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How to Post on Instagram from a PC

Use this step‑by‑step guide to learn how to post photos and videos to Instagram from your PC as well as other tips for managing your business's Instagram.

We’re all very familiar with how to post pictures on Instagram. You either upload one from your phone’s camera roll or you take one straight from the app. However, there are cases where you need to post from your computer. For example, when you’re in the office or don’t have your phone on hand.

Instagram has recently added the ability to create and post photos and videos right from your PC. A lot of people access Instagram from their computers, especially with business Instagram accounts, so being able to post from your computer is very helpful. In this guide, you’ll find an outline of the step-by-step process of how to post pictures on Instagram from a PC, as well as how to post videos on Instagram from a PC.

To learn more about how to make a post on Instagram from a PC, continue reading this article.

How to post on Instagram from a PC: Step-by-step instructions

If you ever find yourself needing to post on Instagram but don’t have your phone on you, you’ll need to know how to post pictures on Instagram from a PC. Follow the step-by-step instructions below to get started.

1. Go to Instagram.com

First things first, to post on Instagram from your computer, you need to go to Instagram.com and log into your account.

2. Click the plus symbol

Once you’ve logged into your Instagram account from your computer and are ready to post, you then need to click the plus symbol in the top right corner. The plus symbol should be located between the messages and compass icons.

3. Click “select from computer”

After you’ve clicked the plus symbol, a new screen will pop up and you’ll then click the “select from computer” button, where you can then select photos from your computer’s desktop, documents, or downloads.

4. Edit your photo

Once you’ve selected a photo from your computer that you want to post, you can then edit the photo. You can add various filters and crop your image or leave it unedited.

5. Add text & tags

After you’ve edited the photo, you can then add a caption or location for the photo, and/or tag people in the post.

6. Update settings as needed

You can update the settings for the post as needed. For example, you can decide where it’s shared, adjust commenting capabilities, and more. You can also change the caption or location and add more tags.

7. Click Share

Once the photo is successfully uploaded and edited and you’re happy with the results, you can then share the post for all your followers to see.

When you’re done, you can always check to see how it looks on mobile devices from your phone.

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How to post videos on Instagram from your PC

So now that you know how to post pictures on Instagram from a PC, let’s go over how to post videos on Instagram from a PC. The process of posting videos on Instagram from a computer is quite similar to posting pictures, but here are the step-by-step instructions that you can follow:

1. Go to Instagram.com

To post videos on Instagram from your PC, you first need to go to the Instagram website on your computer and log into your account.

2. Click the plus symbol

Once you’ve logged into your account and you’re ready to post a video, you can then click the plus symbol in the top right corner of the page. The plus symbol will be located between the messages and compass icons.

3. Click “select from computer”

After you’ve clicked the plus symbol, a new page should pop up that has a “Select from Computer” button. Click that button and you’ll then be able to access the videos on your computer and you can choose one to post.

4. Prep your video

Once you’ve selected a video to post on Instagram, you can then prep the video. You can shorten the video, add a filter, or make any other edits as you feel necessary.

To make your video more engaging you can add music from the selection available on Instagram through Spotify. You may also want to select a cover image. Doing so can help preserve the aesthetics of your feed and allows you to put an informative title or summary that’s more likely to garner clicks from future profile visitors.

5. Add text & tags

After you’ve prepped and edited the video to your liking, you then can add a caption, a location, and tag people in the post. You can also turn off commenting if you like.

6. Update settings as needed

You can update any other settings as needed and make changes to the post. You can change the caption or location and add more tags.

7. Click share

Once you’re prepped and edited the video, all you have to do is click share and you’re done! That’s all it takes to successfully post a video on Instagram from your computer.

How to post on Instagram from a PC: Using the extension

Another way you can post on Instagram from a computer is by using the Chrome extension. Here’s how to get started:

1. Download the Chrome extension

To start, you’ll need to download the Chrome extension for Instagram on your laptop or PC. Open the Chrome Web Store, then search for the “Extension for Instagram”, then click “Add to Chrome”. With this extension, you can upload photos, as well as download photos and videos.

2. Click the extension & log in

Once the Chrome extension for Instagram is downloaded on your computer, click the extension within the bar at the top of your browser and log into your Instagram account.

3. Click the plus symbol

After you’ve logged into your Instagram account, click the plus symbol in the top right corner of the page. The plus symbol will be located between the messages and compass icons. You can then select the image you want to upload from your computer.

4. Edit your photo

Once you’ve selected the photo you want to post, you can then edit your post and add filters. You can also add a caption, a location, and tag people in the post. In the advanced settings, you can turn off commenting if you want.

5. Share

After you’ve edited your photo and made a caption, you’re then ready to share your post to your Instagram feed.

Other ways to post on Instagram from a PC

You can post Instagram photos and videos from a PC, but you can’t share Instagram stories, Instagram ads, IGTV posts, or Reels from a computer. You also can’t start a Live video from a PC. On the desktop version of Instagram, you’re limited to photos and videos. However, that still lets you complete a lot of your business’s Instagram tasks with ease from your desk.

We might not know how to post on your Instagram story from a PC quite yet, but you never know what the future holds.

In addition to posting on Instagram from a web browser or using the Chrome extension, there are a few other ways you can go about posting on Instagram on a PC, such as using a scheduling software. You can use a scheduling software, like Mailchimp, to plan out your Instagram posts ahead of time. A scheduling software can be very helpful with managing your social media content and making sure your posts always get uploaded at the right times.

If you own any kind of business, having social media is important. But in addition to just having social media, you also need to post on those social media platforms frequently and engage with your followers.

We understand this can be challenging for business owners with limited time and resources. That’s where using a scheduling software can be highly beneficial. Scheduling software can help you with everything from creating organic social posts to targeted ads, so you manage all of your social channels in one place.

Use Mailchimp to improve your social media marketing

Whether you’re an established business or a startup, it’s very helpful to know how to post on Instagram from a PC. Posting on Instagram from a computer is easy once you have the steps down and familiarize yourself with the differences between PC and mobile device.

Don’t get overwhelmed with managing your social media posts, consider using Mailchimp. You can use Mailchimp for social media marketing and scheduling social media posts to upload automatically at specific times.

And, with Mailchimp’s scheduling software, you can gain insight into your performance data so you can figure out what’s working and what isn’t on each of your channels. You’ll have access to a variety of helpful tools that you can use to create social media campaigns, design ads, and make content for all your social platforms. Get started today to see what a difference Mailchimp can make.

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