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One of Instagram’s most popular features is the option to add music directly to Instagram stories. Instagram offers a lengthy selection of tunes from its music library, as well as the ability to import songs from other music streaming services, like Spotify.
In fact, Instagram gets new tunes in its music library daily. This article shows you different ways to add music to your Instagram story or post. You’ll also see some common questions and misconceptions regarding Instagram music. Let’s get started.
How to Add Music to an Instagram Story on Android/iOS/iPhone
It doesn’t matter if you have an iPhone or an Android device, as long as your Instagram app is updated to the latest version. The process of adding music to Instagram is the same for both.
Note: This method requires lyrics or album art to appear on your Story, but you can resize it to your liking. Also, you get to legally use premium music clips from Instagram’s library (uses Facebook Sound Collection).
Here is how it’s done.
- Open the “Instagram app,” then tap on “Your story” in the upper-left corner.
- Proceed to add a story, Hold down on the first image/video, then tap on each additional one you want to add/remove. Tap on “Next” when finished.
- Choose the style for your Story, which includes “Layout” for a collage Story or “Separate” to make each image/video a new segment. Choosing “Separate” requires editing each segment.
- Tap the “sticker icon” at the top of your screen.
- Select the “Music sticker.” You can use the search bar at the top to go directly to the correct one.
- Instagram displays recommended songs, as well as different categories you can choose. Tap on the adjacent “Play” icon to preview each track.
- Tap on a song to add it to your post or Story.
- Adjust the “slider bar” at the bottom to choose the song position. You’ll see the lyrics while you slide. You can also change the music and text color/appearance/style, or use album art instead.
- Tap “Done” when finished with your editing process.
- Resize, rotate, or reposition the lyrics (or album art) on the screen by holding down on them and moving, sliding, or twisting them.
- If you chose “Separate” for the layout in “Step 3” above, you need to edit each Story segment individually by tapping on it. That way, each one has music (if desired) when they autoplay.
- Tap on “Next” when finished editing your Story.
- Choose “Your Story” at the bottom to post it on your Instagram Story.
When your followers open your Instagram Story, your added song automatically plays for each segment you edited. If they want to see which song is currently playing, they can tap on the title under your name, and the song pops up in another tab.
How To Add Music to an Instagram Reel
Instagram released the “Reels” feature in August of 2020. With it being such a new option, Reels are one of the easiest ways to post content on Instagram, including music. To add music to a reel, follow the steps below.
- Tap the “+” sign in the top right of the Instagram home page, then select “Reels” at the bottom of the page.
- Select the “Music” icon on the left.
- Choose the “music track” that you would like to add to the Reel.
- Adjust the “slider” at the bottom of the screen to select the part of the song that you would like to use for the Reel.
If you forget to add music before recording your Reel, don’t worry. Instagram allows you to add the music before or after recording the Reel.
How to Add Music to an Instagram Post Using Third-Party Apps
It’s important to know that Instagram doesn’t actually allow you to add music directly to your Instagram posts. You can only add music to your Instagram Stories and Reels. Even if you add music to a video you made on your Story and download it, it will download without the song.
If you want to attach a song to a video and upload it on Instagram as a post, you have to edit your video beforehand. There are loads of free video editing apps and programs available that allow you to add music to your videos. When finished, you can upload the video to your Instagram feed. One of the most feature-rich and user-friendly free video editing apps is InShot. You can also use songs, playlists, and albums from Spotify.
How to Add Audio/Music to Instagram Posts Using InShot
- Open the “InShot app,” then tap on the “Video button.”
- Select the video you want to add sound to from the list.
- Tap on the “MUSIC” button in the bottom left corner.
- Tap on “Tracks” to open the music menu.
- To add a featured track, select the “FEATURED” tab, then browse and choose from categories like “Vlog,” “Mood,” “Beats,” etc.
- Select a song to preview it, then tap on the “download icon” or “USE” to add it to your video.
- To add your own music, select the “My Music” tab in the navigational menu below the video.
- Browse and select any song to preview it, then tap on “USE” to add it to your video. Be cautious with copyright material.
- To add sound effects, tap on the “EFFECTS” tab, then choose a category.
- Select an effect track to preview it, then tap on “USE” to add it to your video. All sounds in the “EFFECTS” tab are free from copyright protection.
- To edit the timing, fade, or other settings associated with the audio, tap the “track bar” for the correct audio title. Just tap it. You’ll see white markers appear on the ends.
