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How to Post on Instagram From a PC or Mac

Wondering how to post on Instagram from a computer?


Do you want to edit your photos on your PC before posting to Instagram? Do you feel more comfortable typing long captions on a keyboard rather than typing it all out on your phone? Or are you a busy marketer or business owner, who wants to upload edited photos and videos as part of your social media strategy?


Unfortunately, there’s no official desktop version for the popular app, as it’s primarily aimed at people sharing their experiences in real-time straight from their mobile phones. But you can use Clipping Panda. It’s a professional photo editing company that provides photo retouching services. If you are looking for an advanced professional photo editing software that provides you with more features, you should go for Adobe Photoshop. You can easily get Photoshop Actions for Instagramrel="nofollow" online to save time on learning editing and quickly make high grade changes to your pictures. We have several tricks for you on how to upload a post on Instagram from your computer as if you were inside the app. 


We’ve put together this guide to cover all browsers for Insta enthusiasts and have some advice on pre-scheduling solutions for busy marketers. After reading this post, you should understand how to create an Instagram post from your computer, and share it with your Instagram followers.

The Limitations of Creating a Post on Desktop

Before we get started, let’s just make it clear what the limitations are when you work from your desktop.


When you just log into Instagram from your web browser and don’t apply any of our tricks, you can only:


  • View posts and stories.
  • Send direct messages.
  • Upload a video between one and sixty minutes to IGTV.


What you can’t do when you access Instagram via your browser using the guidance below:


  • Multi-photo posts.
  • Change contrast, structure, warmth, saturation, color, fade, highlights, shadows, vignette, tilt-shift, and sharpen.
  • Edit your image, caption, or tags after publishing but you can delete your post.


To get your stock image ready for uploading to Instagram via your computer, you can add text to your stock image directly on Pik Wizard.

How to Post on Instagram from Google Chrome

Post on Instagram from a PC or Mac

Posting on Instagram from a PC or Mac have very similar steps. Understanding how to post without the app can make it easier to do your work or image editing and uploading all in the same place without having to switch your attention between devices.

Step 1: Log into Instagram

Open Google Chrome, go to Instagram.com, and enter your login details.


Screenshot of Instagram log-in/sign-up page on Google Chrome with log-in/sign-up options highlighted - A complete beginner's guide on how to post on Instagram from a PC or Mac - Image

Step 2: Find Developer Tools in Google Chrome

To see more settings, click the three dots menu at the top right of your browser. 


Screenshot of PikWizard home page on Instagram in Google Chrome, desktop view - A complete beginner's guide on how to post on Instagram from a PC or Mac - Image

Click More Tools and select Developer Tools. A developer window opens on the right side of your screen.

Screenshot of developer tools options in Google Chrome - A complete beginner's guide on how to post on Instagram from a PC or Mac - Image

Step 3: Change to Mobile View to Post

In your Developer Tools window, click the Toggle device toolbar. This is the second icon from the left. A new menu appears at the top.



Screenshot of developer tools open on the right side of the screen - A complete beginner's guide on how to post on Instagram from a PC or Mac - Image
Screenshot of responsive view on Instagram using developer tools - A complete beginner's guide on how to post on Instagram from a PC or Mac - Image

Step 4: Select the Interface You Want to Use

In the top menu, select the mobile phone view you’d like to use.


Screenshot of mobile sizes highlighted in Google Chrome - A complete beginner's guide on how to post on Instagram from a PC or Mac - Image

Use F5 to refresh or right-click the tab and select Reload.

Screenshot of PikWizard home screen on an iPhone size - A complete beginner's guide on how to post on Instagram from a PC or Mac - Image

Step 5: Create Your Instagram Post

To create a post, click the Plus icon and select the photo of your choice in your file explorer. Note that your image should be in .jpg format.


Screenshot of PikWizard home screen on an iPhone size, refreshed with Instagram buttons - A complete beginner's guide on how to post on Instagram from a PC or Mac - Image

Once the Instagram post is uploaded to Instagram, choose a filter and click Next at the top right of your screen.

