so you just finished making a Reel on Instagram, and boom, it’s sitting in your phone’s gallery like it owns the place. it can get a little annoying, right? Especially when you are trying to keep your camera roll tidy.
You are not alone. I have been there too, scrolling through my gallery wondering, “Wait, when did I save all these Reels?”
Let me tell you, Instagram has this default setting where it auto-saves Reels you make. But the good news? You can totally turn that off.
Here is how to stop it (and no, it won’t delete your Reels on Instagram itself just your gallery):
Follow these quick steps:
1. Open your Instagram app.
2. Tap on your profile pic in the bottom right.
3. Now tap the three lines (yep, those little hamburger lines) in the top right.
4. Go to Settings and Privacy.
5. Scroll down and tap Archiving and downloading.
Tap Save Reels to device and turn it off.
And boom done! No more auto-saved Reels cluttering up your gallery. But just a heads-up: if you ever want to keep a Reel on your phone before posting it, you’ll need to download it manually.
that’s it. Super simple. Trust me, once you turn it off, your phone gallery will feel so much cleaner. It’s one of those little settings most people don’t even know exists, but it makes a big difference.