Instagram is one of the world’s most popular apps, a titan of image and video-sharing that is increasingly branching out into other types of social media.
It’s also quite a complex app, with a lot of features and options that might not be super obvious at first. If you’re curious about Instagram’s basics, we’ve got a great article for you here, but the tips you’ll find below are to help you take Instagram to the next level.
Account switching
It’s possible to switch between multiple accounts on Instagram. This is especially handy for those of you who run a personal account, along with a business account. Instead of having to log out and log in to each account every time you want to browse or post new content, which you used to have to do, you can now switch between five accounts with a few simple taps.
To add another Instagram account, go to your Profile> Hamburger menu> Settings> Account> scroll down to Add Account. Enter the username and password of the account trying to add and that’s it. To then switch between accounts, tap your username at the top of your profile and choose the account you want to switch to.
Toggle between Favorites and Following
Instagram has a main feed of photos and videos shared by people you follow. The feed also includes suggested posts and ads. Many users have been critical of the feed – mainly, Instagram’s algorithmic sorting. In an attempt to address their concerns, Instagram is offering users two ways of sorting their feed. These are called Favourites and Following.
- Following: See the latest posts from all the accounts that you follow, in the order they were posted.
- Favourites: You can star up to 50 accounts, so their posts will show up higher in your main feed. You can also view those posts in a separate “Favorites” feed, which starts with the most recent posts.
To toggle between the Favourites feed and Following feed on Instagram, open the latest version of the Instagram mobile app and follow these steps:
- Tap on Instagram in the top left corner of your home page.
- Select Favourites to see posts from accounts you’ve starred
- Or select Following to see the latest posts from all the accounts you follow.
Edit captions
Gone are the days of typos and feeling embarrassed when you accidentally post a photo with “your” in the caption when you really meant to write “you’re”. Instagram launched an update that enabled editing captions.
Go to the post, then tap the three-dot icon in the top right corner, and select Edit. You’ll then be able to edit the caption. As far as we can tell, people won’t see how (or even how many times) you’ve edited the caption.
Save drafts of photos
This feature is a much-welcomed change because we’ve all been in that situation where you spend 10 minutes editing the heck out of a photo, only to ditch the work altogether when something immediate comes up that needs your attention. If you were desperate or had the time, you could use a workaround, such as screenshotting. Well, all that’s a thing of the past because Instagram now prompts you to either save or discard your draft before you even leave the editing screen.
You can learn more about how the feature works here.
You can reply to a comment without having to enter the person’s handle or tagging the person. Instead, select the comment, then swipe left, and click the grey arrow. The person’s handle will then appear in the comment box.
While replying to a comment, you might’ve also seen the trash icon. It allows you to delete a comment. Go to the photo, click the comment icon, and swipe left on the comment to see and tap the trash can.
If you use Instagram’s keyword moderation tool, you and your followers will no longer be able to see comments (on your own posts) that contain language you’ve deemed (or Instagram has deemed) offensive or inappropriate.
To moderate comments on your Instagram posts, follow these steps:
- Open the Instagram mobile app.
- Tap the Hamburger menu (three lines icon) on your profile.
- Tap Privacy.
- From there you can limit who can leave comments on your posts.
- You can also limit unwanted interactions from this screen.
You can learn more about the feature from here.
Pinch to zoom
Make a pinching gesture with your pointer finger and thumb anywhere on a photo or video that you’d like to see in closer detail, and then open your fingers (un-pinch, basically) while gliding across your device’s touchscreen. That section of the media will simultaneously zoom in as you open your fingers. It’s pretty easy to figure out.
You can learn more about the feature from here.
Remove a tagged photo
If want to remove a photo under your tagged folder (the furthest right option, just below your profile description), you can either hide the photo from your profile or remove the tagged photo altogether. Go to your Instagram profile, then tap the tagged folder, and select a photo you’d like to remove. From there, tap on your tag and select Remove Me from Photo. Simples. Or you can hide the photo from your profile if you prefer.
