Where Does Instagram Edits Store Projects and Drafts?
Edits by Instagram stores projects in its private app sandbox under package com.instagram.basel. Drafts do not back up to iCloud or transfer phones.
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Edits is Instagram's phone-first video editor, and its storage story is unusually harsh. Projects live in the private sandbox and are flagged to skip system backup. iPhone storage can show tens of gigabytes under Edits while iCloud holds almost none of it.
The practical rule: the sandbox is the only copy until you export. Uninstalling, clearing data or moving to a new phone wipes the project list. Finished work should leave through Share or Export into Photos, Files or gallery storage where normal backup finally covers it.
Where Instagram Edits stores this, by platform
/storage/emulated/0/Android/data/com.instagram.basel/files
App-external files for package com.instagram.basel, the real Edits ID. Private project data sits deeper at /data/data/com.instagram.basel and needs root to browse. Drafts here are local-only and vanish on clear data or uninstall.
/var/mobile/Containers/Data/Application/<guid>/Documents
Sandboxed container with project files flagged to skip backup, which is why iCloud and device transfer leave them behind. Export to Photos or Files before changing phones. Reinstalling empties the container.
Frequently asked questions
My Edits projects vanished on a new iPhone. Why?
They are likely gone. Edits marks project files to skip backup, so iCloud holds only a fraction of the app size and device transfer skips the footage. One widely reported move lost 25GB this way. Export finished cuts to Files or Photos before changing phones.
Where do I find exported Edits videos?
They stay in one place in Edits. The app keeps drafts and videos together in its project list with no separate export folder until you share. Use Share to Instagram or Export to write a finished file outside the sandbox.
What is the Edits Android package name?
It is com.instagram.basel, which surprises everyone looking for an edits string. On Android the app-external path uses that ID under /storage/emulated/0/Android/data. The private sandbox at /data/data/com.instagram.basel needs root to inspect.
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