Templates on Instagram are one of the most efficient ways to create polished, engaging content without starting from scratch every time. Whether you are looking for a Reel template with a trending audio sync, a Story layout for a product promotion, or an Add Yours prompt to connect with your community, this guide covers every method for finding, using, and saving templates on Instagram in 2026.
What Are Instagram Templates?
Instagram templates are pre-built content formats that let you drop your own photos or videos into an existing structure, timing, and style. They handle the hard part of video editing for you: the cuts are already timed to the music, the layout is set, and all you need to do is replace the placeholder clips with your own content.
Templates exist across several Instagram content types. Reels templates are the most widely known, where a video sequence is pre-timed to an audio track. Story templates are pre-designed graphic layouts that you can customise with text, stickers, and your own images. Add Yours templates are prompt structures in Stories that encourage your audience to participate with their own content. Understanding which type of template applies to your content goal will help you find the right one quickly.
How to Find Templates in the Instagram Reels Tab
The Reels tab is the primary location for Reels templates on Instagram. Here is how to find them:
- Open Instagram and tap the Reels icon (the clapperboard icon) at the bottom of the screen.
- Browse the Reels feed until you find a Reel that has a layout and audio you like.
- Look for the Use Template button at the bottom of the Reel. If this button is visible, the creator has made their Reel format available as a template.
- Tap Use Template to open the template editor, where you will see the exact clip placeholders the template uses.
- Tap each clip placeholder and replace it with a video or photo from your camera roll.
- Tap Next when you have filled all the clips, then edit your Reel as normal before publishing.
Not every Reel has a Use Template button. The button only appears when the original creator used the Reels template feature when creating their content. If you see a Reel you love but there is no template button, you can still manually recreate the style by noting the audio, pacing, and visual approach.
How to Use a Template from Another Creator’s Reel
If you spot a template while browsing your Feed or the Reels tab rather than actively searching for one, the process is the same. Tap on the Reel to expand it to full screen if needed, then look for the Use Template button at the bottom of the video.
When you tap Use Template, Instagram shows you the clip structure used in that Reel: the number of clips, their individual durations, and the audio track locked in. The audio is always carried over from the original template, which is a key feature because it means you are using the same trending track without having to find it separately.
After you fill in your clips and publish, your Reel will be linked to the same audio. This means it can appear alongside other Reels using that track, which gives you additional discovery exposure. For tips on how to speed up clips within your Reel to fit a template’s timing, our guide on how to change speed on an Instagram Reel covers the speed editing tools available.
How to Find Story Templates on Instagram
Story templates are different from Reel templates. They are graphic layouts designed for static or lightly animated Stories rather than synced video sequences. Instagram offers a small selection of native Story layouts, but the majority of Story templates in use are actually created in third-party apps like Canva, Adobe Express, or Over and then imported into Instagram as images.
To find Instagram’s native Story layout options:
- Open the Instagram Story camera by swiping right or tapping your profile photo in the Stories tray.
- Tap the Create mode icon (the Aa text option) at the bottom of the camera.
- Swipe through the layout and background style options. Instagram offers gradient backgrounds, colour fields, and seasonal design options that serve as simple templates.
- You can also tap the Layout icon (the grid icon next to the shutter button) to find multi-image grid Story formats that let you combine several photos in one frame.
For a broader range of professionally designed Story templates, Canva is the most widely used external tool. You can design a Story template in Canva, download it as an image or short video, and then share it to Instagram Stories through your camera roll. Our guide on how to create a Story on Instagram explains the full Story creation workflow including importing content from your gallery.
How to Find and Use Add Yours Templates
Add Yours is a sticker feature that creates shareable prompt threads in Stories. When someone uses an Add Yours sticker, they create a prompt (such as ‘Show your workspace’ or ‘Current mood’) and other users respond by adding their own Story to the thread.
To find popular Add Yours templates, browse Stories from accounts you follow and look for the Add Yours sticker. Tapping it shows you how many people have already responded to the prompt and lets you add your own Story to the thread. This is the primary way to discover Add Yours prompts that are already gaining traction.
To create your own Add Yours prompt, open a Story, tap the sticker icon, search for ‘Add Yours’, and tap the sticker. Type your prompt text and publish. Anyone who sees your Story can tap the sticker to participate. For a full explanation of how this feature works and its reach potential, our article on what is Add Yours on Instagram has everything you need.
How to Search for Reel Templates via the Audio and Effects Library
Another way to discover Reel templates is through Instagram’s audio library. When you are in the Reels camera:
- Tap the music note icon to open the audio search.
- Search for a trending song or artist name.
- Tap the audio track in the results.
- Look for the Reels tab in the audio detail view, which shows all Reels that used this audio.
- Browse these Reels for ones that have the Use Template button.
This method is useful when you already know which audio you want to use and want to find a template structure that fits it. The Reels shown in an audio’s page are typically high-performing ones, which means the templates you find here have already been validated by audience engagement.
