How-To

Instagram Boomerang: How to Make One in Stories

Updated 10 min read
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An Instagram Boomerang is a burst of photos that plays forward and backward on a loop. To make one, open the Stories camera, tap Options on the left, tap Boomerang, then tap the circle at the bottom. Instagram documents it only there: not in the Reels camera, not in its Edits app, and not on a computer.

Below are Instagram’s steps, what became of the 2015 Boomerang app, and the documented ways to move a finished Boomerang into your feed or a reel. For other camera features, start from our guide to every Instagram feature.

Table of Contents

What is an Instagram Boomerang?

A Boomerang is a short clip built from a burst of photos that plays forward, then backward, on repeat. When Instagram first released it in 2015, as its own app, the launch announcement said Boomerang “takes a burst of photos and stitches them together into a high-quality mini video that plays forward and backward.” Checked against About Instagram: Introducing Boomerang Video App (2015-10-22) Instagram’s Help Center now describes it, in the Stories camera, as “a burst of photos that loops forward and backward.” Checked against Instagram Help Center: Tips for uploading, recording and editing your Instagram story

Instagram’s help doesn’t give a length for a Boomerang, a number of photos in the burst, or any editing modes, so we don’t list modes your app may or may not show.

How to make a Boomerang on Instagram

Open the Stories camera, tap Options on the left, tap Boomerang, then tap the circle at the bottom to take the burst. The steps are the same on iPhone and Android. There’s no documented computer route: the computer version of Instagram’s Help Center article on sharing to your story says the feature isn’t available on computers. Checked against Instagram Help Center: Share a photo or video to your Instagram story (computer version) Instagram’s 2026 Stories guide does describe a basic story uploader on instagram.com, but it doesn’t mention Boomerang, and it says some features are mobile-only. Checked against About Instagram: How to Use Instagram Stories: Complete 2026 Guide (2 July 2026)

On iPhone:

  1. Open the Stories camera (Create > Story, or swipe right from Feed).
  2. Tap Options on the left to see more options for capturing your story.
  3. Tap Boomerang, then tap the circle at the bottom to take a burst of photos that loops forward and backward.

On Android:

  1. Open the Stories camera (Create > Story, or swipe right from Feed).
  2. Tap Options on the left to see more options for capturing your story.
  3. Tap Boomerang, then tap the circle at the bottom to take a burst of photos that loops forward and backward.

Checked against Instagram Help Center: Tips for uploading, recording and editing your Instagram story.

Boomerang sits in the Options menu alongside Create, Layout and Hands-Free, so if you can’t see it, open Options first. Checked against Instagram Help Center: Tips for uploading, recording and editing your Instagram story

Before you share it, Instagram’s story steps offer Draw, Text and Sticker, which is where you’d add a GIF to an Instagram story. Text is also where emoji go, as our guide to emoji on Instagram shows. For filters and camera effects in the same camera, see how to search filters on Instagram Stories.

Is there Boomerang in Instagram Reels?

Not that Instagram documents. Its article on the Reels tool menu lists Music, Effects, Add, Speed, Layout, Length, Dual camera and Align clips, and no Boomerang. Instagram’s help for Edits, its separate video-editing app, doesn’t mention Boomerang either, so there are no official steps for making one in either place. Checked against Instagram Help Center: Add music, effects and more to your reel on Instagram (no Boomerang)Not verified

The Reels tool that changes timing is Speed, which Instagram says changes the speed of your reel and “will affect both the video and audio of your clip.” That’s a speed change, not a forward-and-backward loop. Edits lists flash, retouch, resolution, music, green screen, timer, speed, teleprompter and filters among its camera tools, and no Boomerang. Checked against Instagram Help Center: About Edits (+ Record a video with Edits) — no BoomerangNot verified

A Boomerang can still go into a reel. Save it to your phone first, then add it from your camera roll in the Reels camera, which Instagram’s steps for recording a reel allow. Checked against Instagram Help Center: Record a reel on Instagram New to the format? Here’s what a reel is.

What happened to the Boomerang app?

