The link has to be live
A normal story lasts about 24 hours. The link looks like instagram.com/stories/username/ and an id, or a short /s/ link from the share sheet. Paste it while the story still plays for someone who is not logged in. Yesterday's link fails because Instagram has already removed the file.
Highlights are a different surface. A highlight can keep a story on the profile after the 24-hour frame, but only if you have a link that still opens the media. A profile URL alone does not list highlight files for bulk download. Open the story frame and copy that frame's link.
Photo frames versus video frames
Some frames are a single image. Those save as an image. Video frames save as video when the story page exposes a file. Stickers, polls, and music lyrics drawn on top of the story are part of what you see in the app. They are not always burned into the file the public page returns.
If the preview is only a still and you remember a video, the public response did not include a video URL. Saving the still is honest. Inventing a video from a poster frame is not possible here.
What this page will not open
Close-friends stories, private accounts, and stories that ask you to log in are out of scope. Never type an Instagram password into a downloader. If the person did not make that frame public, you do not get a copy.
Mentions, replies, and the viewer list are not files. This tool also cannot download a story from a screenshot sitting in your camera roll. You need the address Instagram assigned to that frame.
How to save a live story
Step 1
Copy the story while it is up
Open the public story and copy its link before it expires. The path should include /stories/ or a short /s/ link.
Step 2
Paste it immediately
Use the box above and press Download. Do not wait until the next day. An expired frame has no file left to fetch.
Step 3
Save the photo or the video
Image frames save as images. Video frames save as video when a file is returned. Check the preview before you save.
Photo stories and video stories
Image frames
Photo stories save as the image file the public story returns.
Video frames
Video stories save as video only when a media file is exposed.
Time limit
Only a story that is still public. Expired frames are gone.
Story timing and access
Can I download a story after 24 hours?
No. Once Instagram removes the frame, this page cannot recover it from a username or an old link.
Do highlights work?
Only if you paste a link that still opens that frame. A profile page is not a bulk highlight download.
Do I need their password?
No. You should not enter one. Only a story that is already public can be saved.
Why is the preview a photo of a video?
The public page returned a still, not a video file. We save what was actually served.