How To Post On Instagram From Your Computer

If you’re like me then you’ll have been left frustrated by the fact that Instagram’s website doesn’t allow you to post any content, message anyone or do much else on the platform, which definitely sucks. For those that are looking to give their thumbs a well-deserved rest, this article is going to explain a couple of ways that you can post on Instagram on your personal computer.

It’s worth noting that this article does include affiliate links to third-party services and that I will receive a small fee for each successful referral that I make – at no extra cost to you. I can safely say that I would not be recommending these affiliates unless I was 100% satisfied with the quality of their service. I also wish you the greatest of success using them.

Without further ado, let’s get started!

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Using Developer Tools

A little known trick that you can use when trying to post on Instagram from your computer, is to roam the Instagram website whilst using your browser’s developer tools. On Google Chrome you can do this by logging into Instagram.com and right-clicking on any blank area on the page, then clicking on ‘Inspect’.

This should bring up a menu on the right-hand side of your screen which is full of coding and such. At the top of this menu, you should see some tabs labeled Elements, Console, Sources, etc. On the left of Elements, you should see an icon that looks like a mobile phone in front of a tablet device, you will want to click on this icon to toggle the Device Toolbar.

Activating this will then show you a version of the Instagram website in the dimensions of an iPhone X, iPad Pro or whichever device is selected at the top of the screen (above the website preview), however, you will notice that Instagram still doesn’t look like or contain any of the features that the mobile version has. You will have to refresh the page to access the mobile version of the social media platform.

Method Summary (for Google Chrome)

1. Log in to Instagram.com
2. Right-click on the page and select ‘Inspect’
3. Toggle the Device Toolbar (on)
4. Make sure that your desired device is selected (optional) at the top
5. Refresh the page
6. Voila

Using inspect mode you will be able to access stories, engage with posts, direct message people and even create a new post, however, the options are still limited when it comes to creating a new post via this method. When you are using the developer tools, you will only be allowed to create a post with a single image, meaning that you are unable to make a video, boomerang or carousel post.

I appreciate that this may be a bit of a stumbling block for you, especially if you’re looking to create high-level content going forward, but it’s still a method worth mentioning if you were only wanting to make a casual image post every now and then.

NOTE: Using the Developer Tools method may see a drop in picture quality when you upload to Instagram, so if you’re looking to maintain a high-quality feed then you may wish to revert to using your mobile or partnered software.

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Using Partnered Software

For those that are looking to take their Instagram game to the next level, and are desperately trying to get away from using their handheld devices to create all their content, there is a solid alternative that might appeal to you.

Instagram has a number of partner companies that allow you to schedule content on the social media platform in advance. Such companies include Loomly and Iconosquare to name just a couple. Each of these platforms allow you to create your own content and ads on their respective platforms and schedule them for later, with the captions included.

Loomly offers a 15-day free trial to use their service, with no obligation to provide your card details or purchase the service at the end of the trial, meaning that you can test whether their features offer any benefit to you and your business. Such features include new post ideas, post previews, team collaborations, in-depth analytics and the option to respond to comments and story reactions across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

It’s worth checking out Loomly and seeing how you get on over those first two weeks, if it doesn’t help at all then you can always revert back to using the developer tools or even your mobile. I think the thing that you’ll probably enjoy the most, and find most helpful, is the wide range of analytics that the platform provides, which can definitely help to optimize content and speed up your account’s growth.

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Conclusion

There are a couple of ways that you can post on Instagram from your computer, some of which are paid options, however, you won’t be able to do so using the social media platform’s website as it is – without using your browser’s developer tools. Paid options include using Instagram partner’s software such as Loomly, who offer a 15-day free trial, which allows you to create content, track analytics and post across multiple social media platforms.