Why did my Instagram Reels drafts disappear after I reinstalled the app?

Unfortunately, that’s usually expected: Reels drafts are stored locally in the Instagram app on that device, not as full recoverable drafts in your account. Reinstalling clears that local app data, so signing back in normally won’t bring them back. It’s still worth checking your camera roll, Files, cloud-photo backup, or any exported copies for the original clips, but the edited draft itself generally can’t be restored once the app was removed. For future drafts, keep the source clips somewhere outside Instagram and save an export before uninstalling, logging out, or moving phones.