How to join instagram on laptop


How to Open Instagram on Your PC or Laptop

How to Open Instagram on Your PC!


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In its first couple of years, Instagram was only available as a mobile app. People used it for fun and didn’t care much about the quality of the photos. However, as Instagram became more important, the company realized it had to take it to the desktop as well.

Today, we can use Instagram on our PC and laptops for many things, but we still can’t use all the options that the mobile app has. In any event, we’re just going to show you how to open and use Instagram on your desktop.

How to Open Instagram on Desktop

Quick Links

All you need is a stable Wi-Fi connection and your Instagram password. It doesn’t matter which browser, as they’re all compatible with Instagram.com. Here’s how to open it and log in:

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  1. Go to instagram.com
  2. Enter your Instagram username or email.
  3. Enter your password.
  4. Click on Log in.

There you have it! Your browser will now ask you whether you want to save the username and password. If you’re going to use Instagram from that device often, it may be a good idea to remember.

If you’ve forgotten your password, you can log in with your Facebook credentials if your accounts are connected. You should see that option at the bottom of the screen. Alternatively, you can reset the password by entering the email address that’s connected to your Instagram account.

What You Can Do

When you log in to Instagram on your desktop, you’ll see that some features are located in a different place in comparison to the app. However, everything still looks more or less the same. Stories are on the top, and when you scroll down you’ll see your friends’ photos. You can like them or comment on them all the same.

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You can also visit your friends’ profiles, and there’s even a search bar at the top of the screen. You can find new people and follow or unfollow them. Moreover, you can also see your own profile and edit it. You can change your bio or add a new profile picture.

People who try Instagram on their desktop for the first time are usually surprised by the quality of the photos. Most photos don’t seem crystal clear as they were before. In fact, the quality is the same, just that the pixels are closer together on small screens.

The Latest Feature

A couple of months ago, Instagram introduced the feature that people have been waiting for for a long time. You can now DM on your PC or laptop! Instagram users would recognize this as a small revolution that makes everything easier.

You can now not only chat on the desktop, but you can also reply to other users’ stories right there. This may seem like a small step to some people, but believe it when we say that it makes a big difference.

Do you remember when DM first appeared? You had to download another app just to use this feature before it became integrated into the Instagram app. A couple of years later came voice messages. And now, DM is available on the desktop. What could be next?

What You Can’t Do

Unfortunately, you’re still unable to do two very important things on your laptop: You can’t upload photos or add stories. This may sound strange as these are two essential features on Instagram. However, that’s the way it is. There is no way to add photos or videos on your desktop.

Many users have complained about this, but we can only hope that Instagram will listen soon. Mainly because a lot of people use Instagram for professional purposes and have high-quality photos. Until then, many users have to edit their photos on a desktop first, prior to sending them to their phones for uploading on the app.

Is There an Instagram App for Desktop?

Currently, there’s only an app for Windows 10. If you wonder why haven’t we mentioned it before, that’s because the app still has some kinks. Many users complained that the app wasn’t desktop-friendly. For example, there’s no option for uploading photos or stories. In fact, there isn’t anything you can’t do on the browser.

However, if you have Windows 10, you can download it for free and try it out. Here’s how to get the app:

  1. Open the Microsoft store.
  2. Click on the search bar.
  3. Type “Instagram”.
  4. Select the Instagram icon when it appears.
  5. Click Get.

Once the app is downloaded, you can log in with your credentials. The app should look more or less like the phone app, depending on your device.

Explore

As you can see, both the desktop and mobile versions have some advantages and disadvantages. However, Instagram is working on improving user experience all the time, including for desktop users.

How often do you use Instagram? Do you prefer Instagram on your laptop or your phone, and why? Let us know in the comments section below.

How to Post to Instagram on Your Laptop Using a Nifty Chrome Trick

While you can browse Instagram on your desktop or laptop through a browser, for a long time, the Instagram desktop website didn't offer a way to upload photos. Because Instagram is a mobile-focused service, it's bent towards uploading your photos through its Android and iPhone apps.

However, there is now an official method for posting to Instagram from your PC. And in case this doesn't work for you, we'll show you a workaround that lets you post to Instagram using Chrome. This works on Windows, Mac, or a Chromebook—as long as you have access to Google Chrome. Here's how to post on Instagram from a laptop or desktop.

