instagram

instagram Instagram is a visual social app for sharing photos and short videos. Post to your profile grid, create Reels, share 24-hour Stories, go live, and message in Direct.

Instagram

Instagram is a popular social platform built around sharing photos and short videos. You can upload images or clips, apply filters, add location tags, and include hashtags. Your profile updates are shared with others, and you can also post content that automatically disappears after 24 hours—making it feel more like a “vanishing message” style of sharing for a lighter, more immediate way to document your day.

It also supports live video. You can go live, interact with viewers in real time, and creators can earn money through live badges, giving streamers more ways to monetize.

User Guide

Posting to your profile

• Share the photos or videos you want to keep on your profile grid.
• Edit your uploads with filters and creative tools.
• Combine multiple clips into a single video when creating content.
• Publish posts so they appear to your followers and can also be discovered by others.

Browsing and interacting

• Open your feed to view photos and videos from accounts you follow.
• Engage with posts using likes and comments.

Sharing to Stories (24-hour posts)

• Share as many photos and videos as you want to your story.
• Use text, drawing tools, and other creative effects to make your Stories stand out.
• Stories disappear after 24 hours and won’t show up on your profile grid or in your main feed.

Going live

• Start a live broadcast to connect with friends in the moment.
• Try going live with a friend, then share a replay to your story after the stream ends.

Direct messages

• Use Direct to message friends privately.
• Send photos and videos that disappear and share content you find on Instagram.

Watching Stories and Live

• Stories and live videos from accounts you follow appear in a bar at the top of your feed.

Explore and discovery

• Use the Explore tab to find photos, videos, and Stories you may like, then follow new accounts.

Key Features

Create posts and Reels

• Feed posting: Share photos and videos to your profile feed.
• Reels: Create short Reels using templates, music, stickers, and filters.
• Visibility: After you post, your content appears for followers and may be surfaced to other users too.

Stories, Notes, and Close Friends

• Stories and Notes let you post quick updates that disappear.
• Close Friends lets you share with a smaller, more private group.
• This helps keep casual, time-sensitive content separate from posts meant for a wider audience.

Direct messages and group chats

• Instagram supports both one-on-one and group conversations.
• Inside chats, you can share posts, profiles, and locations.
• Engagement stays organized with replies and reactions.

Explore and personalized recommendations

• Explore shows recommendations based on what you do on the app.
• Discover new creators, trends, and topics that match your interests.
• As you interact more, the suggestions update over time.

Shop, save items, and privacy controls

• Find products from brands and smaller businesses.
• Save items so you can come back later.



• Privacy settings help you control whether your account is public or private.
• You can also manage tags and mentions and control how others interact with you.
• These controls work consistently on both mobile and web.

Browse on the web without logging in

• You can visit instagram.com to view public profiles and public posts without signing in.
• To follow, post, message, or save content, you’ll need an account.
• For the best experience, log in and keep your account active across your phone and web.

More Instagram Sharing & Interaction Tools

• Add photos and videos to your INSTA Story so they disappear after 24 hours, using fun creative tools.
• Bring Stories to life with features like text, music, stickers, and GIFs.
• Share memes privately with friends and chat about them.
• Boomerang creates looping mini-videos, while Superzoom adds effects with an automatic zoom-in.
• Include polls in Stories to get more interaction.
• Choose Close Friends for who can watch your video clips, or make content public.
• Pin favorite Stories to your profile using Highlights to keep them visible.
• Message friends in Direct and start conversations about Feed, Stories, and INSTA Reels.
• Use video chat to connect no matter where you are.
• See what’s trending from accounts you like and share it with friends.
• Get notifications when someone likes or comments on your posts.

Feed Posting and Uploading

• Post photos, Reels, and videos to your INSTA Feed.
• Upload directly from your phone’s photo library.
• Share content with your followers right away.
• Post photos and videos to show on your profile grid.
• Share short videos, Reels, and photo updates from moments in your life.

Search & Explore for Your Interests

• Follow bands, celebrities, actors, athletes, and singers for live updates.
• Watch skits, movie scenes, news updates, music performances, sports highlights, and more from pages you follow.
• Check out IGTV for longer videos.