Instagram Edits App: What It Is, Features and How to Use It

How to download Edits and log in

1. Search for Edits by Instagram in the App Store or Google Play, or use the links on edits.instagram.com.
2. Install it and open it.
3. Log in with your Instagram account.

Logging in with Instagram is what makes Edits different from other editors. According to Instagram's Help Center, it can import your saved reels, lets you browse reels shared on Instagram and reuse audio from them, and shows real-time insights for reels you post from Edits. Reels made in Edits also show a small Edits icon on Instagram.

What the Edits app can do

Camera. Record in HD, 2K or 4K, change the frame rate and color, and use green screen, a teleprompter, a timer and countdown, speed, retouch, music, flash and filters before you film.

Timeline. Every video, image, text, sound and caption is its own layer. You can split, trim, reorder, change speed, adjust color, replace, slip, duplicate and delete clips.

Captions and audio. Generate captions and edit their language, style and wording. Search the audio library or import your own sound, record voiceovers and add sound effects.

Color. Color grading with white balance, HSL, color wheels and curves.

AI and creative tools. Cutouts to remove the background from a video, image animation, effects and stickers. The official Edits site also lists keyframes, restyle, storyboards, templates, cinematic filters and an ideas space for saving inspiration.

Templates and versions. Instagram's August 2026 Edits update added project versions, alignment guides for text and stickers, and templates that support overlays and locked clips.

Insights. See how reels you shared from Edits are performing.

How to use Edits: your first reel step by step

1. Start a project

• Record in Edits: tap Camera, tap Record to start, tap again to stop, and again to add another clip. Tap Next to open the timeline.
• Use clips you already have: go to Projects, tap New project and pick media from your gallery.

If you film alone, load your script in the teleprompter and set the timer with a countdown before you hit record.

2. Cut it on the timeline

• Move a clip: tap and hold, then drag it.
• Trim: tap and hold either end of a clip and drag.
• Split: tap the clip, then Split to cut it in two.

Cut every pause and keep the first two seconds strong. That opening decides whether people keep watching.

3. Add captions and text

Tap Captions to generate them, then check the words, since auto captions get names and slang wrong. Add one line of on-screen Text with your hook or call to action.

4. Add audio

Tap Audio to search the library, or use the folder icon to import your own sound. If you talk in the video, keep music low under your voice with Volume.

5. Export

Open the export options (on recent iOS versions, Instagram's Edits blog describes an Export button in the top right; other versions show Next). Choose resolution, frame rate and color if you want to change quality, then pick a destination:

• Instagram opens Instagram with the video ready to share as a reel.
• Download saves it to your camera roll for any other app.

Instagram's Edits blog says exports of up to 15 minutes are available on iOS.

Green screen and cutouts

• Green screen while recording: in the camera, choose Green screen, then Change background and pick a photo or video to stand in front of.
• Cutout after recording: tap a clip in the editor and use Cutout to remove your background, then place yourself over anything you add later. You can also turn part of an image into your own sticker.

Even light and a plain wall behind you make cutouts cleaner.

Link overlays people can tap

The Links tool adds tappable overlays that point to other Instagram reels or accounts. Two rules from Instagram's Help Center: only reels and accounts that allow reuse show up as options, and the overlay only works if you export directly from Edits to Instagram. A downloaded file loses the tap.

Use it to send viewers to a part 2 or a collaborator. For links that leave Instagram, like your shop, newsletter or booking page, your bio is still the place.

Save a linked draft to Instagram

You don't have to post right away:

1. From your project, go to the share step.
2. Choose Instagram.
3. When the reel opens on Instagram, tap Save draft.

Add your caption, tags and audience settings on Instagram and save them with the draft. The draft stays linked to the Edits project, so you can keep editing the video. After any change in Edits, export to Instagram again to update the draft.

Manage projects and versions

In Projects, tap and hold a project to Rename, Duplicate or Move to Trash. Instagram says you have 7 days to restore a project from Trash.

To test two hooks without cluttering your grid, use versions: tap the project name at the top of the editor, then Manage versions to add, rename or switch versions.

Deleting a project doesn't delete videos you already exported or posted, and edits made after export don't change the exported file.

Can you use Edits for TikTok and YouTube Shorts?

Yes. Download the finished video and upload it in each app. Since exports have no watermark, the same file works anywhere. Keep in mind that link overlays and Instagram insights only work for reels shared from Edits to Instagram. If you batch film several videos in one session, our guide on how to batch content shows how to plan the shoot, and if you also finish videos in CapCut, see CapCut export settings for the quality side.

Edits app not working? Common problems

I can't find a tool from a tutorial. Update the app. Edits adds and moves tools often, and some arrive on iOS first.

My link overlay doesn't work. It only works when exported directly from Edits to Instagram, and only to reels and accounts that allow reuse.

My Instagram draft still shows the old version. Export to Instagram again after editing.

I deleted a project by mistake. Check Trash in Projects within 7 days.

My captions are wrong. Auto captions are a draft. Edit the text before you export.

I can't export a long video. Instagram says exports up to 15 minutes are available on iOS; on other devices, limits may differ.

After the reel: give viewers somewhere to go

When a reel made in Edits works, people tap your profile looking for more. That's where most editors stop helping. A link page like a VisuLink at visu.to/yourname puts your newest videos, shop, booking or newsletter and your other profiles one tap away, and you can switch links on or off as each reel's offer changes. The free plan holds 5 links plus 5 social icons. If you're still getting comfortable with posting itself, our guide on how to make a reel on Instagram covers the steps inside the Instagram app.

Quick checklist

• Edits installed and logged in with Instagram.
• Teleprompter and timer set if you film alone.
• Pauses cut, strong first two seconds.
• Captions generated and checked.
• Music low under your voice.
• Link overlays only when exporting straight to Instagram.
• Saved as a linked draft or exported, and re-exported after changes.
• A second version for a different hook, if you want to compare.

Edits keeps the whole Reels workflow in one free app. Create your free VISU page so the viewers your reels bring in can find everything else you make.