Struggling to change or remove music from your Instagram posts? Unfortunately, Instagram doesn’t allow direct audio edits after posting. In this guide, we’ll explore why this limitation exists and the best workarounds to manage your post’s music effectively.
Why You Can’t Directly Change the Song on an Instagram Post?
Instagram currently does not provide any feature to edit or replace the audio track on a Reel or video after it has been posted. This limitation is likely due to technical and copyright complexities involved in managing licensed music rights and maintaining content integrity. Once a post is live, its content—including music—is considered final.
Changing the audio post-publishing could affect licensing agreements and user engagement data, which Instagram avoids by restricting direct audio edits. As a result, users can only replace a song by deleting and reposting the content or using workarounds.
Read: How to Access Instagram with a VPN
Method 1 : Delete and Repost Your Instagram Post with a New Song
The most easy but impactful way to change a song on an Instagram post is to delete the original post and upload it again with the correct audio.
How this works:
- You remove the post containing the unwanted music completely.
- Then, you re-upload the same video or Reel and choose a new song from Instagram’s music library before publishing.
Steps to Delete and Repost Instagram Post with a New Song
- Open Instagram and go to your profile.
- Find the post with the song to change.
- Tap the three-dot menu and select Delete.
- Tap the + icon and select the same video to repost.
- Add a new song from Instagram’s music library and sync it with the video.
- Add captions, hashtags, and location, or any other edits as needed..
- Tap Share to repost with the new song.
Why use this?
It gives you full control over the song choice and ensures the audio quality is high and properly synced. It also lets you edit captions, hashtags, or video if needed before reposting.
Method 2: Share Your Post as an Instagram Story with Different Music
If you want to keep the original post but add a different song to attract attention or convey a new vibe, you can share your existing post to your Instagram Story and overlay new music there.
How this works:
- You don’t delete or change the original post.
- Instead, you create a temporary Story version that features the post and adds new music using Instagram’s Story music sticker.
Steps to Add a New Song to an Instagram Story
- Open the Instagram app and navigate to the post you want to modify.
- Tap the Share icon below the post.
- Select Add Post to Your Story.
- In Story mode, tap the Sticker icon (usually looks like a square smiley face).
- Choose the Music sticker from the options.
- Search for and select a new song you want to play over the Story.
- Adjust the music snippet duration and position the sticker on the screen.
- Add any additional text, GIFs, or effects as you like.
- Tap Your Story to post it.
Why use this?
This approach preserves all likes and comments on your original post, lets you introduce new audio creatively, and reaches your followers through Stories—a popular content format.
Read: How to Change Location on Instagram
Other Options: Muting the Original Audio
If you want to to remove the current song but not necessarily replace it with another, you can mute the audio instead.
How this works:
- You edit the post by deleting the music sticker or muting the audio track, so no sound plays when viewers watch it.
Steps to Mute an Instagram Post
- Go to your Instagram profile and locate the post.
- Tap the three-dot menu on the post.
- Select Edit.
- Find the music sticker in the post’s editing interface.
- Tap the sticker and select Delete or mute the audio if available.
- Save the changes.
This removes the music but keeps the post intact and visible to your followers.
Why use this?
This keeps your post live without the distraction of unwanted music, preserving the video content and engagement.
Changing a Song on an Instagram Post: Step-by-Step Guide
- Step 1: Open Instagram: Open the Instagram app on your phone and log into your account if you haven’t already.
- Step 2: Find Your Post: Go to your profile by tapping your profile picture at the bottom right. Scroll to find the post where you want to change the song.
- Step 3: Delete the Post: Instagram doesn’t let you change the song on a published post. So, tap the three dots at the top right of your post, select Delete, and confirm.
- Step 4: Re-Upload with a New Song: Tap the + icon at the bottom center to create a new post. Choose the same video or photo, then tap the music icon to add your new song.
- Step 5: Share Your Post: Once you’ve added the new song and made any other edits, tap Share to post it with the updated music.
How to Avoid Deleting and Reposting
Instagram keeps changing, so here are some tips to help you avoid having to delete and repost your content:
- Preview Before Posting: Use Instagram’s preview feature to make sure the song fits your video perfectly before sharing.
- Save Drafts: If you’re unsure about the music, save your post as a draft and decide later.
- Use Third-Party Apps: Some apps let you edit or add music to your video before uploading it to Instagram for more control.
Best Tips for Choosing the Right Song
Picking the right song can make your posts stand out. Keep these tips in mind:
- Know Your Audience: Choose music that your followers will like and relate to.