Boomerang began as a separate app. Instagram announced “Boomerang from Instagram” on 22 October 2015, for iOS in Apple’s App Store and Android in Google Play, and said the app automatically saved each clip to your camera roll, ready to share on Instagram. Today Instagram documents Boomerang as a mode in the Stories camera instead. Checked against About Instagram: Introducing Boomerang Video App (2015-10-22)

Instagram hasn’t published a date for withdrawing the standalone app; that withdrawal is reported only by the press. Skip any old copy of the app on a download site: it isn’t distributed by Instagram, and Boomerang itself now lives in the Instagram app.

Can you post a Boomerang to your feed?

Yes. On iPhone, open your story, tap More on the Boomerang and choose Share as Post. Instagram says that option isn’t available on Android, so there you save the Boomerang to your phone and post the saved video like any other. Both of Instagram’s articles cover any photo or video in your story; neither names Boomerangs specifically.

On iPhone: Share as Post

Open the Boomerang in your story, tap More, then Share as Post. You can crop it and add effects or filters, then a caption and location, before tapping Share. Instagram says posts shared this way appear on your profile grid with the same visibility as your other posts. The Android and computer versions of the article say the feature isn’t available there. Instagram’s iPhone steps:

On iPhone:

  1. Go to your story by tapping Your story at the top of Feed.
  2. Tap More in the bottom right of the photo or video you'd like to share.
  3. Tap Share as Post.
  4. Crop your photo, choose to add effects or filters, then tap Next.
  5. Add captions and your location, then tap Share.

Checked against Instagram Help Center: Share a photo or video from your Instagram story to feed.

Save it to your phone first

Before you share the Boomerang to your story, Instagram says you can tap Save (iPhone) or Download (Android) at the top of the screen. Once it’s in your story, Instagram’s article on saving your story to your camera roll gives these steps; its computer version says saving isn’t available on computers:

On iPhone:

  1. Open your story.
  2. Tap Options in the bottom right of the photo or video you'd like to save.
  3. Tap Save.
  4. Tap Save Photo/Video to save the individual photo or video or tap Save Story to save everything from your story as a single video.

On Android:

  1. Open your story.
  2. Tap Options in the bottom right of the photo or video you'd like to save.
  3. Tap Save Photo/Video.

Checked against Instagram Help Center: Save your Instagram story to your device's camera roll.

With the file saved, post it like any other video. Instagram’s Help Center answers “How do I post a video?” with its article on recording a reel, so expect the reel flow; our guide to Instagram video length has the limits. Checked against Instagram Help Center: How do I post a video? (serves "Record a reel on Instagram")

Planning to schedule the saved file rather than post it now? Here’s what Outfeed AI does with a video:

Check the saved clip against those limits before you schedule it.

Schedule a saved video as an Instagram Reel in Outfeed AI

Boomerang FAQ

How do you do a Boomerang on Instagram?

Open the Stories camera (Create, then Story, or swipe right from Feed), tap Options on the left, tap Boomerang, then tap the circle at the bottom. Instagram says this takes a burst of photos that loops forward and backward. It’s a feature of the iPhone and Android apps: Instagram’s article on sharing to your story says that isn’t available on computers.

Is the Boomerang app still available?

Instagram launched Boomerang as a separate iOS and Android app on 22 October 2015, and today documents Boomerang as a mode in the Stories camera of the Instagram app. Press reports say the standalone app was withdrawn, but Instagram hasn’t published a date. Use the Stories camera rather than an old copy of the app from a download site.

Can you make a Boomerang from an existing video?

Not with any tool Instagram documents. Its Help Center describes Boomerang only in the Stories camera, where tapping the circle takes a new burst of photos, and neither its article on the Reels tool menu nor its help for the Edits app mentions Boomerang.

Can you post a Boomerang to your feed?

Yes. On iPhone, open your story, tap More on the Boomerang and choose Share as Post; Instagram says items shared this way appear on your profile grid. Instagram says that option isn’t available on Android, so there you save the Boomerang to your phone first (Download before sharing, or Options and Save Photo/Video afterwards) and post the saved video.

Is there a Boomerang option in Instagram Reels?

Not one Instagram documents. Its article on the Reels tool menu lists Music, Effects, Add, Speed, Layout, Length, Dual camera and Align clips, with no Boomerang. To use a Boomerang in a reel, save it from your story first, then add it from your camera roll when you record the reel.

instagram boomerang instagram stories how-to