What does PlugMonkey make?

PlugMonkey makes Chrome extensions across 9+ product lines covering X (Twitter), Instagram, Reddit, AI productivity, video downloading, and PDF tools. The catalogue includes the X Unfollow Pro, Instagram Unfollow Pro, X Followers Exporter Pro, Instagram Followers Exporter Pro, the AI productivity suite (PromptAnything, Polishify), Reddit Crawler Pro, and other browser-productivity tools. Full product list at https://plugmonkey.xyz/products/.

Is PlugMonkey free or paid?

Every PlugMonkey extension offers a free tier on the Chrome Web Store with core functionality. Pro tiers unlock advanced features, higher limits, and priority support — pricing varies per product. The Bundle covers every Pro extension for a single lifetime payment of $149.99 (vs $399.92 if bought individually). See https://plugmonkey.xyz/pricing/ for current pricing.

How do I install a PlugMonkey extension?

Each PlugMonkey extension is listed on the Chrome Web Store. From the product page on plugmonkey.xyz, click 'Install Free' to open the Chrome Web Store listing, then click 'Add to Chrome'. After install, the extension activates automatically on its target site (X, Instagram, Reddit, etc.). Pro upgrades happen via in-extension purchase or directly at the pricing page.

What is the PlugMonkey Bundle?

The Bundle is a single lifetime purchase that unlocks every PlugMonkey Pro extension currently in the catalogue, AND every future extension added to the catalogue, with no recurring fees. Priced at $149.99 (vs $399.92 if each extension were bought individually). One price, lifetime access. Details at https://plugmonkey.xyz/bundle/.

What is PlugMonkey's refund / return policy?

PlugMonkey offers a 30-day return policy on all Pro extension purchases. If a Pro extension doesn't meet your needs, request a refund within 30 days of purchase via the support page (https://plugmonkey.xyz/support/) and the full purchase amount is refunded. Free-tier extensions don't require refunds since they are free to download and use.

How does PlugMonkey handle privacy and data?

PlugMonkey extensions process data locally in your browser by default; data is not transmitted to PlugMonkey servers unless explicitly required for a specific feature (and disclosed). Each extension's data handling is documented in the Chrome Web Store privacy disclosure and at https://plugmonkey.xyz/privacy-policy/. PlugMonkey does not sell user data to third parties.

Is there a free Chrome extension to download Instagram Stories before they expire?

Yes — Video Downloader Pro's free tier downloads Instagram Stories (video MP4 or photo JPEG/PNG) at original CDN quality with no watermark. The free tier is capped at 5 downloads per week, but Stories are typically the highest-urgency use case (24-hour expiry), so saving the 5 most important ones per week is enough for most archival workflows. The paid lifetime tier removes the cap permanently for power users running daily Story archival routines.

Can I download Instagram Stories from private accounts?

Only if you are a logged-in, approved follower of the private account. When Instagram loads the Story in your browser for viewing, the extension detects and downloads it from the same CDN response. If you can't view the Story manually because you're not a follower, the extension has nothing to capture. The extension does NOT bypass Instagram's privacy controls — it operates within your existing access.

Will the Story owner know I downloaded their Story?

Not the download itself — Instagram has no mechanism to detect Story downloads at the CDN level (the file you download is the same file Instagram serves you for viewing). HOWEVER, the Story owner WILL know you VIEWED the Story, because the extension uses your real Instagram session — your viewer appears in their Story viewer list, same as if you viewed without any extension. There's no 'anonymous viewing' mode in this extension. If you specifically need to view Stories without showing up in the viewer list, that's a separate problem (and most 'anonymous viewer' tools are scam-tier — they log your queries and often fail anyway).

Why does a downloaded Story video play without sound?

Two common causes. (1) Licensed music: Instagram applies regional licensing to music in Stories — for viewers in some countries the music plays, for others it's muted or replaced. The extension captures whatever your browser receives, so a Story with regionally-restricted music may download silent. (2) Separated audio track: Some Stories (especially those sourced from Reels) have the audio as a separate CDN track. Check the extension panel for an additional audio-only download option, or try downloading at a different quality which may include the muxed audio.

