How to Send Longer Videos on Instagram

Trying to send a video through Instagram DMs only to get stopped by that frustrating one-minute time limit can completely throw off your workflow. Thankfully, there are several easy workarounds to share your longer clips without resorting to drastic cuts. This guide covers a handful of simple methods you can use to send longer videos directly to friends, clients, or followers on Instagram.

Understanding Instagram's Video Length Limits (A Quick Refresher)

Before jumping into the solutions, it helps to know the landscape of Instagram's video limits. The platform has different rules for different formats, and knowing them helps you pick the right strategy for sharing your content. Here’s a quick breakdown:

• Instagram Direct Messages (DMs): Videos sent directly from your camera roll cap out at 60 seconds. This is the main limitation we’re working around.
• Instagram Stories: Each story segment is 15 seconds long, but you can upload a video up to 60 seconds long, and Instagram will automatically chop it into four 15-second clips.
• Instagram Reels: Originally just 15 seconds, Reels can now be up to 90 seconds long when uploaded from your camera roll.
• Instagram Feed Videos (Formerly IGTV): For most users, videos posted directly to the feed can be up to 10 minutes long. Some verified or larger accounts have the ability to upload videos up to 60 minutes long from a desktop computer. This is your best bet for true long-form content.

As you can see, the 60-second DM limit feels restrictive compared to other formats. But with the right approach, you can easily use those other formats to your advantage.

Method 1: Post as a Reel or Feed Video and Send the Link

This is arguably the cleanest and most common way to share a longer video on Instagram while preserving its quality. Instead of trying to force a large file through the DMs, you host the video on your profile and then share a direct link to it. It’s perfect for creators sharing previews, businesses sending product demos to clients, or friends sharing a meaningful compilation that’s a few minutes long.

How To Do It:

1. Upload Your Video: Tap the plus (+) icon at the bottom of your screen to create a new post. Select "Reel" for videos up to 90 seconds or "Post" for anything longer (up to 10 minutes).
2. Choose Your Format:
   • For a video between 61 and 90 seconds, Reels is the perfect format. You get access to the Reels music library, effects, and the potential for wider reach if posted publicly.
   • For anything over 90 seconds (like an interview clip, a short performance, or a tutorial), select Post. Instagram will automatically handle it as a long-form feed video.
3. Edit and Optimize: Add your cover photo, caption, and relevant hashtags. If you don't want the video to be a permanent part of your main grid, you can select "Remove from profile grid" after posting (it will still live in your profile's "Videos" tab). For private sharing, you can even create a secondary/private "finsta" account for this purpose.
4. Publish Your Video: Once you're happy with it, hit Share.
5. Send it via DM: Now that your video is live, navigate to the post on your profile. Tap the paper airplane (Share) icon located below the video. From here, you can search for the user you want to send it to. Add an optional message, and hit Send.

Why This Method Works So Well:

• Maintains Quality: You avoid the heavy compression that can come from trimming clips or using third-party apps.
• No Expiration: Unlike a Story, the link to your Reel or Feed Video won't disappear after 24 hours. The recipient can watch it anytime.
• Professional Look: For business or brand communications, sending a nicely formatted Reel or video post looks far more polished than a raw video file.

Method 2: Use Instagram Stories (For Videos Up to 60 Seconds)

If your video is right around the 60-second mark, using the Story format might be a good alternative to sending it directly. While DMs have a hard 60-second cutoff, sending a clip as a story can sometimes feel more seamless for videos approaching this limit.

How To Do It:

1. Open the stories creator by clicking on the plus sign next to your profile picture at the top left of your screen.
2. Select a video from your library.
3. As long as it's 60 seconds or less, Instagram will import it and automatically divide it into segments.
4. Tap "Next," choose who you want to share it with, and tap “Share.”

Why This Method Works and Where it Falls Short

• A Good Option For Borderline Clips: This is a solid option for videos that fit within the 60-second limit, presenting them in a different format than a standard DM.
• They Disappear: Sent stories vanish after 24 hours. If the recipient needs to access the video long-term, you should use one of the other methods mentioned.

Method 3: Trim or Split Your Video into Parts

Sometimes, you just need to send the file directly, and posting it publicly isn't an option. For these cases, your best bet is to go back to the source material and trim it down. Every modern smartphone has built-in editing tools that make this a quick fix. You can either trim the video to its most important 60-second section or split a longer video into multiple one-minute chunks and send them in sequence.

How to Trim on an iPhone:

1. Open the video in the Photos app.
2. Tap Edit in the top-right corner.
3. You'll see a timeline of your video at the bottom. Drag the yellow handles at the beginning or end of the timeline to shorten the clip.
4. Once you have it under 60 seconds, tap Done. You can choose to "Save Video" (which replaces the original) or "Save Video as New Clip" (which is usually the safer option).

How to Trim on Android:

1. Open the video in the Google Photos app (or your phone's default gallery app).
2. Tap the screen so the controls appear, then tap the Edit icon.
3. Go to the Video tab. You'll see sliders on the timeline just like on iPhone.
4. Drag the sliders to highlight the part of the video you want to keep.
5. Tap Save copy in the top right to create a new, shorter version of your video without altering the original.

Once you have your sub-60-second clips, you can send them directly in Instagram DMs without any issue. If splitting a video, just make sure to send them in the correct order!

Method 4: Share From a Cloud Service (Like Google Drive or Dropbox)

This is the definitive answer for anyone needing to send massive video files - like a full-length interview, a wedding video draft, or a high-resolution marketing asset - without sacrificing a pixel of quality. By using a cloud storage service, you're not actually sending the video file through Instagram, you're just sending a link to it.

How To Do It:

1. Upload Your Video: Add your video file to your preferred cloud storage provider, such as Google Drive, Dropbox, iCloud Drive, or WeTransfer.
2. Get a Sharable Link: Once the upload is complete, locate the file and find the "Share" option.
3. Set the Right Permissions: This is a critical step! Make sure you change the permissions from "Restricted" or "Private" to "Anyone with the link can view." If you forget this, the person you send it to will get an access denied error.
4. Copy the Link: Grab the newly generated shareable link.
5. Paste it in Your DM: Head over to your Instagram chat, compose your message, and paste the link. It's often helpful to add a little context so the recipient knows what they're clicking, like, "Hey, here's the link to the full 10-minute video we were talking about!"

This method has no time limit and is the go-to for professionals or anyone who needs to be absolutely sure the video arrives in its original format and resolution.

Final Thoughts

In short, whether you’re posting a video as a Reel to share the link, using a cloud service for a large file, or just trimming an existing clip, you have plenty of reliable options to get past Instagram's one-minute DM rule. Choosing the right method just depends on your video's length and how you want the other person to experience it.

Managing all this content, especially if you're pre-planning videos to go live as Reels or Feed videos before sharing them, can get complicated. At Postbase, we built our tool specifically for a video-first world. Uploading, scheduling, and planning your video content in a visual calendar makes the whole process smoother, so you can focus on creating great stuff without wrestling with your tools. It just simplifies getting your videos ready for sharing, no matter how you plan to send them.

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