Screenshot of uploading a picture on Instagram, with multiple filters on the screen - A complete beginner's guide on how to post on Instagram from a PC or Mac - Image
Resizing options on Instagram with 'next' highlighted in red - A complete beginner's guide on how to post on Instagram from a PC or Mac - Image

Step 6: Post Your Image

Add a caption, hashtags, and any other tags. To add the post to your feed, click Share.


Screenshot of caption process in Instagram with the 'Share' button highlighted - A complete beginner's guide on how to post on Instagram from a PC or Mac - Image

How to Post on Instagram from Firefox

Posting on Instagram from Firefox is a little different than with Google Chrome. Follow the steps below.

Get Your Instagram Posts ready from your Mac or PC

Step 1: Log into Instagram

On your PC, open Firefox, go to Instagram.com and enter your login details.


Screenshot of Instagram log in/sign up page on Firefox - A complete beginner's guide on how to post on Instagram from a PC or Mac - Image

Step 2: Find Web Developer Tools in Firefox

To see more settings, click the three-bar menu icon on the top right of your browser.


Screenshot of PikWizard home page on Instagram in Firefox, desktop view - A complete beginner's guide on how to post on Instagram from a PC or Mac - Image

Click Web Developer and Web Developer Tools. A developer window opens at the bottom of your screen.

Screenshot of Web Developer options in Firefox - A complete beginner's guide on how to post on Instagram from a PC or Mac - Image
Firefox 'Web Developer Tools' highlighted in red - A complete beginner's guide on how to post on Instagram from a PC or Mac - Image

Step 3: Change to Mobile View

In your Web Developer Tools window on your pc, click the Responsive Design Mode icon in the bottom right corner. Your view changes and a new menu appears at the top.


Screenshot of Developer Tools at the bottom of the page with the device toolbar highlighted in red - A complete beginner's guide on how to post on Instagram from a PC or Mac - Image

Step 4: Select the Interface You Want to Use

In the top menu, select the mobile phone view you’d like to use.


Screenshot of Mobile Sizes highlighted in red on Firefox - A complete beginner's guide on how to post on Instagram from a PC or Mac - Image

Use F5 to refresh or right-click the tab and select Reload.

iPhone view of Instagram on Firefox - A complete beginner's guide on how to post on Instagram from a PC or Mac - Image

Step 5: How to Upload & Create Your Instagram Post

To create a post for Instagram, click the Plus icon and select the photo of your choice in your file explorer. Note that your image should be in .jpg format.


iPhone view of Instagram on Firefox, refreshed with Instagram buttons - A complete beginner's guide on how to post on Instagram from a PC or Mac - Image

Once the image is uploaded on Instagram, choose a filter, edit the size and click Next at the top right of your screen.


Screenshot of Instagram Filter options highlighted, in the process of posting an image - A complete beginner's guide on how to post on Instagram from a PC or Mac - Image
Edit feature on Instagram highlighted in red with the 'Next' button also highlighted - A complete beginner's guide on how to post on Instagram from a PC or Mac - Image

Step 6: Post Your Image

Add a caption, hashtags, and any other tags. To add the post to your feed, click Share. Your post will be shared on your Instagram account.


Screenshot of caption process in Instagram on Firefox with the 'Share' button highlighted - A complete beginner's guide on how to post on Instagram from a PC or Mac - Image

How to Post on Instagram from Safari

Boost Your Social Profile on Instagram from your Mac or PC

Step 1: Log into Instagram

Open Safari on your PC, go to Instagram.com and enter your login details.


Screenshot of Instagram log-in/sign-up page on Safari - A complete beginner's guide on how to post on Instagram from a PC or Mac - Image

Step 2: Find Developer Tools in Safari

Click Safari and select Preferences in the drop-down menu.


