The short version: Instagram has a built-in Repost feature (tap the paper plane icon under any Reel, then tap Repost) that adds it to a separate Reposts tab on your profile with the original creator credited automatically, which is the only method that won’t get you flagged. Screen recording someone’s Reel and reuploading it as your own is a copyright breach even if you credit them in the caption, and it can get your account restricted. If you want it in your feed with your own commentary, you ask permission first and get the file sent to you directly.
The two ways Instagram lets you do this
There’s a right way and a wrong way to repost, and most of the confusion comes from people not knowing Instagram now has a proper repost function built in. It rolled out gradually from spring 2024 and by 2026 it’s standard across UK, US and most other markets, so if you’re not seeing it, check your app is updated.
Method one: the native Repost feature
- Open the Reel you want to repost.
- Tap the paper plane (share) icon underneath it.
- Look for the Repost icon, two arrows in a loop, next to the share sheet.
- Tap it. The Reel goes into a Reposts tab on your profile, separate from your main grid, with the original creator’s username tagged automatically at the top.
- You can add your own caption or comment above it before confirming.
This is the only method Instagram fully supports without any risk of it being pulled down, because the platform itself is handling the attribution, not you. It won’t sit in your normal feed grid, it shows up in the separate Reposts section on your profile, which some businesses don’t love because it feels less prominent. That’s the trade off for doing it.
Method two: add it to your Story
If you just want to share something for 24 hours rather than keep it, tap the paper plane icon and choose Add to Your Story. Instagram automatically stamps the original creator’s handle onto it as a sticker, which people can tap through to their profile. This is quick, low commitment, and completely safe, but it disappears after a day and doesn’t build anything permanent on your profile.
What happens when you screen record and reupload instead
I had a client last year, a personal trainer working out of a gym in Brighton, who found a lovely client testimonial style Reel from another trainer in a different city and wanted it on her own feed under her own name. Instead of asking, she screen recorded it on her phone, which stripped the sound quality, added a black bar down one side, and lost the original quality completely. She uploaded it as her own Reel with no credit at all.
Within two days the original creator spotted it, reported it, and Instagram removed the Reel and put a copyright restriction on her account. That restriction meant her Reels and Stories, which had been reaching around 4,000 accounts a week, dropped to under 400 a week for close to a month while the flag was active. She lost most of a month of momentum over a ten second clip she could have just asked to share.
This is the bit people writing about reposting tend to skip past: crediting someone in a caption does not protect you legally or algorithmically. Copyright law doesn’t care that you wrote “credit to @username” underneath a video you copied. Instagram’s own enforcement doesn’t care either, and their systems are increasingly good at matching reuploaded video against the original file, even after a screen record.
Should you even bother reposting in the first place
Here’s the uncomfortable part nobody selling you a content strategy wants to say out loud: reposted content generally performs worse for reach than original content, because Instagram’s algorithm is built to reward accounts that create, not accounts that redistribute. If you’ve read my post on how to engage people on your Instagram profile, you’ll know the platform weighs signals like watch time and shares heavily, and reposted content tends to get less of both because your followers have often already seen it somewhere else, or it doesn’t feel like it’s from you.
That doesn’t mean never repost. It means use it sparingly, for a specific reason: a client testimonial you couldn’t have filmed yourself, a collaboration, an industry news clip relevant to your audience. If your Reposts tab starts to make up more than about 10 to 15 percent of your recent activity, you’re likely to see your average reach per post drift down, because Instagram is quietly deciding you’re a curator rather than a creator. LinkedIn does something similar with reposted content on its own feed, which I’ve written about in my piece on LinkedIn algorithm hacks, and the pattern holds across most platforms: original content wins the distribution game every time.
How to ask permission (and what to say)
If you want a Reel in your actual feed grid with your own caption, your own hook at the top, or your own audio layered over it, you need the creator’s permission and, ideally, the raw file rather than a downloaded copy. Here’s the DM template I use with clients:
- “Hi [name], loved your Reel about [topic], would you mind if I shared it to my page with full credit to you? Happy to send you the caption I’d use first if that’s helpful.”
- If they agree, ask if they can send the original file directly through DM or email rather than you saving a compressed copy off the app.
- Tag them in the image itself, not just the caption, so it survives even if someone screenshots or reshares further.
- Write “Repost from @username” or “Original content by @username” clearly in the first line of your caption, not buried at the bottom.
Most creators say yes if you ask nicely and credit, because it’s free exposure for them. The problem is almost never the request, it’s that people skip the request entirely and just take the content.
Reposting as part of a wider content plan
If you’re running Instagram for a business or a client and reposting is one small part of a bigger content calendar, it’s worth treating it the same way you’d treat any other content decision: with a plan, not a whim. My guide on starting a marketing campaign on Instagram covers how to build a proper content mix so reposts sit alongside original posts rather than replacing them.
This is also the kind of task that’s easy to hand off. If you’re managing several client accounts or just don’t have time to manually check permissions and repost with proper credit every week, it’s a task you can hand to a virtual assistant, and I’ve written a full breakdown of what that costs and how to find someone reliable in my guide to hiring a virtual assistant through Indeed. For agencies juggling this across multiple clients, my guide to social media for marketing agencies covers how to build repeatable processes for exactly this kind of low-risk, high-admin task.
Whatever tool you use to schedule the actual post, most scheduling platforms handle native Reposts poorly because the feature is still relatively new. I tested a handful of the popular ones for my social media scheduling tools review, and most still require you to repost manually inside the Instagram app itself rather than through a third party dashboard, so build that ten minutes into your week rather than assuming it’s automated.
Frequently asked questions
Can you repost someone’s Reel without them knowing?
Using Instagram’s native Repost feature, yes, technically you don’t need to ask first because the platform automatically credits them and it’s designed for exactly this. But it’s still good manners to tell them, and if you’re planning to download and reupload the video manually rather than using the native feature, you should always ask, because that method has no built-in protection for them or for you.
Does reposting a Reel hurt my own reach?
It can, if you do it a lot. Instagram tends to reward accounts that produce original content with more consistent reach, and reposted content sitting in your separate Reposts tab usually gets less distribution than a Reel you filmed yourself. Use it occasionally for good content, not as a regular filler strategy.
What happens if I get caught reposting without credit?
The original creator can report it, and Instagram can remove the post and issue a copyright strike or a temporary restriction on your account. Restrictions typically last around a month and can cut your reach on Reels and Stories by 80 to 90 percent for the duration, based on what I’ve seen happen to client accounts.
Is there a difference between reposting to my feed and reposting to my Story?
Yes. Reposting to your Story is instant, temporary (24 hours), and Instagram automatically tags the original creator for you, so it’s very low risk. Getting a Reel permanently into your feed grid with your own caption requires the creator’s permission and usually the original file, since Instagram’s native Repost feature only puts shared content into a separate Reposts tab, not your main grid.
Official documentation
Related reading: What Hashtags Help Your TikTok Videos Go Viral in 2026 and What Is The Best Time To Upload Reels For Maximum Reach in 2026.
Want the complete version? Read where I break down social media marketing.
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