How to post on Instagram from your phone or computer

The steps are the same on iPhone and Android. Instagram's help centre gives them like this:

1. Tap Create (the plus icon). Depending on your app version it sits at the top or bottom of the screen, or you can swipe right anywhere in Feed.
2. Tap POST at the bottom of the screen.
3. Select a photo from your phone's library, or tap Take photo to use the camera. You can switch between the front and rear cameras and adjust the flash.
4. Tap Next. This is where you can crop the photo or add filters and adjustments.
5. Tap Next again, then write your caption and add a location if you want one.
6. Tap Share. The post appears in your followers' Feeds and on your profile grid.

Source: Instagram Help Centre: Post a photo on Instagram, checked 14 October 2026

You can post photos and videos from instagram.com in a desktop browser. Instagram accepts jpg, png and heic/heif photo files on the web.

1. Go to instagram.com, log in and click Create on the left.
2. Click Post, then click Select from computer and choose your file, or drag and drop it into the window.
3. Choose the size (crop) of your photo, then click Next in the top right.
4. Click Filters or Adjustments to edit the photo, then click Next.
5. Write a caption, add a location, and click Accessibility to write alternative text for people using screen readers. Under Advanced settings you can turn off commenting.
6. Click Share in the top right.

Source: Instagram Help Centre: Post a photo on Instagram, checked 14 October 2026

Yes. On instagram.com you follow the same Create, then Post route and select a video file. After you click Next you can pick a cover photo from the clip (or upload one from your computer) and trim the start or end with a slider. Then you add a caption, location, tags and alt text, and click Share. Instagram's help centre files this under recording a reel, because a video you share this way is a reel.

Reels can run up to 20 minutes, but Instagram says reels longer than 3 minutes won't be recommended to new audiences. If you want people who don't follow you to see a video, keep it to 3 minutes or less.

Source: Instagram Help Centre: Record a reel on Instagram (computer), checked 14 October 2026

The screen after editing is where most of a post's reach is decided. These are the options worth knowing:

• A caption: up to 2,200 characters, hashtags included. Put the point in the first line.
• A location, which lets people find the post from that place's page.
• Tagged people, and collaborators: under Tag people you can tap Invite collaborator so the post also appears on another account's profile once they accept.
• Music, filters and effects, which Instagram offers for photo posts as well as videos.
• Alt text, which describes the image for people using screen readers.
• Comment settings, if you'd rather switch comments off for this post.

Sources: Instagram Help Centre: Post a photo on Instagram, checked 14 October 2026; Instagram Help Centre: Create collaborative posts on Instagram, checked 14 October 2026

Instagram has four main ways to share. Pick the format before you start, because each one has its own size and lifespan.

Sources: Instagram Help Centre: Share a post with multiple photos or videos on Instagram, checked 14 October 2026; Instagram Help Centre: Record a reel on Instagram, checked 14 October 2026; Instagram Help Centre: Stories, checked 14 October 2026

Instagram keeps a photo at its original resolution when it is between 320 and 1080 pixels wide and its aspect ratio is between 1.91:1 (landscape) and 3:4 (portrait). Outside that range it crops the photo to fit, and it scales anything wider than 1080 pixels down to 1080. When a post won't go up at all, check these first:

• Your app is out of date. Instagram's help pages assume the latest version.
• The file type isn't supported. On the web, use jpg, png or heic/heif for photos.
• A post with several videos is still uploading. Instagram notes these take longer and need a reliable connection.
• Your account has a restriction. Account Status (in your profile menu, below More info and support) lists features you can't use and why.

Sources: Instagram Help Centre: Image resolution of photos you share on Instagram, checked 14 October 2026; Instagram Help Centre: Share a post with multiple photos or videos on Instagram, checked 14 October 2026; Instagram Help Centre: Check your Account Status on Instagram, checked 14 October 2026

Zolyp is our product, so weigh this section with that in mind. If the hard part isn't the Share button but deciding what to post and making it every week, a tool that plans and makes the posts helps more than another upload screen. Zolyp publishes Instagram posts, carousels, reels and stories.

Zolyp plans the week across your content themes, writes the captions and designs the visuals against your Brand Brain (your tone, colours and rules, saved once), then schedules and publishes to Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Business, X, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, and Threads. Nothing goes out until you approve it. Plans that create the posts start at $29 a month, with a 3-day free trial and no card required.