How to Recover Deleted Reels Drafts on Instagram
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It's happened to the best of us — you're in the middle of editing a reel on Instagram, and suddenly your phone crashes, you accidentally exited out of the app or accidentally deleted a Reels draft that you planned to post. When you go back to your drafts, your progress is nowhere to be found.
Also, recently many Instagram users have reported that their Instagram Reels drafts have been disappearing, or Instagram was deleting draft Reels, which could be caused by an app bug.
But before you start panicking, there are a few things you can do to try and recover your lost reel.
How to recover deleted Reel drafts and disappeared Reels on Instagram
There are four methods you can try to recover your deleted or disappeared Reels Drafts.
Update your Instagram app
If you are sure you saved your Reel but can’t find it, it might be due to a bug. This can be fixed by updating the app.
- Go to the App Store or Google Play Store to check if there’s an update for the Instagram app.
- If you see the ‘Update’ option for the Instagram app, tap on it to install it.
- After you update the app, check if you can find your draft Reels.
If you still can’t find the Reels draft after updating the app, check the rest of the methods.
Check out also how to save Instagram Reels without posting.
Check the Reels draft folder
The first place you can check for your draft Reel is in the Reels draft folder:
- Open the Instagram app.
- Tap on the profile icon at the bottom-right corner of the screen.
- Tap on the Reels tab.
- If you have any draft Reels, they will be labeled as ‘Drafts’. Check if the draft Reel you are looking for is in this folder.
If you can’t find your Reel here, explore the two ways below.
Check the ‘Recently Deleted’ folder
Instagram introduced a new feature called ‘Recently deleted’ that stores deleted posts, stories, videos, and Reels for 30 days.
To check if your deleted or disappeared Reels are in the ‘Recently deleted’ folder:
- Go to your Instagram profile and tap on the hamburger menu in the top-right corner.
- Select ‘Your activity’.
- Scroll down and tap on ‘Recently deleted’.
If you found your deleted Reels here:
- Tap on the three vertical dots in the bottom-right corner of the screen.
- Select ‘Restore’.
This will restore your deleted Reel to the Reels section on your profile.
Check the Instagram Reels upload screen
If you were editing a Reel and your phone battery died, you got a phone call, or you accidentally closed the Instagram app, but you didn’t get the chance to save the Reel.
The good news is that the Reel might still be available in the Reels upload stage and your edits saved in it. To check if the Reel is on the Upload page:
- Open the Instagram app.
- Swipe left from the Instagram home page to open up the Upload screen.
- Tap on the Reels option at the bottom of the capture button.
- If you see a pop-up message saying “Continue editing your video?”, then your Reel is still available on the Upload screen.
- Tap on ‘Continue editing’ to continue editing where you left off.
Tip: To prevent your Reel from disappearing because your phone died or you got a phone call, make sure to save your Reel draft before editing it.
Are you having issues with Instagram Reels not working? Check out our blog post on how to fix it.
If you are new to Instagram Reels, explore our beginners’ guide on how to use them.
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