Since it came out in 2010, Instagram has been gaining popularity, and users like that it focuses on sharing photos and videos. The app is designed to work best on mobile devices, making it the ideal social media platform for the tech-savvy world we live in today. It’s never been easier to take and share high-quality photos.
As users request more ways to connect with friends and followers, Instagram has gradually added new features. However, Instagram continues to limit those same functions, requiring users to jump through hoops to accomplish their goals. Longer videos are one of these goals.
The Length of Instagram Videos
With the advent of Instagram focusing on videos to compete with TikTok and YouTube, users can take videos, share them on their profile, send them via direct message, and post them to their Story. However, there is a time limit on these videos.
- Up to four hours of Instagram Live are possible (previously one hour).
- Instagram Stories can last up to 15 seconds.
- Up to 60 minutes can pass between Instagram Videos on your feed (previously IGTV and feed posts up until October 2021).
- Instagram Reels can last up to 90 seconds (previously 60 seconds).
Of course, this can be annoying if you want to share something that doesn’t fit into the allotted time.
So how do you get around Instagram’s video limit? There are a few methods for getting your longer videos on Instagram. The first step is to choose the best option. You can’t make Reels, Live, or Videos any longer than their preset limit, but you can make Stories “appear” longer.
If you have a pre-recorded video that fits within Reels’ time limits (now 90 seconds instead of 60), it’s best to post it there so that the whole video can be seen. However, if you need to use Instagram Stories, you can overlap the app as one (up to 100 clips at 15 seconds each with a slight, almost unnoticeable pause between them), giving you plenty of time to use it in a 24-hour period.
How to Post Longer Instagram Stories Videos
Instagram Stories has a 15-second clip limit for uploaded videos. If your video exceeds that limit, Instagram will cut it into 15-second segments (up to 60 seconds total). The best option is to use a third-party app to trim your videos before uploading them so that you can overlap longer videos that are longer than the 60-second limit. This way, it auto-plays the way you want, specifying the duration for each clip rather than the 15-second increments.
You can make your IG Story longer by cutting the first segment to 10 seconds, the second to 15 seconds, and the third to 60 seconds. As confirmed on Mashable, the maximum number of Stories (segments) per day is 100.
Even though Instagram limits your Story to 60 seconds total, you can continue adding more clips/segments to make it as long as you need—up to the 100 Story limit. Instagram plays each piece automatically, one after the other, almost without a break.
Note: If your videos are blurry or have strange clip transitions, it could be because your internet speed was slow at the time of uploading or because Instagram needs more time to finish the publishing process.
The transitions between clips became blurry for a split second when we tried to split a long video and upload it in segments using a third-party app. Later, the blur went away, and IG showed a transition that was pretty smooth.
Here are the methods available to make Instagram Stories longer.
#1 Upload Your Long Video to Instagram Stories Directly
The fastest way to add your longer video to Instagram Stories is to upload it directly to the app. Remember that Instagram only uses the first 60 seconds and cuts the second into 15-second segments.
As a result, only the first minute of your video is shared, which is usually not what you want.
Go to Instagram and add the long video to your Story. IG automatically creates clips of 15 seconds and continues up to 1 minute in total. The rest of the video gets cut.
Note: Some users may not be able to use this option. When we tried it on June 18, 2022, we kept getting an error after uploading the first 15-second clip.
It would not continue to the next one.
#2. Use Multiple Clips to Make Longer Instagram Stories
The best and simplest way to make longer videos for your Instagram Story is to manually post your video in segments. You can post segments or clips that are longer than the 60-second Story limit using this method.
Many third-party apps do the work for you, cutting your video into 15-second segments or less, and some ensure that your video is Instagram-friendly (resolution, framerate, etc.). If they don’t meet the requirements, Instagram changes them for you. Here are some of the best options to make Instagram Stories longer.
