Instagram has become the most used social network in many countries around the world. And one of its features, the Stories, is the content most consumed by users. But it is ephemeral content that disappears, and sometimes you may want to keep it saved. For this reason in this post we will explain how to download Instagram stories from any user of this social network.
There are different methods to download stories, here we will talk a bit about all of them. Some will require downloading apps to your phones, others through browser extensions and others can be done via a website. In any case we want to make it clear that we are not responsible for the use made of this information and that at all times you must respect privacy rights and Instagram’s terms of use.
Download Instagram Stories through StorySaver [Recommended method]
There are several websites that offer the possibility to download this content. The one that has always worked best for us is StorySaver. Basically because of its ease of use and reliability. It also has little advertising, which is always appreciated, and the site runs quite fast. The procedure is very simple:
- Open your browser (Chrome, Safari…) and go to the website storiesaver.net
- Enter the username of the account whose story you want to download
- Click the “Download” button.
- Voilà! The user’s picture and the different stories they have posted will appear just below. Click the “Save as Photo” button and it will be saved to your computer or mobile phone.
Additionally, StorySaver also offers the option to download Highlights, you know, the featured stories.
Download Instagram Stories with a Chrome extension
We loved this method. Its main advantage over StorySaver is that it allows downloading stories from private accounts, provided you are following them. The extension we have determined to be the best to download Instagram content is Ultra Downloader for Instagram. Here is the process to use it:
- Open Chrome and go to the Ultra Downloader for Instagram extension page in the Chrome Web Store. Here is the link.
- Click the “Add to Chrome” button and wait for it to install.
- Once it finishes you will find the extension in the top right of your browser, right next to your login picture. Click on it and Instagram will open.
- Now if you enter a Story, you will see that a button that says Download has appeared in the upper left. You just have to click it and the download of the photo or video will start shortly. It works wonderfully.
We loved this method because if a user has more than one story, it allows you to download all the stories at once. It is true that it may be less convenient than the previous method since you must do it with a computer, but we all have one at hand for sure.
Download Instagram Stories through third-party apps
To write this article we have been testing many apps to perform this process. And the truth is we haven’t found any, neither for iOS nor for Android, that offered a good service. First, because they all had a premium, paid plan that was supposed to work well, but most of us don’t want to pay.
Secondly, and if you move around in the app world you’ll understand, none offered enough trust to log in with your own Instagram. You can do it if you want, but we do not recommend this method and we will not give free publicity here to those who don’t deserve it.
Other methods to download a story from Instagram
In this guide on how to download stories we have shown methods that let you do things almost like a pro. Now we couldn’t ignore that there are some pretty low-tech but effective systems to capture Insta stories. Specifically, we found these three:
- Take a screenshot: This is the typical one we have all done at some point. While viewing the story take a screenshot and you already have it on your phone. There has been a lot of talk that Instagram wanted to send an alert to people when someone took a screenshot of their story, but for the moment this is not activated. You can do it without worry.
Tip: If you long-press the story with one finger, elements like the username and the comment box below will disappear temporarily and the screenshot will look better. - Record your phone screen: It is basically a method very similar to the previous one. If what you want to capture is a video then you should use this route. Almost all phones offer the possibility to record the device screen and if not there are many apps to do it.
- Take a photo or video with another phone: This is the most low-tech method and the one my grandmother would use, but we know how you are and surely you have thought about it at some point. Basically it consists of photographing or recording a story with another phone. Don’t do it; if you’ve read this far you can see there are other much more effective options.
That concludes the roundup of methods for downloading Instagram stories. We hope you find a formula that lets you safely store the content you want to save. Be responsible and use this article wisely. Long live Instagram!
