Download Instagram Reels Data as CSV & Excel

Why Export Instagram Reels Data?

Instagram does not provide any built-in way to download your Reels data. You can view individual metrics by tapping on each Reel, but there is no option to export that data to a spreadsheet, generate a report, or do any kind of bulk analysis. Everything stays locked inside the app.

This is a significant limitation for anyone who needs to work with their content data outside of Instagram. Whether you are preparing a client report, building a content calendar, analyzing trends over time, or simply backing up your performance data, you need your Reels data in a portable format like CSV or Excel.

Here are the most common reasons people need to download their Reels data:

• Client Reporting: Social media managers need to include Reels performance in monthly reports for clients. Manually screenshotting each Reel's stats is impractical when managing multiple accounts.
• Content Strategy Analysis: Identifying patterns across dozens or hundreds of Reels requires spreadsheet-level analysis. Which topics perform best? What posting times drive the most views? What duration gets the highest engagement? These questions require data in a spreadsheet.
• Portfolio Building: Creators applying for brand deals or sponsorships need to show performance data. A clean spreadsheet with views, engagement rates, and growth metrics is far more professional than screenshots.
• Content Calendar Planning: Planning future content based on historical performance requires a structured dataset. You need to see all your content in one place, sorted and filtered by performance metrics.
• Team Collaboration: When multiple people work on a content strategy (creator, editor, manager, brand partner), sharing a spreadsheet is far easier than sharing app access.
• Data Backup: Instagram accounts can be hacked, suspended, or accidentally deleted. Having your performance data exported means you never lose your analytics history.

What Data Does IShort Export?

IShort captures a comprehensive set of data points for every Reel. When you export to CSV, every field is included as a column in your spreadsheet. Here is the complete list of fields available in the export:

Data Field	Description	Example Value
Reel URL	Direct link to the Reel on Instagram	instagram.com/reel/ABC123
Caption	Full caption text including line breaks	5 tips for better Reels...
Views	Total number of views (plays)	45,231
Likes	Total number of likes	2,847
Comments	Total number of comments	156
Engagement Rate	Calculated as (likes + comments) / views	6.64%
Duration	Video length in seconds	27
Posting Date	Date and time the Reel was published	2026-02-15
Hashtags	All hashtags used in the caption	#reels #instagram #tips
Mentions	All @mentions in the caption	@creator @brand
Audio Type	Whether the Reel uses original or licensed audio	Original Audio
Music Title	Name of the song or audio track	Original audio - @username
Music Artist	Artist or creator of the audio	Artist Name
Video Dimensions	Width and height in pixels	1080 x 1920
Thumbnail URL	Direct link to the Reel's cover image	https://scontent...
Video URL	Direct link to the video file	https://scontent...

Every one of these fields is included in both the CSV export and the clipboard copy. You get the full dataset every time, so you never have to go back to Instagram to find a missing data point.

Step-by-Step: How to Download Your Reels Data as CSV

Exporting your Instagram Reels data with IShort takes less than two minutes from start to finish. Here is the complete process:

1. Install the IShort Chrome Extension Go to the Chrome Web Store and click "Add to Chrome." The extension installs in seconds and requires no account creation or configuration.
2. Navigate to an Instagram Profile's Reels Tab Open Instagram in Chrome and go to any public profile. Click on the Reels tab to view their Reels grid. This can be your own profile or any other public account you want to analyze.
3. Scroll to Load All the Reels You Want to Export Scroll down through the Reels tab to load content. IShort collects data as each Reel appears on the page. The more you scroll, the more Reels are captured. If you want to export all of a profile's Reels, scroll until you reach the bottom. For a quick export of recent content, loading the first 20-50 Reels is usually enough.
4. Open the IShort Extension Popup Click the IShort icon in your Chrome toolbar. The popup displays all collected Reels in a sortable table. You can sort by views, likes, or engagement before exporting if you want the CSV to be in a specific order.
5. Click the Export Button At the top of the popup, click the export button. You will see two options: "Download CSV" saves a .csv file to your downloads folder. "Copy to Clipboard" copies tab-separated data that you can paste directly into Google Sheets or Excel. Choose the option that fits your workflow.
6. Open Your Exported Data If you downloaded a CSV file, open it in Google Sheets (File > Import > Upload), Microsoft Excel, Apple Numbers, or any spreadsheet application. If you copied to clipboard, open a new Google Sheet and press Ctrl+V (or Cmd+V on Mac) to paste. Your data will be neatly organized in rows and columns with all 15+ fields.