Safari tab and drop down menu displaying 'Preferences', both highlighted in red - A complete beginner's guide on how to post on Instagram from a PC or Mac - Image

Select Advanced Features in the top menu and check the box next to Show Develop menu in menu bar.

 'Show develop menu in menu bar' ticked in Advanced Preferences - A complete beginner's guide on how to post on Instagram from a PC or Mac - Image

Step 3: Choose the Mobile View You Want to Use

Click Develop in the top menu bar and select User Agent. Choose the mobile device you’d like Safari to display as. Press the Command and R key to refresh or click the Reload the current page icon on the address bar.


 'Develop' Tab Highlighted with Drop Down Menu to 'User Agent', both in red, along with various mobile sizes in red - A complete beginner's guide on how to post on Instagram from a PC or Mac - Image

Step 4: Create Your Instagram Post

To create a post on Instagram from your PC, click the Plus icon and select the photo of your choice in your file explorer. Note that your image should be in .jpg format.


Screenshot of Wide Mobile Instagram View on Safari with buttons at the bottom - A complete beginner's guide on how to post on Instagram from a PC or Mac - Image

Once the image is uploaded, choose a filter, edit, and click Next at the top right of your screen.

Screenshot of Filter options on Instagram during the posting process, with a sample photo - A complete beginner's guide on how to post on Instagram from a PC or Mac - Image
Edit and Next Buttons both highlighted in red in posting process - A complete beginner's guide on how to post on Instagram from a PC or Mac - Image

Add a caption, hashtags, and any other tags. To post your image on your Instagram feed, click Share.

Screenshot of Caption process in Instagram on Safari with the 'Share' button highlighted - A complete beginner's guide on how to post on Instagram from a PC or Mac - Image

How to Post an Instagram Story from Desktop

Follow steps one to four in the browser you’re using. To create your story, follow these steps:


Step 1: Upload Your image

To open your file explorer, click the Camera icon or Your Story on the top left. Select the images you’d like to create a story with.


Mobile Instagram View with camera button for stories highlighted in red - A complete beginner's guide on how to post on Instagram from a PC or Mac - Image

Step 2: Get Creative

Edit your images with text, stickers, filters, and gifs as you like.


Story posting process, image of a sleek retro car with story effects highlighted in red - A complete beginner's guide on how to post on Instagram from a PC or Mac - Image
Screenshot of Instagram Story Stickers, mobile view

Step 3: Share Your creation from Your PC

Screenshot of Story, with image of car, sticker and text added, along with 'Add to your story' in red - A complete beginner's guide on how to post on Instagram from a PC or Mac - Image

How to Schedule Posts for Instagram from Your Computer

Scheduling your posts saves from your PC time and enables you to post more frequently and consistently. Particularly on Instagram, frequency is crucial for engagement, and having a polished post ready for your brand is easier when you’ve created it ahead of time rather than trying to come up with an idea on the day.


Social media management tools can be incredibly helpful if you’re using them as part of your digital marketing strategy. You’ll get an overview of your scheduled posts on a calendar view that will help you to build consistency for your brand.


Many tools offer hashtag suggestions, bulk upload of stories, and tracking campaign performance through analytics. Here are our top social media tools for Instagram that you can use on your computer.

Buffer Publish

Buffer Publish is the well-known feature of the social media management tool Buffer. It includes up-to-date Instagram tools for scheduling posts and a first comment option for any information you don’t want to include in your caption.


Buffer’s Shop Grid gives you the opportunity to add a shopping link to your Instagram bio that takes customers directly to a grid-like and shoppable landing page.


For stories, you can use the visual planning feature to have your story ready for posting. You’ll get a notification and everything you need for your story when it’s time to post.

Tailwind

Tailwind boasts smart features like smart.bio, which is a link in your bio that takes customers to a landing page that makes your Instagram feed shoppable. Tailwind automatically selects the time with the most engagement to schedule your post.


