With over 50 billion photos and videos shared on Instagram, it should be no surprise users may want to download them. For some, they use Instagram as a digital photo album for memories. The problem is that users should not rely on the platform as the only place they store images.
If you’re looking to download Instagram posts, there are several options to choose from such as screenshotting them, or using third-party applications.
Why Would I Want to Download Instagram Posts?
Downloading Instagram posts can be beneficial for personal as well as business accounts.
For personal Instagram users, you may want to download your own Instagram posts as a backup just in case your account is compromised. It never hurts to have images saved in more than one place! Downloading Instagram photos is also useful if you find content that’s valuable to you that you’d like to reference later.
As for business use, downloading Instagram posts can be useful for collecting data and improving your marketing strategy. It’s also a good way for businesses to keep an informal backup of their posts for future reference.
Take a Screenshot to Save Instagram Photos
The simplest way to save an Instagram photo to your phone is to take a screenshot. You can then crop out the rest of the app in the image to save the photo.
How to Screenshot on iPhone
- Press the power and volume up buttons
- Hold them down at the same time
- Once you hear the shutter sound or your screen flashes, you can release the buttons
- The Instagram photo screenshot will be stored in your camera roll
How to Screenshot on Android
- Press the power and volume buttons together at the same time
- Release the buttons when you hear the shutter noise
- The Instagram Screenshot will be stored in your Gallery
How to Download Instagram Photos From Your Phone
The Instagram website states that you cannot save photos from your computer, but you can do so on mobile devices.
Android
- Click on your profile picture at the bottom right
- On your profile, click the top right menu which should look like three dashes
- Click Settings and Privacy
- Click on Archiving and Downloading
- Toggle the switch to Save Original Photos
When you turn this setting on, all of your posts will be saved to your library. You may have to go back to manually do this for content you have already posted.
iPhone App
- Go to your Profile Page
- Tap the menu button in the top right which looks like three dashes
- Go to Settings and Privacy
- Under the Your App and Media section, click on Archiving and Downloading
- Toggle the switch to Save Original Photos
After you do this, all of the photos you post will be saved to your phone’s camera roll.
Use a Third-Party App
Since Instagram does have a built-in feature to download Instagram posts, you may not want to mess with third-party options. There are, however, a few that will do the job. For example, Buzzoid’s Instagram Video Downloader is a free third-party application that downloads Instagram photos as well as videos.
Wrapping it Up
The bottom line is that downloading Instagram posts is a great way to ensure that your posts are backed up. That way, you won’t be losing images if your account is hacked or compromised in some other way.
