How to Create and Post 3-Minute Instagram Reels

Move over YouTube Shorts, there's a new three-minute format in town

How to Create and Post 3-Minute Instagram Reels
Instagram users can now post 180 seconds of video content

Continuing the trend of evolving and expanding their creator tools, Instagram have installed two major updates for 2025. First, they revamped their iconic square grid. Now, following the lead of YouTube Shorts, they’ve extended Reels, allowing users to create and post videos up to three minutes long.

Previously, Instagram recommended keeping videos between 30–90 seconds for optimal engagement. While this worked for short-form creators and those repurposing TikTok content, it felt limiting for other storytelling styles. With the new three minute Reels, creators such as educators, product managers, advertisers, and marketers have greater flexibility to pace their content and tell more complete stories.

If you’re ready to take advantage of the new update, now is the perfect time to explore longer-form content. In this article, we’ll guide you through creating and posting a three minute video on Instagram. Plus, we’ll show you how to use Kapwing to automatically generate an Instagram Reel from a longer video — making it easy to share your best content across multiple platforms without extra editing work.

Table of Contents

Text notification from Instagram announcing new 3-minute Reels
3-Minute Instagram Reels can now be created or uploaded within the Reels editor

How Long Reels Can Be on Instagram

As of the January 2025 update, Instagram Reels can be created in four preset durations: 15 seconds, 30 seconds, 60 seconds, and three minutes.

Some users have reported that uploading a longer video under the "Post" option may allow Instagram to automatically display it as a Reel, effectively bypassing these limits. While this method has been confirmed to work, it’s not an ideal solution for most users. Shorter videos still drive the highest engagement, and capturing attention quickly remains crucial — especially since the average Reel is only viewed for about three seconds before users decide to scroll.

How to Post a Three Minute Video on Instagram

By default, Instagram Reels recorded in the app are limited to 30 seconds. This means you won't be able to capture video or add clips beyond this duration unless you change the settings. To extend the time limit, follow these steps:

  1. Tap the “+” icon at the bottom center of the screen and select “Reel” from the post options.
  2. Choose whether to upload a pre-edited video or record a new one in the Instagram editor. To record, tap the camera icon in the top left.
  3. Open the side menu by tapping the down arrow on the left.
  4. Select “Length” and choose 3 minutes to set the new duration limit.

Once selected, Instagram will remember your choice, so you won’t need to adjust it every time you create a new Reel.

Three side-by-side images of the Instagram editor showing how to extend Reels to three minutes
Create a 3-minute Reel in the Instagram editor by adjusting the duration limit in the sidebar

Whether you're creating your 3-minute Reel directly in Instagram’s editor or uploading a pre-edited video, the posting process remains the same.

To post, tap the "Next →" icon, then add details like a caption, Reel cover, tags, and location. These details help make your post more discoverable and unique. Finally, hit "Share" to upload your video. Once uploaded, your video will automatically become publicly visible as a Reel.

Side-by-side Instagram screens showing how to post a Reel
Tap Next → then Share to post your Reel

How to Create a Three Minute Instagram Reel With Kapwing

The introduction of three minute Reels is an exciting update for creators looking to produce more in-depth content, especially those with an established presence on platforms like YouTube or Twitch.

If you’ve previously struggled to repurpose long-form content into 60-second limits, this new format provides a great opportunity to expand your social footprint.

Tools like Repurpose Studio make the process even easier by automatically generating shorter, engagement-focused clips from longer videos. With Kapwing, you can choose an Instagram-specific aspect ratio and set the clip duration to 3 minutes, eliminating the need for manual editing and formatting your content for upload within minutes.

Start by uploading a video file or pasting a URL of any video at least 10 minutes in length to Kapwing’s Repurpose Studio.

Kapwing Repurpose Studio upload screen
Upload or link any video over 10 minutes in length to automatically generate shorter clips

2) Set Clip Duration and Enter Video Topic

Choose the 90 seconds – 3 minutes option to generate longer clips suitable for Instagram Reels. If you want the AI to focus on a specific theme, enter a clip topic to guide its selection process.

Kapwing Repurpose Studio video settings screen
Select your desired clip length and optionally enter a clip topic to focus your content

3) Review Growth Scores for Generated Clips

Once your clips are generated, they will be ranked by Growth Score, an AI-powered metric that predicts engagement potential. Hover over a score to see a breakdown of why certain clips rank higher.

This feature not only helps you to identify successful clips but also to see where other clips could use improvements. It's a helpful addition that similar video editors such as CapCut lack.

Expanded Kapwing Growth Score
Use the growth score to learn what aspects of your video are more likely to generate engagement

4) Make Quick Edits or Open a Full Project

To quickly adjust your generated clips, use the toolbar to apply a template, resize your video, adjust subtitle themes, enable Speaker Focus, and more.

For more detailed edits, simply click the pencil icon to instantly import your video into a new project in the Kapwing editor.

Kapwing Repurpose Studio showing how to import a generated clip into the editor
Apply quick adjustments or create a new project to edit your video clip

5) Make Detailed Edits (Optional)

Inside the editor, your video will automatically have subtitles arranged, along with intro text at the start of the video. To edit the captions, select the text from the transcript on the left, or adjust it directly in the timeline. To make further detailed video edits like adding transitions and effects, adjusting audio, resizing, and more, use the editing window on the right-hand side.

Inside the Kapwing editor, your video will automatically include subtitles and intro text at the start. To edit the captions, select the text from the transcript on the left or adjust it directly in the timeline.

For more advanced edits — such as adding transitions and effects, adjusting audio, resizing, and more — use the editing window on the right-hand side.

Kapwing editor highlighting options like captions and video settings
Edit your captions (left) and video (right) within the Kapwing editor

6) Export and Post to Instagram

Once your clip is finalized, export and upload it to Instagram as a Reel.

Maximizing the Three Minute Reel Format

The introduction of 3-minute Reels is an exciting opportunity for creators to deliver more in-depth, engaging content. However, simply extending video length isn’t enough — filling extra time with unnecessary content can reduce engagement and hurt overall viewership.

To make the most of this update, focus on what makes your content valuable and unique. For example:

  • Educators and science creators can use the extra time to provide deeper explanations or demonstrate more detailed experiments.
  • Brands and marketers can showcase in-depth product features, customer testimonials, or storytelling elements that wouldn’t fit in shorter formats.
  • Storytellers and vloggers can enhance narratives with additional context, behind-the-scenes moments, or audience engagement elements.

By thoughtfully using the extended format, creators can enhance their content rather than just making videos longer. The key is to ensure that every second adds value, aligns with your Instagram presence, and keeps viewers engaged from start to finish.