How to Post on Instagram from PC or Mac
February 02
17 min. to read
Many people like to take pictures, post photos and videos on Instagram, and feel creative to capture moments in history, and the most accessible and always-at-hand device for this purpose is a mobile device. But just taking a photo or video is not as interesting as sharing it with friends, colleagues, and acquaintances. However, not all files can be stored on a smartphone, and some people are simply more comfortable viewing and processing photos on a larger screen. This raises the question of how to post to Instagram from your computer.
This issue is also particularly relevant for Instagram users who prefer to use a camera rather than a smartphone to take pictures and want to upload photos with all processed footage from a desktop computer. If you've often asked how to download photos and videos to Instagram from my computer before, there's no problem anymore.
Of course, you can access Instagram on your PC or Mac, but few people get the hang of it the first time and quickly post pictures on Instagram on Windows and Mac. If you don't know how to use one of the most popular social networks on your desktop or laptop computer and want to upload new shots as fast as you do from your smartphone, then this article is for you. All right, how to post to Instagram from a computer?
Posting Photos from a PC
Unfortunately, it is not possible to simply open a social networking site in the Google Chrome browser and publish a photo on Instagram from your computer. This is because the application has a closed source code: the system must detect the camera and the touch screen to allow the publication. Such a condition makes it very difficult for users to post photos from a computer. But when you use Instagram on a PC, there are several ways around it. If you want to post some pictures to Instagram from a PC, just follow these instructions.
Using Developer Tools
How to upload photos to Instagram from a computer? In the case of PC, most people access Instagram using Chrome, so we'll describe the sequence of actions for this particular browser. This is the easiest option because it does not require the installation of additional programs and applications. The following is a detailed guide describing what you need to do if you want to upload to Instagram website your photos:
- How to post on Instagram on a computer? Open the official social network site and sign in to your Instagram account.
- Press the key combination Ctrl+Shift+I. This will bring up the developer's console. Another way to bring up the console is to right-click anywhere on the page and select Inspect in the window that appears.
- Find the small Toggle Device Toolbar icon. Clicking on it will turn on the smartphone screen simulation mode. In the settings, you can select the type of device you want to simulate.
- But how do you post on Instagram from a computer? Reload the page. After that, an icon will appear at the bottom of the screen (the one you use on your phone). Clicking on it will bring up a window with your computer's media files. Select the picture you want and download it the way you would normally do it.
Your Instagram post is done! As you can see, for these purposes computer use is also possible. This is an incredibly simple way that allows you to post any shots, including those from your camera or images after being professionally processed in a photo editor. Now you won't have any problems uploading photos to Instagram from a computer.
Uploading Photos on a Mac
If for some reason you don't have your phone handy and you need to post on Instagram urgently, you can do it through your macOS. And you'll have access to all the filters. How do you do it? You just need to convince the browser that you're logged in from a mobile device.
Browser Setup Which Lets You Post New Photos
It's also one of the easiest ways to post to your Instagram. In general, this method is very similar to the previous one, the principle is to set up the ability to post images as if you were doing it from your phone. Learn how to post on Instagram from Mac in a few simple steps:
- Open Safari preferences and click the Show Develop menu checkbox on the menu bar. This will bring up a new Develop tab in the menu bar. Click on it and select iPhone as the user.
- Done, your browser now simulates working from your smartphone! Go to the Instagram site, and authorize if necessary. You can see your Instagram feed. On the bottom bar, you'll see an icon that allows you to upload to Instagram new images. Click it to add a picture (only JPEGs will work).
- How to make an Instagram post on a computer this way? The rest of the process is the same as on the phone: you can add a caption, geodata, mark people, and add filters (but you can't adjust their intensity).
Unfortunately, it is not possible to post videos or series of several photos in this way from the computer. Manual editing is also not available, so you have to use software like Photoshop or similar. Below we'll talk about the best photo editor that's perfect for you.
Well, now you know how to upload to Instagram from MacBook and any other device with macOS. Among the advantages of this way is that you don't need a third-party app. Plus, you see the site version of Instagram the same way it appears on smartphones, which is very convenient. However, you will not be able to post multiple pictures at once. So, this way of Instagram using cannot replace a full-fledged mobile version.
Adding a Stories from PC or Mac
We figured out how to post from an Instagram website, but we mentioned only photos, so it's time to talk about the other kind of content. Some people are driven to post Instagram Stories via computer by habit, others by the sheer volume of content, and still others by the need for pre-publication processing.
