-to-access screen recording tools. Get the Reel cued up and ready to play before you start recording.

For iPhone Users:

1. Swipe down from the top-right corner of your screen to open the Control Center. (On older iPhones with a home button, swipe up from the bottom).
2. Tap the Screen Record button (a circle with a dot inside). If you don't see it, go to Settings > Control Center and add it.
3. A 3-second countdown will begin. Quickly switch back to the full-screen Reel and press play as soon as the recording starts.
4. Let the entire Reel play through.
5. To stop recording, tap the red bar or pill-shaped icon at the top of your screen and hit "Stop." The video will be automatically saved to your Photos app.

For Android Users:

The process can vary slightly depending on your phone's manufacturer, but it's generally found in the quick settings panel.

1. Swipe down from the top of your screen to open the Quick Settings panel.
2. Find and tap the "Screen Recorder" tile. You may need to swipe left or right to find it.
3. Before starting, a small menu may appear asking you to choose audio settings. Make sure you select "Media sounds" to capture the Reel's audio.
4. Tap "Start recording." A short countdown will appear.
5. Switch to the full-screen Reel and let it play completely.
6. When finished, swipe down again and tap the recorder notification to stop it. The video is now saved in your phone's gallery.

Step 3: Trim and Crop Your Video for a Polished Look

Your recorded video file isn't quite ready yet. It will have the beginning part where you initiated the recording and the end part where you stopped it. It might also show elements of your phone's status bar (like the time or battery). A quick edit fixes all of this.

1. Open the video in your phone's native editing app (Photos on iPhone, Gallery on Android).
2. Use the "Trim" tool to cut off the beginning and end of the clip, so it starts and stops exactly where the Reel does.
3. Next, use the "Crop" tool. Frame the video to cut out the very top and bottom, removing your phone's UI elements. This step transforms your screen recording into what looks like a native video file.
4. Save the edited video.

Uploading Your Full Reel to Your Instagram Story

Now that you have a clean, trimmed video file of the entire Reel, you're ready to upload it. Instagram will automatically handle splitting the longer video into bite-sized Story clips for you.

Step 1: Upload and Let Instagram Split the Video

1. Open Instagram and swipe right to access the Story camera.
2. Tap the gallery icon in the bottom-left corner and select your freshly edited video.
3. Instagram will automatically process the video and partition it into 15-second segments. You will see these loaded at the bottom of the screen. For example, a 60-second Reel will become four 15-second Story clips that play back-to-back.
4. You can tap on each segment individually to add text, stickers, or GIFs to that specific clip.

Step 2: The Most Important Part - Credit the Original Creator

This is non-negotiable social media etiquette. Since you screen-recorded the video, the original creator's username isn't automatically linked. It's your responsibility to give them proper credit.

• On the first slide of your Story: use the "Stickers" option to find the "@MENTION" sticker. Type in the original creator's username and place it somewhere visible on the screen.
• Why this matters: Giving credit is respectful, ethical, and helps new audiences discover the creator's page. People can tap the mention sticker to visit their profile directly. Skipping this step is considered content theft and harms community trust.

Once you've added credit and any other creative elements, go ahead and share it to your Story. Your followers can now watch the entire Reel seamlessly just by tapping through.

Why Sharing a Full Reel to Your Story is a Smart Strategy

Taking a few extra minutes to share a full Reel can provide some great strategic benefits, whether it's your own content or someone else's.

• Boost Your Own Content: If you're sharing your own Reel, this method ensures your Story audience consumes the whole message without needing to click away. Use a "New Reel" sticker to point people toward the original post so they can like, comment, and save it, further boosting its performance in the algorithm.
• Highlight Amazing User-Generated Content (UGC): Did a customer post a fantastic Reel using your product? Sharing the whole thing on your Story is powerful social proof. It's far more impactful than a 15-second snippet. Remember to not only credit them but thank them!
• Provide More Context and Value: Many Reels - especially tutorials, tips, or mini-vlogs - need their full runtime to deliver the value. Sharing the entire video keeps your audience engaged and provides a complete, satisfying viewing experience within your Story.
• Stop the Scroll with Compelling Content: Stories move fast. By sharing a full, engaging Reel, you create a more immersive sequence that can hold a viewer's attention longer than a series of static images or short boomerang clips.

A Quick Note on Third-Party Downloader Apps

You may come across websites or apps that promise to download any Instagram Reel for you. While some of these tools work, they come with significant risks. Many require you to log in with your Instagram credentials, which can compromise your account security. Furthermore, downloading other users' content can be a violation of Instagram's terms of service and copyright laws.

The screen recording method is a safer, more transparent way to achieve the same result without putting your account in jeopardy or using sketchy tools. When done correctly with proper attribution, it's a respectful way to amplify content you love.

Final Thoughts

Sharing a full Instagram Reel on your Story doesn't have to be complicated. By using your phone's built-in screen recorder and doing a quick trim, you can give your audience a complete, uninterrupted viewing experience. Just remember the golden rule: always give prominent credit to the original creator.

We know that creating and scheduling engaging content for multiple formats - like Reels and Stories - can get chaotic. Striking that balance between planning your content and keeping up with day-to-day engagement is a familiar struggle, which is exactly why we built Postbase. We designed a clean, modern platform centered around the content formats that matter today - especially short-form video. The visual calendar lets you plan all of your posts in one place, so you can focus more on creating awesome content and less on the logistical headaches of posting.