How to Post to Instagram from Your PC

Social media has become a daily part of our lives and isn’t going away anytime soon. So, with that being said…

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What is your favorite social media website?

Do you use Instagram?

Regardless of whether you answered yes or not, many people don’t really know everything there is to know about Instagram.

So let’s talk about what Instagram is, how it is used, the differences between Instagram and Facebook, how to use Instagram from a desktop, and the different tools available that make it a whole lot easier.

Are you ready?

Let’s get started!

What Is Instagram?

Instagram is an American social networking website that was launched in 2010 and purchased by Facebook in 2012. It serves as a free picture and video sharing app for iOS, Android, and Windows Phone. This service gives a user the ability to upload pictures and videos to the Instagram service and share them with their friends, family, and followers. Instagram allows participants to view, comment, and like the posts that are shared. However, you do have to be 13 or older to create an account and register for the service.

How Is Instagram Used?

One of the reasons Instagram is so popular is because people love pictures and videos. And this service makes it easy for them to share their daily lives using pictures and videos, but that’s not all. After sharing pictures and videos on Instagram, a user can also add captions, edit filters, fine-tune settings, engage in video tagging and chatting, and use its other features to explore and interact with others on a deeper, more personal level.

What Is the Difference Between Instagram and Facebook?

Instagram content is based on photos and videos because it is a photo-sharing app. Facebook is multifaceted which means with Facebook, you can post all kinds of content and interact with people in many different ways. With Facebook, you can post pictures and videos, but you can also create and join groups, shop, create events, and more. However, Instagram is still very popular!

But you said Instagram is an app so is it even possible to use Instagram from a desktop computer?

Can I Use Instagram on a Desktop Computer?

The answer is yes and no. You can easily access Instagram on a desktop computer using your web browser. This can be done by entering this string: http://instagram.com/username into your web browser.

However, you can only view your feed, like, comment on other posts, view your profile, as well as follow, and unfollow other people. What you can’t do is post pictures, videos, or carousel posts. But this isn’t the only limitation using Instagram on a desktop computer has. The Instagram for Windows desktop app has a few other limitations as well. For example, Instagram for Windows requires you to use the Windows 10 version that is 10586.0 or higher. You must also have at least 2GB of RAM, and, you also have to have a Microsoft account as well. Instagram for Windows doesn’t work with older PCs or Macs.

If you have an older PC or Mac, there are some workarounds you can use if you want to use Instagram on them. There are some specific tools such as BlueStacks, which is a free Android phone emulator, and Flume which is a Mac-only Instagram app, both of which we will talk more about in a moment.

How to Post on Instagram from a Desktop Computer in 2020

Here is how to post on Instagram from a desktop computer using either the Chrome or Safari web browser.

• Chrome Browser

With the Chrome browser, you go to Instagram from your desktop. Then right-click anywhere on the page. You then select Inspect from the appearing right-click menu. The Inspector tool will pop up. There will be a few icons on the top left-hand corner of the Inspector tool. Look for the second from the left icon which enables you to see the mobile view of that page. You might have to refresh your page at this point. After the page reloads, you should see icons on the bottom of the mobile view of that Instagram page. You should also see a symbol that looks like a square with a + inside of it and that is what you click to make a new post. When you click that icon, Instagram will prompt you to share a photo, then you can continue with your post.

If you want to go back to using Chrome, you simply click on the “X” that’s on the top right of the Inspector tool window.

Easy, peasy…Done!

• Safari Browser

With the Safari browser, you go to the Safari menu bar, then go to Safari, next you will go to Preferences and then Advanced. Then go to the Advanced tab and look at the bottom of the options where you will see a box that says Show Develop menu in menu bar and you click that. This enables you to open a new Safari window so you can find the Develop menu. You will then click on Develop, then User Agent, and then you will see an iOS version option mentioned. For example: Safari – iOS 12.2.3 – iPhone. After this, you will be able to go to Instagram.com where you will sign into your account. You will notice that your account looks more like a mobile version of Instagram versus the normal desktop version. However, the icons will be the same ones that you see on the mobile version. Next, you will click on the image that looks like a square with a + inside of it. The system will then prompt you to choose a photo you want to upload and from there you can continue with your Instagram post.

NOTE: After you have finished using Instagram, you will have to go back to your Preferences and change the user agent back to Default. If you don’t, you won’t be able to see the websites in their original desktop version. They will continue to look like the mobile version.

Available Instagram Scheduling Tools

Instagram scheduling tools were once extremely limited and only reminded you to perform your postings. However, most Instagram scheduling tools can now do the posting for you, but you have to use a Business or Creator Instagram profile if you want to use it. If you are using a personal Instagram profile, it will be very limited as far as what it can do.

Here is a short list of Instagram scheduling tools you can use. Some of these have limited capabilities or a limited number of accounts, a free trial period, or any other variety of user options. However, for the best user options, you will generally have to pay a monthly fee for the full use of the service.

• Sendible
• Hootsuite
• Tailwind
• Buffer
• Apphi
• Later
• Sked Social
• Combin
• Flume

Now, as we mentioned above, there are some alternative Instagram scheduling tools and that’s what we are going to talk about next.

Alternative Instagram Scheduling Tools

Instagram discourages the use of alternative scheduling apps in favor of their own scheduler, Creator Studio. Therefore, sometimes you will find that any given app might have stopped working until the developer has come up with a fix. With alternative scheduling tools, you generally have to download the app to your computer before you can use them.

• BlueStacks

This is a free Android phone emulator which is software that was designed to simulate a mobile phone’s operating system. This enables you to use it on your computer to post pictures to Instagram.

• Uplet

This is designed to use with a Mac computer. The Uplet software enables you to upload multiple high-resolution photos and videos from your computer.

• Deskgram

This program enables you to upload photos from a PC or Mac. However, you do have to use the Google Chrome Browser and have the Deskgram Extension for Chrome if you want to use it.

Now, with all that being said, next, we are going to give you the best option for uploading photos to Instagram from your computer which is using the Instagram Creator Studio.

The Instagram Creator Studio

The Instagram Creator Studio is part of the Facebook Creator Studio platform. However, a user has to have a business Instagram profile that is linked to a Facebook page, before they can publish to Instagram from their PC. With the Creator Studio, you can post photos and videos, manage your posts, see who’s following you, who is interacting with your posts, and learn how people actually find your content. It also allows you to check your messages, identify your top followers, and easily reach out to anyone you want to engage with.

Helpful Information for Keeping Your Instagram Account Safe

Just as with anything else, you have to take some proactive measures to help keep your Instagram account safe. Here are some tips for keeping your Instagram account safe.

• Always use two-factor authentication to log in.
• Make sure you have a strong password in place and change it periodically.
• Select who can see your posts by using a private account. Instagram by default is visible to the entire community. Therefore, you have to switch to a private account so you can control who sees what.
• Block users you don’t want to see your posts.
• Control the comments on your posts and delete those you don’t want.
• Report any form of harassment, impersonation, bullying, or abuse.
• Be mindful of posts from those who seem to be a danger to themselves (suicide etc.) or others and make sure you contact local law enforcement immediately or report the content to the Instagram “Self Injury” option so that person can get the help they need.

What’s Next?

If you would like help boosting your brand exposure and ROI through your social media efforts, please Contact Us today. We have a team of seasoned experts who know exactly how to help take your business to the next level.

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