Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms for sharing photos and videos. With over 1 billion monthly active users, Instagram hosts an incredible amount of visual content. Whether you want to save photos you or others have posted on Instagram for personal use, or you need images for a social media marketing campaign, knowing how to properly download Instagram photos is very useful.
This article provides a detailed guide on the various methods available to save and download photos from Instagram, both on mobile and on desktop.
Table of Contents
Save Your Own Instagram Photos
Saving photos and videos you have posted on your own Instagram account is easy. Here are three methods:
Enable “Save Original Photos”
On iOS:
- Go to your profile and tap the three lines menu in the top right
- Select “Settings”
- Choose “Account”
- Select “Original Posts”
- Toggle on “Save Original Posts”
This will automatically save a copy of photos and videos you post to your camera roll going forward.
On Android:
- Go to your profile and tap the three lines menu in the top right
- Select “Settings”
- Choose “Account”
- Select “Original Posts”
- Toggle on “Save Original Posts”
Download Your Instagram Data
You can download an archive of all your Instagram photos, videos, posts, stories, comments, profile info, etc:
- On the Instagram app, go to your profile and open the menu
- Choose “Settings” > “Security” > “Download Data”
- Select data to download and tap “Request Download”
You’ll receive a download link via email within 48 hours.
Screenshot Your Photos
Simply open the photo in the Instagram app and take a screenshot. This will save the image to your camera roll. Quality won’t be as high resolution but it’s the quickest method.
Download Photos Posted By Others
Downloading photos posted by other Instagram users takes a few more steps since Instagram wants to prevent copyright infringement. Here are the best methods:
Use Third-Party Apps
Apps like Repost (iOS) and Downloader for Instagram (Android) simplify saving others’ public Instagram photos. Just paste the post URL and download – easy! However, be mindful of privacy policies and data access.
Browser Extensions
Chrome: Install extensions like Regram for Instagram. Log in to download images directly from Instagram posts into high quality JPG/MP4 files. Respect creators by crediting them if you plan to re-share downloads.
Safari: Enable developer tools to view page source code and find full resolution image URLs. A bit more technical but avoids third-party apps.
Screenshot on Desktop
On a Mac or Windows PC, open the photo in your desktop web browser. Then use your computer’s built-in screenshot tool to capture and crop the image before pasting into an image editor to export. Simple but lower image quality.
Best Practices When Downloading Instagram Photos
When saving photos from Instagram that you or others have posted, keep these guidelines in mind:
- Credit original creators if you plan to re-share or repost downloads. This is common courtesy and respectful to artists.
- Be mindful of privacy when using third-party apps that request access to your account data. Read privacy policies carefully.
- Respect copyright. Instagram photos are owned by the original poster. Unauthorized commercial use violates copyright.
- Use Instagram’s reporting tools if you see your copyrighted content re-shared without permission.
- Your own Instagram images are yours to use commercially, unless they contain other content you don’t own the rights to.
Conclusion
Saving and downloading photos from Instagram is easy once you know the various methods available. This guide covered the best ways to save your own photos as well as others’ public posts, on both mobile and desktop.
Keep privacy, copyright, and creator rights in mind when downloading Instagram images. And credit original photographers and artists if you plan to re-share their content.
Hopefully these tips help you easily save Instagram photos for personal backups or commercial use! Let us know in the comments if you have any other questions.
