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How do you upload photos to instagram on mac


Here's how to post to Instagram on Mac and PC

Michael Potuck

- Jun. 24th 2021 8:11 am PT

@michaelpotuck

After we got a sneak peek at the feature last month, Instagram has quietly rolled out the option to create and publish posts from its website on desktop (but not on iPad). The new functionality includes the ability to use filters and edit photos and videos as well. Check out a closer look below including how to post to Instagram on Mac and PC.

Spotted by Matt Navarra, the new feature is live on Instagram’s website and we are seeing the functionality available here at 9to5Mac as well. It’s unclear how widely available the new feature is but it is rolling out now for Mac and PC.

If the feature is available for you, you’ll see a new pop-up alert at the top of your screen on the Instagram homepage after logging in that says: “Now you can create and share posts directly from your computer.”

How to post to Instagram on Mac and PC

  • Click the new + icon in the top right corner to get started (next to the Messenger icon)
  • Follow the prompts to upload your photos or videos (drag and drop or “Select From Computer”)
  • Choose your size/format
  • Pick your filter and/or edit (tab at the top)
  • Add your caption/location, and more
  • Choose Share

Almost hilariously, Instagram continues to ignore iPad. We tried to access the new desktop feature on iPad by requesting Instagram’s desktop site in Safari and the ability to post is not available for now.

Here’s a closer look at the desktop UI:

NEW! @Instagram lets you create + publish posts via desktop! pic.twitter.com/JWzwKg1kyO

— Matt Navarra (@MattNavarra) June 24, 2021

More screenshots of creating + publishing posts via https://t.co/3QaHTLlqBE pic.twitter.com/G5mptOhN06

— Matt Navarra (@MattNavarra) June 24, 2021

Other recent Instagram changes include the platform testing Suggested Posts in users’ main feed, the ability to hide like counts, and the Live feature gaining options for muting and disabling video:

  • Instagram for iOS testing feature that puts ‘Suggested Posts’ in your main feed
  • Instagram and Facebook officially launch ability to hide like counts, here’s how it works
  • Instagram Live adding new options for muting and disabling video

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About the Author

Michael Potuck

@michaelpotuck

Michael is an editor for 9to5Mac. Since joining in 2016 he has written more than 3,000 articles including breaking news, reviews, and detailed comparisons and tutorials.

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How to Post on Instagram from a PC or Mac (3 Methods)

Tired of posting on Instagram from your phone? Wondering how to post on Instagram from your PC or Mac instead?

You’ve come to the right place. Posting on Instagram from your desktop can save you time and offer more flexibility in what you can upload (such as edited videos and images).

And you can do it without having to upload them onto your phone first.

Below we’ve outlined three different ways to post on Instagram from your computer.

How to post on Instagram from your computer

Method 1: How to post on Instagram from your computer using Hootsuite

Method 2: How to post on Instagram from a PC or Mac

Method 3: How to post on Instagram from your computer using Creator Studio

How to post an Instagram Story from desktop

How to post an Instagram carousel post from desktop

How to edit an Instagram post from desktop

Bonus: Download a free checklist that reveals the exact steps a fitness influencer used to grow from 0 to 600,000+ followers on Instagram with no budget and no expensive gear.

How to post on Instagram from your computer

Below, you’ll find ways to post on Instagram from your PC or Mac. We’ll also show you how to post via Hootsuite which works on either operating system.

If you’re more of a visual learner, watch this video from our pals at Hootsuite Labs to see how easy it can be:

Method 1: How to post on Instagram from your computer using Hootsuite

You can schedule feed posts, Stories, carousel posts, and Instagram ads with Hootsuite.

The instructions below will walk you through the process of posting to your Instagram feed. We cover Instagram Stories and carousels a little further down in this article.

To post on Instagram from a PC or Mac using Hootsuite, follow these steps:

  1. Log into your Hootsuite dashboard. If you don’t have an account yet, create one here for free.
  2. From your dashboard, click on the green New Post button at the top.
  3. The New Post window will appear. Under Post to, select the Instagram account where you want to post your content. If you haven’t added an account yet, you can do that by clicking +Add a social network in the box and following the directions.
  4. Drop the image or video you want to post to Instagram in the Media section. Enhance your image and/or video with the photo editor.
  5. Once you’re done, add your caption in the Text section as well as any hashtags you want to use. You also have the option to add a location at the bottom.
  6. When you’ve crafted your post, review it for any errors. Once you’re sure everything is good to post, click the Post Now button at the bottom. Alternatively, you can also Schedule for later if you want it to post at a different time.

