How to Upload Music to Instagram

Adding music to your Instagram content can be the difference between a post that gets scrolled past and one that holds a person's attention. From electrifying Reels to perfectly-timed Stories, sound is a powerful tool for connecting with your audience. This guide breaks down exactly how to add music to every type of Instagram post, so you can start creating more engaging content today.

The Official Route: Using Instagram's Music Library

For most day-to-day posting, Instagram's built-in music library is your best friend. It's licensed for use on the platform and incredibly easy to access. The process varies slightly depending on whether you're creating a Story, Reel, or in-feed post.

How to Add Music to Instagram Stories

Instagram Stories are a prime spot for music. It adds emotion, context, and energy to a 15-second clip. Here’s the step-by-step process:

• Step 1: Open the Story Camera. Swipe right from your home feed or tap the plus icon and select "Story."
• Step 2: Create Your Content. Take a photo, record a video, or upload one from your camera roll.
• Step 3: Access the Sticker Menu. Tap the square smiley face icon at the top of your screen.
• Step 4: Select the Music Sticker. Find and tap the sticker labeled "MUSIC." This opens Instagram's extensive music library.
• Step 5: Find Your Song. You can browse through categories like "For You," or genres like "Pop" and "R&B." The easiest way is to use the search bar to find a specific artist or song title.
• Step 6: Choose Your Clip and Style. Once you select a song, a timeline will appear at the bottom. Drag the slider to select the exact 15-second clip you want to feature. You can also tap the icons above the timeline to change how the music appears in your story - options include animated lyrics, album art, or a small tappable sticker.
• Step 7: Place and Post. Drag the music sticker or lyrics to where you want them on the screen, resize by pinching, and share your Story.

How to Add Music to Instagram Reels

Reels are built around sound, especially trending audio. Using popular songs is one of the best ways to get your Reel discovered. The process is a bit different from Stories, as you often build the video around the selected audio.

• Step 1: Open the Reels Editor. Tap the plus icon and select "Reel."
• Step 2: Add Audio First. Before you even record, tap the "Audio" icon (a musical note) on the left sidebar. This takes you to the music library.
• Step 3: Search and Select. Just like with Stories, you can search for a track or browse trending sounds. This is a great place to spot popular audio clips, which are often marked with a small arrow icon indicating they are trending.
• Step 4: Pick Your Section. After selecting a song, use the timeline scrubber to choose the part of the track you want your Reel to feature. For Reels, this can be up to 90 seconds.
• Step 5: Record or Upload. With the audio selected, you can now record your video clips in time with the music. You can also upload pre-recorded clips from your camera roll and trim them to fit the sound.
• Step 6: Finalize and Share. Add any other effects, text overlays, or captions, and then post your Reel.

Pro Tip: You can also use audio directly from another Reel. When you see a Reel with audio you like, just tap the song title at the bottom. This will take you to a page where you can tap "Use audio" to start creating your own Reel with that same sound.

How to Add Music to In-Feed Posts (Video and Carousels)

Instagram recently rolled out the ability to add licensed music to standard video posts and carousels right within the app. Previously, you had to edit it in yourself. This feature makes it easier to add a soundtrack without worrying about copyright issues.

• Step 1: Create a New Post. Tap the plus icon and choose "Post." Select a video from your camera roll (or multiple photos/videos for a carousel).
• Step 2: Add Music in the Final Screen. After you've applied any filters and are on the final screen where you write your caption, look for the "Add Music" option.
• Step 3: Browse and Select Your Track. This opens the music library. Search for the song you want and select it.
• Step 4: Choose the Clip Duration. A timeline will appear, allowing you to select which part of the song you want to play over your video. You can set the duration from 5 seconds up to 90 seconds, depending on the length of your video.
• Step 5: Hit Share. Once you're happy with your selection, finish your caption and share the post. The music will play automatically as people scroll past your video in their feed.