The Official Method for Posting to Instagram on Your Computer

As of late 2021, Instagram now allows you to upload photos to your account using its desktop website. While it took a while to roll out, it should be available for all users at the time of writing.

To upload from your computer, just log into Instagram.com and click the Plus button in the top-right corner. This will bring you to a screen where you can drag and drop photos from your PC, or click the Select from computer button to browse for them. From there, you can perform basic edits, apply filters, and add a caption.

This is the best way to add photos to your Instagram account using a computer. In case it's not available for you or you want to try a workaround, you'll find instructions on how to post to Instagram using Chrome below.

Step 1: Visit Instagram and Open Chrome's Developer Tools

To start, open Instagram.com in Google Chrome and make sure you're logged into your account. Then right-click anywhere on the page and choose Inspect to open the Developer Tools panel. You can also use the F12 key on Windows or Cmd + Option + i on a Mac, if you prefer.

This will open Chrome's Developer Tools panel on the right side, containing a bunch of HTML and other page details. But you don't need to worry about any of that.

Step 2: Switch to Mobile View

In the top-left corner of the new Developer Tools window, you'll see an icon that looks like a phone next to a tablet. Click on this to switch to mobile view—you can also use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Shift + M on a Windows PC or Cmd + Shift + M on a Mac.

This mode effectively tells the website that you're using a mobile device. You'll thus see the interface switch to something that's a lot like you're used to seeing on Android or iPhone. Keep the Developer Tools panel open to continue using the mobile interface, as closing it reverts to the normal desktop view.

Step 3: Upload Your Photo to Instagram

At the bottom of the screen, with mobile view enabled, you should see the various icons for Instagram's different tabs. If you don't see this row of icons, refresh the page (F5) and it should appear.

Click the Plus icon in the middle of that toolbar to upload any photo from your computer using File Explorer or Finder.

By default, Instagram only lets you upload a few image types, including JPEG. If you want to upload a PNG or another type of image, you'll need to make a small change first.

On Windows, click the Custom Files box in the bottom-right corner of File Explorer and change it to All Files. If you're on a Mac, click the Options button at the bottom-left of Finder and change the Format box from Custom Files to All Files.

Step 4: Edit Your Image

After you select your image, you have some options on the Edit tab. If your photo is larger than Instagram's standard dimensions, you can drag it around to frame the picture as you wish. Use the Rotate button at the bottom-right to spin it 90 degrees at a time. Click the full-size button in the bottom-left to toggle between the full width or a square size (if applicable).

Swap to the Filter tab at the bottom of the screen to apply one of Instagram's many filters. As you'll notice, you don't have access to all of Instagram's editing tools using this method. If you want to adjust the image further, we recommend using a photo editing app on your computer to make any adjustments before uploading your picture to Instagram.

From here, click the Next button and you can enter a caption, set the photo's location, and tag people if you want. Then you're all set to share your photo. People will never know that you posted it using your computer and not a phone!

Alternative Ways to Post to Instagram Using Your PC

Instagram offers an official Windows app on the Microsoft Store for Windows 10 and Windows 11. It's basically a port of the mobile app, and provides the same set of functionality as the desktop website. This includes posting to Instagram from your PC, so give it a try if you prefer to use a dedicated app for posting to Instgram.

If you're interested in more, we've looked at other ways to post on Instagram from your computer. Keep in mind that none of the other options are more convenient than this, so we'd recommend either the official method or the mobile Chrome workaround in most cases.

Download: Instagram for Windows (Free)

Post to Instagram From Your Laptop Using Any Browser

Thankfully, you don't have to rely on this workaround anymore to post on Instagram using your computer. Instagram's desktop website now makes it easy to post photos no matter what browser and operating system you're using. But if the official method stops working and you need a workaround, it's simple to post on Instagram using this Chrome trick too.

Either way, posting from your desktop instead of a phone is great if you prefer to edit photos on your computer. It saves you the step of transferring the photos to your phone, then uploading them using Instagram's mobile app.

Now, make sure that what you post on Instagram attracts interest.

3 easy ways to access Instagram from a computer

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