How to download Instagram Highlights
Instagram Highlights are Stories the creator decided to make permanent. They appear as circles above the feed with titles like "Recipes", "Travel", "Products" or whatever the creator picks. Since they're permanent, downloading them is easy — no urgency like normal Stories. In this guide I'll explain everything.
What exactly are Highlights?
They are:
- Stories the creator manually archived
- Organized into collections with custom titles
- Visible as circles at the top of the profile
- Permanent until the creator removes them
- Can contain multiple Stories (photos and videos)
Unlike regular Stories that last 24 hours, Highlights are stable content. Downloading them is much easier.
How to download a Highlight
1. Get the Highlight link
From the Instagram app
- Go to the creator's profile
- Tap the Highlight circle (above the feed)
- Wait for it to open and play
- Tap the Share button (paper plane) in the bottom corner
- Select Copy link
From the browser
- Go to the profile on instagram.com
- Click the Highlight circle
- Copy the URL from the address bar
Highlight URLs look like instagram.com/stories/highlights/XXXXXXX/.
2. Paste it in ReelSavr
Go to reelsavr.net, paste the link and tap Search video. ReelSavr automatically detects it's a Highlight and shows all its slides.
3. Download full Highlight or individual slide
Options:
- Download the full Highlight: gives you a ZIP with all videos and photos from the Highlight, numbered
- Download individual slide: if you only want a specific piece
Downloaded ZIP structure
When you download a full Highlight, you'll receive something like:
highlight-name/highlight-name/01.mp4— first Story (video)highlight-name/02.jpg— second Story (photo)highlight-name/03.mp4— third Story (video)- ...etc
Files are numbered in chronological order (from the first to last the creator added).
Highlight quality
Same as regular Stories, Highlights are typically:
- 720p in most cases
- 1080p if the creator originally uploaded high quality
- Audio compressed to 64-128 kbps
Interesting use cases
Courses in Highlights
Many educational creators use Highlights to organize lessons by topic. "Basic concepts", "Advanced tips", "Common mistakes". Downloading the full Highlight gives you an offline mini-course.
Store products
Brands use Highlights to show products by category. "Shirts", "Pants", "Accessories". Useful for visually comparing a full line.
Recipes
Cooking accounts use Highlights to save their best recipes. Downloading lets you view them in the kitchen without internet or ads.
Creative portfolio
Designers, photographers, illustrators showcase their work in Highlights. As inspiration or reference, archiving is valuable.
Event documentation
Important events (conferences, launches, parties) often get documented only in Highlights. To preserve that record, download before the creator removes the Highlight.
Advantages vs. regular Stories
| Feature | Regular Stories | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| Duration | 24 hours | Permanent |
| Stable URL | Not always | Yes |
| Easy to download | Hard | Easy |
| Multiple slides | Yes (ephemeral) | Yes (persistent) |
| Organized by topic | No | Yes (title) |
Limitations
Private accounts
Private accounts' Highlights aren't accessible. Same as all private content.
Deleted Highlights
If the creator removes a Highlight, the Stories it contained are also removed (unless archived in their personal Stories archive).
Very old Highlights
Highlights created years ago may have Stories in low quality (480p) because Instagram compressed more back then.
Frequently asked questions
What are Highlights?
Stories the creator decided to save permanently to their profile. They appear as circles above the feed, with a custom title. They never expire.
Does ReelSavr work with Highlights?
Yes, and they're actually easier than regular Stories because they have a stable public URL. No race against the clock.
Can I download a full Highlight (all its slides)?
Yes. ReelSavr detects it's a Highlight with multiple slides and offers to download all as a ZIP, or slide by slide individually.
Does it work with Highlights from private accounts?
No. If the account is private, its Highlights aren't publicly accessible either.