Similarly, the Effects tab lets you browse visual effects and filters. While effects are not templates in the full sense, popular effects often have associated template-style content you can replicate.
How to Save Templates for Later
Instagram does not have a native template bookmarking feature separate from the standard save function. However, you can save any Reel to your saved posts collection by tapping the bookmark icon below the Reel. This saves the Reel (and its Use Template button) to your saved Reels collection, which you can access any time from your profile under the Saved tab.
A practical workflow is to save any Reel template you like when you come across it while browsing. Then, when you are ready to create content, visit your Saved tab and open the saved Reels. The Use Template button will still be there, so you can start creating immediately without having to hunt for the template again.
You can also share Reels with a template button to yourself via Instagram Direct. Tap the share arrow below the Reel, tap Send to, and send it to yourself. The Reel will appear in your DMs and you can tap through to the Use Template option when you are ready. For more ways to save and share Reels content, see our guide on how to share a Reel on Instagram.
What to Do if the Template Option Is Not Showing
If you are browsing Reels and not seeing Use Template buttons anywhere, there are a few possible reasons:
- The Reels you are viewing were not created using the template feature. Original Reels created without the template tool will never have a Use Template button regardless of how they look.
- Your app version is outdated. Template features are tied to recent app versions. Update Instagram through the App Store or Google Play Store and check again.
- The template button can sometimes appear only when you are viewing a Reel in full-screen mode (tapped from your Feed or Reels tab), not when it appears as an inline preview.
- Some accounts disable the Use Template option for their Reels. This is a creator setting, and not all creators allow their formats to be used as templates.
If you are looking for a template for a Reel you have already created rather than a new one, note that you cannot apply a template retroactively. Templates are a creation tool, not an editing tool for existing Reels.
Tips to Customise Templates for Your Own Brand
Using a template does not mean your Reel has to look identical to the original. Here are the most effective ways to customise a template and make it distinctly yours:
- Swap the clips with footage or photos that match your brand’s colour palette and visual style. The template handles the timing; you control the look.
- Add text overlays, stickers, and effects after completing the clip replacement stage. These additions appear on top of the template structure.
- Change the caption to match your voice and keyword strategy. The template only covers the video; your caption and hashtags are entirely your own.
- Trim clips within the template’s placeholders. You do not have to use the full clip you select; tap a clip slot and use the trim handles to choose exactly which portion of your footage appears.
- Use the template’s audio but apply additional effects like voiceovers if the platform allows overlapping audio for your content type.
The goal is to use the template as a framework rather than a finished product. The best-performing templated Reels are the ones where the creator’s personality and content quality come through clearly, with the template providing only the structural backbone. For inspiration on producing visually strong content within these structures, our guide on how to create eye-catching Instagram posts has practical creative tips.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I create my own Reel template for others to use?
Yes. When you create a Reel using the template tool (by selecting a template and publishing it), your published Reel can automatically show a Use Template button to other users. There is no separate setting to activate this; if you used a template to make your Reel, the option is generally available to your viewers by default. Not all accounts see this option activated immediately, as it is subject to Instagram’s feature rollout.
Are templates available for Instagram Stories or only Reels?
Official Instagram template tools are primarily designed for Reels. For Stories, Instagram offers layout options and background styles but not the same clip-placeholder template system. Third-party apps like Canva and Adobe Express are the main source of designed Story templates that you import as completed images.
Do templates affect how the Instagram algorithm ranks my Reel?
Using a template does not directly boost or penalise your Reel’s algorithmic ranking. The algorithm evaluates watch time, engagement, shares, and saves regardless of whether you used a template. The indirect benefit is that templates often use trending audio, which gives your Reel additional placement in that audio’s discovery feed.
Can I use a template from a private account’s Reel?
No. If a Reel is from a private account, you would need to follow that account to see the content at all, and even then the Use Template button may not be available because private account content is not meant for broad distribution.
How do I find the most trending Reel templates right now?
Browse the Reels tab and look for Reels with high view counts and engagement. These are the formats the algorithm is currently favouring. The Use Template button on popular Reels is your best indicator of a format that is working well right now. Instagram Creator accounts in your niche are often the first to adopt and share trending template formats.
Get More Views on Your Reels with Famety
Templates make production easier, but views and engagement still need to be earned. Famety’s Instagram Reels views service gives your next templated Reel the initial push it needs to be picked up by Instagram’s distribution algorithm and surfaced to a genuinely wider audience.
Instagram Live is one of the most direct ways to connect with your audience in real time. But not every broadcast is meant for everyone. The Close Fri...
Stickers are one of the most powerful and fun tools Instagram offers for making Stories more engaging. They can turn a basic photo or video into an in...
Pair that with Instagram Reels likes to build the social proof that turns curious browsers into followers. When a Reel already has strong engagement, new viewers are significantly more likely to interact with it themselves, creating the kind of compounding growth that makes the algorithm work in your favour.
