Well…it’s happened again. I’ve stumbled across another one of those social media tasks that should be soooo simple, yet isn’t. Similar to my articles on switching between Twitter mobile and desktop and reorganizing your Facebook photos, I expect that there are a lot of people out there searching for the answer to this one too.
How do I upload photos from my digital camera, desktop PC or Mac to Instagram?
After returning from a much-needed family vacation from social media via a Disney cruise to the Bahamas, I now have tons of photos stored on my digital camera. So I’d like to share some of them via Instagram, but since they aren’t on my phone or my table, I can’t share them. You see, unlike Facebook, Instagram doesn’t offer any way to upload photos from the Web interface.
So, I turned to Google for ways to post my photos. Here are some queries that I tried to find a solution:
- Upload photos Instagram from my desktop
- Upload photos from a PC to Instagram
- Add photos to Instagram via the Web
- Instagram workaround for uploading photos
- App for uploading Instagram photos from PC or Mac
- Upload Instagram photos from my computer
Unfortunately, all of these queries really pointed to the same set of outdated (and now non-functional) tips, hints, workarounds and “solutions”. I gave them a try to see if they worked and then found the one that seemed to be the easiest and worked flawlessly.
Non-Solution #1 – Use Gramblr.com
The first out of date solution is to use a product called Gramblr. This app is a desktop app that says it allows you to upload photos from your PC directly to Instagram. The problem is that the app isn’t available. Right on their front page, they acknowledge that they’re working out issues with the Mac version of their software, but when you click the link to the PC version of the download, you get a 404 error. Booo!
Unfortunately Gramblr Is Not A Solution For Uploading Photos To Instagram Via The Web
So Gramblr is out as a potential solution.
Non-Solution #2 – Use BlueStacks
The second recommendation, from CNet, is to use an app emulator called BlueStacks. This was one of the worst, cludgy, and non-functional suggestions that I tried. I installed BlueStacks just fine, then installed the Android version of Instagram and then fired it up. I could browse, like and comment on the photos just fine, albeit horribly slow (and I have a pretty beefy PC). But when I tried to add a photo, no go.
The article says:
To upload a photo from your desktop, click the camera button, then select the polaroid icons in the lower-right of the app window. This will prompt you to select a photo from your drive. (If you use Instagram on Android, this entire process will be familiar.) Then, edit and upload the photo as usual.
Unfortunately, the Android version that is specifically called out in this article, doesn’t allow you to browse the local file structure on your PC. Sure, I could take an additional step and install ES File Explorer, map a network drive to my PC folders via IP address and then share…but that’s a LOT of extra steps and work just to share a photo.
BlueStacks was cludgy and didn’t allow for access to the file system on your PC or Mac, so it’s not good for uploading photos to Instagram
So…BlueStacks is out as a potential solution.
Somewhat Solution #3 – Use Botio
I call Botio.net a “somewhat solution” because, while it might work, I don’t recommend it. You see, Botio asks you for your Instagram username and password. I’m not comfortable passing that information through a site/application that I know nothing about so I chose not to try it.
Like I said, I don’t recommend it, but if you decide to give it a try it claims to allow you to upload one photo at a time via their Web interface. If you try it, let us know how it works by adding a comment.
Botio requires that you pass a username and password to upload photos to Instagram
So, at least for me…Botio is out.
The Real Solution (Well…Kinda) – Use Dropbox
So all those “solutions” that tout allowing you to upload photos from your PC or Mac….they don’t. And there’s probably a good reason for that. Instagram was designed to be a mobile app, capturing the world around you via your phone. They didn’t build an upload interface because that’s not how they saw the app being used. But…since humans are humans, we often use the app in ways that differ from how the developers intended it.
Soo…the workaround.
The fastest and easiest way to share your photos to Instagram from your PC or Mac desktop is just to use Dropbox. Dropbox is a great free app that allows you to easily share photos and files from your desktop to mobile phone or tablet, so I just dropped the photos I wanted to share in a Dropbox folder on my PC and then shared them from my Android tablet.
Easy-peezy-rice-and-cheezy!
Dropbox takes 2 minutes to install on your PC and then you can create as many folders as you’d like. I created a folder called “Cruise” and then just dropped the photos into the folder.
Dropbox provides the solution for uploading photos to Instagram from your desktop PC or Mac
Then I headed over to my tablet, where I had the Dropbox app installed and then long-pressed on the photo to open it in the Photo Gallery. From there, I could share directly to Instagram.
Note: The Android Dropbox app doesn’t allow you to share directly to Instagram, so that’s the reason for opening the photo in the gallery first.
