You found a Reel worth passing on, or you just posted one you worked hard on, and now you want it in your Story. Sometimes that takes three taps. Other times the Add to story button isn’t there, the Reel shows up as a small clip that cuts off, or the option is nowhere to be found on Facebook.
You’re not alone in this. Instagram Reels are reshared more than 4.5 billion times per day, according to Meta, and “how do I reshare a reel as a story?” still comes up again and again in Facebook groups and on Quora.
Here’s the quick answer for Instagram. Open the Reel, tap the paper plane icon, tap Add to story, then tap Your story. Facebook has its own route, and you can also send a Reel from one app to the other.
Below, you’ll learn how to share a reel to your story on both apps, how to get the full Reel to play instead of a cut-off preview, who can see it once it’s shared, and what to check when the option won’t show up.
Yes. You can share a Reel to your Story on Instagram and on Facebook, and you can move Reels between the two apps.
Two rules decide whether it works. Your own Reels can always be added to your Story. Someone else’s Reel can be added only if their account is public and they allow resharing. Instagram puts it this way: “You can only share someone’s post from Feed to your story if their account is public and they’ve allowed resharing of their posts” (Instagram Help Center).
It’s also a phone-only feature. The Instagram website has no Story composer, so you won’t find the option on a computer. If you’re new to the format, here’s a quick refresher on how Instagram Stories work.
How to Add a Reel to Your Instagram Story
Step 1: Open the Reel you want to share. It can be on your profile’s Reels tab, in your feed, or in the Reels tab.
Step 2: Tap the paper plane icon (the Share icon), then tap Add to story.
Step 3: The preview of your Reel as a Story will be generated. Tapping on the Reel in the Story will take people to the original full-length Reel. Pinch the preview to resize it, and add stickers, text, mentions or a link.
Step 4: Tap Your story, or Close Friends to share it with that list only.
The Story will have the nametag of its original creator in the corner. In case the Reel is not from your account, be sure not to conceal it by any means. It’s good practice to give credit to the creator of the Reel. If you go a step forward and tag them in your story, it’ll do wonders for your networking.
Tip: a “Tap to watch” text block, or a sticker partly covering the preview, gets more people to open the full Reel.
To show a full Reel in your Story, post the video itself instead of using the Share button. Add to story only drops a preview into your Story, and viewers tap through to watch the rest on the original Reel. That’s why a shared Reel looks small or cut off. To play it full screen:
Step 1: Get the video file. For your own Reel, use the original file you edited, or open the Reel, tap Share, then Download (Instagram adds a watermark with your username).
Step 2: Open Instagram, tap +, and choose Story.
Step 3: Pick the video from your camera roll. It fills the screen by default.
Step 4: Add text or stickers, then tap Your story.
Use this route for your own content only. Share other people’s Reels with the button so they keep the credit.
The old reason was length. Instagram used to split any Story video into 15-second clips. That changed in September 2022: Stories now play continuously for up to 60 seconds. If your Stories still stop at 15 seconds, update the app. Some accounts get changes later than others.
The current reason is the preview, which never plays the full Reel. Reels can also now run up to 3 minutes (Lindsey Gamble), far longer than one Story frame. If you’re deciding which format a piece of content belongs in, this breakdown of Reels versus Stories helps.
How Instagram Splits a Longer Reel into Multiple Story Frames
When you upload a video longer than 60 seconds as a Story, Instagram splits it into consecutive Story frames of up to 60 seconds each, and viewers tap through them in order. For example, a 90-second Reel becomes one 60-second frame and one 30-second frame.
Before you post a long one:
- Each frame counts as a separate Story, so viewers can skip the second part.
- Put the most important part of the video in the first 60 seconds.
Facebook has its own Reels and Stories with different steps. There are two cases: a Reel already on Facebook, and an Instagram Reel you want on your Facebook Story.
A Story on your personal Facebook profile “can be seen across both Facebook and Messenger” and stays up for 24 hours (Facebook Help Center).
Step 1: Open the Reel in the Facebook app.
Step 2: Tap Share on the Reel.
Step 3: Choose the option to share it to your story.
Step 4: Add text or stickers if you like, then post.
Posting for a business Page? Switch into your Page first, tap Create story from the Page’s feed and add the video. You can add a button that sends viewers to your shop or a linked site. Page story videos are capped at 60 seconds (Meta for Developers).
Step 1: Go to the Reel and tap on the Share button, then select “Add to story.”
Step 2: Tap the arrow button at the bottom right to open your sharing options.
Step 3: Under sharing options, choose to share to your Facebook story. Pick Share once if you only want this Story on Facebook.
Step 4: Tap Share.
Your Reel now appears on both Stories. To do this for every Story, turn on automatic sharing (next section).
How to Cross-Post Reels Between Instagram and Facebook Automatically
Meta lets you share Reels, posts and Stories automatically between Instagram and Facebook, as long as both accounts are in the same Accounts Center. If they aren’t yet, first link your Instagram and Facebook accounts.
Auto-sharing keeps the format: an Instagram Reel goes to Facebook as a Reel, and a Story as a Story.
Setting Up Cross-Posting from Instagram to Facebook
Step 1: In Instagram, go to your profile and tap Menu (top right).
Step 2: Tap Accounts Center, then connected experience, then Sharing across profiles.
Step 3: Under Share from, select your Instagram account.
Step 4: Under Share to, select your Facebook profile.
Step 5: Turn on the toggles for what you want shared, such as your Instagram reels and your Instagram story (Instagram Help Center).
