{"id":14036,"date":"2023-06-30T22:42:55","date_gmt":"2023-07-01T04:42:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/?p=14036"},"modified":"2026-05-25T01:59:22","modified_gmt":"2026-05-25T07:59:22","slug":"how-to-share-a-youtube-video-on-instagram","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/how-to-share-a-youtube-video-on-instagram","title":{"rendered":"How To Share a YouTube Video on Instagram (2026)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Earlier this year, Instagram tied with WhatsApp as <\/span>the third most popular social media platform<\/span><\/a> in the world. In second place is YouTube.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That may explain why many YouTubers prefer to cross-promote their content on YouTube. Considering Instagram\u2019s popularity, it makes sense to build a second following there. Plus, Instagram\u2019s in-app video platform, Reels, has been making headway in its <\/span>user<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>engagement gains<\/span><\/a> during the last few quarters.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There\u2019s just one little problem: YouTube doesn\u2019t make it easy for you to share a video from its platform to Instagram.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When you click the <\/span>Share <\/b>button beneath a video on YouTube, you have all kinds of options for platforms to share it to. There\u2019s even an Embed URL you can copy to embed the video on a website.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Amid all those options, however, Instagram posts and Stories are nowhere to be seen.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The good news is you can still post your YouTube video on Instagram in 2025. In this article, we\u2019ll explain how to share a YouTube video on Instagram, either as a post\/Reel or as a Story.<\/span><\/p>\n

How To Share a YouTube Video as an Instagram Post or Story<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Below are the steps for sharing a YouTube video as a post on Instagram. (This method works best when you\u2019re using a computer.)<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Step #1: <\/b>If the YouTube video you want to post to Instagram belongs to you, then edit the original file on your computer to ensure that the aspect ratio and resolution meet <\/span>Instagram\u2019s video post requirements<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If the video doesn\u2019t belong to you, then you can use a third-party YouTube video downloader like <\/span>WinX YouTube Downloader<\/span><\/a>. Once again, you may need to edit it to fit Instagram\u2019s posting requirements for videos.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"YouTube<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

Note:<\/b> Before you download any third-party app or software, research it carefully and read reviews to make sure it\u2019s safe and won\u2019t transfer a virus to your device. Furthermore, be aware that downloading YouTube videos without permission is a violation of <\/span>YouTube\u2019s Terms of Service<\/span><\/a>. If you\u2019re caught doing it, your account could be terminated.<\/div><\/div><\/span><\/p>\n
\n

Step #2: <\/b>Open the Instagram website on your computer and log into your account.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

\n

Step #3: <\/b>Select the <\/span>+Create<\/b> button.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"+Create<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

\n

Step #4: <\/b>Click <\/span>Post<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

\n

Step #5: <\/b>Click <\/span>Select from computer<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Select<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

\n

Step #6:<\/b> Open the video from your computer files.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

\n

Step #7: <\/b>Click <\/span>Next<\/b>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Click<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

\n

Step #8 (optional): <\/b>Choose a cover photo, trim your video, and edit it. Then click <\/span>Next<\/b>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Then<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

\n

Step #9: <\/b>On the next screen, write a caption for your video. You can also tag people, add a location, and more.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Tag<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

\n

Step #10: <\/b>Finally, click <\/span>Share<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Click<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

How To Share a YouTube Video on Instagram as a Story<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Sharing a YouTube video to your Instagram Story is a bit easier than sharing it as a post. That\u2019s because you don\u2019t technically have to download the video. It just needs to be posted on YouTube already.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Plus, you can do it on your phone, so it\u2019s much more convenient!<\/span><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how it works.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Step #1: <\/b>Log into the Instagram app.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Log<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

\n

Step #2: <\/b>Tap the <\/span>+<\/b> button at the bottom of the screen.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Tap<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

\n

Step #3: <\/b>Scroll over to <\/span>Story<\/b>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Scroll<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

\n

Step #4: <\/b>Choose an image that you want as the cover image for the YouTube video. It can be the video\u2019s thumbnail or something else.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Choose<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

\n

Step #5: <\/b>Tap the Stickers icon at the top of the screen.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Tap<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

\n

Step #6: <\/b>Select the blue <\/span>Link <\/b>sticker.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Blue<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

\n

Step #7: <\/b>Paste the URL of the YouTube video you want to share in the box provided.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Paste<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

\n

Step #8: <\/b>Tap the Link that appears on your Story to switch the color until you find one you like; pinch it to resize it; and move it wherever you want on your Story image.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

\n

Step #9: <\/b>When you\u2019re finished editing, tap <\/span>Your Story<\/b> at the bottom of the screen to share it.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Tap<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

If the YouTube video you want to share is already downloaded to your phone gallery, follow these steps instead.<\/p>\n

\n

Step #1:<\/strong> Log into the Instagram app.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Log<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

\n

Step #2: <\/b>Tap the <\/span>+<\/b> button at the bottom of the screen.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Tap<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

\n

Step #3: <\/b>Scroll over to <\/span>Story<\/b>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Scroll<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

\n

Step #4: <\/b>Tap the Gallery in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Tap<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

\n

Step #5: <\/b>Select the video you want to upload to your Stories.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Select<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

\n

Step #6: <\/b>Use the editing tools on the next screen to personalize and optimize your Instagram Story video. Make sure to include a Link to the original YouTube video if it\u2019s over 15 seconds long. 15 seconds is the maximum length for individual Instagram Stories.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Use<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

\n

Step #7: <\/b>Tap <\/span>Your Story<\/b> at the bottom of the screen to share the video.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Tap<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

Can You Get in Trouble for Downloading YouTube Videos?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Downloading YouTube videos without permission is a violation of <\/span>YouTube\u2019s Terms of Service<\/span><\/a>. You could get removed from the platform if you are caught doing it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Frequently Asked Questions<\/strong><\/h2>\n\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Even though YouTube doesn\u2019t support an easy way to share YouTube videos to your Instagram feed or Stories, you can still do it! It simply takes a little more time. Just follow our step-by-step instructions, and you\u2019ll soon be able to start cross-promoting your amazing video content.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

YouTube currently doesn\u2019t provide a straightforward way to share YouTube videos on Instagram. But that doesn\u2019t mean it can\u2019t be done! Read on to learn how to share a YouTube video on Instagram as a post in your feed or as a Story.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":14200,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[76],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14036","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-instagram"],"acf":[],"modified_by":"John","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14036","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14036"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14036\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38365,"href":"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14036\/revisions\/38365"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14200"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14036"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14036"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14036"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}