- Match the Mood: Use songs that fit the feeling or theme of your content.
- Stay Current: Adding trending songs can help your post get more attention.
- Check Song Availability: Make sure the song you want is allowed on Instagram to avoid issues later.
Reddit User Concern on Editing Instagram Post Music After Publishing
Many Instagram users find the inability to change or replace music on a posted Reel or video frustrating. It’s a common pain point because music is a key part of the content’s mood and impact.
Users often realize the song no longer fits or becomes unavailable due to licensing, but they have no easy way to fix it without deleting the post, which results in lost engagement (likes, comments).
This limitation has led to widespread dissatisfaction and frequent requests for Instagram to add this feature.
“Currently,* you can’t do that. Instagram management has said they like the idea of giving users the ability to make edits to something that has already been posted, but they don’t have anything ‘in the works’ at the moment.”
— u/JoeGraffito
“They let you change the music ONLY if the song you were using was taken off Instagram. So it’s a feature they can add within seconds but just… don’t.”
— u/ToxicDuck_Official
“Not being able to remove a song is literally insane. I never would have even added songs to my posts if I thought I couldn’t remove them. Like, why even allow me to add songs after I created the posts if I can’t remove them? I thought I’d be able to edit it like I can edit the location???”
— u/materialsystem73
“Still no change. I like only certain pictures of the post but not the song, so now I’m stuck debating whether or not to make the post again. It’s been a year since I posted it.”
— u/BlueButterflyLIS
“I tried changing the song by editing the post. There was an option at the top to add music. I chose a new song and saved and guess what? It posted without any music and now I can’t add any music to that post.”
— u/Snoo44722
“I had to delete my post because Instagram corrupted all the music I recorded from the show; they all ended up silent. I had to post everything again.”
— u/VinyBJoel
“Can we build momentum to get Instagram to add the ability to edit or remove songs? This is so annoying.”
— u/FomoChase_PanicSell
“You can’t add music to old posts; you would have to archive or delete the original post and repost it with music.”
— u/JoeGraffito
Overall User Sentiments on Instagram Music Editing Limitations
Most Instagram users express significant frustration over the platform’s inability to let them change or remove music on posts after publishing. They find it unfair that while captions or locations can be edited freely, audio tracks remain locked, forcing them to delete and repost content to fix mistakes.
Many are confused and upset about inconsistent features – some can change music only if it’s removed by Instagram, others face bugs or missing songs in the library. This limitation is seen as a major oversight that reduces user control and harms engagement, especially when posts are popular.
Despite some helpful workarounds and hopeful statements from Instagram management, users widely agree that a clear, easy-to-use feature to edit post music is long overdue.
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Frequently Asked Questions
No, Instagram does not currently allow you to change or replace the song on a post once it’s published. The only way to change the music is to delete the post and repost it with a new song.
You can remove audio by editing the post and deleting the music sticker or muting the sound if that option is available. This removes the audio but keeps the post visible without music.
Yes, you can add music to an Instagram Story at the time of posting, but once the Story is live, you cannot edit or add music afterward. However, you can create a new Story with music anytime.
Yes, deleting a post will remove all its likes, comments, and shares. When you repost, your engagement starts over from zero.
No reliable third-party apps can change the music on an already published Instagram post. Most require you to edit the video outside Instagram and then repost it, which still resets engagement.
Currently, you cannot directly replace audio on Instagram posts. The only method is to delete the original post and upload the video again with new audio.
Instagram does not allow you to change or remove music on a post after publishing, except by deleting and reposting. This can be frustrating, especially if your post already has engagement.
You can remove music by editing the post to delete the music sticker or mute the audio. This keeps the post visible but silent, which is a good option if you don’t want to replace the song.
Sometimes, if a song is removed due to copyright, Instagram may automatically replace it with a different track. However, this is inconsistent and not controlled by the user.
If a track is removed, Instagram might notify you or swap it out automatically, but often users are left with silent posts. The only way to fix this manually is to delete the post and repost with new music.
To change the music on an Instagram post without deleting it, you need to edit the story or reel if it’s still active (within 24 hours for stories or editable reels). Tap the three dots on your post, select Edit, then choose Music to change the track.
Yes, you can add hashtags to Instagram Stories by using the hashtag sticker or typing hashtags directly with the text tool. This helps increase the story’s reach.
You cannot add music to an Instagram Story after it’s posted. To include music, you must add it before posting or delete and repost the story with music.
Arsalan Rashid
September 11, 2025
4 weeks ago