For a quick summary of how to post on Instagram from Hootsuite, watch this video:

Voila! Posting photos and videos to Instagram from PC or Mac is that easy.

Method 2: How to post on Instagram from a PC or Mac

As of October 2021, all Instagram users can create and publish feed posts from the browser version of the app. 

To post on Instagram from your desktop computer (PC or Mac), follow these simple steps:

  1. Go to the Instagram website (instagram.com) and sign in to your account.
  2. Click the plus symbol in the top right corner of the screen (it’s the same button you would use to create a post in the mobile app). A Create new post window will pop up.
  3. Drag photo or video files into the popup window, or click Select from computer to browse and pick files from your PC or Mac. If you want to create a carousel post, you can select up to 10 files.
  4. Click the frame icon in the bottom left corner of the popup to change the ratio of your image or video. You can also use the zoom feature (looking glass icon in the bottom left) and drag your file to edit your frame. When you’re done, click Next in the top right corner.
  5. Edit your image. You can select one of 12 preset effects in the Filters tab or go to the Adjustments tab and manually adjust specs such as brightness, contrast and fade. Click Next.
  6. Write your caption. Click on the smiley face icon to browse and pick emojis. You can also type in a location in the Add location bar, restrict commenting in Advanced settings and add alt text to your files in the Accessibility section.
  7. Click Share.

And that’s it! 

At the moment, only feed posts can be created and published directly from Instagram on desktop. Keep reading to find out how to post Instagram Stories from a PC or Mac computer.

Method 3: How to post on Instagram from your computer using Creator Studio

If Instagram is your social network of choice and you don’t mind not having all your social networks in one dashboard, Creator Studio could be a good option for you.

Note that when using Creator Studio, you can post and schedule all types of posts other than Instagram Stories.

How to post on Instagram using Creator Studio:

  1. Make sure you are connected to Instagram in Creator Studio.
  2. Navigate to the Instagram section.
  3. Click Create Post.
  4. Click Instagram Feed.
  5. Choose the account you want to post to (if you have more than one Instagram account connected).
  6. Add a caption and a location (optional).
  7. Click Add Content to add photos or videos.
  8. Next, choose between these 2 options:
    • Click From File Upload to upload new content.
    • Click From Facebook Page to post content that you’ve already shared on your Facebook.
  9. (Optional) If you want to simultaneously post this content to the Facebook Page connected to your Instagram account, check the box next to your Page under Post to Facebook. You can add additional details to your Facebook post after you publish to Instagram.
  10. Click Publish.

How to post an Instagram Story from desktop

You can post an Instagram Story from your computer using a third-party social media management tool like Hootsuite. Just follow the steps outlined in this short video:

Or, read our step-by-step article on how to post an Instagram Story from your computer.

If you don’t have Hootsuite, you can post an Instagram Story from your PC or Mac through the following steps:

  1. Go to Instagram.com.
  2. Go to developer mode on either Safari or Google Chrome (see Mac and PC sections above for detailed steps).
  3. Click on the camera in the top left.
  4. Choose an image or video you’d like to add to your story. Edit it with text, stickers, filters, gifs, or whatever else.
  5. Tap Add to your story at the bottom.

You’re done! It’s practically the same steps as if you were using the Instagram app on a mobile device.

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How to post an Instagram carousel post from desktop

With Hootsuite, you can also create and easily publish carousel posts (with up to 10 images or videos) directly to Instagram. Here’s how.

1. Go to Planner and tap New post to launch Compose.

2. Select the Instagram account you want to publish to.

3. Include your caption in the Text box.

4. Go to Media and tap Select files to upload. Select all the images you want to include in your carousel. All selected images should appear under Media.

5. Use the yellow Schedule button to select a date and time to publish your post.

6. Tap Schedule. The post will show up in your Planner at the time you have scheduled it for.

That’s it! Your post will go live on the date and time you selected.

How to edit an Instagram post from desktop

Hootsuite Compose allows you to edit any image directly on your dashboard before you post it. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to edit the image once it’s posted.


Follow these steps to edit:

  1. Log into your Hootsuite dashboard. If you don’t have an account yet, get your free 30-day trial here (no pressure to pay, you can cancel anytime).
  2. From your dashboard, click on the green New Post button at the top.
  3. The New Post window will appear. Under Post to, select the Instagram account where you want to post your content. If you haven’t added an account yet, you can do that by clicking +Add a social network in the box and following the directions.
  4. Drop the images and/or videos you want to post to Instagram in the Media section
  5. To edit, click on Edit Image below the Media section. This brings up Hootsuite Composer’s edit tool. It allows you to customize the aspect ratio of your image to fit practically any social media platform’s image metrics. From the sidebar, you also have the ability to add filters, adjust lighting and focus, add text and stickers, and use the brush too.
  6. Once you’re finished click Save.
  7. Add your caption, hashtags, and location. Then click Post Now. 