The entire process takes about 90 seconds from installing the extension to having your data in a spreadsheet. No manual data entry. No copy-pasting individual stats. No screenshots.

Use Case 1: Client Reports and Monthly Analytics

If you manage Instagram accounts for clients, you know the pain of monthly reporting. Manually collecting performance data for each Reel, screenshotting insights, and formatting everything into a professional report can take hours. With IShort's CSV export, you can cut this time down to minutes.

Here is a typical reporting workflow with IShort:

1. Visit the client's Instagram profile and scroll through their Reels from the past month
2. Open IShort and sort Reels by date to isolate the current reporting period
3. Export the data to CSV
4. Import the CSV into your reporting template (Google Sheets, Excel, or data visualization tool)
5. Use formulas and pivot tables to calculate averages, growth rates, and top performers
6. Generate charts showing engagement trends, best posting times, and content performance

What used to take 2-3 hours of manual data collection now takes 5 minutes. And because the data is already structured in a spreadsheet, you can automate your report template to update with new data each month.

Report Template Tips

Create a Google Sheets template with the following tabs:

• Raw Data: Paste IShort's exported data here each month
• Summary: Use AVERAGE, MAX, MIN, and COUNTIF formulas to auto-calculate monthly stats
• Top Performers: Use LARGE and INDEX/MATCH to automatically surface the top 5 Reels
• Trends: Create charts that reference the Raw Data tab for automatic visualization
• Recommendations: Use the data to write actionable insights for the client

Once your template is set up, monthly reporting becomes a simple paste-and-review process.

Use Case 2: Content Calendar and Planning

Building a data-driven content calendar requires knowing what has worked in the past. By exporting your Reels data, you can analyze historical performance to inform future content decisions.

The exported data gives you the raw material to make informed decisions about what to create, when to post it, and how to format it. Instead of guessing, you are using evidence from your own performance history.

Use Case 3: Trend Analysis and Growth Tracking

If you export your data regularly (weekly or monthly), you can build a longitudinal dataset that reveals growth trends over time. This is incredibly valuable for understanding whether your content strategy is working.

With monthly exports, you can track:

• Average views per Reel over time: Is your reach growing month over month?
• Engagement rate trends: Is your audience becoming more or less engaged?
• Content volume: Are you posting more or fewer Reels, and how does that affect performance?
• Viral frequency: How often are you producing outlier content that significantly outperforms your average?
• Best content format evolution: Have your audience's preferences changed over time?

None of this analysis is possible without exported data. Instagram Insights provides some historical charts, but they are limited to 90 days and cannot be exported or customized. With IShort's CSV export, your analysis is limited only by how much data you collect.

Use Case 4: Competitive Research

One of the most powerful applications of IShort's export feature is competitive research. Because IShort works on any public Instagram profile, you can export Reels data from competitors, industry leaders, or any creator you want to study.

Here is how to build a competitive analysis spreadsheet:

1. Identify 3-5 competitors or benchmark accounts in your niche
2. Visit each profile's Reels tab and scroll to load their content
3. Export each account's data as a separate CSV
4. Combine all data into a single spreadsheet with an "Account" column to distinguish sources
5. Compare average views, engagement rates, posting frequency, video duration, and hashtag usage across accounts
6. Identify gaps and opportunities where your content can stand out

This kind of structured competitive analysis is something that dedicated social media tools charge hundreds of dollars per month for. With IShort, you can build it yourself from real data at a fraction of the cost.

