Instagram’s in-the-moment approach to social media has brought along quite a successful amalgamation of features. Some of these features are flexible and work as you’d think, like sharing pictures and texting. Others might be confusing at times, like Reels. If you’re wondering how you can pause a Reel on Instagram then you are not alone. And here’s how you can get started.
Here’s how you can pause Reels on Instagram depending on the device you are currently using.
Open the Instagram app from your device’s home screen.
Navigate to the Reel you want to pause. You can do this by going to a profile, tapping on the Reels icon, or by searching for the Reel. You can also use your personalized Reels feed on Instagram’s home screen.
Wait for the Reel to start. Then tap and hold on the screen to pause this Reel.
Note: Make sure you tap and hold around the middle of the screen and not near the bottom. 
Related: How to Reverse a Reel on Instagram
Visit www.instagram.com from a web browser on your PC.
Log in with your credentials if you are logged out.
Navigate to the Reel you want to pause. You can do this by going to a profile, tapping on the Reels icon, or by searching for the Reel. Click on this Reel to open it.
Once the Reel starts playing in a loop, tap anywhere on the left side of the window (preferably around the middle of the Reel) to pause the Reel.
The Reel is now paused. You can play it again by clicking on the play symbol.
Related: How To Share Instagram Reels As A Story Or DM
You can also download Reels to your local storage so you can pause and view them at your convenience. This also gives you the ability to edit the video to create your remixes offline. Use this comprehensive guide from us to download Instagram Reels to your local storage depending on your current device.
Here are a few commonly asked questions that should help you get up to speed with the latest available information regarding Reels on Instagram.
Unfortunately, you do not have any playback controls when viewing Reels on Instagram. You could previously pause Reels by tapping and holding on the screen and then sliding up. Sadly, this bug has since then been fixed by Instagram.
Open Google Chrome (or any other web browser) on your mobile device.
Visit www.instagram.com and tap on ‘Log In’ if you are logged out.
Enter your credentials and tap on ‘Log In‘.
Navigate to the Reel you wish to pause and tap on it.
Tap once on the play icon to play the Reel.
Once the Reel starts playing in a loop, tap anywhere on the video (preferably around the middle of the video) to pause the Reel.
Note: You can tap on the pause icon again to resume playing the Reel.
Instagram Reels are very close to infringing copyright laws when it comes to their similarities with similar features on other social media platforms. This seems to be one of the reasons why there are no playback controls for videos on Instagram anymore. However, there is no official word or confirmation for the same.
This seems highly unlikely, but you can nonetheless submit a feature request with Instagram to make this a possibility in the future. Use the link below to help you get in touch with the support team.
Yes, you can use the same methods above to pause Stories and video posts on Instagram. Reels, videos, and stories all have the same playback controls on Instagram now.
We hope this post helped you easily pause Reels on Instagram. If you have any more questions, feel free to reach out to us using the comments below.
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