Learn how to post on Instagram from a PC or Mac to save time and give yourself more flexibility. What social media manager wouldn’t want that?
Tired of posting on Instagram from your phone? Wondering how to post on Instagram from your PC or Mac instead?
You’ve come to the right place. Posting on Instagram from your desktop can save you time and offer more flexibility in what you can upload (such as edited videos and images).
And you can do it without having to upload them onto your phone first.
Below we’ve outlined four different ways to post on Instagram from your computer.
Bonus: Download a free checklist that reveals the exact steps a lifestyle photographer used to grow from 0 to 600,000 followers on Instagram with no budget and no expensive gear.
How to post on Instagram from your computer
Below, you’ll find ways to post on Instagram from your PC or Mac. We’ll also show you how to post via Hootsuite which works on either operating system.
Not into reading? Watch this video, which summarizes all the major ways to post on Instagram from your desktop in a few minutes:
Method 1: How to post on Instagram from your computer using Hootsuite
To post on Instagram from a PC or Mac using Hootsuite, follow these steps:
- Log into your Hootsuite dashboard. If you don’t have an account yet, create one here for free.
- From your dashboard, click on the green New Post button at the top.
- The New Post window will appear. Under Post to, select the Instagram account where you want to post your content. If you haven’t added an account yet, you can do that by clicking +Add a social network in the box and following the directions.
- Drop the image, video, and/or carousel (multiple images and videos) you want to post to Instagram in the Media section. Enhance your image and/or video with the photo editor.
- Once you’re done, add your caption in the Text section as well as any hashtags you want to use. You also have the option to add a location at the bottom.
- When you’ve crafted your post, review it for any errors. Once you’re sure everything is good to post, click the Post Now button at the bottom. Alternatively, you can also Schedule for later if you want it to post at a different time.
For a quick summary of how to post on Instagram from Hootsuite, watch this video:
Voila! Posting photos and videos to Instagram from PC or Mac is that easy.
Method 2: How to post on Instagram from a PC
You can also post on Instagram from your PC using Google Chrome. If you don’t have Chrome, download it from here.
Follow these steps to post on Instagram from a PC:
- Go to instagram.com on your Chrome browser.
- Go to the settings of your browser by tapping on the three dots on the right side. From there click on More tools, then Developer’s tools. You’ll then see the developer window for Chrome.
- Tap the mobile button.
- Then tap Responsive. From the drop-down menu, select which mobile device interface you’d like to use (e.g. iPhone or iPad).
- Once you’ve chosen a mobile interface you’d like to use, refresh the page and you’ll then see the mobile interface in your browser. You are now able to post on Instagram from your desktop as you would on your phone!
You’ll be able to post multiple images, videos, as well as a mix of both from here.
Method 3: How to post on Instagram from a Mac
To post on Instagram from a Mac, you can use Google Chrome just like in the directions above. Or you can use Mac’s default browser, Safari.
To post on Instagram from a Mac using Safari, follow these steps:
- Go to the Instagram website on your Safari browser.
- Go to the Preferences menu of Safari. Click Advanced.
- Check the box next to Show Develop menu in menu bar. The Develop menu will now appear at the top menu bar.
- In the Develop menu, click User Agent, then choose which mobile interface you’d like to see. It should populate with the latest iPhone iOS.
- The web page will refresh once you make your choice. You can now upload posts onto Instagram from you Mac the way you normally would with the mobile app!
Bonus: Download a free checklist that reveals the exact steps a lifestyle photographer used to grow from 0 to 600,000 followers on Instagram with no budget and no expensive gear.
Get the free guide right now!
You’ll be able to post multiple images, videos, as well as a mix of both from here.
Method 4: How to post on Instagram from your computer using Creator Studio
If Instagram is your social network of choice and you don’t mind not having all your social networks in one dashboard, Creator Studio could be a good option for you.
Note that when using Creator Studio, you can post and schedule all types of posts other than Instagram Stories.
How to post on Instagram using Creator Studio:
- Make sure you are connected to Instagram in Creator Studio.
- Navigate to the Instagram section.
- Click Create Post.
- Click Instagram Feed.
- Choose the account you want to post to (if you have more than one Instagram account connected).
- Add a caption and a location (optional).
- Click Add Content to add photos or videos.
- Next, choose between these 2 options:
- Click From File Upload to upload new content.
- Click From Facebook Page to post content that you’ve already shared on your Facebook.
- (Optional) If you want to simultaneously post this content to the Facebook Page connected to your Instagram account, check the box next to your Page under Post to Facebook. You can add additional details to your Facebook post after you publish to Instagram.
- Click Publish.
How to post an Instagram Story from desktop
You can post an Instagram Story from your computer using a third-party social media management tool like Hootsuite. Just follow the steps outlined in this short video:
Or, read our step-by-step article on how to post an Instagram Story from your computer.
If you don’t have Hootsuite, you can post an Instagram Story from your PC or Mac through the following steps:
- Go to Instagram.com.
- Go to developer mode on either Safari or Google Chrome (see Mac and PC sections above for detailed steps).
- Click on the camera in the top left.
- Choose an image or video you’d like to add to your story. Edit it with text, stickers, filters, gifs, or whatever else.
- Tap Add to your story at the bottom.
You’re done! It’s practically the same steps as if you were using the Instagram app on mobile.
How to edit an Instagram post from desktop
Hootsuite Compose allows you to edit any image directly on your dashboard before you post it. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to edit the image once it’s posted.
Follow these steps to edit:
- Log into your Hootsuite dashboard. If you don’t have an account yet, create one here for free.
- From your dashboard, click on the green New Post button at the top.
- The New Post window will appear. Under Post to, select the Instagram account where you want to post your content. If you haven’t added an account yet, you can do that by clicking +Add a social network in the box and following the directions.
- Drop the images and/or videos you want to post to Instagram in the Media section
- To edit, click on Edit Image below the Media section. This brings up Hootsuite Composer’s edit tool. It allows you to customize the aspect ratio of your image to fit practically any social media platform’s image metrics. From the sidebar, you also have the ability to add filters, adjust lighting and focus, add text and stickers, and use the brush too.
- Once you’re finished click Save.
- Add your caption, hashtags, and location. Then click Post Now.
Voila! You just edited your image from your desktop.
Post to Instagram from your PC or Mac using Hootsuite. Save time, grow your audience, and measure your performance alongside all your other social channels. Try it free today.
