My Instagram Reel was stolen.How do I find who posted it?
Open your Reel's audio page first: if the thief kept your original audio, their Reel is listed there with their username. If they swapped the audio, search the video itself — upload your Reel to a reverse video search and it returns the public pages carrying the same footage, on Instagram and on the other platforms reuploaders also feed. Free scan. You only pay if we find something worth opening — you see the price first.
- Works on the exported file from your phone or editing app.
- Copies with a new audio track or a different cover still match on the frames.
- Every result names the page, so you know which account to report.
A link checks the first ~5 seconds. To check the whole video, upload the file.
a pasted link covers the first ~5 seconds
Not a real result — try your own video above ↑ unlock each page and its URL
Your Reel in, the reuploading accounts out.
Upload the Reel you made
Use the file from your camera roll or editor. Instagram's own download is compressed; your export is sharper and matches better.
We match the frames
Frames from across the Reel are searched visually, so new captions, covers and audio do not hide a copy.
See who posted it
Each result shows the page and platform. On a Reel or profile URL, the account name is right there.
Find the thief, not a subscription.
Monitoring services want $7.00 a month to watch for something that happens to you a few times a year.
One Reel, one search, $2.90 if you unlock the links. Top-ups start at $2.90 and never expire.
- Retrace
- $2.90
- Competitor (1 month)
- $7.00
- Competitor (1 year,
never cancelled) - $84.00
Looking for a stolen Reel inside Instagram.
Instagram gives you a few free ways in. Try them in this order:
1.Open your audio page
Tap the audio name at the bottom of your Reel. If it says “Original audio” with your username, the page lists every public Reel using it. Reuploads that kept your sound appear there.
2.Search the hashtags you used
Reposters often reuse the original tags to reach the same audience. Open the tag pages and scroll the Reels tab, newest first.
3.Ask your followers
People who follow you are the ones who spot copies. A story asking them to send you any repost they see works better than you might expect.
The audio page is the strongest free check, and the easiest to defeat: reupload accounts often replace the sound with a trending track for exactly that reason.
Search the Reel itself, across platforms.
Retrace ignores the audio and the caption. It samples distinctive frames from your Reel, searches them, and lists the public pages where several of them reappear. Pages whose thumbnail lines up with your frames are marked confirmed, so you can tell a real copy from a lookalike.
That covers what Instagram's own tools cannot: copies with replaced audio, Reels reposted to Facebook pages or TikTok, and the open-web sites that collect viral clips.
The scan is free and shows the number of pages and platforms. Seeing the links costs $2.90; your uploaded video is deleted an hour after the scan.
Where it stops.
A Reel search is limited by what is public and indexed:
Private profiles and Close Friends
Posts behind a private account or a Close Friends list cannot be searched by anyone outside them.
Stories
A 24-hour story that reposted your Reel disappears before it is ever indexed.
Deleted posts
If the copy was removed before a search engine saw it, there is no page left to match.
Fresh uploads
A repost from yesterday may not be indexed yet. Check again in a few days.
Not a legal opinion
We show where your footage appears. Whether a given use infringes your rights is for you, the platform or a lawyer to decide.
Where to go next.
- Instagram: copyright report form — Meta's form for reporting a post that copies your work.
- Facebook: copyright report — If the Reel was reposted to Facebook, use the copyright report form in the Facebook Help Center (search “copyright report” in Help Center, under Intellectual Property).
Straight answers.
Run the free scan to see how many pages carry your Reel before deciding anything.
Trace my Reel free →How do I find who reposted my Instagram Reel?
Check your Reel's audio page for other Reels using your original audio, then search your caption and hashtags. If that finds nothing, upload your Reel to a reverse video search: it matches the frames and returns public pages carrying the same footage, with each account's page.
Can I see who shared or saved my Reel?
No. Instagram does not show who sent your Reel in a DM or saved it. What you can find are public reposts: the Reel uploaded again as someone else's post.
The thief changed the audio. Will the search still work?
Yes. Retrace matches what is on screen, not the sound. A new track, a voice-over or muted audio does not stop a visual match.
What if the account that stole it is private?
Then no search tool can see that post. Private profiles are not public web pages. If you can see it because you follow them, screenshot it and keep the profile URL for a report.
Is a repost on Facebook covered too?
Yes. Reels are often reposted to Facebook pages, and the same search includes Facebook, TikTok, YouTube and the open web.