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How to Post Instagram Photos From Your Mac


Mac: Some of the most popular apps on your phone most likely have a web-friendly version. Facebook and Twitter both started on the web, after all. But Instagram is different, and not exactly web-friendly, which makes it a hassle if you prefer to edit your photos on your desktop (large screens are still cool!) instead of your phone. There is an Instagram app for Windows 10 users, but Mac owners are out of luck.

Cision found that while it’s not perfect, a little technical know-how can unlock desktop posting, a long-awaited feature that, well, still isn’t really here.

To post from your desktop, you’ll need to pull up Google Chrome and mess around with some developer tools. Head over to the options menu (the three dots to the right of your URL bar), then select Developer Tools in the More Tools section.

Developer Tools will reveal a wealth of information about the web page you’re on, including its source code. In the top-left corner of the Developer Tools window select the “Toggle Device Toolbar” icon that looks like a smartphone in front of a tablet. Using that, you can change your browser’s user agent.

In the case of Instagram, changing your user agent will let you post photos, but that’s about it. You won’t have access to any filters or editing tools, and while you can move and rotate the image around to frame it, you can only use the original image size or Instagram’s square image size (no zooming). You can write a caption but you won’t be able to share it to other social networks from your browser, only post to your page.

Still, it’s a cool trick that takes advantage of Chrome’s ability to easily switch user agents, alowing your browser to mimic browsers from different devices. You can, for example, change your user agent and report to sites that you’re using a Samsung Galaxy S8 or iPad and receive the corresponding web page, which may have more (or less) functionality.

It isn’t a perfect implementation of Instagram’s service, but if you’re on your PC and just want to share your latest snapshot or professional edit, a few clicks will get you there and let you leave your phone alone.