How to save Instagram reels to folders.

To put a reel in a folder on Instagram, tap the save (bookmark) icon, then add the reel to a collection from the prompt that appears, or press and hold the save icon to pick one. Instagram calls its folders collections. For reels you saved earlier, open your profile, tap the menu, tap Saved, and create a collection there.

Below are the steps in more detail, plus a way to keep reels in the same folders as the things you save from other apps.

Option 1: Use Instagram's built-in collections

Instagram moves buttons around between versions. If a step looks different on your phone, look for the bookmark icon and the word Saved.

• Save the reel. Tap the bookmark icon on the reel, or open the reel's menu and choose Save.
• Pick a collection. Choose one from the prompt after saving, or press and hold the save icon. You can pick an existing collection or create a new one.
• Sort older saves. Open your profile, tap the menu, then Saved. Create a collection and add reels you saved before.

If you can't find the Saved section, our guide on where saved posts go on Instagram walks through it.

What Instagram collections can't hold

Collections are free and already on your phone, so they are the obvious place to start. The main limit is that a collection holds Instagram posts only. The TikTok you saved last week and the YouTube tutorial from yesterday stay in their own apps, so a “Trip ideas” collection on Instagram only ever shows part of your trip ideas.

Saved also points back to the original reel. If a creator deletes it or makes their account private, it may stop showing in your collection. For a side-by-side look, see Savio vs Instagram Saved collections.

Option 2: Save reels into Savio collections

Savio is a free iOS and Android app that saves through the share sheet. On a reel, tap the share (paper plane) button, pick Savio, and choose a collection. Savio suggests one as you save, so filing usually takes one tap. The same steps work in TikTok, YouTube and more, plus any link, so one “Trip ideas” collection can hold a reel, a TikTok and a blog post.

You can also share a collection, say for a trip you are planning with friends. The free plan includes 1 shared collection and the Pro plan lifts that limit. Search, tags and the rest are on the features page.

How to set up folders you will use

These habits help with any tool:

• Name folders by what you will do. “Cook this week” or “Gym, legs” is easier to act on than “Food” or “Fitness”.
• Keep the list short. Five to ten collections are easier to scan than forty. Savio's free plan has 5 personal collections, which is a reasonable place to start.
• Sort as you save. Filing a reel takes a second when you save it and much longer once it is one of three hundred.
• Go back on a schedule. Pick a regular time, such as Sunday evening, to open one folder, watch what is there and delete what you no longer want.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

• Where do saved posts go on Instagram?: Finding your Saved section, collections, and what happens to saved posts.
• Savio vs Instagram Saved collections: What Instagram's built-in Saved does well, and where a dedicated library helps.
• Save recipe reels and actually cook them: A simple system for recipe videos from Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.
• A Pocket alternative for social saves: Where Savio fits for former Pocket users, and where it does not.