Instagram Reels how-to
How to add text to Instagram Reels (timing, fonts, voice)
Short answer
While making a reel, tap the text tool (Aa), type your text, and use the top options for alignment, colour, highlight and animation; swipe the left slider for size and the bottom row for fonts, then tap Done and drag it into place. To control when it appears, tap Edit video, select the text's line in the timeline and drag its ends. Text-to-speech can read it aloud in English in select countries.
Checked against: Instagram app for iPhone and Android, October 2026.
Method 1: Add and style text
Start a reel
Record a reel or choose clips, then go to the editing screen.
Tap the text tool
Tap Aa and type your text.
Style it
At the top, choose alignment, colour, highlight and animation. Swipe the slider on the left to resize and swipe the font row at the bottom to change font. Tap Done.
Place it
Drag the text where you want it; keep it out of the bottom and right edges, where captions and buttons cover the video.
Method 2: Make text appear at different times
Open the timeline
Tap Edit video at the bottom left, then tap the line for your text.
Set the start and end
Drag the ends of the text bar so it shows only during the part of the reel you want. Add more text boxes for later moments.
Method 3: Have the text read aloud
Add text-to-speech
In Edit video, tap the text's line, tap Text-to-Speech, preview the voices and tap Done. Choose None to remove it.
No Instagram Reels at hand?
Do the same job in your browser with a free Koldflux tool.
Text-to-speech availability (Instagram Help)
| Language | Countries |
|---|---|
| English only | United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Ireland, India |
If it doesn't work
| What you see | Fix |
|---|---|
| Text shows for the whole reel | Open Edit video, select the text bar and drag its ends to the moment it should appear. |
| No Text-to-Speech option | It's English-only and limited to the countries in the table. Update the app if you're in one of them. |
| Text is covered by buttons | Move it toward the upper middle of the frame and away from the right edge. |
| Can't edit text after posting | Reel text is part of the video once posted. Edit the caption instead, or delete and repost. |
Questions people ask
How do I add text to Instagram Reels at different times?
Add each text box, then in Edit video drag each text bar so it starts and ends where you want.
How do I change the Instagram text font?
After typing, swipe the font row at the bottom of the screen left or right.
How is text different from captions?
Text is something you type and place. Captions are generated from speech and can be turned on for viewers; see the reels captions guide.
More Instagram Reels guides
Sources and how we checked
- Instagram Help (iPhone): Add text and text-to-speech to your reel (checked 2026-10-05)
Reviewed October 5, 2026 by the Koldflux team. Each step is compared with Instagram Reels's own documentation (linked above) and with the top search results for this task; where they disagree, the maker's documentation wins. Steps without a source link follow the menu names that several current guides agree on.