Instagram is all about the moment.
It’s meant to share selfies from the golf course after your first hole, show the Monday band that got together better than you could imagine, and brag about the sweet potato chips you cooked for Thursday’s football game. In short, about the little things.
That’s why the developers of the popular photo sharing app aren’t too keen on allowing users to upload photos from their desktop computers. Simply put, a desktop photo is polished and premeditated, while a mobile photo is spontaneous and flippant.
However, thanks to the May 2017 update, users can now bypass this annoying little hurdle quite easily. The update made it possible for users to upload photos not only through the app but also via the mobile website. Now users only need to access the mobile website from their desktop computer to start the installation.
This trick works for both Macs and PCs. However, if you’re a Mac user looking to upload photos to Instagram, you may have come across directions for desktop computers only. The good news is that there is a way to do this for you too. The bad news is that it’s a bit more complicated for PC users. Fortunately, we got you covered.
Accessing Mobile Sites in Safari
Let’s start with Safari, Apple’s favorite go-to web browser. Accessing mobile sites in Safari requires quite a few steps, but they are easy to follow.
- Open Safari.
- Look at the Safari toolbar at the top of your screen.
- click Safari to reveal the descending.
- choose preferences.
- choose Further.
- Check Show Develop Menu in menu bar.
You can now access the Develop menu. This will give you new options for adjusting your Safari settings. Unfortunately, you’re not done yet.
- go File in the toolbar.
- choose New Private Window. You can also use the hotkey Command +Shift +N.
- go Develop in the toolbar.
- hover over User Agents to expand the options
- choose Safari – iOS 10 – iPhone.
Your new Safari window will now simulate mobile sites (as seen on an iPhone). To view the mobile site, you can go to Instagram.com and use the available tools to upload photos and videos from your Mac desktop.
Accessing Mobile Sites in Chrome
Maybe you’re not a Safari person. If you’re a fan of Google Chrome, you can still access the Instagram mobile site. In fact, it’s a little easier with Chrome than Safari.
- Open Chromium.
- go opinion In the toolbar at the top of your screen.
- hover over developer To reveal more options.
- choose Developer Tools. You can also try hotkey Command + Option + 1 to open developer tools
- Look for the passthrough device icon in the top row of categories in the developer tools window.
- Click this icon to switch between desktop, tablet and mobile views.
Here you got it. Now you can go to Instagram.com and start uploading photos and videos right away.
Mobile Site Limitations
Before you get too excited about uploading from your desktop, keep in mind that uploading to the Instagram mobile site has more limitations when it comes to editing than uploading through the app. To be sure, you’ll still be able to get your content from there, though you may have to sacrifice access to some of your favorite filters to do so. It’s a small price to pay to be able to upload photos and videos whenever and wherever you want, if you ask us.