This Instagram scheduler also has an integrated Hashtag Finder that recommends the best hashtags to use in your posts. You can also use it to analyze trends and discover new content.

Later

Later began their journey in social media management as an Instagram scheduling app. With unlimited media uploads, their focus is on visuals to create stories, images, videos, and carousel posts.


Schedule single-image and video posts and your first comment with Later. Similar to Buffer Publish and Tailwind, you can drive traffic to a shoppable Instagram feed through Linkin.bio.

All-Hashtag

This is not a social media management tool but a hashtag generator. If you’re stuck for ideas for valuable hashtags to go with your posts, just enter a topic and get the top results or most relevant hashtags.

Awario

This is not a scheduling tool but a great social media listening tool to track mentions, find influencers to connect with and keep track of what your competitors are doing. Set up alerts for keywords or hashtags relevant to your business and get email notifications to be the first to know when new trends hit.

Recurpost

Recurpost is a popular social media management tool. It saves valuable time by automatically sharing your updates on various social media platforms. With the help of bulk scheduling, you can schedule multiple updates effortlessly.

How to Use Stock Photos on Instagram to Boost Your Marketing

To be profitable on Instagram, businesses invest a lot of time and money in photoshoots and experts to promote their content. To meet your branding and marketing goals, high-quality visuals that drive traffic and consistency are a must.


Using stock imagery to boost your Instagram feed is a quick and cost-effective way to post more frequently and get more engagement. Here are our tips to get you started:

Decide on the Overall Aesthetic

Use a mix of stock and custom content and make sure they work well together to not alienate your audience. Your brand has a certain style and the stock images you choose have to fit with your overall brand messaging. On Pik Wizard, you can choose Edit Image For Free to make any adjustments needed in Design Wizard.

Experiment with Color Blocking

You might have noticed this trend on Instagram where a series of similarly toned images are posted alongside each other to make up a collage that highlights a certain event or product launch. This trend is easier to follow if you can choose from a library of stock images with the same color palette.


Example screenshot of Color blocking on an Instagram Page, with color blocks of blue. yellow and gray - A complete beginner's guide on how to post on Instagram from a PC or Mac - Image

Delve Deep into a Vast Library of Background Imagery

If you’re short on good product photography, or if you’re just looking for different high-quality images, you can use stock imagery to create a great background for your special offers or quotes you want to share.


On Pik Wizard, you can browse our selection of one million stock images and videos. They’re royalty-free, safe for commercial use, and you can edit your chosen image for free in Design Wizard to customize them for your brand on Instagram. To get you inspired, we’ve put together a few examples from our library that fit with popular Instagram niches.

Food

Everyone loves food. Especially mouth-watering imagery of it. Particularly food bloggers and restaurants can use photos of delicious dishes to attract their audience.


Side by side stock image and edited instagram post of a food discount - A complete beginner's guide on how to post on Instagram from a PC or Mac - Image
Side by side stock image and edited instagram post of a sandwich special offer - A complete beginner's guide on how to post on Instagram from a PC or Mac - Image

Business

Illustrated inspirational quotes and business hacks are easy to create with stock photos and popular with owners and employees alike. If you’re looking for a way to share your entrepreneurial wisdom on Instagram, using stock imagery can be your quick way to share it.


Side by side stock image and edited instagram post for business tips - A complete beginner's guide on how to post on Instagram from a PC or Mac - Image
Side by side stock image and edited instagram post of an inspiring business quote - A complete beginner's guide on how to post on Instagram from a PC or Mac - Image

Lifestyle

We love to see what other people’s lives are like and draw inspiration from them. Lifestyle bloggers or companies that sell these kinds of products can easily adapt stock images to impress their Insta fanbase.


Side by side stock image and edited instagram post of vintage fashion - A complete beginner's guide on how to post on Instagram from a PC or Mac - Image
Side by side stock image and edited instagram post of lifestyle skateboarding - A complete beginner's guide on how to post on Instagram from a PC or Mac - Image