Voila! You just edited your image from your desktop.

Post to Instagram from your PC or Mac using Hootsuite. Save time, grow your audience, and measure your performance alongside all your other social channels. Try it free today.

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How to upload photos and videos to Instagram from a Mac or Windows computer

While Instagram developers are ignoring the launch of the official multi-functional client for macOS and Windows, with which you could edit and upload your favorite photos and videos to a well-known network, third-party developers and enthusiasts will use every opportunity to create workarounds. Today we will talk about several ways to add photos to Instagram from any computer. nine0003

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♥ BY TOPIC: How to unfollow a person on Instagram so that they don’t find out (so as not to offend). Unfortunately, at the moment there is no official Instagram client for computers, but this does not mean that the service cannot be used on Windows and Mac. nine0003

♥ BY TOPIC: The most followed people on Instagram are the 35 accounts with the most followers.

How to view photos and videos on Instagram using Safari, Google Chrome, Yandex Browser, Mozilla Firefox and Opera

photos and videos, stories (stories), profile information, leave comments, etc. on any computer. nine0003

♥ RELATED: How to see when a user is logged into Instagram and how to turn it off.

How to upload photos and videos to Instagram for free on a computer using the Safari browser on Mac (macOS)

Almost all modern desktop browsers provide the ability to change the option "User Agent" - an application that tells the site which device used. That is, even if you are working on a laptop or a desktop computer, you can make the site “think” that it is a smartphone and show a mobile version. This is what we are to do. nine0003

In the case of Apple's browser, everything is quite simple. Go to Safari → Settings → Add-ons and check the box next to the option " Show menu " Development " in menu bar ".

♥ RELATED: How to open the Develop menu (Developer Console) in Safari on Mac and what it is for.

Next, open a new window. Select Development → User agent → Safari – iPhone and go to Instagram. com.

Log into your account and click on the " + " button at the bottom of the screen.

Now you can easily upload images to Instagram directly from your computer.

♥ RELATED: Masks and effects on Instagram photos and videos: how to enable and add new ones. nine0010

How to upload photos and videos to Instagram on a Windows or Mac computer using Google Chrome, Yandex Browser, Opera or Firefox

The method for Google Chrome, Yandex Browser, Opera or Firefox is identical to the above and is also based on using the mobile web version of the social network Instagram.

In Google Chrome

Click on the icon with three vertical dots in the upper right corner of Google Chrome and follow the path: Additional tools → Developer tools .

Click the icon to enable the display of web pages in the mobile version.

Reload the page and upload photos or videos to Instagram by clicking the "+" button in the bottom bar.

In Yandex Browser

Click on the icon with three vertical lines in the upper right corner of Yandex Browser and follow the path: Advanced → Additional tools → Developer tools .

Click the icon to enable the display of web pages in the mobile version.

Reload the page and upload photos or videos to Instagram by clicking the "+" button in the bottom bar.

In the Opera browser

Open the menu Developer → Developer Tools.

Click the icon to enable the display of web pages in the mobile version.

Reload the page and upload photos or videos to Instagram by clicking the "+" button in the bottom bar. nine0003

In Firefox browser

Click on the icon with three vertical lines in the upper right corner of the Firefox browser and navigate to the path: Web development → Responsive design .

Select iPhone from the mobile selection menu. Reload the page and upload photos or videos to Instagram by clicking the "+" button in the bottom bar.

♥ RELATED: How to create albums from photos or videos on Instagram. nine0010

Programs for uploading photos and videos to Instagram from a computer , process pictures on desktop computers and only then publish to Instagram. In this case, you have to upload processed images from a computer to a mobile device (for example, via AirDrop or email) - a very troublesome task. We will talk about the most popular applications that allow you to upload photos and videos to Instagram from a computer below. nine0003

♥ RELATED: How to set up (enable / disable) any notifications on Instagram.

How to upload photos to Instagram from a Windows or Mac computer using the Windowed app

One day, a young photographer and developer found out that Instagram cannot upload photos from a computer. He got upset and decided to fix the problem. This is how the Windowed application was born, which is a web application disguised as a mobile browser that supports the interface of the mobile browser version of Instagram. nine0003

Windowed allows you to do everything on Instagram that you can do in the browser versions described earlier.

