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An easy-to-follow guide to sharing photos and videos on Instagram
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Posting on Instagram is super easy, whether you're posting from the mobile app or your computer. To post on the Instagram mobile app, tap the plus sign, choose or capture a photo or video, then add filters and a caption. If you want more creative options, including the ability to add text and music to your posts, you can create a Story or Reel using the mobile app. If you're using your computer, you can post on Instagram by visiting Instagram.com in your web browser. This wikiHow article teaches you how to post on Instagram using your Android, iPhone, or iPad, as well on your computer using the Instagram website.
Things You Should Know
- Post photos and videos on Instagram using the mobile app or a computer by tapping "+."
- To share photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours, you can create Stories using the mobile app.
- You can post photos and videos to Instagram from your computer using Instagram.com, or by installing the Windows Instagram app.
Steps
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Open the Instagram app on your Android, iPhone, or iPad. Tap the Instagram app icon, which resembles a multicolored camera front, to do so. This will open your Instagram home page if you're logged in.
- If you're new to Instagram, check out our guide to creating an Instagram account .
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Tap + . This plus sign is at the bottom-center of the screen. This takes you to the New Post screen, where you'll be able to choose the photo or video you want to post or create a new one.Advertisement
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Select Post to share a photo or video. Instagram offers many ways to share photos and videos in the app. If you want to create a photo or video post, you'll want to choose POST from the options.
- Other ways you can share content on Instagram:
- Stories let you share your day-to-date moments in a slideshow-like format. But unlike regular Instagram posts, Stories are only available on your profile for 24 hours before they disappear.
- Reels are short videos with audio, effects, and other tools designed to entertain viewers. If you're familiar with TikTok , Reels are Instagram's version of TikTok's popular video format
- Live allows you to broadcast a live video stream to your followers.
- Other ways you can share content on Instagram:
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Take or select a photo or video. If you want to upload a photo or video you've already taken, you can select it from your phone or tablet's gallery. If you'd rather capture a new photo or video, tap the camera icon to open the camera viewfinder. [1] X Research source
- If you select a photo or video, tap Next or the arrow icon in the top-right corner of the screen to continue.
- If you're using the Instagram camera, tap the camera shutter button to take a photo, or tap and hold it to record a new video.
- If you want to share multiple photos and/or videos in a single carousel post, tap the two overlapping photos. You can then tap the media you want to share in the order in which it should appear.
- As of July 2022, if you post a video that's under 15 minutes long on Instagram, it will be shared as a Reel. [2] X Research source
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Edit your photo or video. You can apply creative filters to your photos and videos by selecting them from the list at the bottom.
- You can tap the filter again once it's selected to bring up a slider that allows you to reduce the filter's effect.
- You can also tap the Edit tab at the bottom of the screen to edit other aspects of the photo or video (e.g., Brightness or Contrast ).
- Tap Next or the arrow icon in the top right corner to continue.
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Add a caption. Tap the text field at the top of the screen, then type in the caption that you want to use.
- You can also tag Instagram friends in this photo or video by tapping Tag People , tapping the photo, and selecting friends.
- To add a location tag to the photo, tap Add Location , then select a location.
- Adding hashtags to your post can help other people find your content.
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Tap Share (iPhone) or the checkmark (Android). It's at the top-right corner of the screen. This posts your photo or video to your Instagram page.
- If your Instagram account is linked to other social media accounts (e.g., Twitter or Facebook), you can tap the switch to the right of an account to post the photo or video there as well.
- If you have big pictures to post that are too large to post normally, you can do it by resizing the pictures or creating a profile mosaic.
- If you find a Story or post that you'd like to share with your followers, you can share it using a few different techniques.
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Open the Instagram mobile app on your Android, iPhone, or iPad. You can post an Instagram Story using the mobile Instagram app, but not from a computer. Stories are short-format photos and/or videos that disappear from your profile after 24 hours. You can view Stories from people you follow by tapping their profile photo at the top of your feed, or by tapping their profile photo at the top of their own profile. [3] X Research source
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Tap the + on "Your Story." You'll see it at the top-left corner of your Instagram feed.
- You can also tap the + at the bottom of the Instagram app and select Story to get here, or swipe right on your feed. [4] X Research source
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Select or capture a photo or video. To choose a photo or video from your phone or tablet, tap the gallery icon at the bottom-left and make your selection. Otherwise, you can capture a new photo or video using the camera on the screen.
- If you want to record a new video or take a new photo, you can choose one of the filters at the bottom of the screen before recording.
- If you don't want to share a photo or video, you can tap the Aa on the left to enter Create mode, which allows you to add text to a colored background, create polls, share make GIFs, and other unique story ideas.
- Check out our guide to creating games in Instagram Stories!
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Add music, text, stickers, and more to your Story. You can swipe left or right on the photo or video to scroll through a variety of filters, or tap the sticker icon for more options, including the ability to add music to your story.
- To add filters, tap the star icon at the top and select a filter.
- To add text, tag friends, or tag your location, tap Aa at the top.
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Tap Your Story at the bottom to share your story. This adds your Story to the top of your profile, and to the top of your friends' feeds.
- Continue adding to your Story throughout the day.
- 24 hours after posting your story, it will disappear. Fortunately, you can view your old Stories and even share them to your Highlights .
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Open the Instagram mobile app on your Android, iPhone, or iPad. If you want to create a creative short-form video with fun effects, music, and more, you can create a Reel using the Instagram mobile app. [5] X Research source
- While you can post Reels from your computer, you won't have the same editing options as on the mobile app.
