Save a Picture from Instagram

Instagram has quickly become the number one place to see photographs from people and places all over the world. While viewing the photos in your photostream is still fun, it is often difficult to save the photos so that you can view them later. While you cannot save photos directly on Instagram's app, there are several workarounds available to get the photos off Instagram and onto your phone or computer.

Steps

Saving Photos Through 3rd Party Sites & Apps

  1. Know that there is no direct way to save photos from Instagram. In order to protect copyright on photos Instagram does not allow you to save someone's photo directly from the app. While this may be a pain, remember that is to restrict people from downloading your work.
    • Never save or use another person's work for profit.
    • Always attribute the original photographer when sharing someone's work.
    • Only Instagram can legally save photos from the app and sell them to an advertising agency.
  2. Use unaffiliated Instagram sites to get images from any user. Search online for "download user instagram photos" to choose a site that works for you. These sites allows you to search for any username and save their photos without hassle. Find the user you want, then click on the image. At the bottom of the page will be a button allowing you to "Save Image."[1]
    • These sites works on mobile browsers as well, and an Instagrabbr app is forthcoming.[2]
    • Try sites like instagrabbr.com and Free Instagram Downloader, both of which have been suggested by tech sites like CNET.
  3. Download photo saving apps to access your friend's photos. Search "Save Instagram" to find appropriate apps. Available on both Android and iOS phones, these apps ask you to log in to your Instagram account and request "access." Once you allow them access, you can click and download any photos in your photo stream, as well as photos by your Instagram friends. Most of these apps are free.
    • Allowing access means that the app and its developer has the right to take information from your Instagram account.
    • Sometimes these apps become outdated with phone updates, so try multiple apps if you are having technical difficulties.[3]
    • Good apps to try include InstaSave, SaveGram, Instagrab, GramDrive Downloader, My InstaAlbum, and more.

Saving Photos Using Instagram.com

  1. Log in on Instagram.com. While most Instagram users access photos from their phone, instagram.com allows you to access your photo stream from any computer, making it easier to save photos.
  2. Find a photo you want to save. Instagram.com only displays photos from your current friends, and does not let your "Explore" other photos. Again, this is to protect the copyright of other photographers.
    • You can view any user's feed through the website even if you are not friends. Simply insert their username after the URL like so: https://instagram.com/___________, where the blank is the username.
  3. Navigate to the photo you want to download's specific page. Click the gray ellipses (...), usually underneath the right corner of the picture or to the right of the "Comment" section, for the photo you want to save. The options "Report as Inappropriate" and "View Photo Page" will appear. Click on "View Photo Page."
  4. On Firefox, isolate the picture with "View Background Image." Right click on the picture and choose the option "View Background Image." This will open up a new page that shows the photo exclusively.
  5. On Chrome, isolate the picture using "Inspect Element." While this seems complicated, it is easier than you might think. Right click the image and choose "Inspect Element." This will bring up a sidebar with a lot of HTML code, a small section of which will be highlighted in blue. The image is the long, random string in parenthesis beginning with "https://" and ending with ".jpg."
    • Right click and copy the highlighted code. Paste it into your web browser.
    • Delete everything except the image code. Include the "https://" and ".jpg."
    • Press enter. Your picture will appear on it's own, ready to be saved.
  6. Save the image to your computer. Right click on the image in your new page and choose "Save Image As." You will be given the opportunity to name the image and choose where to save it.
    • By default the image will be saved in your Photo Library, or My Photos, and named a random string of numbers and letters.
  7. Take a screenshot if you cannot use apps or other websites. While this method takes a bit more time, take a screenshot of the picture you want to save by pressing either "Prt Sc" (Windows/Linux) or the "Command," "Shift," and "3" keys simultaneously (Mac). This will save a picture of your entire computer screen to your clipboard. Paste the image into a photo editor like Photoshop, paint, or Light room by pressing "Ctrl"/"Command" and "V" simultaneously. You can now save the image.
    • You will likely have to crop away the rest of your screenshot so that you only see the image.

Backing Up Your Instagram Photos

  1. Alternatively, an Instagram backup site to save all your photos at once. There are plenty of websites that can save all your photos for you in bulk, providing a safe, consolidated backup of your account. This allows you to keep a spare copy of your pictures in case you delete your Instagram account. Search for "Instagram Backup" in your favorite search engine to find a service for you.
    • Well documented sites for Instagram backup include Instaport and FrostBox.[4]
    • While some of the language or features may change, the following general instructions will work for any backup website.
  2. Provide the site your Instagram username and password. This allows the site to access all of your pictures at once and prevents other people from downloading your photo library without your permission on the site.
    • Be careful of any site that requests "permission to post" on your Instagram or requests more of your personal data.
  3. Choose your export method. You can save the photos to a .zip file or send them to Facebook or Flickr. If you click on the Advanced Options button you can choose to limit the download by date, number, or photos you've liked.
    • If you choose photos you've liked, they will be shrunk to a maximum resolution of 612 x 612 pixels.
  4. Click "Start Export." This will take a few minutes, depending on the number of pictures you need to download. When it is done you will have a folder with all of your Instagram photos.
    • If you cannot find your photos check your "Downloads" folder.[5]
  5. Know that Instagram saves a copy of every photo you take. When you take a photo on the instagram app, the picture is also saved in your "Camera Roll" for future use. This means that you will always have a copy of your own photos on your phone. You can even tell Instagram to save a copy of the photo before you add filters too:
    • Open your profile by tapping the silhouette button in the bottom right corner of the app.
    • Tap the "Gear" icon in your profile to open your settings. It is in the upper right corner.
    • Turn "Enable Original Photos" to "On." You may have to scroll through your settings to find it.[6]

Tips

  • There are a number of apps, both free and paid, that let you view Instagram images outside of the smartphone screen.[7]

Warnings

  • Using other people's photos without attribution is a violation of copyright laws worldwide.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.cnet.com/how-to/download-all-instagram-photos-from-any-user-or-your-own/
  2. ↑ http://www.netmediablog.com/save-instagram-photos-to-pc-and-smartphone
  3. ↑ http://www.igeeksblog.com/how-to-save-instagram-photos-to-iphone-camera-roll/
  4. ↑ http://www.wired.com/2012/12/how-to-download-your-instagram-photos-and-kill-your-account/
  5. ↑ http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/115069-instagram-backup-apps-services-free
  6. ↑ https://help.instagram.com/276722745781769/?q=save%20filtered%20photos%20&sid=0rpsYBNOjp9f5lgYT
  7. ↑ https://help.instagram.com/427910070604293/
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