There you have it. Three non-solutions and one workaround to allow you to share photos from your desktop or digital camera to Instagram. I hope these helps and would love to hear about any other workarounds out there.
Cheers!
–Sean
[#Solved] #Posting #Photos To #Instagram From Your #Desktop http://t.co/t7rPxyVN via @socmedsean
[Solved] Posting Photos To Instagram From Your Desktop http://t.co/3xqlgWao via @socmedsean
Thank you! I have the same problem, having just returned from vacation. I was wondering how to transfer my photos, so this post is very timely for me.
[Solved] Posting Photos To Instagram From Your Desktop http://t.co/akoxs2os via @socmedsean
[Solved] Posting Photos To Instagram From Your Desktop http://t.co/sLpXQsDv via @socmedsean
[Solved] Posting Photos To Instagram From Your Desktop http://t.co/E9FgS0FY via @socmedsean
[Solved] Posting Photos To Instagram From Your Desktop http://t.co/N1QOgCYC via @socmedsean
[Solved] Posting Photos To Instagram From Your Desktop http://t.co/Kd8mJfyL via @socmedsean
[Solved] Posting Photos To Instagram From Your Desktop http://t.co/6SsC4OZe http://t.co/AtQ8YmJI
That’s a really useful article – it will save me a lot of time!
Many thanks!
Posting photos from your desktop to @instagram (solved) http://t.co/Vq2klIBj
[Solved] Posting Photos To Instagram From Your Desktop http://t.co/g8zcBi9S via @socmedsean
#EAv (e)LOCRIS @LOCRIS | [Solved] Posting Photos To Instagram From Your Desktop http://t.co/n0NrenXw via @socmedsean
[Solved] Posting Photos To Instagram From Your Desktop http://t.co/1c5ZzrZw via @socmedsean
Tried Botio. Terrible program. I signed up for their 7 day trial… which I had active for all of half an hour.
In addition to allowing you to upload photos, it has settings to Like, Comment and Follow instagram users, all at random. You can set these things to happen at intervals of a few hours. Personally, I’m not comfortable with any of that (especially bot comments, ick). I set all 3 of those to “Never”.
I was quite displeased to learn that despite choosing those settings, the app started Liking, Commenting and Following on my behalf anyway!
Not only that, the one picture it claimed to have uploaded didn’t work.
A useless app, and slides in comfortably as Non-Solution #3.
I so agree with you this app is useless and not comfortable to use
[Solved] Posting Photos To Instagram From Your Desktop http://t.co/eex30J9v
Nice article going through different solutions. I’ve seen the dropbox solution, but in a pinch if you only have a few photos just email yourself the phones and pick them up on your phone quickly.
[Solved] Posting Photos To Instagram From Your Desktop http://t.co/Eg2eioYE via @socmedsean
I can say that the step by step procedural ways to describe the photos posting on the Instagram is rather a good work. I had been in this issue since long. It had really drop down a large effort of me in posting and sharing the stock photos which I had with held with me. Thanks for the valuable information on the subject.
You can also upload your photos using Apple icloud service. Once you install the app on your desktop it creates a folder called “Photo Stream”. Inside this folder there are 3 more folders (My Photo Stream, Shared, Uploads). “My Photo Stream” holds your synced photos from your iPhone or iPad to your computer. “Shared” (not sure! I haven’t used it) Then the 3rd is the “Uploads” folder, just drag your desktop photos inside. It might take a while for the photos to sync to your Apple gadgets. You can find them in the “Photo Stream” tab in your iPhone gallery.
Oh also, if you delete any photo in the “Uploads” folder it will also be removed in the “My Photo Streams”
YOU ARE MY LIFESAVER!!!!! THANKYOU! I ACTUALLY LOVE YOU!! xxx
does not solve the problem of uploading from desktop to instagram as you still have to upload from phone or tab. this should have been called how to transfer photos from computer to phone
Yeah I agree with Junie. Problem completely not solved, you can quite easily transfer photo’s to tablets/phones, they’re made for it with leads and clouds and all sorts.
The 4 none solutions were closer solutions than yours. But thanks for teaching people the more irritating way of photo transfer rather than the basics using hardware sold with their tablet devices/phones.
Thank you! I’ve been searching for this solution for a while (I tried the bluestacks method and didn’t like it either). Dropbox worked like a charm!
Gramblr.com is the only one that worked for me.
AGREEEEE!!!!!
Gramblr.com works perfectly!
[Solved] Posting Photos To Instagram From Your Desktop http://t.co/cHhwK9mwKK via @socmedsean
I don’t understand how dropping the files into a folder on your PC allows you to see the folder on your………oh wait. You need a tablet? How do I actually get them on instagram from my PC? I have a galaxy note 2 phone. How might that work? Sorry to be so ignorant.
