How to Download Instagram Stories (By Username or URL)
Instagram stories disappear after 24 hours. If you want to keep a story — yours or someone else's (with their permission) — you need to download it before it expires. This guide shows you how to download Instagram stories quickly and in good quality using a free story downloader.
Why save Instagram stories?
People save Instagram stories for many reasons: to keep memories before they vanish, to archive their own content, to collect inspiration (with permission), or to share a specific story with someone who missed it. A reliable Instagram story saver lets you do this without opening the app or logging in.
Download all stories by username
To see and download every story a user has posted in the last 24 hours, go to our Stories tool, enter their Instagram username (no @ needed), and hit search. You'll get a grid of all current story snaps. Click any to preview and use the download button to save the photo or video.
This method is ideal when you want to save multiple stories from the same account at once. Each story can contain several snaps (photos or short videos); you can download them one by one in full quality. The tool works for public profiles — you don't need to follow the account.
Download one specific story by URL
If you have a direct link to a story (e.g. from a share), paste that URL into the Stories search box. You'll get only that story's snaps in a single viewer. You can step through each snap and download the ones you want.
Story URLs look like: instagram.com/stories/username/123456789/. When you paste this into our downloader, we fetch just that story so you don't have to scroll through an entire profile. This is the fastest way to save a single story when someone sends you the link.
Do I need to log in?
No. Our Instagram story downloader works without logging into Instagram. You only need a username or a story link. Keep in mind that you can only download stories from public accounts or accounts you can already see.
Quality and format
We fetch the best quality available from Instagram. Photos are typically high resolution; videos keep their original quality where possible. Downloads are in standard formats (e.g. JPG for images, MP4 for video) so they work on any device or editor.
Summary
- Use the Stories tool with a username to download all current stories from that account.
- Use a story URL to download one specific story and its snaps.
- No Instagram login required; works in the browser.
- Save stories before the 24-hour expiry for best results.