Can I save Instagram Highlights using this same method?

Yes — and Highlights are a great use case because they don't expire. Highlights are saved Story collections (the circles below an account's bio); they use the same CDN infrastructure as ephemeral Stories. Navigate to any Highlight on any profile, open the viewer, and use the extension the same way as with regular Stories. Each slide downloads individually. Because Highlights persist indefinitely, you have time to archive systematically without racing a 24-hour clock.

Why use a Chrome extension instead of an anonymous Story viewer website?

Three differences. (1) Private accounts: Anonymous viewer websites can only access public Stories — they have no way to authenticate as you for accounts you follow privately. The extension uses your existing session and can capture Stories from any private account you follow. (2) Privacy: Anonymous viewer sites log every username you submit (your IP is associated with everyone you researched). The extension is local — nothing leaves your browser. (3) Reliability: Anonymous viewer sites are constantly broken by Instagram's anti-scraping updates and often replaced with malware-laden clones. A locally-running extension is more stable. The trade-off: you do show up in the Story owner's viewer list (extension uses your real session), where anonymous viewers don't. If anonymity is the entire point, the extension isn't right for you.

The extension shows 'No media detected' when I open a Story. What do I do?

This usually means the Story media hasn't fully loaded into the page yet, or the Story panel is in a transition state between slides. Try these fixes in order: (1) wait for the Story to fully start playing (video) or photo to fully render, then reopen the extension panel. (2) Click to pause the Story (click and hold on the screen) so the current slide stays visible. (3) Refresh the page (Cmd+R / Ctrl+R) and reopen the Story from the beginning. (4) If a specific Story keeps failing, try viewing it in an incognito window — sometimes browser extensions conflict with each other on Instagram's complex page state.

How do I download all the Stories from one account in bulk?

Use the Story navigation arrows (or keyboard arrow keys) to advance through each slide, triggering the extension on each one. Stories are sequential and the extension panel updates automatically when you navigate to a new slide. For an account with 10-15 Story slides, the bulk capture takes about 2-3 minutes. There's no 'download all' button (that would hammer Instagram's CDN at non-human rates and trigger anti-scraping), and the manual sequential approach is what keeps the workflow safe and reliable.

Will Instagram ban my account for using this extension?

Personal-use downloads of Stories from accounts you can view are generally not enforced. The extension reads media that's already loaded in your browser — Instagram cannot distinguish 'user watched the Story' from 'user watched + saved the file.' What Instagram DOES enforce is bot-style behaviour at non-human rates (auto-scrolling at 100 accounts/second), credential-forwarding tools that ask for your password, and account-creation spam. This extension does none of those things — it operates entirely within your own normal browsing session.

Free · MP4 + JPEG · 2026

Instagram Story Downloader — Chrome Extension, Free, Before 24h Expiry

Instagram Stories vanish after 24 hours and the platform has no native save option for desktop users. This free Chrome extension catches any Story you can view — yours, public accounts, or private accounts you follow — and saves the underlying MP4 (video Stories) or JPEG/PNG (photo Stories) directly to your computer. One click. No watermarks, no anonymous-viewer workarounds, no third-party sites that log Story URLs on their servers.

Last updated: June 28, 2026

Instagram Stories are the platform's 24-hour-expiring content format — short-form photos and videos that disappear from the Story Ring after a day (unless promoted to a Highlight). Instagram offers no native download option for other accounts' Stories on desktop, and the mobile app only lets you save your own Stories. The third-party fallbacks are mostly web-based 'anonymous Story viewer' tools that paste the username and fetch publicly-accessible Stories — but they can't access Stories from private accounts you follow (their servers don't have your Instagram login), and they log every username you submit. Video Downloader Pro works directly inside Chrome, detecting the Story media (video or photo) as you view it on instagram.com, and saving the file before the 24-hour clock runs out. Same workflow handles your own Stories (before they expire), public-account Stories (anyone can view), and private-account Stories from accounts that have approved you as a follower. It does NOT bypass Instagram's privacy — it captures what your already-logged-in browser session is already loading.

