Story Autosave
Sign inStart free trial
Start free trialSign in

How to save Instagram stories with the music still on (3 ways)

3 min read

Illustration of a phone playing a story with music notes and headphones beside it
TL;DR

Music may be missing from saved or archived stories. Check playback first, test whether screen recording captures audio, or keep your original video with music you have permission to use.

In this post
  1. Why the music goes missing
  2. 1. Check whether the Archive still plays the music
  3. 2. Screen-record it with sound
  4. 3. Put the music in the video before posting
  5. Which one should you use?
  6. Quick questions

You picked the perfect song, posted the story, saved it to your phone, and played it back. Silence. You didn't do anything wrong. It's how Instagram handles music.

Note

The music library, menu names and what gets saved can differ by country, account type and app version. Test with one story before relying on a method.

Why the music goes missing

Songs in the music sticker are licensed for playing inside Instagram. When a story is copied out of the app, Instagram often leaves the licensed track behind, so you get the photo or video without the song. Business accounts can also have a smaller music library.

Illustration of a story saved without its music notes
The picture comes along. The song often stays behind.

1. Check whether the Archive still plays the music

Open your archived story and check its sound. Music may be muted or unavailable; the Archive is not a guaranteed copy of the original audio.

  1. Profile
  2. ☰ Menu
  3. Archive
  4. Stories archive

The catch: it only works inside the app, and only if Save story to archive was on when you posted.

2. Screen-record it with sound

If your own story still plays with sound, try a short screen recording and check the saved file. Some apps or devices restrict audio or video recording.

  • iPhone: open Control Center, tap the screen-recording button, then play the story. Keep the phone off silent.
  • Android: use the built-in screen recorder and choose Media sounds as the sound source.
Illustration of a phone screen-recording a story with sound waves
Check the recording before relying on it.

Good

  • Depends on playback and device
  • Check the recording before relying on it.

Not so good

  • Lower quality than the original
  • Captures taps and on-screen bars
  • One story at a time, by hand

3. Put the music in the video before posting

Use music you own or have permission to use in an editor, and keep that exported original. Instagram may still mute a posted copy; downloading it again does not guarantee the same audio.

Illustration of a video clip and a music track joined in an editing app
Check the recording before relying on it.

Good

  • Depends on playback and device
  • Full quality

Not so good

  • One extra step before posting
  • Use music you're allowed to use, or it may be muted

Which one should you use?

The three methods side by side
MethodKeeps the songQualityEffort
ArchiveDepends on playback and deviceOriginalNone
Screen recordingDepends on playback and deviceLowerEvery story, by hand
Music added before postingDepends on playback and deviceOriginalA minute per story
The 30-second answer

Check the Archive first. Test a recording if playback still has sound. For future posts, keep your original video with permitted music before uploading.

Quick questions

My saved story has no sound at all, not even my voice. Why?

Check that the story wasn't muted before posting and that your phone isn't on silent when you play it back. If only the song is missing, it's the licensing issue above.

My story isn't saving at all. What now?

That's a different problem. Go through why stories don't save to your camera roll.

References and further reading

All articles