Reels have become a much-welcomed addition to Instagram despite the launch controversy around them. This new short content format allows you to post up to 60s videos to Instagram that can help you promote your account and get in touch with new audiences.
But it can be quite disheartening if Reels still do not show up for you in the app. If you’re facing this issue, then here’s what you need to know about it.
How to check if Reels is available for you (How to access Reels) in 4 ways
Let’s get familiar with accessing Reels on Instagram. This will help you access them easily once you have fixed your issue. Additionally, if you have a malfunctioning app, we recommend you check these locations.
In case you have Reels somewhere, we recommend accessing and posting a private Reel to test the feature. A reinstall of the app might help fix the issue for you in case you manage to post a Reel that is available on your account. So here’s how you can access Reels on Instagram.
Method #01: The ‘Create’ icon
Tap on the ‘+’ icon at the top and you should have an option for Reels in the pop-up menu.
Now, check if you see the Reels under options.
Related: How To Share Instagram Reels As A Story Or DM
Method #02: The explore page
The explore page will have Reels intermittently playing for you. Pick one you like and try remixing and reposting it privately. This might help trigger the feature and make it available for you.
Tap on the Magnifying Glass at the bottom of your screen to open the Explore page.
Now tap and pick a Reel you like and tap on the ‘3-dot’ icon in the bottom right corner of the Reel.
Tap and select ‘Remix This Reel’.
Proceed to record a remix for the Reel by tapping and holding onto the Shutter icon.
Now tap on ‘Preview’.
Make any changes to your Reel as needed. We will be posting this Reel temporarily hence we will not make any edits. Tap on ‘Next’ once you are done.
Edit the visibility of your Reel and if you wish to promote the same on Facebook.
Tap on ‘Next’ once you are done.
Confirm your choice and tap on ‘Share’ to publish the Reel.
And that’s how you can access and remix Reels from the Explore page.
Method #03: The camera access
Swipe right on your home feed to access the Instagram Camera.
Here you can access Reel by tapping on the same at the bottom of your screen.
You can now create a new Reel as intended and publish it to your Instagram page.
Method #04: The ‘Create’ icon (Profile)
Tap on the profile icon at the bottom of your screen.
Now tap on the ‘+’ icon in the top right corner of your screen.
You should now have an option for ‘Reel’ in the pop-up menu at the bottom of your screen.
And that’s how you can access Reels from the Profile page.
If you have either of these methods available to you then we recommend posting a Reel using the same. This might help trigger the availability of Reels to you within Instagram.
Related: How To Save Reels to Drafts
Why Reels is not available for you? 6 Reasons explained
There can be many reasons why you don’t have Reels. It could be due to region restrictions, account restrictions, corrupted cache, and much more. Here are some prominent reasons why Reels could be missing from your app.
Reason #01: Unsupported region
If you’re in an unsupported region where restrictions are imposed by your government, then it could be the reason why Reels is unavailable to you.
Reason #02: Outdated app
If you have an older device or haven’t updated your apps in a while then chances are your Instagram app is outdated. For security reasons, Reels is unsupported by older versions of Instagram and hence an outdated app could be the reason why this feature is unavailable to you.
Reason #03: Restricted account
Certain account activity like too many likes or follows can get you flagged which limits the features available to you. It could be that your account has been flagged by the algorithm which is why Reels is unavailable to you.
Reason #04: New account
Some new accounts with limited verification start with limited functionality and features to avoid spam accounts on the platform. If you have a new account and are yet to verify your identity then it could be the reason why this feature is unavailable to you.
Reason #05: Technical issue
Certain Instagram accounts in the past have faced an issue where they were unable to access Reels due to a technical glitch. This can be fixed by getting in touch with Instagram support. Some reports indicate that enrolling in the beta program causes this issue but this is all speculation at this point.
Related: How to share Instagram Reels in Explore but not in feed and profile grid
How to get Reels on Instagram in 8 ways
Here are a few ways to fix and get Reels on Instagram. You can try these fixes to see if that fixes the issue for you. We highly recommend you start with the first one to make sure that your account hasn’t been flagged by Instagram.
You can then appropriately get in touch with the support team as none of the other fixes will work for you.
Method #01: Prerequisite: Change your privacy settings
Some of these fixes require you to repost or remix Reels temporarily to trigger the feature for your account which should make it available to you.
We recommend making your account and Reels private during these fixes to ensure that no random videos or remixes get posted to your audience. Follow the steps below to help you along with the process.
Open the Instagram app and tap on the ‘Profile’ icon in the bottom right corner of your screen.
Now tap on the ‘Menu’ icon in the top right corner.
Tap and select ‘Settings’.
Now tap on ‘Privacy’.
Tap on ‘Reels and Remix’.
Turn off all the toggles currently active on your screen.
Go to the previous page and tap on ‘Restricted accounts’.
Tap on ‘Continue’.
Now restrict any follower that still might have access to your temporary Reel while it is posted. This will prevent them from accessing and interacting with the same.
And that’s it! You will now have changed your privacy settings. You can now follow the fixes below to get Reels on Instagram.
Method #02: Check if your account has been flagged
You will have to create a new temporary Instagram account to see if your account has been flagged by Instagram. You can also ask a friend or family member that has Reels available to them to log in to your device and check if they are facing the same issue as well.
This will help you determine if the issue is with your device or your account. If your account seems to be the only one facing this issue then you will need to get in touch with the support team.