What about security? The developer assures that all important information from the user, including login and password, goes through Instagram, and he does not have access to them. Anyone who is willing (and able) can check his words at any time - the code is posted on GitHub.

Another useful feature of Windowed is support for up to five different Instagram accounts. Quick switching between them is carried out by pressing the button Profile at the top of the screen.

Helpful Hint: if your Mac won't open Windowed and says "The application cannot be opened because the developer could not be verified" or "The program cannot be opened because its author is an unidentified developer" . follow the steps in this manual.

Free Download Windowed for Windows and Mac .

♥ RELATED: Instagram blue checkmark: how to get verified status on Instagram.

How to upload photos and videos to Instagram from a Mac or Windows computer using the Uplet application you need to upload a photo or video from your computer to the Instagram feed with a minimum number of settings. After starting the program, you must go through the standard authorization procedure in the account. And here you can observe the first drawback of the client - the lack of support for working with multiple accounts, which, by the way, is available in mobile clients. The function would be relevant for those who promote two or more accounts or several family members work in one Mac account. Next, a super-minimalistic window appears, prompting you to add images to upload. You can do this by clicking on the button and selecting files in the explorer, but a much more convenient way would be to simply drag and drop (Drag-and-drop) photos into the Uplet window.

By pressing the button " Send all ” you will immediately send the content to the network, but there is an opportunity to pre-perform several relevant actions available in the button “Add signature” . Here you can choose a square or leave the original size of the image (for all at the same time or for each separately). The photo can only be tiled over the entire width of the square, and then move the image left and right. But you can’t zoom in on the image and select a specific area (it would be relevant for high-resolution photos). nine0003

Before sending, it remains to add comments, hashtags and emoticons (through the built-in tools of the operating system). After pressing " Share all " we wait for the end of the publishing process and notification from Uplet. Uploading to the network takes some time, of course, not comparable in speed with the regular Instagram client for iOS.

Uplet is purely a tool for uploading images and videos. You cannot edit or delete images that have already been posted. Support for multiple accounts is present. The main disadvantage of the application is its cost. At the same time, a demo version of the application is available on the site, which allows you to make 5 downloads. nine0003

Download Uplet for Windows and Mac

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    How to upload photos to Instagram from Mac?

    Since the introduction of Instagram in 2010, the number of monthly active users has exceeded 2 billion. Every day they upload over 100 million photos - that's about a thousand per second! No wonder users now want to know how to upload photos to Instagram from a computer, although the application was originally conceived only for mobile devices.

    Beginners will not remember, but the web version of instagram.com once did not even exist: you could only view accounts from the iPhone. The service developed rapidly - and over time, it became possible to upload short videos, write private messages, and then like, comment, and even download posts from a computer.

    True, at first it was like a quest. Craftsmen tried to download mobile application emulators, plugins, extensions and profiles for developers. But all these tricks worked through time. Until in 2021, Instagram finally made life easier for users by allowing users to post from the desktop version of the site. nine0003

    If you want to know how it's done, follow the instructions below.

    1. Go to the Instagram website.

    2. In the browser version of the application, log in to your account or register if you are using Instagram for the first time.

    3. On the left side menu, click the New button.

    4. The "Select from Computer" function will appear in a new window. Next, select the images you want to post to your Instagram feed.

    5. The next step is for the user to select the area to crop the photo and its format. Click next.

    6. The next step is to select filters for the image. Click on each option - and see how the color correction of the picture changes. Once you decide, click "Next".

    7. The last step is to add the post text and geolocation. By the way, it holds a maximum of 2,200 characters, including emoticons and tags. The number of tags, as well as mentions of other users, should not exceed 30 pieces. nine0003

    You can also use the advanced settings and turn off comments, hide the number of marks, likes and views of this publication.

    8. Your post is ready to be published on the most popular social network. It remains to press the "Share" button and wait until popularity "covers" you.

    There is another convenient way to post content to Instagram from your computer. Use Creator Studio . This is a tool for publishing, managing, monetizing and analyzing the effectiveness of the content of Meta projects - Facebook and Instagram. nine0003

    1. First you need to follow the link and link your account to the service. To do this, click the "Link account" button and enter your username and password in the new window.

    2. At the time of publication, Creator Studio functionality allows you to download Reels posts and videos. To do this, click the green "Create" button in the side menu on the left.

    3. In the window that appears, create a publication by selecting a photo, writing text and specifying a geolocation. The last step is to click the "Publish" button. nine0003

    There are other ways to post photos and videos to Instagram from your computer. But these two methods are perhaps the easiest. They are free and do not require additional downloads from the user. You can even switch between accounts if you have multiple accounts.

    Learn more