Use Instagram on Any Computer, Just Like on a Smartphone
Unlike Facebook and Twitter, Instagram doesn’t have a desktop. The Photo Sharing Network limits users on how much they can post, view, and interact if they are logged in through a computer.
In a sense, Instagram doesn’t want you to upload professionally edited photos from your computer. The app has been designed so that you can instantly share photos and video clips from your daily life.
If you log into Instagram in a browser, you can scroll through your feed and like all your friends’ photos. You can also access your notifications and research tab. But you don’t have the option to upload photos or watch Instagram stories. Still.
Since everything has its loopholes, there are several ways to use Instagram on a Windows PC or Mac as if you were using it on your smartphone.
To upload photos
With a simple workaround, you no longer have to email photos, send text messages, or post them on an Airdrop to post them.
If you’re using a Mac and using Safari as your default browser, go to Preferences and select Advanced. Then you will need to check the “Show development menu in menu bar” checkbox which is at the very bottom.
Now this is getting a little tedious. You will need to open a personal Safari window, go to Development, then User Agent, and select Safari – iOS 10 – iPhone. This will allow you to use Safari as if you were on your phone: when you log into Instagram, you will see a camera button at the bottom of the screen, and you can upload photos.
If you’re on a PC and using Chrome, the camera button is slightly easier to display. Log into your Instagram and right click on the page (anywhere) to open the dropdown menu. Select Check and click the tablet icon. This will automatically switch your page to mobile view, which will give you access to the camera download button.
To view stories
Another Instagram app feature that isn’t officially available on desktops is Stories, a pretty bold copy of Snapchat. However, if you install the Google Chrome extension in your web browser, you will be able to view them all.
The name of the Chrome extension is as simple as using it, and it’s free. You just need to install Chrome IG Story, and the next time you log into your Instagram account via Chrome, you will see all your friends’ stories appear at the very top.