You can post your own TikTok video on Instagram by uploading the video file from your phone as a Reel. First, find the original video in your gallery. Don’t have it anymore? Check whether you can save it through TikTok. Before sharing, check that you are also allowed to use the footage and music on Instagram.
Below, you’ll read step by step how to prepare and share the video, and what you can do if something doesn’t work.
Which file should you choose for your TikTok on Instagram?
Preferably use the original video from your camera or editing app. It won’t have a TikTok watermark added later. That means you don’t have to remove text or a logo to reuse the video.
Sharing a video file is different from sharing a link. With the file, you create a Reel that you can watch on Instagram. A link directs people to your post on TikTok.
Check these three points before sharing:
- Footage: did you make it yourself? If not, do you have permission to share it on Instagram?
- Music: are you allowed to use the song outside TikTok too? The fact that you could choose it there does not automatically mean you can.
- Privacy: are recognizable people in your video also okay with you sharing it on Instagram? Also check whether addresses, licence plates or other personal information appear in the footage.
TikTok explains in its download settings how creators decide whether others may download their videos. But permission to download a video is not permission to republish it. You must also be allowed to use the footage and audio for that.
Download your own TikTok video for Instagram
First, check your gallery and the app you used to edit the video. You may still have a saved video file there. In an editing app, this is also called an export.
Is the video only still on TikTok? Open your own video and check the sharing options to see whether you can save it.
According to TikTok’s explanation of downloading videos you can save a video if the creator allows downloads. If that option is missing from someone else’s video, the creator does not allow it.
Play the saved video in your gallery. Is it the correct version? Can you hear the audio, and is the ending complete?
Can’t you save your own video? Search again for the original file or your saved edit. The download setting for other viewers does not automatically explain why you cannot save your own video. Do not give your login details to an unfamiliar download site.
Post your TikTok as an Instagram Reel
Is the file on your phone? Then you can add it to Instagram. The buttons and screens may differ between app versions.
- Start a new Reel. In Instagram, choose an existing video, not a new recording.
- Choose the video from your gallery. Check which version you need if there are several on your phone.
- Check the footage. Do faces, hands and important text remain visible? Don’t cut off an edge if something important happens there.
- Listen to the audio. Can you understand your voice clearly? First listen to the audio already in the file before adding music.
- Add a caption and cover. Also check who can see your Reel.
- Watch the full preview and post your Reel. After posting, check once more that the beginning, ending and audio are correct.
You cannot simply adjust text and music already included in the video file separately. Want to change something? Open your original edit and save a new version.
Should you leave a TikTok watermark on Instagram?
Use the original without a TikTok watermark if you still have it. That way, there is no logo over an important detail, and it is easier to choose a clear cover.
Do you only have the watermarked version? Check whether it is still easy to follow. A watermark by itself does not mean your Reel will get less reach. Don’t assume that Instagram always shows videos with a TikTok watermark to fewer people.
Don’t simply crop out the watermark. In a cooking video, you could also cut out the edge of the pan or an ingredient. In that case, use the original file instead. Do not remove someone else’s name or watermark to share their video as your own work.
Adjusting the caption, hashtags and cover for Reels
You don’t have to recreate everything. Above all, check that your text is clear to someone who sees your video only on Instagram.
- Caption: adjust references to TikTok and briefly explain what happens in the video.
- Hashtags: choose words that fit the video. Don’t simply copy the entire list from TikTok.
- Cover: choose an image that immediately shows what your video is about.
- Text on screen: check the preview. Is everything readable, and is the text not too close to the edge?
A fictional example: you share a video in which you paint a plant pot. You could write: “An old pot, two paint colours and a free afternoon. Which colour would you choose?” This tells viewers what they are seeing without referring to TikTok.
Do you also want to know when you can share the video? Read more about the best time to post Reels.
Solving problems when sharing TikTok on Instagram
| Problem | What can you do? |
|---|---|
| You can’t see the video in your gallery | Check that the file is actually on your phone. Also check your phone’s settings to see whether Instagram has access to those photos and videos. |
| The upload keeps getting stuck | Check your internet connection and try playing the video in your gallery. Save your caption before closing the app or starting again. |
| The audio is missing | Listen to the file in your gallery. Is the audio missing there too? If so, save a new version from your original edit. If you can hear audio there, check whether Instagram displays a notification about the audio. |
| The footage is blurry or something is out of frame | Compare the video with the original. Preferably use that file instead of a version that has been saved and forwarded many times. Also check which part of the footage is visible in your Reel. |
| The video is there, but the caption is missing | Add the caption to the Reel yourself. The separate caption from your TikTok post is not automatically included in the video file. |
Can’t you post other posts either? Read why you can’t post on Instagram.
Do you want to share the video as a story instead of a Reel? Read what you can do if you can’t post an Instagram story.
Comparing your TikTok video and Instagram Reel
Compare the videos after they have been online for the same amount of time, for example three days after posting. Note whether the length, beginning and audio are the same. Did you change anything? That may contribute to the difference you see.
Keep views and unique viewers separate. The number of views is not automatically the number of different people who saw your video. Likes and comments together are also a number of actions, not a number of unique people.
Read the comments too. Do viewers understand your explanation, or do they often ask the same question? That helps you decide what to make clearer in a future video. You cannot determine which platform always works better from one TikTok and one Reel. If you are also considering paid options, our Instagram services lets you compare packages for views and followers, including the available quantities and prices.
