Here’s how to add music to an Instagram Story

Strike a chord with your Instagram Stories!

Social media is the theater of the 21st century, and your content deserves a soundtrack worthy of your stellar cinematics and selfies. Add music to your Instagram Stories to up the artistry and grab your audience’s attention, compelling them to rewatch your Story because they can’t get enough of a song.

Here’s everything all you content creators and Sunday ’grammers need to know about how to add music to an Instagram Story.

How to add music to your Instagram Story

Although there are many ways to add music to an Instagram Story, let’s start with the basics.

With iOS or Android mobile apps

1. Open Instagram on your iPhone or Android mobile device.
2. Start a new Story by clicking on your profile photo in the upper left-hand corner of the screen or clicking on the plus icon at the bottom of the screen and selecting Story. (You can also create a new Story by simply swiping left.)
3. After you’ve uploaded your picture or video, tap on the camera icon in the top left corner of the screen and add music using the stickers toolbar.
4. With the sticker toolbar open, tap on the music option.
5. Search the app's vast music library for Instagram Stories, and find a tune that sets the mood or adds comedic value to your Story.
6. Once you find the perfect track, use the time slider to set the clip length, marking the song’s part that’ll play during your Story.
7. Tap on the song's title to change the display style for the artist and track name.
8. When finished, select Done in the upper right-hand corner of the screen and share your Story with the world or your closest friends.

While most Instagram users gravitate toward adding music directly from the app’s library, there are other ways to add a background score to your Stories. However, remember that IG only permits you and your followers to listen to a clip of a song you’ve added. To add an entire track, leverage music-streaming apps such as Spotify, SoundCloud or Shazam. Here’s how.

How to add music using Spotify, SoundCloud or Shazam.

Spotify

If you’re jamming to a great song and feel inspired to make a Story around it, start your creative process from Spotify.

1. Open the Spotify app.
2. Find the song you want to add to your Instagram Story.
3. Tap the vertical ellipsis icon on that song.
4. From the pop-up menu, tap Share.
5. From the Share menu, click Instagram Stories.
6. Spotify will start a new Story for you in the Instagram app and include the track, playlist or album cover art. Anyone who views your Story can tap on the track and redirect to the Spotify page.

SoundCloud

If you want to use your favorite underground electronic track in a Story, but it’s not in the IG music library, move the song to your Story from SoundCloud.

1. Open the SoundCloud app on your iOS or Android device.
2. Find the song, album or playlist you’d like to add to your Instagram Story.
3. Tap on the Share icon.
4. From the pop-up menu, select Stories.
5. SoundCloud will start a Story within the Instagram app and send over the cover art of the song, album or playlist.
6. When you publish your Story, users can click a link at the top of the screen that reads “Play on SoundCloud,” and IG will redirect users to the track.

Shazam

The Shazam app helps audiophiles “name that tune” when they hear a great track from someone else’s speaker. The app has a near magical ability to listen to the song and bring up the title, artist and an option to continue listening to the track on Apple Music. Use this handy app to add music to your Instagram Story. Here’s how.

1. Open the Shazam application on your cell phone.
2. Shazam the song you’re currently listening to or browse a track from your library.
3. Tap the Share icon in the upper right-hand corner.
4. Select Instagram from the menu.
5. Shazam will start a Story within the Instagram app and send over the cover art of the song, album or playlist.
6. When you publish your Story, users can click a link at the top of the screen that reads “Play on Shazam,” and Instagram will redirect users to the track.

How to save an IG Story with music on iPhone

Generally, whenever you try to save a Story with music to your gallery, the IG app warns you that the Story can’t be saved with audio, or a dialog box asks you to “Save Story without audio?”

But if you have already downloaded the app’s latest version, you won’t face this issue anymore. IG’s newest software update permits users to download Stories and directly save them to their phone’s gallery with music.

However, if you can’t access the version, opt for third-party websites such as StorySaver.net to save your Stories. Remember, this only works when you operate a public account. Here’s how.

1. Open a web browser on your mobile device.
2. Search for www.storysaver.net.
3. If you’re using Safari, copy your Story’s URL beforehand to avoid back and forth.
4. Type in your IG username.
5. Click Download.
6. Checkmark the captcha to prove you’re not a robot.
7. Add your Story’s URL.
8. Tap on Download.
9. Select “Save as” on the pop-up menu to download your Story.

Why can’t I add music to my IG Story?

Don't give up if you’re close to finishing a masterpiece but can’t get the sound right. There are a few reasons you may be running into issues.

• You need to update the app. If you’re running an old version of Instagram without the music feature, you’re just a couple of clicks away from resolving the issue. Head to the App Store on your mobile device to check what version of IG you’re using. You’ll know it's old software if there’s an option to download a newer version. Follow the on-screen cues to download the latest update.
• You use a business account. Because of copyright restrictions, Instagram for business accounts can’t add tracks from the Instagram music library to Stories, nor can they upload videos with tracks in the background. If you’re dead set on publishing your Story with a specific song, do it from your personal account. Otherwise, use Instagram’s royalty-free Sound Collection to select a track for your business Story.
• You need to clear your Instagram caché. Caché is a computing term for stored data. It facilitates future actions but sometimes trips those actions up because the saved information is outdated. Clear your Instagram caché by uninstalling and reinstalling Instagram. If old cachéd data was the culprit, you should be good to go now.

Take your Stories to the next level

Finding the right songs for Instagram Stories is just the start – there’s much more to learn about making sonically and visually appealing content.

Check out Linktree’s blog to know how to add original audio to Reels (yes, like your garage band’s new track), write rocking captions for your posts and add custom backgrounds to your Stories. Also, find out what content resonates with followers by checking who’s viewing your Stories. And when you’ve reached celebrity status on the app, read about how to apply for the blue Instagram verification badge.

While you’re browsing our website, grab a Linktree URL and make your social media game smooth. Get a single link to manage all accounts in one place!