How much data does Instagram use? 2025 guide for reels, stories & scrollers

Many of us visit Instagram multiple times a day, whether it's to watch Reels, scroll through our feed, or share stories with friends.  It’s engaging and always full of fresh content, but all that activity can add up and drain your data faster than you might expect. In this guide, we’ll break down exactly how much data does Instagram use in 2025, so you can manage your usage wisely.

What makes Instagram data-hungry?

Instagram has become a visual feast, designed to keep you hooked for hours. Its core is built around photos, Stories, Reels, and live videos — all of which load constantly and often in high quality. 

This continuous stream of content delivers eye-catching images and videos that play automatically, making your browsing experience seamless and immersive. 

However, this also means your device is constantly downloading data, especially if you love watching videos in HD or engaging with long reels.

Instagram data usage by activity type

Different activities on Instagram consume varying amounts of data. Here’s a rough idea of how much data each activity might use per hour:

Note: These are estimates. Actual usage depends on factors like video quality, length, and your device.

If you spend an hour watching Reels and scrolling through Stories, expect to use roughly 300–600MB of data. That’s about the same as streaming a standard-definition movie, so it’s good to keep this in mind for your monthly limits.

Pro tip: If you find yourself frequently hitting your data cap, exploring the best unlimited eSIM data plans can be a great way to stay connected without worries.

What factors influence Instagram’s data?

The main factors that affect how much data you use on Instagram include:  

• Frequency of app usage: How often you open and interact with Instagram
• Features used: Reels, Stories, live videos, and other content types
• Browsing style: Whether you passively scroll or actively watch videos
• Session duration: The length of each session you spend on the app
• Device and app settings: Video quality, autoplay options, and other preferences
• App version: Newer versions often optimize data, while older ones may be less efficient
• Video resolution: Higher resolution videos use more data; some devices or apps adjust quality automatically based on your connection
• Autoplay settings: Enabled autoplay can silently consume a lot of data as videos and Stories load automatically
• Background data: Instagram may refresh or load content in the background, even when you’re not actively using it
• Content caching: Re-watching saved content or previously loaded posts generally uses less data than loading new content repeatedly

See also: How much data does YouTube use? A 2025 guide for travelers, streamers & everyday users

How to reduce Instagram’s data usage

Now that you know what affects how much data Instagram uses, here are some easy ways to help you save on your data plan:

• Enable Instagram’s Data Saver Mode: Data Saver reduces automatic video autoplay and loads lower-resolution images.
• Turn off autoplay: Disable autoplay for videos and Stories so they don’t load until you choose to watch.
• Limit video quality: If possible, set videos to play in a lower resolution to save data.
• Avoid watching long reels or livestreams on mobile data: Save these moments for Wi-Fi when you can.
• Post and view content on Wi-Fi: Whenever you're near a reliable Wi-Fi connection, upload or browse freely.
• Restrict background data: In your phone settings, prevent Instagram from refreshing or preloading content when you’re not actively using it.

How to check your Instagram consumption on iPhone & Android

Monitoring Instagram data consumption is simple and doesn’t require any complicated steps. Both iPhone and Android devices offer built-in tools that make it easy to track your app-specific data usage regularly.

iPhone: Go to Settings > Cellular > Instagram to see how much data the app has used recently.

Android: Navigate to Settings > Network & Internet > Mobile Network > App Data Usage > Instagram.

Instagram data usage FAQs

1. Who should keep an eye on their Instagram data?

People who should monitor their data usage include:  

• Those traveling and using roaming, eSIMs, or hotspots
• Anyone with a prepaid or limited data plan
• Parents monitoring their teens’ activity and data consumption
• Digital nomads, influencers, or frequent travelers who rely on mobile data for content creation and engagement

2. How much data does Instagram use per hour?

It depends on what you're doing. Light browsing might use around 50–100 MB per hour, but if you're watching Reels, Stories, or streaming live videos, it can easily go over 200 MB or even up to 1 GB in an hour.

3. Does watching Reels use more data than Stories?

Usually, yes. Reels are longer, higher-quality videos that autoplay, so they tend to eat up more data than Stories, which are shorter and often lower quality.

4. Why is Instagram using so much background data?

Sometimes the app keeps refreshing your feed or preloading content even when you're not actively using it, which can use up extra data in the background.

5. Is Instagram Live a big data drain?

Definitely. Streaming in HD can use a lot of data — often half a gigabyte or more per hour — so it adds up quickly if you're live a lot.

6. How do I stop Instagram from using mobile data?

You can disable Instagram’s background activity and restrict data usage directly in your phone settings. 

On iPhone, go to Settings > Cellular, find Instagram, and toggle off background refresh or data access. 

On Android, go to Settings > Apps > Instagram > Mobile Data & Wi-Fi, and disable background data or set restrictions. You can also enable Data Saver mode within the Instagram app for extra control.

7. How much data does it take to upload a video to Instagram?

Uploading a high-quality video usually takes about 50–100 MB, depending on its length and resolution.