Manage filters
If you ever want to hide some filters to make it easier for you to decide between a specific few rather than the whole lot, you can slide to the end of the filter tray, and then tap manage filters to hide or show certain ones.
Adjust cellular data settings
Instagram videos are designed to play automatically on your feed, which can be taxing on your data when not near a hotspot, but you can change your cellular data settings so videos load slower and thus less data is consumed. Just go to your profile, tap the Hamburger menu (three lines )> Settings> Account> Data Usage. And then toggle on Use less cellular data or toggle on to Allow upload of higher quality photos on cellular, if you prefer.
Save originals
Instagram uploads photos to its network at 612 x 612 pixels in size. If you want to access a higher resolution version (like for uploading to your website), you can save the original photos to your device.
Just go to your profile, tap the Hamburger menu (three lines )> Settings> Save Original Photos. From there, toggle on the option.
Embed your photos on the web
To get the embed code to share an Instagram photo on the web, you first have to find the post via Instagram on the web, then click the three dots icon in the bottom corner, and choose Embed. You can then copy the code.
Hide Instagram adverts
Instagram adverts are defined by the “Sponsored” label in the top corner, but you don’t have to scroll by annoying ones in your news feed. Click on the three-dot icon at the bottom of the advert to either hide it or provide feedback.
Post to your Story
It’s been a couple of years since Instagram launched this feature, and it has truly taken off, adding several tools and options over time so that you can get creative with your storytelling. We’ve assembled the top Stories tips and tricks we could find to help you master Instagram Stories. But here’s a quick summary so that you can get started using Stories now:
To share a photo or video to your story, follow these steps:
- Tap the Your Story circle at the top left of the Home tab.
- Or tap the camera/upload button (+ icon) at the top of the Home tab.
- Then select Story.
- You can then start recording or uploading media.
- You will also see options to make a Layout or go Hands-Free.
Send a voice message
You can send voice messages using Instagram Direct. To see messages you’ve sent or received with Instagram Direct, tap the Message icon in the top right of feed or Home tav. From there, you can manage all your messages.
- Open a conversation.
- Tap and hold the mic and begin recording your message.
- Release your finger when you’re done recording. This will send your recording.
- To cancel your message, continue holding the mic and move your finger to the trash.
Video chat
Video chat is part of Instagram Direct, Instagram’s direct messaging tool. With Video chat, you can call one person or a group in real-time. It works with friends who are already on Instagram for iOS or Android and doesn’t require a phone number. Here’s how it works.
- Tap the message Message icon in the top right of Feed or Home tab.
- Tap a username or group name to open the conversation.
- You can also start a new conversation by tapping the + icon in the top right and selecting people.
- Tap the video icon in the top right. The person or group you call will receive a notification.
Archive your old photos
Remember when you first started using Instagram?
You probably loved to play around with several filters, maybe add a border, then sprinkle in a vignette effect, and top the whole thing off with a dozen hashtags before pushing out your photo for all to see. Now, five years later, you think that creation is anything but pretty. If you’re anything like us, you regret those old ‘grams. But it’s not like you want to permanently delete them. So, what are you going to do?
Well, Instagram has finally introduced a simple solution for us all: Archive. It essentially lets you hide old photos. However, archived posts will retain their likes and comments from your followers. And, if you change your mind, you can later make it show up in its original spot.
- To archive a post you’ve shared, tap the “…” icon at the top of the post and choose “Archive.”
- Tap the Archive icon in the top right corner of your profile to view all your archived photos.
Use Instagram.com
In the past couple of years, Instagram has beefed up its online counterpart at www.instagram.com. You can log in to your account, view your profile, adjust many settings also found in the Instagram mobile apps, view your notifications, discover people and other accounts that might be interesting to you, and search for things by name and hashtags.
Make your account private
By default, your Instagram account is public and you can choose to make your account private at any time.
- Go to your profile.
- Tap the Hamburger menu (three lines).
- Go to Settings.
- Tap Privacy.
- Tap next to Private Account to make your account private.