Why Can’t You Upload to Instagram from PC?
So, why
on earth would Instagram want to stop users from posting directly from their
computers?
Well,
the company wants to encourage authentic usage of the app. In other words,
Instagram wants you to upload pictures and images that are taken at the moment
and uploaded directly from your phone.
Unfortunately, this means that you’re limited
to the quality available from your phone camera – which might not be enough to
earn the attention of millions of followers, now that Instagram
is so popular.
The
easiest way to post to Instagram from PC involves either using a desktop
browser workaround, accessing a scheduler to do the uploading for you, or using
a third-party app. Let’s take a look at each of the ways that you can upload to
Instagram from PC, Mac, or virtually any browser.
Let’s
start with most common option: the browser workaround.
If you don’t want to sign-up for scheduling
service, and you’re bored of relying on endless third-party tools for your
social media marketing, then this is the most straightforward option. Most
computer browsers come with an option that allows users to change their
“user-agent” setting. This basically changes the way that your
browser talks to certain websites.
Change
your user agent, and you can convince Instagram that you’re logging in from a
smartphone, even when you aren’t.
If You’re Using Safari…
If
you’re on a Mac computer, you’ll need to enable the Developer menu to start
messing around with user settings. To do this, go into the “Preferences” menu
underneath the Safari tab:
From
there, you can click on “Advanced” to take you into the menu that allows you to
“Show Develop Menu in Menu Bar.” The Develop menu will appear at the top of
your Safari page. Click on that, then scroll down to User-Agent. Here, you’ll
get a separate list of options for how you want your browser to appear. You’ll
need to select “iPhone” to post to Instagram from PC.
Once
you’ve clicked on the iPhone view option, you’ll see your page as though it was
on a mobile device. When this happens, the “Upload” button you typically get
when you’re browsing on your phone will appear on the bottom of the page. All
you need to do now is click on Upload, choose the file you want to share, and
write a caption, as normal.
If You’re Using Google Chrome…
If you’re not a Mac user, then there’s a good
chance you’ll be using Google Chrome. The Chrome browser has a 70% market share –
with millions of users. In your Chrome browser, log into your Instagram
account, then open your Chrome Developer tools by pressing Ctrl, Shift, and J.
Immediately,
the developer console will appear on the right-hand side of your page. To view
your Instagram feed just like it appears on your phone, press Ctrl, Shift, and
M, or click on the small icon that looks like a phone here:
You
don’t necessarily need to find the exact match to the phone you use to upload
to Instagram from PC, but some people will prefer to do this. Click on the
drop-down menu at the top of the screen and select the make and model of your
phone. Now, your Instagram profile will appear just as it does on your phone,
complete with the option to post to Instagram from PC.
Click on
the Upload icon to add a photo or video from your files, and remember to add a
caption and filters, just as you would on your phone.