I also have a Galaxy Note 2, and was wondering the same thing. Really wish Instagram would solve this problem.
The trick is though to find an app/program online, via your desktop (either mac or pc) to do a batch upload! The uploading single photos item per item is the annoying factor. So for you, you’ll be individually editing and uploading each photo, bogging down your page, and spamming the feed of your friends/followers. That’s the biggest problem i have w/ Instagram right there.
how to post photos on IG using pc here http://t.co/1aiXWpwJ1j
@AllysaAmour http://t.co/ucZecsSOkJ
Love it, thank you for your help!
Posting Photos To Instagram From Your Desktop http://t.co/kyEZe43fIv http://t.co/WPdFU5cJqE
AH HA! I was wondering about this, too.
And based on your prompting, I just verified that I can easily share photos from my Android Gallery directly to Instagram. So the process is:
1) Take pictures with my real camera.
2) Upload to Google+ (could even automate this with my Eye-Fi card)
3) Then wait a short bit for these photos to sync to my phone.
NICE! Thanks for sharing the tip! Instagram is now actually more useful for me.
Great fix. Simple and elegant. Thanks.
I used Gramblr.com today and it worked just fine…I dont have a mac though.
i’ve downloaded drop box but i dont understand how i upload photos to instagram from pc…plz help
I downloaded Gramblr today and it’s fine
I wonder is there any differences between using the workaround suggested (using Dropbox), with physically connecting your phone/tablet using USB cable and store the photos into the phone/tablet’s storage?
THANKS FOR GAMBLR INFORMATION!!!!!!
Eventho you mentioned Gamblr didnt work, I trying stiil it, ANNNNDDDD WORTHIT!!!!
Uhm, sorry before.. You said we can put photos in Dropbox. Then, upload it by our iPhone/iPad/iPod/Android. Helllloooooo… I dont have either, Babe….
For me, Dropbox is 119283099% NON-SOLUTION. *blink
But, Thanksthanksthanks for Gamblr-information. Kisskisskiss.
Poor old phone has so little memory, can’t install many large apps. Had to uninstall a few to make room to reinstall Dropbox & Instagram again. But long-pressing on both the Dropbox folder, then just the individidual pics inside the folder would NOT share to Instagram!
I’d already checked that Instagram sent a pic from my phone via wifi, And ES File explorer actually WOULD share a pic with Instagram―weird that you got it going, yet it failed with me. However, my phone was complaining about too much memory being used, so maybe that.
So after ifttt wouldn’t, ibeam.it didn’t show a way to beam TO Instagram, your Dropbox―Instagram work-around didn’t work on my old phone, so I’m going to try
Gramblr.com since others here said it’s working for them.
Gramblr WORKED On Windows 7 (after scanning each file in the zip for virus, didn’t require installing, ran straight from folder I unzipped it to). But be forewarned, it does require logging in with your Instagram Username+password! So before testing it, I changed my Instagram password to a totally unique, long (not saying how many characters) password with a PW Generator, just to be extra safe. I’ll post back if I notice any weirdness like autoposting, tagging, or if it breaks (probably eventually, as they seem he||bent on only phone users uploading―probably easier/cheaper to track us that way than with cookies/spiders compared to ISP accounts LOL) .
Yes, Gramblr.com is a solution – I managed to upload one image, now it says that the size is not OK. Seems to be buggy but there is no support.
can you sign up, too?
Awesome help, thank you!
Hello, http://botio.net/ seems does not work (the upload form in its home page). Gamblr is ok but only if you have to upload a photo at a time! Every new photo to upload needs you to restart it before to!
Terrible article. Long winded, and one of the worst ways to transfer files from your PC to your phone. Has nothing to do with instagram. You just disguised it as such. Best way to transfer files to your tablet or phone is with ES File Explorer using Wi-Fi.
I was able to get Gramblr to install on my PC. When I went to upload a photo though, it failed saying that the photo had to be square (equal height and width), and who wants to crop all their photos just to upload them? Not worth it for me even though I was looking for a way to use Instagram without a smart phone.
AWESOME. Im using this method very successfully for Instagram
Hi!
I was searching through the web for solutions to upload photos onto instagram via the computer..because mum took away the i-pad and my smartphone doesn’t support the instagram app.
