Two different actions
The MP4 form is separate from the recommendation
One r/fossdroid poster described download websites as frustrating because ads required extra clicks. That is one person’s report, not evidence about every downloader. The useful distinction on this page is concrete: the URL field and Download MP4 button are the download form; a later section labeled “Turn downloaded clips into finished videos” is a separate recommendation.
The recommendation link is optional. Its disclosure identifies it as a referral link, and following it is not part of downloading a Reel. You can leave it untouched and use the MP4 form.
Source context: one r/fossdroid discussion about ad-heavy download pages.
The download path
What to do to download a public Reel
- Copy the link to a public Instagram Reel.
- Paste the Instagram URL into the field labeled for a public Reel, feed-video or IGTV link.
- Select Download MP4 and let the request finish.
In the current form implementation, a successful MP4 response is handed to the browser as a file download, then the form displays “Your MP4 download has started.” It does not send you to a separate results page or require a second download button.
If no file starts
Check the download result, not the optional link
Keep the page open while the request runs. If the form shows an error or no MP4 starts, the recommendation link will not fix that download request. Use the Instagram Reel download troubleshooting guide to check the public link and the displayed error.