How to upload pictures on instagram

Instagram introduced a huge change today, launching a fully-functional web app that lets you upload photos from a phone browser, no app needed. Instagram didn't officially add the option to desktop browsers, but it's there -- you just have to find it.

Many Instagrammers -- myself included -- shoot photos on a dSLR camera and edit them on their computer before uploading to Instagram. That means having to transfer the finished photo to a phone (via AirDrop or email), which is cumbersome, at best.

This workaround cuts that step out, making dSLR uploads easier than ever.

With a few tweaks, you can upload to Instagram from a computer.

How to upload photos to Instagram from a desktop browser

Most browsers have a way of letting you change the "User Agent" -- the thing that tells a website what kind of device you're on. So, even when you're on a laptop or desktop, you can trick a website like Instagram into showing you the mobile site. That's what we're going to do.

Safari

On Safari, it's easy. Go to Safari > Preferences > Advanced. Check the box at the very bottom that says, "Show Develop menu in menu bar."

Now open a private browsing window. Head to Develop > User Agent > Safari -- iOS 10 -- iPhone. Go to Instagram.com, sign in and click the camera button at the bottom of the screen to upload a photo from your desktop.

Chrome

In Chrome, go to Instagram.com and sign in. Now right-click the page > Inspect > click the Tablet icon (top-left). The page should switch to mobile view, where you'll find a camera button at the bottom of the screen, which lets you upload a photo from your desktop.