The fastest way to find a song from an Instagram Reel is to tap the audio name at the bottom of the Reel, the scrolling line next to the music note. It opens the audio page, which shows the song title, the artist and every other Reel using it. If it only says "original audio", use Shazam or hum it to Google, as described below.
We get asked this a lot, because our track Mellow Mosaic plays under a lot of Reels. Here's everything that works.
1. Tap the audio name
At the bottom of every Reel there's a line of scrolling text with a small music note. Tap it.
- If the creator picked a song from Instagram's music library, you'll see the song title and the artist, for example "Mellow Mosaic · Neural Rhythms".
- The page also shows other Reels using the same sound, which is a good way to check it's the one you heard.
- Tap Save audio to keep it. Saved sounds are under your profile, in Saved, then Audio.
With the title and artist, search Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube Music and you'll find the full track.
2. "Original audio" means you have to dig
If the line says "original audio" and the creator's name, they didn't tag a song from the library. It might be their own recording, a remix, or a song they added in an outside editor.
Try, in this order:
- Read the caption and the pinned comments. Creators often name the song there, and if they don't, someone has usually asked.
- Check the creator's other posts. People reuse sounds they like.
- Ask in the comments. Politely, and people usually answer.
3. Use Shazam while the Reel plays
On iPhone, Shazam is built in. Open Settings, then Control Center, and add Music Recognition. Play the Reel, swipe down to Control Center and tap the Shazam button. The song name pops up at the top of the screen, even while Instagram is playing.
On Android, install the Shazam app and allow it to show over other apps. Then turn on its pop-up or notification button, play the Reel, and tap Shazam without leaving Instagram.
Shazam struggles when someone is talking over the music, when the music is very quiet, or when the song has been sped up or slowed down. Try it on a quieter moment of the Reel.
4. Hum it to Google
If the Reel is gone and only the tune is left in your head, open the Google app, tap the microphone and say "what's this song?", or tap "Search a song". Hum, whistle or sing for 10 to 15 seconds. Google suggests matches with a confidence score. It works surprisingly well for melodies, less well for drum-and-bass-only tracks.
5. Ask people who do this for fun
When nothing else works, communities like r/NameThatSong and r/tipofmytongue on Reddit identify songs from short clips. Include a screen recording of the Reel, and say where the song starts.
Why a song might not show up anywhere
- It was sped up or slowed down. Many trending sounds are edited versions. Search the title with and without "sped up".
- It's a remix or a mashup someone made themselves.
- It's library music that isn't on streaming services. Some library tracks only exist inside Instagram or in video editing apps.
- It was never released. Some creators make their own music and never put it on Spotify.
Found Mellow Mosaic?
If the song you were hunting was the warm, slow lofi track under so many Reels this year, that's Mellow Mosaic by Neural Rhythms. It's on its own page here, on Apple Music and Spotify, or one tap away at neuralrhythms.io/listen. We wrote up how it spread without anyone pitching it.
Mellow Mosaic, lofi by Neural Rhythms
Creators can use it in their own videos for free with a credit line; the details are on the free music page.
Rather leave the credit line out? The Creator Pass lets creators use every song on this site with no credit line, for $7 a month, cancel any time.
Businesses need a license, and this post explains why.
Written by Suman Kumar with AI help and checked before publishing. Numbers about our own music come from our Spotify for Artists and DistroKid exports; other sources are linked in the post.