How to Change the Audio on Your Old Instagram Posts [NEW]
Kata
24 July 2026 
Creators have been begging for this update, and finally their prayers were answered by the Instagram gods, aka its product team. Gone are the days of losing all the likes and engagement on your older posts just because you wanted to swap the audio on them. Here’s how to change the audio on an Instagram post with the new “Replace Audio” feature.
How to Change the Audio on an Instagram Post or Carousel in 4 Steps
Earlier this week, Instagram head Adam Mosseri and the Instagram Creators’ account posted a short guide on how to tweak the music on your old posts, including carousels, without deleting and re-uploading them like you used to.
Here’s Mosseri’s post announcing it – short and to-the-point:
And here are the steps to follow if you’ve found a better-matching or trending audio for an older post:
- Go to the post you want to change the music on.
- Tap the two-line menu in the top-right corner.
- Go down to the option “Edit”.
- Choose a new audio track.
So much of a post’s success depends on the music playing in the background. Trending sounds especially can make or break a post – given you don’t overdo them. That doesn’t mean you need to use only trending audio, but choosing the right track carefully, and finding the right balance, can give a real boost to your account.
And now? You’re not locked in anymore. Play with it, swap some old audio for something new, and see if Instagram does its magic and puts your Reels, feed posts, or carousels in front of a new set of eyes.
And if you’re already scheduling your posts in advance, there’s also an exciting update from Metricool.
How to Add Trending Audio to Reels Scheduled in Metricool
For a long time, scheduling a Reel from outside Instagram meant losing access to trending audio. You’d schedule the video without sound, then go back into Instagram after it posted to add the song manually, which mostly defeated the point of scheduling.
Instagram recently made its music library available to supported third-party tools like Metricool, so you can pick a track inside the planner and have it attached when the Reel publishes.
Here’s how:
- Go to Planner in Metricool and click “Create post.”
- Select Instagram and choose Reel from the format dropdown.
- Under Instagram Presets, click “Add Audio.”
- Search by track name, browse the trending sounds, or upload your own audio file.
- Adjust the levels between your video audio and the added track.
- Finish your Reel, write your caption, and schedule.
If the audio you want isn’t in Metricool’s library, switch that Reel to manual publishing instead. When it’s time to publish, you’ll get a notification on your phone, the video downloads to your device, and Instagram opens so you can finish adding the audio natively. A few extra taps, but you keep the trending track and your scheduled calendar.
If you’ve been holding off on updating older posts or scheduling Reels with trending sounds, these new features are well worth trying.
