Instagram is an ideal platform to enjoy impressive images and entertaining videos. But when it comes to saving photos, especially those posted by other Instagram users, you will probably find that it is not supported. However, there is always a way where there is a will and we have the solution.
Read on to learn how to save Instagram photos to your PC and multiple devices, whether you’ve posted them or not.
How to Download Instagram Photos on Windows PC
There are at least two options for saving Instagram photos and videos: using the feed details or using the developer tools in Chrome. These are the steps to save a photo from Instagram using the source code view method. To use the developer tools, see the “How to save your Instagram photos and videos using the developer tools” section below.
Note: Make sure you have the creator’s permission or copyright before downloading images.
- Gonna Instagram.com and log in to your account. Select the photo you want to save to your PC.
- Click the three-dot menu, then select “Go to Post.”
- Right click and then select “View Page Source”.
- Use the hotkey “Ctrl + F” and then type .jpg in the search box.
- Find the first link, including the .jpg suffix, and copy it.
- Paste the URL into the address bar of a new web page.
- Now right click on the photo and then select “Save image as…”.
The image will be downloaded to your PC’s local storage.
How to Download Instagram Photos on a Mac
You can save Instagram photos and videos to your Mac with the source details or use the developer tools in Chrome. To use the latter method, scroll down to the “How to save your Instagram photos and videos using developer tools” section. Follow these steps to save a photo to your Mac using its source information.
Note: Always remember to get permission, legal right or copyright from the creator to download photos or images.
- Visit Instagram.com and log in to your account.
- Choose the photo you want to save.
- Click the menu icon, then choose “Go to Post.”
- Right click on it and then select “View Page Source”.
- Use the hotkey “Cmd + F” and then enter .jpg in the search box.
- Copy the first link with the .jpg suffix.
- Open a new web page and paste the URL into the address bar.
- Right click on the photo and then select “Save image as…”.
The photo will be saved to your Mac storage.
How to Download Instagram Photos on a Chromebook
Photos and videos can be saved by getting the source details or using the developer tools in Chrome. For steps to download Instagram photos and videos, scroll down to check out the “How to save your Instagram photos and videos using developer tools” section. Below we’ll show you how to get the source details to download a photo to your Chromebook.
Note: Always remember to obtain permission or copyright before downloading photos and videos on Instagram.
- Log in to your Instagram.com account.
- Go to the photo you want to save.
- Click the three dots icon, then select “Go to Post.” Right click on the photo and then select “View Page Source.”
- Press “Ctrl + F” to access search, then type .jpg in the box. Copy the first link with the .jpg suffix.
- Paste the URL into the address bar of a new web page. Right click on the photo and then select “Save image as…”.
The image will download to your Chromebook’s local storage.
How to save your Instagram photos and videos using developer tools
Here, we will guide you through the steps to save photos and videos using Dev Tools on Chrome browser on your PC. Remember to get the owner’s permission first.
- Open Chrome, then visit Instagram.com. Sign in to your account and find the photo you want to save.
- Right click on it and then from the bottom of the pop-up window select “Inspect”.
- Click the photo, then click the chevrons displayed in the main “Development Tools” menu next to the “Fonts” option.
- Select “Network” from the pop-up menu.
- Then, from the second menu, choose the “Img” option which is between the “CSS” and “Media” options, then refresh the page. The file names of all displayed images will appear in the “Name” section.
- Click the file names to display each image and confirm which one you want to download.
- Right-click the image file name and then select “Open in new tab.”
- Right click on the image and then select “Save image as…”.
The image will be saved in the location you choose. To preserve a video, follow these steps.
- Open your profile and go to the video.
- Click on it to open it and then refresh the page.
- From “Developer Tools”, click on the “Media” option located between “Img” and “Source”.
- The name of the video file will be displayed in the “Name” section. If not, try playing the video.
- Right click on the video link and then select “Open in new tab.”
- Right click on the video and choose “Save As…”.
The video will be saved to your computer.
How to save posts on Instagram
Another way to revisit the great posts you’ve found is to create an Instagram collection. Below we explain how to configure and use the collections function through your mobile.
- Log in to your account and press the start button.
- Find the post you want to save and then tap the ribbon icon below it.
This will add the post to a private section of your profile, where your saved posts are located. Your Instagram colleagues will receive a notification every time you save their post.
You can create a collection to save posts by topic or topic; that is how.
- Press and hold the ribbon icon below the post to create the collection.
- Add a name for the collection and then “Done.”
Now, the next time you go to save something, select one of the collections you created previously or start a new collection from the “Save to” screen by tapping the plus sign.
To access your saved posts:
- Go to your profile.
- Tap the hamburger icon at the top right.
- Tap “Saved” and then choose the collection you want to view.
Everything saved in your collection is private.
To delete saved posts:
- Tap the ribbon below the post.
- Select “Remove from Collection” or “Delete” to completely remove it from your saved posts.
The tape will change from black to white to confirm the deletion.
How to keep the best of Instagram
Instagram is packed with stunning images and entertaining videos, and finding awesome posts that you want to keep forever is a given. However, the platform does not offer a dedicated feature to easily download photos and videos. If you want to keep specific posts, you can get the file source details or use the developer tools in Chrome on your computer.
Make sure you get the permission you need before downloading content from other creators. If you don’t want to go through all the hassle, you can always create a collection of your favorite photos and videos. It’s not the same as saving it to your personal device, but it offers a quick way to revisit your favorite posts.
What type of Instagram posts do you enjoy the most? Tell us about some of the posts you want to keep in the comments section below.
