How to Sort Instagram Reels by Views

Looking for a quick way to sort your Instagram Reels by views and see which ones popped off? While Instagram’s features for this have changed, you can still easily find your most popular content with just a few taps. This guide will show you exactly where to find your top-performing Reels inside the app and how to build a simple system for deeper analysis that helps you create more of what your audience loves.

Why You Can't Find the "Sort by Most Viewed" Button Anymore

If you're hunting for a simple "Sort by Most Viewed" button on your Reels grid and coming up empty, you're not going crazy. For a while, Instagram offered a straightforward filter directly on the Reels tab that allowed users to sort their content by popularity. However, in true Instagram fashion, this feature was quietly removed for most accounts as the platform evolved.

Instagram constantly tests, adds, and retires features, often without a major announcement. This means that direct sorting functions can appear for some users and disappear for others. While this can be frustrating, the good news is that there’s a more reliable and powerful method to find your top Reels - one that's built for creators and businesses who want data-driven insights.

Instead of relying on a simple grid filter, you can use your Professional Dashboard, which offers a much richer view of your content's performance. Let’s walk through how to use it.

The Professional's Method: Using Instagram Insights to Find Your Top Reels

The best way to see a ranked list of your Reels is through the Instagram Insights panel, which is available to anyone with a Business or Creator account. If you're still on a personal account, making the switch is free and unlocks a ton of valuable data about your audience and content.

Quick Tip: To switch, go to your Settings and privacy >, Account type and tools >, Switch to professional account and follow the prompts. It only takes a minute.

Once you have a professional account set up, finding your top Reels is simple. Here’s how to do it step-by-step:

Step-by-Step Guide to Finding Your Most Viewed Reels

• Step 1: Go to Your Professional Dashboard. From your main profile page, tap the "Professional dashboard" button located right under your bio. This is your command center for analytics and creator tools.
• Step 2: Access Your Account Insights. Inside the dashboard, you’ll see a section called "Account Insights." Tap the "See all" link to open the full analytics breakdown.
• Step 3: Navigate to Content You've Shared. Scroll down until you find the "Content You Shared" section. Here, you'll see categories for Posts, Stories, and Reels. Tap on "Reels."
• Step 4: Filter Your Reels by Performance. This is where the magic happens. You are now on a page that lists your recent Reels. At the top, you'll see filter options. Tap the first dropdown menu, which might default to "Reach." Change this metric to "Plays" or "Views."
• Step 5: Select Your Time Frame. Next, tap the second dropdown menu, which controls the time period. You can choose from options like "Last 30 days," "Last 90 days," "Last year," or even specify a custom timeframe.

After you set these filters (e.g., Plays in the Last 90 days), Instagram will automatically reorder the list, showing your most-viewed Reels from that period right at the top. This gives you an accurate, ranked list of your best-performing content, allowing you to instantly see which videos got the most attention.

For Power Users: How to Manually Sort for a Deeper Dive

Instagram Insights is great for a quick look at recent performance, but what if you want a complete, all-time record of your Reels? Or what if you want to analyze factors beyond just views, like likes, comments, and saves? For that, a manual approach using a trustworthy spreadsheet is your best friend.

This method takes a bit of setup upfront but provides a powerful asset you can use to guide your content strategy for months to come. It helps you see the bigger picture without being limited by Instagram's time filters.

Step 1: Build Your Performance Spreadsheet

Open up Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel and create a simple tracker. The goal is to log the key metrics for every Reel you post. Here are the columns you should create:

• Reel Title/Hook: A short description of the video. Write down the hook from the first three seconds (e.g., "3 marketing mistakes to avoid"). This is valuable for identifying patterns.
• Post Date: The date the Reel was published.
• Link: A direct link to the Reel for easy access.
• View Count: The total number of plays.
• Likes: The total number of likes.
• Comments: The total number of comments.
• Saves: The total number of saves. This metric is a strong indicator of high-value content your audience wants to revisit.
• Format/Pillar: A category for the content type (e.g., Tutorial, BTS, Trend, Talking Head) and the content pillar it falls under (e.g., Marketing Tips, Client Stories).