Google Sheets Integration Tips

Most IShort users prefer to work with their data in Google Sheets because it is free, collaborative, and accessible from any device. Here are specific tips for getting the most out of your exported Reels data in Google Sheets.

Importing Your CSV

There are two ways to get IShort data into Google Sheets:

• CSV Import: Open Google Sheets, go to File > Import > Upload, and select your downloaded CSV file. Choose "Replace current sheet" or "Insert new sheet" depending on your workflow. Google Sheets will automatically detect the column separator and format the data.
• Clipboard Paste: Use IShort's "Copy to Clipboard" feature, open a Google Sheet, click cell A1, and press Ctrl+V (Cmd+V on Mac). The tab-separated data will automatically populate into the correct columns. This method is faster and skips the file download step.

Useful Formulas for Reels Data

Once your data is in Google Sheets, these formulas help you extract insights quickly:

What You Want	Formula	Purpose
Average views	=AVERAGE(C2:C100)	Your baseline performance
Median views	=MEDIAN(C2:C100)	More accurate than average (not skewed by outliers)
Top Reel views	=MAX(C2:C100)	Your best-performing Reel
Average engagement rate	=AVERAGE(F2:F100)	Your overall engagement benchmark
Count of Reels above 10K views	=COUNTIF(C2:C100,">10000")	How many Reels hit a threshold
Total views all Reels	=SUM(C2:C100)	Total cumulative reach

Creating Charts from Exported Data

Google Sheets makes it easy to visualize your Reels data. Select the columns you want to chart, click Insert > Chart, and choose a chart type. The most useful visualizations include:

• Bar chart of views by Reel: Select the caption and views columns, sort by views descending. Instantly see your top and bottom performers.
• Line chart of views over time: Select posting date and views columns. Shows whether your reach is trending up or down.
• Scatter plot of views vs. engagement: Select views and engagement rate columns. Identifies Reels that got high views AND high engagement (your best content).
• Pie chart of audio types: Group by audio type and count. Shows the proportion of original audio vs. licensed music in your content mix.

For more advanced visualization, you can use the IShort analytics dashboard which generates these charts automatically without any spreadsheet work.

Export Formats: CSV vs. Clipboard

IShort offers two export methods. Here is when to use each one:

Feature	CSV Download	Clipboard Copy
Format	.csv file (comma-separated)	Tab-separated text
Best For	Archiving, email attachments, importing into tools	Quick paste into Google Sheets or Excel
File Created	Yes (saved to Downloads folder)	No (data stays in clipboard)
Speed	Fast (2-3 seconds)	Instant (1 click)
Compatibility	Any spreadsheet app, database, or data tool	Google Sheets, Excel, any text editor
Use Case	Monthly archives, client deliverables	Quick analysis, ad-hoc research

Both methods export the exact same data with all 15+ fields. The only difference is the delivery mechanism. Most users find clipboard copy faster for day-to-day work, while CSV download is better for formal reporting and archiving.

How IShort Export Compares to Other Methods

There are several ways to get Instagram Reels data into a spreadsheet. Here is how IShort compares to the alternatives:

Method	Data Fields	Speed	Cost
IShort CSV Export	15+ fields per Reel	90 seconds total	Free / Premium plans
Manual Copy-Paste	3-4 fields (views, likes, comments, date)	1-2 minutes per Reel	Free (but costs time)
Instagram Data Download	Post content only (no metrics)	24-48 hours for delivery	Free
Social Media Management Tools	Varies (usually 8-12 fields)	Setup: 30+ minutes	$30-$300/month
Instagram API (Developer)	All available fields	Setup: hours/days	Free (requires technical skill)

IShort provides the best balance of speed, data completeness, and cost. You get comprehensive data in seconds without the price tag of enterprise tools or the technical complexity of the Instagram API.

Advanced Export Workflows

Automated Monthly Tracking

Create a system where you export data on the same day each month. Set a calendar reminder, export your Reels data, and add it to your running spreadsheet. After a few months, you will have a powerful dataset that shows exactly how your content strategy is evolving.

