How to Remix a Reel on Instagram: Layouts, Settings and Fixes
To remix a reel on Instagram, open it, tap the options button, tap Remix, choose a layout and record your part. Layouts, settings and why remix is missing.
Instagram7 min read
The short answer
To remix a reel on Instagram, open the reel in the phone app, tap the options button at the bottom, tap Remix, then tap the camera button. The original plays as the background by default; tap Layout to put it side by side or elsewhere, then record your part and share it like any reel.
Remix only works in the Instagram app on Android and iPhone, not on a computer, and only on reels whose creator allows it. Below: each layout, how audio works, every documented reason the Remix button is missing, the settings that control who can remix you, and how remix differs from a collab and a TikTok duet.
What it means to remix a reel
A remix is a new reel that includes someone else's video or photo alongside or after your own footage. Instagram's Help Center says remix creators can also download the original as part of their remix. When you share it, your reel shows Remix with and the original creator's username at the bottom, and anyone can tap that to watch the original and make their own remix.
People use remixes to react, answer a question, add a second half to a joke, try a challenge, or show a side-by-side comparison. It is the closest Instagram feature to TikTok's Duet.
How to remix a reel on Instagram, step by step
Remixing a feed post works the same way, except the options button is at the top of the post. When you remix a feed video, your remix becomes a reel. Instagram notes that feed videos shared before remixing was available can't be remixed.
- Open the Instagram app on your phone and find the reel
- Tap the options button at the bottom of the reel
- Tap Remix, then tap the camera button in the bottom left
- Tap Layout on the left if you want the original somewhere other than the background
- Record your part, or add footage from your camera roll
- Add text, stickers, voiceover or adjust audio, then tap Next
- Write a caption, check the cover and tap Share
Remix layouts and when to use each
Instagram's default puts the original reel as the background of yours. Tap Layout to change where the original video appears. Instagram's help page names the default and the after-the-original option but doesn't list every layout, and the set varies by app version, so treat side by side and picture in picture as options creators commonly report.
| Layout | What it looks like | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Original as background (default) | Your camera over the original | Reactions, commentary, green screen style talk |
| Side by side | Original and yours split in two | Duets, comparisons, trying the same trend |
| Picture in picture | One video small in a corner | Reacting without hiding the original |
| After the original | Original plays, then your clip | Answers, punchlines, part two |
How to remix a reel with sound
What you can do with audio depends on how you remix. Instagram's Help Center separates two cases.
| Remix type | Audio | Effects, stickers, text |
|---|---|---|
| With the original video | Mix the audio and add voiceovers | Stickers and text on both videos |
| After the original video | Can't change or mix the original's audio; record your own, add voiceovers, adjust overall volume | Stickers and text on both; effects only on your clip |
Why can't I remix a reel on Instagram?
If the Remix option is missing, one of the causes below is almost always the reason. Most are the creator's settings, not a fault in your app.
- Update the Instagram app and restart it
- Try another public reel: if Remix shows there, the first reel is blocked by its settings
- If no reel shows Remix, check your own account restrictions in settings
| Reason | From Instagram's help pages |
|---|---|
| The creator turned remixing off | Off for their whole account or for that one reel |
| The creator's account is private | No one can remix a private account's reels |
| It's already a remix | You can't remix a video that is already a remix |
| You're on a computer | Remix isn't available on computers |
| It's an old feed video | Feed videos shared before remixing was available can't be remixed |
| It's a photo | Remixing photos isn't available to everyone yet |
| Teen account limits | Under 18s can limit remixing to people they follow or no one |
How to turn remix on or off for your reels
By default, anyone can remix reels, feed videos and photos from a public account, and no one can remix a private account's content. You can change this without changing your privacy setting.
For the whole account: go to your profile, tap Menu, then under How others can interact with you tap Sharing and reuse. Under Allow people to create with and reuse your content, turn Reels or Posts on or off. Turning remixing off doesn't change who can use your original audio.
For one reel: open it from your profile, tap Options, tap Remixing, then Turn off reuse (or Allow reuse) and confirm. Existing remixes stay up unless you delete your reel.
What happens to remixes of your reel
- You get a notification when a public account remixes your content
- Turning off remixing later doesn't remove remixes made before
- Deleting your reel deletes the remixes made with it, including ones shared to Facebook
- Restoring a deleted reel within 30 days restores its remixes too
- Making your account private for more than 24 hours deletes remixes of your content
- You can't download remixes other people made with your reel
Remix vs collab vs duet
These three get mixed up because they all put two creators in one post. The difference is who owns the post and whether the other person agrees to it.
| Instagram Remix | Instagram Collab | TikTok Duet | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Your new reel built with someone's video | One reel shared by up to 5 accounts | Your video side by side with another |
| Needs the other's approval? | No, only that remix is allowed | Yes, they accept an invite | No, only that Duet is allowed |
| Whose post | Yours | Shared with each collaborator who accepts | Yours |
| How to start | Options, Remix | Tag people, Invite collaborators, before sharing | Share, Duet |
Remix ideas that work
- React to a tutorial and show your attempt side by side
- Answer a question reel with your own after-the-original clip
- Finish a joke: the original sets it up, yours is the punchline
- Try a dance or recipe trend next to the creator who started it
- Remix your own older reel with a part two or an update
- Compare: their before, your after
Make your half (or the original) in ReelXo
ReelXo doesn't remix other people's reels; that happens inside Instagram. Where it helps is the footage. Edit your reaction or part two in ReelXo with typed karaoke captions and beat-timed cuts, export a 9:16 MP4 with no watermark, and add it from your camera roll in Instagram's remix screen. Or make an original reel worth remixing, with remixing left on.
Short, clear templates make good remix material. Blue (5 shots, 15 seconds) is a dreamy duo montage, and Backseat Besties (8 shots, 18 seconds) is a singalong cut on the beat.
Frequently asked questions
How do I remix a reel on Instagram?
+
Open the reel in the Instagram app, tap the options button at the bottom, tap Remix, then the camera button. Tap Layout to choose where the original appears, record your part, add text or audio, and share. It only works on reels whose creator allows remixing.
Why is there no remix option on some reels?
+
The creator has turned remixing off, their account is private, the reel is already a remix, or you're on a computer. Old feed videos shared before remixing existed can't be remixed either. If no reel at all shows Remix, update the app and check your account status.
Does the original creator know if I remix their reel?
+
Yes, if your account is public. Instagram sends the original creator a notification when a public account remixes their content. Your remix also shows Remix with and their username, which links back to the original.
How do I stop people remixing my reels?
+
Go to your profile, tap Menu, then Sharing and reuse, and turn off Reels and Posts under Allow people to create with and reuse your content. For one reel, open it, tap Options, then Remixing and Turn off reuse. Existing remixes stay unless you delete your reel.
What is the difference between a remix and a collab on Instagram?
+
A remix is your own new reel built with someone else's video, and they don't have to approve it. A collab is one reel shared on several profiles, set up by inviting up to 5 collaborators before sharing, and each must accept the invite.
Can you remix a reel on a computer?
+
No. Instagram's Help Center says remix isn't available on computers. Use the Instagram app on an Android phone or iPhone. If you edited your part on a computer, move the video to your phone first and add it from the camera roll in the remix screen.