InShot for Android and iOS
InShot is one of the best options because you can make numerous edits to your video before uploading it, such as stickers, transitions, audio, filters, etc. You can also get InShot for Android or iPhone. Add your video to InShot, make any necessary edits, and then choose to share it on Instagram. You then post it to your IG Story.
Story Cutter for Android
Story Cutter by Cubetix Private Photo Vault is a good second option for Android because it is fast and easy to use. To protect you from fake apps and to ensure you get the right one, we mention the publisher names.
With Story Cutter, you choose the video, choose Instagram as the source, tap Done, and then let it start the splitting process. From there, you share each clip or segment to Instagram Stories, and IG puts them all together to make your longer video.
Split video for iOS/iPhone
New Marketing Lab, Inc.’s Split Video is a good option for iOS/iPhone. With full functionality, the app is completely free. The controlled/limited ads are what makes it different from other sites.
CutStory for iOS
CutStory was created by LLC. Sport Star Management is another iOS app that gets good reviews and gives you more editing options when creating 15-second clips for Instagram Story videos. CutStory, on the other hand, has a watermark unless you pay a premium price (which isn’t very much) or subscribe, but there are no ads.
Continual for Instagram for iPhone
Consider paying $7.99 for Continual for Instagram if you have an iPhone. For sharing on your Instagram Story, this app will automatically trim longer videos into 15-second segments.
The clips can then be uploaded individually or in groups.
It doesn’t get any easier than this to cut and upload long videos to Instagram.
StorySplitter for iPhone
If you can’t justify the price for some video editing apps, StorySplitter is free for iOS users (.99 for the premium version) (.99 for the premium version). It does effectively the same thing, splitting videos into 15-second clips.
However, unlike Continual for Instagram, it doesn’t allow you to post videos in landscape format, and unless you spring for the premium version, it will watermark your images. Still, it should do the trick for a free app.
Built-In Video Editors
You may also be able to use your phone’s video editing features to trim the video into 15-second increments, but it is challenging to do so. It can be difficult to pinpoint the exact times to clip, and you may miss segments during the cutting process. If you choose this option, you’ll have to make your 1-minute video and trim it to four or more 15-second clips, which you can easily upload to Instagram one at a time.
Here’s how to upload clips to Instagram Stories from your phone’s image gallery. Note that some third-party apps have an Instagram button that takes you straight to Instagram Stories.
2. Choose Story from the list of options.
3. Select multiple videos and images by long-pressing one of them to bring up the multi-select option, or tap on the video you want to add to your Story.
4. To continue to the next step, tap Next in the bottom-right corner.
5. Tap Separate for videos, images, or both, or Layout for only images.
6. At the bottom of the new screen, the chosen files app appears as clips or segments. Tap on Next to go to the next step.
7. The Share screen appears at the bottom. Make sure Your Story is checked, then tap Share.
8. Instagram will start the conversion and upload process.
Regardless of the method used to make Instagram Stories segments longer, when someone visits your Story, they’ll see your video clips/segments in the order you posted them. It won’t be perfect, but it will be very close to the Story you want to tell.
Method Three: Go Live
Your videos won’t be completely seamless, which is one of the main drawbacks of the two methods mentioned above. Even though Instagram Stories will automatically play in order, there may be a slight pause when one clip ends and the other starts.
Try doing it live first if you want your video to be complete.
Instagram Live videos can go on for up to 4 hours.
FAQs: Making Longer Instagram Videos
Can I put a link to my video?
When you make a post, you can always mention “Link in bio” to send people to your YouTube channel, website, or anywhere else your video is shared. Instagram doesn’t let users add links directly to their posts because of their spam-blocking protocol.
Final Thoughts
Instagram is incredibly popular because it’s an excellent platform for taking and sharing photos and videos with your followers. Instagram’s time limits can be annoying when you want to upload a video that is longer than one minute.
If you need to post a video on Instagram, take the time to make it as powerful as possible. It’s not easy, but it is possible to make a catchy, high-quality, and interesting video in 15 seconds.