Multi-Account Comparison

If you manage multiple Instagram accounts, export data from each one into separate tabs in the same Google Sheet. Create a summary tab that pulls key metrics from each account using IMPORTRANGE or cell references. This gives you a single dashboard view of all your accounts.

Data Pipeline to Visualization Tools

IShort's CSV export is compatible with data visualization tools like Google Data Studio (Looker Studio), Tableau, and Power BI. Import your CSV and build interactive dashboards with filters, drill-downs, and custom visualizations that go beyond what any social media tool offers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I download Instagram Reels data as a CSV file?

Yes. IShort is a Chrome extension that lets you export Instagram Reels data as a CSV file with one click. The export includes views, likes, comments, engagement rate, caption, hashtags, mentions, audio type, duration, posting date, video dimensions, and more. Simply install the extension, scroll through a profile's Reels tab, and click the export button.

What data fields are included in the CSV export?

IShort exports 15+ data fields for every Reel: URL, caption, views, likes, comments, engagement rate, video duration, posting date, hashtags, mentions, audio type, music title, music artist, video dimensions, thumbnail URL, and video URL. All fields are included in every export with no data left behind.

Can I import the CSV into Google Sheets?

Yes. IShort's CSV export is fully compatible with Google Sheets, Microsoft Excel, Apple Numbers, and any other spreadsheet application. You can also use the clipboard copy feature to paste tab-separated data directly into Google Sheets without downloading a file. Go to File > Import > Upload in Google Sheets and select your CSV file, or simply paste from clipboard.

Can I export data from someone else's Instagram profile?

Yes. IShort works on any public Instagram profile. You can export Reels data from your own account, competitor accounts, or any public profile. This is useful for competitive analysis, client reporting, and content research. The exported data includes all the same fields regardless of whose profile you are analyzing.

Is the CSV export feature free?

CSV export is available on IShort's premium plans (Hobby, Creator, and Agency). The free plan includes sorting by views, likes, comments, and date, as well as clipboard copy for tab-separated data that you can paste into Google Sheets. The clipboard copy method on the free plan gives you the same data, just through a different delivery mechanism.

How many Reels can I export at once?

There is no limit on the number of Reels you can export. IShort collects data as you scroll through a profile's Reels tab. If you scroll through 50 Reels, you can export 50. If you scroll through 500, you can export 500. The more you scroll, the larger your exported dataset.

Does the export include historical data?

IShort exports data for all Reels that are currently visible on the profile's Reels tab. This includes all historical Reels, not just recent ones. If a profile has 300 Reels and you scroll through all of them, the export will include performance data for all 300 Reels, regardless of when they were posted.

Can I schedule automatic exports?

IShort does not currently support scheduled automatic exports. Each export requires opening the extension and clicking the export button. However, the process takes about 90 seconds, making it practical to do manual exports on a weekly or monthly basis. Many users set a calendar reminder to export data at regular intervals.

Does the CSV include engagement rate, or do I need to calculate it?

IShort automatically calculates engagement rate for every Reel and includes it as a column in the CSV export. The formula used is (likes + comments) / views, expressed as a percentage. You do not need to do any manual calculations. The engagement rate is ready to use as soon as you open the spreadsheet.

Final Thoughts: Your Data Should Be Portable

Instagram's lack of a native data export feature forces creators and marketers to rely on manual processes or expensive third-party tools. IShort fills this gap by providing a fast, affordable, and comprehensive way to download your Reels data as CSV.

Whether you are building client reports, planning your content calendar, analyzing trends, researching competitors, or simply backing up your performance data, having your Reels metrics in a spreadsheet changes everything. You go from guessing to knowing. From reacting to planning. From flying blind to making data-driven decisions.

The export takes 90 seconds. The insights you gain from that data can shape your content strategy for months. Learn more about what you can do with your exported data on the IShort Export Data feature page, or explore the analytics dashboard for visual insights without any spreadsheet work.