Stories are a very popular type of publication. They are separate from the main feed at the top of the page. To view them, just click on the icon; if it's highlighted, it means you haven't read the content yet. Features of videos in Stories:
- Maximum size 1080x1920, 9:16 format.
- The maximum length of a video is 15 sec.
- After 24 hours after posting, the standard ones are automatically deleted.
- Actual Stories, or Stories Highlights, do not disappear after 24 hours.
Previously, to post a video to Stories you had to divide it into several parts in a special program. Now the user won't have to do anything. When the video is posted, it is automatically divided into 15-second periods.
If you're a regular on this social network and Stories are your calling card, read on to find out if you can make your life easier by downloading content directly from your hard drive instead of downloading it to your smartphone.
With Chrome or Safari
Above, we already told you how to post to Instagram on a computer using your browser. To post an Instagram Story, you can use these methods and configure your browser to display as it does on your phone. This way, you'll find all the standard features and interfaces of this social network. The Stories publishing button will be where you're used to seeing it, so you won't have any problems.
With Third-Party Tools
There are many paid and free apps equipped with all kinds of this social networking tools that you usually get in an app. The most popular are Bluestacks, Hootsuite, and HopperHQ. Some of them are used for business accounts and product promotion, but why? The answer is very simple - it's much faster to download files in large quantities on a computer than it is to do the same thing from a smartphone.
Posting Videos from Your PC or Mac
In the feed, videos are more popular than posts with photos. They are more effective in attracting subscribers, making the feed more lively, and are an effective channel for interacting with the audience. Features of uploading video content to the feed:
- MP4 and MOV video format is recommended for uploading.
- The maximum resolution for Instagram videos is 1080P.
Today uploading videos to Instagram from Mac or PC is very easy. Now you can do this without additional programs and services by opening the site from any browser. You can upload videos up to 60 min long:
- Open the official site and log into your profile.
- Press the plus sign at the top of the screen.
- In the window that opens, click the next button to select the file from your computer.
- Insert the video in supported formats.
- Select the aspect ratio. To do this, click on the video and drag it, adjusting the preview.
- Click Next in the upper right corner of the screen.
- Add a cover, choose from your computer, or drag and drop the image at the top of the screen.
- By clicking next we can specify our location, add a caption, select advanced settings, or enable special features.
- To post the video, click Share in the upper right corner of the screen.
If everything went correctly, you'll see a message notifying you of a preview. You can remove the preview from the profile grid. This will not affect the availability of the video. This way, you can upload videos from any computer without additional programs or services. Now you know even more about how to post on Instagram from PC or Mac.
Using the Extension or Desktop App
For more convenient work with the popular social network, you can download special extensions for Chrome. They allow you to access the site more conveniently, upload photos or videos, and create messages directly from your computer. One such popular extension is Inssist. Get it for free by simply downloading it from the web store.
You can also use Instagram from a desktop app on your computer. To get this Instagram app for PC, you need to go to the Microsoft Store. The latest version of Instagram on the desktop has a user-friendly interface and allows you to conveniently make posts and view your feed, so it's also a great option for you. In addition, you instantly access the social network via your desktop.
Impress Your Followers: Editing Photos in Luminar Neo
With the emergence of a large number of bloggers, it is becoming increasingly difficult to retain an audience, so you have to become more creative and process each shot carefully. If you actively manage your account, there is incredibly little time to master a photo editor like Photoshop, but you still want to get the perfect photo. What is the way out of this problem?
Discover the modern Luminar Neo photo editor, powered by AI technology. In just a couple of minutes, it allows you to perfectly process any shot as if you spent an hour in Photoshop. The interface of Luminar Neo is incredibly simple and intuitive even for beginners, while there are a huge number of professional editing tools.
For example, with Skin AI and Face AI, you can impress your subscribers with great portraits. The retouching is done in just a couple of clicks, as AI instantly detects skin imperfections and various facial features and works directly on them. At the same time, the result is very natural, and your audience will appreciate it.
To Sum It Up
Today we've figured out how to post pics on Instagram on PC or Mac and presented a few handy ways to do so. You can also easily post a video if the file you want is not on your smartphone but on your computer. It's up to you to install extensions, third-party applications, or just use your browser. If you want to use this social network primarily on your computer, choose a way that allows you access to all the uploading and editing features of the posts.