A Critical Note: Business vs. Creator Accounts

Have you been trying to add a popular song to your business post, only to find you can't access it? This is a common and confusing problem for many brands and entrepreneurs.

Here’s the breakdown:

• Creator and Personal Accounts have access to the full, licensed music library filled with popular songs from major artists.
• Business Accounts have access to the Meta Sound Collection, a library of royalty-free music and sounds.

The reason for this distinction is licensing. Using a popular, copyrighted song in promotional material (which is what a business's social post is often considered) requires a separate, expensive commercial license. To protect businesses from copyright infringement and themselves from licensing headaches, Meta restricts them to pre-cleared, royalty-free audio.

So, what can a business do? You have a couple of options:

1. Use the Meta Sound Collection. While it lacks pop hits, it has thousands of high-quality tracks suitable for background music in ads or product demos.
2. Create a Reel With Trending Audio. Find a business-friendly trend and use that sound. These are sometimes available while specific pop songs aren't.
3. Switch to a Creator Account. Some businesses switch their profile category from "Business" to "Creator." A Creator account often gets access to the full music library. However, be aware that you may lose access to certain business-specific features, and there's still a small legal risk that you are using music commercially without the appropriate license. Proceed with caution.

Beyond the Library: Adding Your Own Audio

For musicians, podcasters, performers, or anyone creating original sound, getting your own audio onto Instagram is a fantastic way to build your brand. The easiest way to do this is to upload content that already has your sound baked in.

Using Your Own "Original Audio"

There isn't a button to "upload" a separate MP3 file to Instagram. Instead, the audio is embedded within your video.

• Step 1: Edit Your Video. Use a video editing app on your phone (like InShot or CapCut) or your computer (iMovie or Premiere Pro) to add your own music, voiceover, or sound effect to your video clip.
• Step 2: Export and Upload. Export the finished video file.
• Step 3: Upload it as a Reel or In-Feed Video. When you post your video, Instagram will automatically process the sound. At the bottom of your Reel, it will say "Original Audio" next to your username.

The best part about this is that your audio is now discoverable. Once posted, other users can tap "Use Audio" to create their own content with your sound, crediting you automatically. This is an incredibly effective, organic path to discovery for recording artists and creators.

Advanced Strategy: Mastering Your Sound

Just knowing how to add music isn't enough. Choosing the right audio and using it effectively is what sets great content apart.

Match the Audio to the Mood

This sounds simple, but it's often overlooked. The music should enhance the feeling of your content, not clash with it. A fast-paced workout video needs a high-energy track. A calm, relaxing tutorial about brewing coffee is better suited for a smooth lo-fi beat. Let the sound support your visual story.

Lean Into Trending Sounds

The Instagram Reels algorithm heavily favors content that uses trending audio. When you’re scrolling through Reels, pay attention to songs you hear over and over. Look for the little arrow icon next to the song name - this indicates a trend. Using one of these sounds can give your content a significant boost in visibility.

Sync Your Visuals to the Beat

One of the most satisfying things to watch on social media is a video where the visual edits are perfectly timed to the beat of the music. When a transition hits right on the downbeat, it just feels good to watch. Most mobile video editors allow you to see the audio waveform, making it easier to line up your cuts with the sound. This single step can make your content look far more professional.

Final Thoughts

Adding music to your Instagram content is a simple move with a huge payoff. Whether you're using Instagram's built-in library for a quick Story, capitalizing on a trending Reel sound, or sharing your own original work, audio can transform a good post into a great one. Understanding the different methods - as well as the small but important limitations for business accounts - gives you the power to create content that really sounds as good as it looks.

Once you’ve mastered adding the perfect soundtrack, managing your content calendar shouldn't slow you down. That's why we built Postbase. We designed it for modern social media, with a focus on short-form video, so you can easily plan and schedule all your music-filled Reels and Stories in one visual calendar. Since everything just works, without posts failing to publish or accounts constantly disconnecting, you can spend more time creating and less time wrestling with your tools.