- Hold down on the beginning or end “white marker.” Move/adjust the audio track’s start position (always starts from the beginning of the track) in correlation with the video. You can also adjust the end position (always cuts out the remainder). For advanced editing, go to the next step. Otherwise, skip to “Step 16.”
- While the audio track is still selected (shows white markers), tap on “EDIT.”
- Slide the “purple dot markers” (left and right) to clip the audio as you see fit, such as clipping it to start at the 3.7-second mark rather than the beginning and ending the track at the 19.4-second mark. The preview continues to play as you edit.
- Tap on the “checkmark” when finished with your cutting, volume level, and fading adjustments.
- The app returns to the track’s audio editing screen. Tap on the “play” icon to preview your edits.
- You can re-edit the track if needed by tapping the “audio’s track bar” again and selecting “EDIT.”
- If you don’t need to re-edit the track, you can add more “TRACKS” or “EFFECTS,” or even “RECORD” your own sounds.
- You can also adjust the video’s master volume by tapping on “VOLUME.”
- Tap on the “checkmark” to save all changes.
- When satisfied with the final edits, tap on “SAVE” in the upper-right corner.
- Confirm your resolution, framerate, and size, then tap on “SAVE” once more.
- Your audio/video file is now saved, represented by a green circled checkmark. You can (A) tap the checkmark icon to see the location details, (B) play the video from the thumbnail at the top, or (C) share the video to Instagram directly.
How to Add Audio/Music to Instagram Posts Using Spotify
You can also add music to Instagram posts from Spotify, whether it be a song, an album, or an entire playlist. Once again, this method is identical for both iPhone and Android devices. This is how it’s done:
- Open your “Spotify” app.
- Select the song, album, or playlist you want to add to Instagram.
- Tap the “three dots” on the right side of the song title.
- Scroll down and tap “Share.”
- Tap “Instagram Stories.”
Your Story will open with the song preloaded, and you can make any additional adjustments. When you’ve finished perfecting the video, post it to your Story. If your followers have Spotify accounts, they will be able to open the song in Spotify.
How to Add Music to an Instagram Post the “Old Way?”
Adding songs to your Instagram story the ‘old way’ refers to how people used to add tunes before Instagram introduced the music feature. This is how it’s done:
- Start playing the song you want to post. It can be any song in your phone’s library or from a music streaming app.
- Go to Instagram and open your story, while the song is still playing in the background.
- Start filming your story by pressing the record button.
- Make any necessary adjustments to the story. Post it by tapping “Your Story” in the bottom left corner.
When you play your Story, you’ll be able to hear the song in the background. What’s great about this method is that you don’t have a 15-second time limit. You can record as many stories as you want to.
Additional FAQs
If we didn’t answer all of your questions about Instagram music above, keep reading!
How Do you Open Spotify Songs from Stories?
Once you share a particular song from Spotify, you have the option of opening it from your Instagram. This option is also available for your followers, who might be interested in the song you just posted.
To open Spotify from Instagram, you simply need to:
- Open your story.
- Tap on the “Play on Spotify” option below your name.
- Tap “Open Spotify”.
The song will immediately open on your Spotify. Keep in mind that you need to be logged into your account for this to work.
Note: Instagram users without a Spotify account won’t be able to do this.
What Kind of Music Is There to Choose From?
There are millions of songs to choose from in the Instagram music library. When you tap on the Music sticker, you can search for a particular song, or you can find one in the “For You” section. You can also go to the “Browse” section, where you have different categories:
• Genres – Rap, Hip Hop, R&B and Soul, Pop, Latin, etc.
• Moods – Bright, Dreamy, Groovy, Peaceful, etc.
• Themes – Arabic party, Love, Family, Movie soundtracks, Morning, etc.
Troubleshooting
Some users sometimes encounter issues with Instagram music. For instance, certain songs might be unavailable, or your music feature might not be working. Here are some factors you need to keep in mind:
• Do you have the newest version of Instagram? Make sure to update Instagram if you haven’t.
• Do you have a Business account? Instagram restricts some songs for Business accounts. If that’s the case, you can switch to a regular account if you please.
• You may be living in a country where Instagram music isn’t available yet. Unfortunately, there’s nothing you can do about it. However, there is a chance that Instagram music will become available in your region in the future.
Add Your Favorite Tunes to Your Instagram Story
Now you know how to add music to your photos and videos on your Instagram stories. When you consider the different music apps you can use to add your favorite tunes, the sky is the limit!
Have you ever added a song to your Instagram? Did you use any of the methods outlined in this guide? Leave a comment in the section below.
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