I have tried all the solutions on here before I found this page.. none of them work BUT I TRIED A FEW DIFFERENT TIMES AND FOUND A SOMEWHAT SIMPLE SOLUTION ON BUESTACKS
so here are the following steps
1. Upload your picture onto facebook (change the setting onto only me)
2. Open the Facebook app on Bluestack
3. Download the instagram app on Bluestack.
4. Use the Facebook app on Bluestack to open up the photo you want to upload onto instagram.
5. Click take a snapshot on the BOTTOM RIGHT CORNER.
6. Click upload using instagram.
7. Crop it.
8. Upload it
and it’s doneeee :3
*works best if the photo is taken with a CAMERA
contact me if you have any problem
I already had bluestack on my pc so this was very easy for me.Thank you it works!!!
…so it’s impossible to upload photos to Instagram from a desktop or laptop …no solutions other than “download this app and use your phone or tablet?” Don’t get me wrong, I love DropBox, but I was also hoping for a more direct solution to this issue based on the title.
Brilliant….thank you!
thanks a lot for advice! it works!
hi, used to have a smartphone, but would like to upload pics that were taken from my Blackberry handset and which are saved on my desktop or PC.
It’s not a solution, when you don’t have a smartphone (was stolen) . Then you can’t share nomore photos to instagram.
@saabmagalona or try on of these http://t.co/gfATw6YZmD
thanks for your time, tough luck your answer is still negative
Dropbox….Why did I not think of that? THANKS! As pointed out, Instagram was built to be a mobile only app. Yes, we would like it to work on our PCs/Macs, but Instagram realizes that the future is going to be mobile. For those that want to share photos on a PC/Mac there is Facebook (which owns Instragram). Even now, 50% of Facebook logins in the US come from smart phone and tablets. Rather than looking for a way to make the app do something it is not designed to do, I recommend you get yourself a smart phone (some of them are even free) or invest in a tablet to get the most out of Instagram. Trying to make it change is like trying to get a boat to work on land or get a fish to live out of water. Instagram is focused on the 13-24 set. They do not want to see 100 pictures from your last vacation all at once. They just want to share what they are doing right now, comment on what you are doing right now and engage in a friend to friend manner. If you want to share 100s of pics, create an album on Facebook or put them on Flickr or Photobucket et al. Instagram has become a bonafide mobile social network. It needs to be treated as such unless they decide to expand to the PC, which I doubt they would do. And as far as Gramblr…I would never give my password to one app to another, even if it is complex and unique.
Thank you for this post. You just saved me about few hours trying to figure this out on my own. I’m going with dropbox!
Thanks a lot man! I downloaded, tried, and deleted bluestacks before I found your article. Well done Sean.
how is posting to instagram via your tablet a solution to wanting to post on instagram via PC? Is a tablet a PC?
So nobody comes with a real solution to automatically send few photos once a day on instagram ?
@DeadManEspresso http://t.co/dp9rxpJfa5
Actully, Even though dropbox is technically the easiest way, instead I use attatchment to an email and send it back to my adress. It will arrive on your phones email. ( You need a phone with the instagram app) You open it and save the image. Then I just post it using the app. I have no clue why the computer uploading is so much more confusing then the app on iphones
oh yeah, using this method I can upload as many pics as I want
!!! Also I didnt only mean phones just devices with the app!
means you still can’t upload the pictures directly from the desktop.
I have tonnes of pictures to share~~~ they are also located in http://lovelyinnstore.com/
Also is it possible to share the links or pictures from http://lovelyinnstore.com/ too?
This didn’t help me
I have a crappy phone that doesn’t allow apps, and my friends are begging me to get instagram; so I wanted to know if I could use Instagram without the use of a phone or tablet at all :/
I came up with the same solution just a few days ago, I thought this article will offer something better, uploading photos without using tablet or smartphone at all.
Mabuhay po! We are facing also this problem, we recently install this on to our phone we did is upload a photo from pc then synch it from the Galaxy Note then open the application from Note. There is two types of sharing, one is share but theres no instagram so we tried to click the other one. The export then the instagram appz appear so success the only problem is instagram doesn’t support full photos so it always a resized upload too sad for that.
Thanks
It’s way easier to just email the photos to yourself & check your email on your phone & save the photo & post it on Instagram. That’s what I do.
So easy and it works. Thanks for the suggestion. Im not sure why these sites dont’ make it easier to upload photos
Your final solution was such an obvious “duh” moment but a great and innovative way to work around this problem. Thanks!
Sean,
I had seen Gamblr come up in my search results earlier, so even though you said it didn’t work I went back to check it out, and it’s working fine.
I downloaded it, uploaded a photo, and it worked perfectly. It’s amazingly streamline. The one issue I had is that I guess the image is either uploaded too small, or I uploaded too small an image, so when viewed over instagram.com (not app) it is tiled. But otherwise it works perfectly.