Go through your Reels tab on Instagram and populate your spreadsheet. It might seem tedious at first, but once you get into a rhythm, you can update it weekly in just a few minutes.

Step 2: Sort Your Data to Find the Gold

Once your data is in the sheet, you can sort it with a single click. In Google Sheets:

1. Click and drag to highlight all of your data, including the header row.
2. Go to the menu and select Data >, Sort range >, Advanced range sorting options.
3. Check the box that says "Data has header row."
4. In the "Sort by" dropdown, choose the "View Count" column.
5. Select "Z → A" to sort from largest to smallest (descending order).
6. Click "Sort."

In an instant, your spreadsheet will rearrange to show your most-viewed Reels of all time at the top. Now, you have a master list of your greatest hits, ready for analysis.

Step 3: Analyze Your Winners (and Losers)

With your sorted list, you can move beyond just looking at view counts and start asking the right questions. Look at your top 5-10 Reels and identify what they have in common. Then, sort from lowest to highest views to see what your least successful Reels have in common.

Here’s what to look for:

• Topics &, Pillars: Are all your top Reels about one specific topic? If so, your audience has told you exactly what they want to learn. This validates your content pillar.
• Formats: Are they quick-cut tutorials, personal stories told to the camera, or funny videos using trending audio? The format that repeatedly hits is the one you need to lean into.
• Hooks: What happens in the first three seconds of your most-viewed Reels? Do you ask a question? Make a bold statement? Show a dramatic result? Your hooks are a valuable currency on Instagram.
• Audio Choices: Do your viral hits use trending sounds or original audio? A popular sound can give a good video an extra push, but original audio can help you build authority on a topic.
• Calls to Action (CTAs): Did your most popular Reels ask viewers to do something, like "follow for more tips" or "comment your biggest challenge"? Clear CTAs often drive higher engagement.

Turning Insights Into Your Next Content Strategy

Gathering data is only the first step. The real growth comes from turning those insights into an actionable content plan that consistently serves your audience and builds your brand.

Double Down on Proven Winners

Your analysis has handed you a roadmap. If your top-performing Reels are all Q&,A videos where you answer audience questions, make that a weekly series. If your tutorials on a specific tool get tons of saves, create more content around different features of that tool. Stop guessing what works and start creating more of what you know connects.

Identify and Optimize Your "Why"

Look beyond just the "what" (e.g., a tutorial) and understand the "why." Why did that tutorial resonate? Was it because it saved people time? Helped them make more money? Solved a common and annoying problem? When you understand the underlying motivation behind a Reel's success, you can apply that same principle to different topics and formats. For example, a "time-saving hack" can be applied to productivity, marketing, cooking, or any other niche.

Learn from Your Low-Performing Content

Equally important is looking at the bottom of your sorted list. What do your least-viewed Reels have in common? Maybe they have weak hooks, are too niche, use outdated trends, or lack a clear point. Don't be discouraged by these reels - they are valuable lessons in what *not* to do. Often, you'll find obvious patterns that you can consciously avoid moving forward.

Final Thoughts

While Instagram's direct "sort by views" feature may come and go, you always have the power to uncover your best content through the Professional Dashboard Insights. For marketers and creators wanting to build a lasting organic strategy, creating a simple performance spreadsheet takes this a step further, providing you with a bird’s-eye view of what truly resonates with your audience over time.

Reviewing our past performance and folding those lessons into our future content plan is a routine we live by here at Postbase. We designed our visual content calendar to help us, and our users, put these insights directly into action. Seeing your whole strategy on one calendar makes it easy to schedule more of what works, plug gaps with a series based on a viral Reel, and ensure your content mix is aligned with what your data says your audience loves. If you want to streamline your planning and scheduling, check out Postbase and see how our tools make it simple to build a smarter content strategy.