To do it per Reel instead, use the Share to Facebook toggle on the last screen before posting. Instagram asks whether to apply it to this Reel only or to all future Reels.
Setting Up Cross-Posting from Facebook to Instagram
This direction works from a personal Facebook profile only. Meta is explicit: “If you have one or more Facebook business Pages, you can’t share any posts or stories you make on your Pages” to Instagram (Meta Help Center).
Step 1: In the Facebook app, tap Menu, then Settings & privacy, then Settings.
Step 2: Tap Accounts Center, then Connected experiences, then Sharing across profiles.
Step 3: Under Share from, select your Facebook profile.
Step 4: Under Share to, select your Instagram account.
Step 5: Turn on the toggles for the content you want shared, such as your Facebook stories or Reels.
Sharing the wrong way? The account under Share from sets the direction.
Running a Facebook Page? There’s no automatic route to Instagram, so post the original video to Instagram by hand.
Does Sharing a Reel to Your Story Count as a Public Post?
No. Adding a Reel to your Story doesn’t publish it to your feed, your grid or your Reels tab. It appears only in your Story, for the people who can see your Stories, and disappears after 24 hours.
If your account is public, anyone who views your Stories can see it. If it’s private, only approved followers can, and Close Friends limits it to that list.
- The creator gets the credit. “Anyone who views it can see who originally posted it and can view the original account” (Instagram Help Center).
- Taps on the preview open the original Reel, so that’s where those views land.
- Creators can’t see a list of who reshared their Reel. Instagram says: “You won’t be able to see who has reshared your reel or where they have shared it to.”
Story-Only Visibility vs. Reposting to Your Feed
If you want a Reel to stay on your profile, use Repost instead. Since August 2025, Instagram has had a separate Repost button. According to Meta, reposts are “recommended to your friends’ and followers’ feeds,” sit “in a separate tab on your profile,” and “are credited to the original poster.”
To keep a Story share around past 24 hours without reposting, save it to an Instagram Highlight.
If you made a Reel and want it in your Story only, post the video as a Story instead of as a Reel.
Step 1: Edit your video in the Reels editor (or any editing app).
Step 2: Save it to your phone instead of posting. In the Reels editor, use the download icon at the top.
Step 3: Tap +, choose Story, and pick the saved video.
Step 4: Tap Your story.
It won’t appear on your profile or in the Reels tab, and it’s gone after 24 hours.
How to Repost Someone Else's Reel as a Story
Use the same steps as for your own Reel: open their Reel, tap the paper plane, tap Add to story, then Your story. The creator’s name stays on the preview, and anyone who taps it goes to their Reel.
For a business, sharing Reels your customers made is some of the most convincing content you can post.
You can reshare:
- Reels from public accounts that leave Posts and reels to stories switched on
- Your own Reels, whether your account is public or private
You can’t reshare:
- Reels from private accounts, even if you follow them
- Reels the creator has blocked from resharing
- Reels shared only to a Close Friends list
- Reels that have been removed
Usually the Reel isn’t eligible and your phone is fine. Test a Reel from a large public account: if “Add to Story” appears there, the problem is the original Reel, not your app.
The Account Is Private or Has Sharing Disabled
If the account is private or the creator switched off resharing, the option won’t appear and there’s no workaround on your side.
If nobody can share your Reels, check your own setting. Go to your profile, tap Menu, then Sharing and reuse (under How others can interact with you), and turn on Posts and reels to stories (Instagram Help Center).
The Reel Was Removed or Restricted
If a Reel is deleted, made private, or taken down, it can’t be shared, and a preview you already shared may stop opening. Your own account can be restricted too. Go to Menu, then Account Status (under More info and support), to check whether any features are limited.
Missing on every Reel? Update Instagram, restart it, and log out and back in. Features reach accounts at different times, so sometimes waiting is the fix.
Your Accounts Aren't Linked for Cross-Posting
If an Instagram Reel won’t go to Facebook, or Facebook says there’s no Instagram account, check four things:
- Both accounts are in the same Accounts Center
- The right toggle is on under Sharing across profiles
- Share from is set to the account you’re posting from
- You’re sharing from a personal profile, not a Facebook Page
Meta also suggests turning the toggle off and on and updating both apps (Instagram Help Center).
If you post Reels as Stories on Instagram and a Facebook Page every week, a scheduler saves doing it twice. In SocialPilot:
Step 1: Have your Reel’s video file ready.
Step 2: Open Create Post, switch to the Instagram or Facebook tab, and set the post type to Story.
Step 3: Add the video from your device, Google Drive, Dropbox or Box.
Step 4: Select the accounts and pick a time. The day after the Reel goes live works well.
One limit: a scheduled Story posts the video, not the tappable preview, and can’t carry stickers, because Meta’s API doesn’t support them (Meta for Developers).
You can try it with SocialPilot’s 14-day free trial.
Final Thoughts
Sharing a Reel to your Story is a simple way to give your content more visibility without creating something new. Whether you’re sharing your own Reel or someone else’s, Instagram and Facebook make it easy to put it in front of your Story viewers.
Just remember the difference: sharing a Reel adds a tappable preview, while uploading the video directly lets it play as a full-screen Story. If you want to share content across Instagram and Facebook, linking your accounts through Meta’s Accounts Center can save you a few extra steps.
And if you’re regularly publishing Reels and Stories for multiple accounts, SocialPilot can help you schedule your content in advance, so you spend less time posting manually and more time on content worth sharing.
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