Instagram Music Not Working? Quick Solutions (2025)

The Instagram music feature makes your Instagram moments more expressive by allowing you to add songs to your Stories, Reels, and Posts. You can do so by selecting a track that best suits your post from the music library. However, there are times when this feature doesn’t work, and it becomes an incredibly frustrating experience. Issues with Instagram music not working have affected nearly every Instagram user at least once.

Some of the most common issues include:

• The Instagram story music sticker is not showing
• No results were found when searching for music
• A song is currently unavailable
• Music is not available in your region
• Music is not playing on your Instagram stories and reels

If you’re experiencing issues with the Instagram music feature, don’t worry. This guide will explain how to troubleshoot Instagram music that is not working in minutes.

Let’s get started!

Check If There’s an Instagram Service Outage

Instagram features such as music may not work correctly if Instagram is experiencing downtime. Instagram service outages may affect the apps or web services. Usually, service outages occur due to technical issues outside your control.

If Instagram is experiencing downtime, no matter how frustrating it is, you can only wait until the service starts running again. Downtimes usually last a few hours, but some features may be unavailable longer.

To check if Instagram is experiencing downtimes, go to downdetector.com/status/instagram. You can also check Instagram’s Twitter page or read what other users are saying about Instagram on different social media services.

Additionally, check whether you have a reliable internet connection. Intermittent connections may cause Instagram features not to work correctly.

Log Out and Log Back into Instagram

Sometimes, the simple step of logging out and back into your Instagram account can also solve technical problems. Before logging back in, it is best to clear the Instagram app cache on your device. A new session may show the Instagram music sticker and quickly load profiles that previously took too long.

To log out of your Instagram account on the Instagram app:

1. Go to your Instagram Profile.

2. Tap the Hamburger Menu (three horizontal lines in the top-right corner).

3. Scroll down and tap the Log out button.

4. Close the Instagram app.

5. Go to your phone’s Settings > Apps > Instagram.

6. Click Force stop.

7. Select OK to confirm.

8. Open Instagram Storage & Cache.

9. Hit Clear cache.

10. Instagram’s cache is cleared!

Now, open Instagram and log back to your account.

Update Your Instagram App or Uninstall and Reinstall Instagram

An outdated Instagram app may contain a bug that can cause problems with the Instagram music feature. It is important to keep your apps up to date. Updates fix bugs and other issues that may cause Instagram music not to work correctly. Furthermore, updating Instagram to the latest version will make the music sticker available if you don’t have it yet.

To update Instagram, go to your app store and search for Instagram, then tap Update if an update is available. I recommend setting your Google Play Store or Apple App Store to update apps automatically, which you can do via your account settings. (If you prefer to sideload apps, ensure you install the correct version for your device!)

Sometimes, you may experience issues with Instagram music, even when you have the latest version. In this case, uninstall and reinstall the Instagram app. Reinstalling can eliminate unidentified matters, such as corrupt files that may be causing problems with Instagram music.

Use Music from Third-Party Music Services Such as Spotify

Sometimes, the song that you want to use is not available on Instagram. Usually, this happens when the song you’re trying to use in your stories or reels is unavailable in your region or is removed from Instagram music. In such cases, you can use music from another app as background music for your Instagram moments.

For instance, if you have Spotify, you can use it for your Instagram stories.

1. Open the Spotify app and tap on the song you want to share
2. Tap the share icon
3. Select Instagram stories from the share option
4. Edit your Instagram story and share

Use a Premium VPN

Some music on Instagram is restricted to specific regions. If you try to use the music and are not in the specified region, you will get the “song currently unavailable” error or “music is not available in your region” error. To solve problems with geo-restrictions, you will need to use a premium VPN.

A VPN bypasses geo-restrictions by changing the location of your IP address. Thus, it tricks Instagram into thinking you’re accessing the music from the required region. You can use the VPN to connect to an area that offers a vast music library, such as the US or the UK.

I recommend using a top-notch VPN service such as ExpressVPN, PIA VPN, or CyberGhost VPN. These VPNs have extensive server networks that you can use to unlock Instagram music and other content from anywhere. They offer unlimited bandwidth and fast speeds suitable for different online tasks such as streaming on Netflix, torrenting, and gaming.

Additionally, these VPNs offer impeccable security and privacy. You can use them to hide all your online activities from prying eyes, bypass censorship, avoid ISP throttling, and even get better online shopping deals. They support multiple simultaneous device connections on a single account and offer money-back guarantees.

Switch Your Instagram Account Type

Instagram offers three types of accounts: personal, creator, and business. Personal and creator accounts should have full access to Instagram music, while most business accounts do not because Instagram obtains non-commercial licenses for music. If your account is a business account, consider changing your account type to creator. However, doing so may affect the availability of certain features.

If you want to keep using a business account, consider changing your business account’s category instead. For whatever reason, if you change your business account category to entrepreneur, you should gain access to the music library that most accounts can access.

If switching is not an option, you can use royalty-free music from the Facebook sound collection. Music in this collection can be used for commercial purposes, including advertisements, and should be accessible from the music sticker on Instagram.

Use Another Account/Device

Some hidden issues associated with your account or device can cause Instagram Music to malfunction. If you have tried all the above fixes and still have a problem with Instagram music, try to create a new Instagram account or use your account on another device.

If creating a new account solves the music problem, you can contact customer support regarding the issue on your old account.

If you use your Instagram account on another device and the music feature works correctly, you may need to fix your original device. I recommend backing up the data on your original device and then factory resetting it.

Report a Problem

This is the last resort: contacting the Instagram support team. While on the Instagram app, shake your phone to bring up the “report a problem” button.

Alternatively, you can submit a report through your account settings. Follow these steps:

1. Go to your profile.

2. Tap the hamburger menu (three horizontal lines).

3. Tap Help (at the bottom).

4. Select Report a Problem.

5. Tap Report problem without shaking.

Instagram offers you the option to include complete logs and diagnostics. Doing so helps Instagram to understand the issue better, but it involves data that may contain personal information.

When reporting an issue, you must describe it and add screenshots. Then, you’ll have to wait for Instagram’s response.

The Bottom Line

Instagram Music is a convenient feature that lets you create and share engaging content with your followers. However, it may be problematic because it does not always work correctly.

If you’ve been experiencing issues with Instagram music, the troubleshooting steps in this guide should help you fix things. As always, please feel free to reach out to me with any comments or questions using the comment box below.

Frequently Asked Questions

Topic: How To Guides, Social Media