Follow the guide below to get in touch with the Instagram support team from your account. We recommend you take a screenshot of the feature being available to you beforehand before proceeding with the steps below.
Open the app and tap on your profile icon at the bottom of your screen.
Tap on the ‘Menu’ icon in the top right corner.
Now tap and select ‘Settings’.
Tap on ‘Help’.
Tap on ‘Report a problem’.
Now tap and select ‘Report a problem’.
Explain your issue to the team that you don’t have Reels available to you.
Now tap on ‘Gallery’ and select the screenshot you took of the missing feature.
Click on ‘Submit’ once you are done.
Your support ticket will now be submitted. You can track the same by opening the ‘Help’ section in Settings as we did earlier and then tapping on ‘Support Requests’.
Tap on ‘Reports’.
You will be able to now track your submitted request in this section. And that’s it! You can now explain and get your issue sorted by the Instagram support team.
Method #03: Visit an external Reel link
Visiting an external link will allow you to open the Reel in your Instagram app. This might help trigger the feature and make it available to you.
We recommend remixing and posting the Reel privately to further help make the feature available to you. Follow the steps below to help you along with the process.
Visit one of the links above from your mobile browser. The Reel should now open in your browser and then automatically redirect to the app. If this does not happen, tap on ‘Open in app’ at the bottom.
Now tap on the ‘3-dot’ menu icon in the bottom right corner.
Select ‘Remix This Reel’.
Record any random video for now by tapping on the Shutter icon at the bottom.
Note: We hope you edited your privacy settings just for these fixes to ensure that no random videos or reels get posted to your Instagram audience while trying to get Reels in Instagram.
Tap on ‘Preview’ once you are done.
You can now mute the audio for your video. Tap on the ‘Audio’ icon at the top.
Slide down the slider for ‘Camera Audio’. Tap on an empty area at the top to close the pop-up.
Tap on ‘Next’ once you are done.
Turn off the toggle for ‘Also share to Feed’.
Tap on ‘Next’ once you are done.
Now tap on ‘Share’ to confirm your choice.
Once the Reel is shared, restart the Instagram app. If everything went as intended, Reels should now be available to you on Instagram. You can now delete the Reel we just posted, and the feature should still be available to you within the app.
Method #04: Restart your device
If an external link and remixing the Reel could not help you trigger the feature for your account then we recommend you try restarting your device.
This will help clear caches and restart app services which should help Instagram fetch new data from the servers. This should help make Reels available to you within the app.
Method #05: Update your app
We recommend you update the Instagram app to the latest version if you haven’t updated the app in a while. Additionally, we recommend you re-login to the app once it has been updated.
This will help you refresh your app content while ensuring that the new updates can take effect which should help make Reels available to you.
Method #06: Update your device
If you have been running an older device mainly before iOS 12 or Android Pie then it is likely that you haven’t received security patches in a while. The lack of system resources, camera capability, and outdated security could be the reason why the Instagram app is functioning with limited capability on your device.
You can try updating your system firmware and Android version in case one is available for your device. If not you can try to root your device and install one on your own if you’re feeling adventurous. However, if you can not do either of these things then unfortunately you might have to upgrade your device in such cases.
We highly recommend you get in touch with the Instagram support team to verify the same before investing in a new device.
Method #07: Re-login to the app
A simple re-login can help fix many issues with your app and account. We recommend you try re-logging into the app if none of the fixes above worked for you.
This will help refresh your connection with the Instagram servers and hopefully help trigger Reels for you. Open the app and tap on your profile picture at the bottom of your screen.
Now tap on the menu icon in the top right corner and select ‘Settings’.
Now tap on ‘Log out’ at the bottom.
Tap and choose ‘Not now’ and tap on ‘Log out’ to confirm your choice.
Once logged out, restart your device, and log back into Instagram. If Reels is still unavailable to you then we highly recommend that you try the external link trick at the top again. It should help trigger Reels for you which should get the feature up and running for your account.
Method #08: Reinstall the app
If by this point you are still unable to access Reels then we recommend you re-install the app. A reinstall will help fix most common issues, iron out bugs, clear cache and data while ensuring that everything is working in the background as intended.
Once you delete the app use the links below to download the latest release back on your device. Once downloaded, log in to your account and use the external link trick at the top to get Reels working within the app.
How to get in touch with Instagram support?
You get in touch with Instagram support using the Help section within the app. You can use this link to follow along with the guide above that will help you through the entire process.
You can also use the link below to get in touch with the support team using a desktop device instead.
FAQs
Here are a few commonly asked questions about getting Reels in Instagram that should help you get up to speed with the latest available information.
Why do I have Reels only available on one account?
If you have Reels only available to you on a single account then it is likely that your other account is facing a server-sided issue. Maybe you rarely interact with Reels on that account or aren’t that active anymore. It could also be that your account has been flagged or marked as hibernating due to inactivity.
You can fix most such issues by using the external link trick at the top. Our in-house testing Instagram account was facing this issue on multiple devices and using an external link helped fix the issue. You can use this link and follow the steps to help you with the process.
Will using a VPN help me get Reels?
Yes, if you are in a region where Reels and Instagram have been restricted by your government then you can use a VPN to circumvent the same. Keep in mind that you might need to change your Account Region and use a location spoofer as well in some cases.
We hope this post helped you easily get Reels working on Instagram. If you face any issues or have any more questions for us, feel free to reach out using the comments section below.
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