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Tap + at the bottom of Instagram. A list of posting options will appear.
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Select Reel . This opens the Reels recording screen, where you'll find many options for personalizing your reel.
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Select an effect (optional). If you want to record yourself or a friend, try selecting an effect from the carousel at the bottom. You can also tap Effects or the stars on the left side of the screen to browse the entire Effects library.
- You can add some effects after you create your Reel if you prefer.
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Record your Reel. To record something new, tap and hold the circle at the bottom of the screen. You can record Reels in segments, too—just lift your finger after recording the first segment, and come back later to record the next. When you're finished, tap Next to see a preview.
- If you want to make a Reel from a video you've already recorded, tap the square at the bottom-left, then select your video.
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Make your final edits. If you want to add music to your Reel, tap the music note icon on the left side of the screen. You can also add stickers, text, drawings, and more effects using the buttons at the top of the preview.
- If you recorded your Reel in segments, tap Edit clips at the bottom to edit or reorder them.
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Tap Next or > when you're ready to share your Reel.
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Enter your description and tags and tap Share . On the final screen, you can type a caption, tag people or locations, and edit your cover image before sharing. When you're finished, tap Share to share your Reel.
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Click or tap the Comment icon below an Instagram post. It's the speech bubble below the photo or video. If you want to leave a comment on somebody else's Instagram post, you can easily do so using the mobile app or your computer.
- If the person who posted the photo or video has disabled comments , you won't be able to post a comment here.
- If you want to reply to an existing comment, tap the comment to which you want to reply and then tap Reply instead.
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Type your comment into the text box. You can also add emojis and hashtags if you'd like.
- You can tag somebody in a comment by typing "@" followed by the person's Instagram username.
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Click or tap Post . This adds your comment to the Instagram post.
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Go to https://www.instagram.com using your computer's web browser. If you want to post photos and videos from your PC or Mac, it's easy to do on Instagram's website.
- Unlike when posting from the Android or iPhone app, you can't use Instagram on your computer to post Stories or Reels.
- If you're using Windows 10 or 11 and prefer using a desktop app, you can install the official Instagram app from the Microsoft Store .
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Log into Instagram. Enter your login credentials and password and click on the Log In button. Once you're signed in, you'll see your Instagram feed.
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Click ＋ Create . You'll see this plus icon in the menu on the left side of the page. A pop-up will appear.
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Click the Select from computer button. This will open a File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac) window on your computer.
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Double-click a photo or video. Double-clicking the photo or video you want to upload adds it to the upload page so you can edit it before sharing.
- You may first have to double-click the folder in which the photo is located on the left side of the window.
- You can also drag multiple photos and/or videos to the "Drag photos and videos here" box to quickly share multiple items.
- If you want to post an individual video, it will be shared as a Reel. However, unlike creating a Reel in the mobile app, you won't have access to advanced Reel tools on your computer.
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Click Next . It's at the top-right corner of the pop-up window. Alternatively, you can click the crop, magnify, or select multiple icons along the bottom of your image to make more changes before you proceed.
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Select a filter and/or adjustment and click Next . Click a filter on the right side of the window to see how it will look on your photo or video. If you want to make further adjustments, just click the “Adjustment” tab.
- This step is optional.
- Click Next to continue.
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Enter a caption and other details. Click the “Write a caption...” text field, then type in a description for your photo.
- Add location to your post by clicking Add Location , then typing and choosing your location from the suggestions.
- Make your image more accessible by adding alt text. Click Accessibility to enter your alt text, which is a text description of your image.
- Click Advanced settings to be able to hide likes and comments on that post or to turn off commenting completely.
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Click Share . It's a blue button on the upper-right side of the page. The photo will be posted to your Instagram page. [6] X Research source
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Expert Q&A
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QuestionHow do I make my Instagram feed feel cohesive?A.J. Aldana is a social media specialist who has been using platforms such as Tik Tok, Instagram, and YouTube for over 5 years. A.J. has worked with brands to curate content that has garnered thousands of interactions for various social media campaigns and is passionate about contributing to innovative and trending articles on wikiHow. He holds a BS in Product Design from Stanford University.If your Instagram has a theme, make sure your posts are topical and follow your theme. For example, if you're a grocery store, maybe you share grocery haul posts. If you're a business, maybe you share tips about your product. You could also apply the same filter to all of your photos to give them visual cohesion.
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QuestionHow do I delete duplicate photos?Community AnswerYou'll need to find and delete each duplicate photo manually. Tap the Options button after opening the photo and select "Delete" to remove it.
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QuestionHow many photos per day am I allowed to upload to Instagram?Community AnswerThere is no limit to how many posts you can post. Try to post no more than 4 or 5 everyday. This will space things out a little without feeling like spam.
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Warnings
- Don't post anything to which you don't own the rights. Posting other people's content as your own can get your account banned.Thanks
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References
- ↑ https://help.instagram.com/442418472487929
- ↑ https://business.instagram.com/blog/instagram-video-now-instagram-reels
- ↑ https://business.instagram.com/instagram-stories
- ↑ https://business.instagram.com/instagram-stories/get-started
- ↑ https://help.instagram.com/2720958398006062/?cms_platform=android-app&%3Bhelpref=platform_switcher
- ↑ https://help.instagram.com/442418472487929/?cms_platform=iphone-app&helpref=platform_switcher
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