If you have created draft reels on Instagram but can’t seem to find them, there are a few places you can look. Instagram saves all draft reels in the drafts folder within the app, so you just need to know where to access it.
Checking the Reels Tab
The most obvious place to check for draft reels is in the Reels tab in the Instagram app. Tap on the Reels icon on the bottom of the screen, then tap on the camera icon in the top left corner.
This will open up the Reels camera where you can create new reels. But before that, look near the top and you will see any existing draft reels you have created.
Draft reels are indicated by a “Draft” label below the thumbnail. Tap on any draft reel thumbnail to open it up and continue editing.
Viewing All Drafts
You can also view all your draft reels in one place by accessing the drafts folder. To get there:
- Go to your profile by tapping your profile picture in the bottom right
- Tap the 3-line menu button in the top right corner
- Select “Drafts” from the menu
This will display all your draft posts, stories, and reels. Filter to just reels by tapping “Reels” at the top.
You will now see thumbnail previews of all your draft reels. Tap any draft to open it and pick up where you left off.
Recovering Deleted Drafts
If you can’t find a draft reel you remember creating, it may have been accidentally deleted. But you can try recovering deleted drafts as well.
Go to the drafts folder as outlined above. At the top, tap on “Recently Deleted.”
This section will display any draft posts, stories, or reels that were recently deleted. They will remain here for 7 days before being permanently removed.
Scroll through and see if your missing draft reel shows up here. If so, tap on it to restore it back to drafts.
Saving Reels as Drafts
When you are creating a new reel in Instagram, you have the option to save it as a draft at any time.
Simply tap “Save Draft” either in the bottom left corner or in the top right menu. This will save your current progress as a draft reel.
You can then close the reel and come back later to finish it up. All changes will be saved.
Auto Saving Drafts
Instagram will also automatically save any reels you don’t finish as drafts. So if you start making a reel but close the app before posting, it will be saved for you.
These auto-saved drafts will appear in your drafts folder along with any reels you manually chose to save as a draft.
Editing Draft Reels
Once you open a draft reel, you can review it and resume editing right from where you left off. Here are some ways to edit draft reels:
- Trim the length of any clips
- Rearrange clips in any order
- Add or remove clips
- Change audio tracks
- Adjust filter, effects, captions, stickers
- Preview the reel before posting
Edit and tweak the reel until you are happy with it. When ready, tap “Share” to post it to your Instagram feed.
Discarding Draft Reels
If you have some draft reels you no longer need, you can easily discard them:
- Go to your drafts folder
- Tap and hold on a draft reel thumbnail
- Tap the trash icon to delete it
Deleted draft reels will move to the “Recently Deleted” section for 7 days before being permanently removed.
Turning Off Auto Saving
If you don’t want Instagram to auto save all in-progress reels as drafts, you can disable this feature.
Go to your profile, tap the 3-line menu, and select “Settings.” Then go to the “Account” section of settings.
Toggle off the switch next to “Save and Share Work in Progress.” Now Instagram will not save any unfinished reels.
Using Drafts to Test Content
Saving reels as drafts can be very useful for testing out different types of content before posting.
Feel free to play around with draft reels to see what captures your audience best. Check Insights on drafts to see how they perform.
This allows you to make data-driven decisions about what content resonates most with your followers.
Sharing Reels From Drafts
When your draft reel is ready to be shared, open it up and tap the “Share” button.
You can then customize the sharing options:
- Add a caption
- Use suggested hashtags or add your own
- Tag people
- Select sharing location (feed or story)
- Turn off or on commenting
Once configured, tap “Share” again to post the finished reel to your Instagram profile!
Collaborating on Draft Reels
If you are collaborating on content creation with a partner, you can utilize drafts to efficiently build reels together.
For example, you can create a draft reel then hand it off to a partner to review and make edits. They can then pass it back as a draft.
This collaborative process using drafts enables you to jointly create great reels for your audience.
Scheduling Reels From Drafts
Once you finalize a draft reel, you may want to schedule it to post at a specific date and time for maximum impact.
You can schedule any reel when sharing it. Simply tap “Advanced Settings” and select a date and time to schedule the post.
This allows drafting reels in advance and scheduling them for promotion campaigns or content calendars.
Repurposing Draft Reels
A great tip is to repurpose draft reel content for other formats after posting to your feed.
For example, you can take segments of a draft reel to share as stories, or use the audio for a new reel.
Repurposing draft reels extends your content mileage and saves you creation time.
Backing Up Drafts Externally
To prevent losing draft reels due to app issues, it can be wise to back them up externally.
You can screen record or use third party apps to save copies of draft reels on your camera roll or cloud storage.
This provides an external backup so you never lose draft content you spent time creating.
Using Reels to Drive More Traffic to Website
Savvy marketers use Instagram reels to drive traffic to their websites or online stores. Some effective tactics include:
- Teasing products or content available on your site
- Adding embedded links to your website in captions
- Creating tutorial reels that lead to blog posts
- Driving to landing pages, deals, or promotions
Drafting reels with these goals in mind and testing them before posting can help maximize the website traffic achieved.
Troubleshooting Issues With Draft Reels
If you are experiencing issues accessing, editing, or posting draft reels, here are some troubleshooting tips:
- Force quit and restart the Instagram app
- Check for app updates in your device app store
- Clear the app cache and data
- Log out and back into your Instagram account
- Update your device software
- Try on a different device
- Report issues to Instagram support
Following basic troubleshooting steps can often resolve problems with draft reels not behaving as expected.
Avoiding Copyright Issues With Music
When using popular music in draft reels, keep in mind that copyright issues can block you from posting.
To avoid problems, only use music you have licensed, royalty-free tracks, or songs enabled under music library policies.
Review Instagram’s music guidelines thoroughly so your drafts using music comply with policies.
Best Practices for Draft Reels
Some best practices for successfully using Instagram draft reels include:
- Test different content styles in drafts before posting
- Analyze draft performance with Insights
- Collaborate with others by passing drafts back and forth
- Schedule drafts to post at optimal times
- Back up drafts externally to avoid losing work
- Repurpose draft content for other formats
- Use drafts to drive traffic to your website
Following these tips will help you become a master at leveraging Instagram draft reels for your brand or business.