How to Start a Live Video on Instagram

Going live on Instagram is one of the best ways to connect with your followers. Here’s how to start a live video on Instagram.

Profile picture of @Alexandra Ceambur

Written by:

Alexandra Ceambur

Share to:

Contents
  1. Here’s how to start a live video on Instagram

Going live on Instagram is one of the best ways to connect with your followers in real-time.

When you start a live video Instagram will prompt all your followers to watch your video with a notification, and your video will get bumped to the front of their Instagram Stories feed.

You can share a live stream video on Instagram for up to one hour. Once your live video has ended, you’ll have the option to download it to your camera roll or share a replay of it to your story.

Here’s how to start a live video on Instagram

Step 1: Tap the camera icon at the top left of your screen.

How to start a live video on instagram

Step 2: Scroll to the “Live” option at the bottom of the screen and tap the record button.

Scroll to the live option at the bottom of screen and tap the record button

Step 3: Manage your live video. Here are some tips:

Tip #1: The number of viewers appears at the top of the screen.

The number of viewers of your live video appears at the top of the screen

Tip #2: The comments are shown at the bottom of the screen on the left side. You can add a comment by typing into the “Comment” box.

Comments are shown on the screen at the bottom left, you can comment by tapping the comment box.

Tip #3: Answer questions from viewers by tapping the “?” icon next to the comments box.

Answer questions on your live video by tapping the question mark iconView the questions your followers have asked on your live video

Tip #4: You can invite a co-host to your Live video by tapping the “duet” icon at the bottom of the screen.

Invite a co-host to your live video by clicking the duet (smiley faces) icon in bottom bar

Tip #5: If you tap the smiley face icon, you can add an Instagram Story filter to your live video.

Tap the smiley face ion to add an Instagram story filter to your live video

Step 4: When you're done, tap “End” in the top right then tap again to confirm.

Click end in the top right when you're finished recording your video

Step 5: From there, you have the choice to save a recording of your live video to your camera roll or share it to your stories immediately.

After recording you can save your video or share it to your stories

Keep in mind that your live video will disappear after you’ve ended it.

So it’s always good to save a copy to your camera roll.

Also, when you save a live video to your phone, only the video is saved. The comments, likes and viewers info are not saved.

Sign Up Now

Join our mailing list for updates

By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. We may send you occasional newsletters and promotional emails about our products and services. You can opt-out at any time.