How to Download

Install Video Downloader Pro from the Chrome Web Store

Go to the Video Downloader Pro Chrome Web Store page and click "Add to Chrome." Once installed, pin the extension icon to your toolbar for easy access. No Instagram credentials are passed to the extension — it only reads media that Instagram has already loaded into your browser session.

Tip:This guide is for Chrome desktop only. Instagram Stories are not accessible via the desktop website for all accounts, but the stories ring is typically visible when you are logged in at instagram.com.

Log into Instagram in Chrome and open a Story

Navigate to instagram.com and log in if you are not already. Look for the story circles at the top of your feed. Click on a story from a public account (or your own account) to open the story viewer. Let the story slide fully load — the photo or video must be visible on screen before the extension can detect it. Stories play automatically, so you may need to pause on the slide you want to download.

Tip:To pause a video story, click and hold anywhere on the screen. For photo stories, they display for a fixed duration — you have plenty of time to open the extension while the photo is showing.

Open the extension panel while the story media is visible

With the story content (photo or video) currently displayed in the story viewer, click the Video Downloader Pro icon in your Chrome toolbar. The extension will scan the page and detect the currently loaded story media. For video stories it will show available MP4 quality options. For photo stories it will detect the full-resolution image file (JPEG or PNG) served by Instagram's CDN.

Tip:The extension detects the media that is actively displayed. If a story has multiple slides, navigate to the specific slide you want to download before opening the extension panel.

Download the story photo or video

Click the "Download" button next to the detected file. For video stories, choose your preferred resolution if multiple options are available. The file will be saved to your browser's default Downloads folder — MP4 for video stories, and JPEG or PNG for photo stories. The filename will be a CDN hash; rename it immediately if the filename matters for your archive.

Tip:To download multiple slides from the same story, use the story navigation arrows to move to each slide and repeat the detection and download process for each one. The extension panel updates automatically each time you navigate to a new slide.

Verify and archive your saved story media

Open your Downloads folder and verify the saved files. Video stories will play in any media player. Photo stories will open in any image viewer. If you are archiving your own stories before they expire, consider creating a dated folder (e.g., 2026-03-06) to organize them by posting date. Instagram does not encode metadata like captions into the CDN files, so note any important context separately.

Tip:If you regularly archive your own Instagram stories for content repurposing, run this process every 12-18 hours to ensure you capture all stories before the 24-hour expiry window closes.

Supported Formats

MP4 — video Stories (typically 1080×1920 vertical)
JPEG — photo Stories (full Instagram CDN resolution)
PNG — photo Stories (where Instagram stores PNG variant)

Limitations

Private account Stories require you to be a logged-in, approved follower — the extension can only download media Instagram has already loaded into your browser session. No privacy-bypass.
Stories that have already expired (past 24 hours, not promoted to Highlights) are no longer on Instagram's CDN — no extension can recover them. Set up regular archival capture for Stories you want to keep.
Stories with licensed background music may have audio muted or replaced in regions where the licensing doesn't apply. Downloaded files reflect what your browser receives.
Anonymous Story viewing is NOT supported — the extension uses your existing browser session, which means Instagram knows you viewed the Story (your view appears in the Story owner's viewer list, same as if you viewed without the extension).
Mobile Chrome on Android does not support extensions — use desktop Chrome (Windows, macOS, Linux).

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Save Instagram Stories before the 24-hour clock runs out — free, local, MP4 + JPEG

Video Downloader Pro detects Story media as you view it on instagram.com and saves the underlying file to your computer — no anonymous viewer required (you DO show up in the viewer list), no third-party server, no watermarks. Free for Chrome.

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