Instagram has become the ultimate social media platform for creators, businesses, and shutterbugs alike. After all, it allows users to showcase their creative skills and visual works to a global audience. Upcoming creators can also draw inspiration from other users’ photos and videos to make their own compelling content.
Unless an account is private, you can easily view photos posted by your friends and other Instagram users. However, downloading pictures from Instagram is a whole different ball game. Due to intellectual property rights, Instagram doesn’t allow you to download other users’ images from the platform.
This means you have to explore other means to download any photo from Instagram. We’re here to help. Read on to learn how to download Instagram photos without violating copyright rules.
How to Download Images from Instagram to Your Mobile Device
Instagram was primarily designed for Android and iPhone, explaining why the mobile app has more features than the desktop or web versions. Unlike the PC version, the app lets you download and save photos you’ve edited or filtered to your mobile device.
Here’s a breakdown of how to download pictures from Instagram to your phone:
How to Download Instagram Photos That You’ve Created to Your Mobile Device
Downloading photos from Instagram to your mobile device is easy, provided they are your original works.
Your options vary, depending on the device you are using. You can download your activity data and retrieve your pictures from the zipped file, or change your Instagram account settings to save your original photos to your phone’s library automatically.
Here’s how to copy a photo on Instagram on your mobile device:
Downloading Instagram Activity Data on Mobile App
- Open the Instagram app on your Android
- Log into your Instagram account
- Tap your profile picture
- Tap the More button (three horizontal lines)
- Tap Your Activity
- Go to Information You Shared With Instagram
- Tap Download Your Information
- Tap Request Download
- Select the account you want to download information from
- Tap Next
- Select the type of information you want to download
- Choose the data range, data format type, image quality, and the email you want to receive the data in
- Submit request
Downloading Instagram Activity Data on Mobile Browser
- Open a mobile browser on your device
- Go to www.instagram.com
- Log into your Instagram account
- Tap your profile photo to go to your profile
- Tap the Gear icon to go to Settings
- Tap Your Activity
- Tap Download Your Information
- Enter your email address
- Select the data format (HTML or JSON)
- Tap Next
- Enter your Instagram password
- Tap Request Download
- Tap Download Data
- Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the download process
You’ll receive a download link in your email inbox within 14-30 days, sometimes earlier. Tap the link to download the zipped data to your phone. Once done, go to your phone’s download folder to view your downloaded photos. You might require a zip utility app like Winrar, Unzip, or WinZip to unzip and extract the downloaded files.
Saving Instagram Photos to Your Phone
- Open the Instagram app on your Android
- Log into your Instagram account
- Tap your profile picture
- Tap the More button (three horizontal lines) in the top-right
- Tap the Gear icon to go to Settings
- Go to Account
- Tap Original Posts
- Tap the toggle next to Save Posted Photos to enable it
With Save Original Photos enabled, Instagram will automatically save all pictures you post on the platform to your phone’s library. However, this option does not apply to published photos that were uploaded before you activated the feature.
How to Download Pics from Instagram from Other Users to Your Mobile Device
Since Instagram doesn’t let people download photos from other users, downloading pictures posted by another person can be tricky. While options remain limited, you can still download posted images from others to your mobile device using these hacks:
How to Download Pictures from Instagram Using Your Phone’s Screenshot Feature
Most smartphones have a screenshot feature that lets you capture whatever is on your screen. Although the image resolution won’t be exceptional, the screenshot function is an easy way to copy photos on Instagram.
Activating this function depends on your phone. For Android devices, press the power and volume-down buttons simultaneously. If using an iPhone, press the power and volume-up buttons simultaneously.
To use this function to download an Instagram photo, go to the profile you’d like to copy the picture from and take a screenshot of the image. Your device will automatically save the photo in the screenshot folder or general phone library.
How to Download Instagram Photos via Third-Party Apps
You can use third-party apps to download Instagram photos to your mobile device. These apps have advanced features that let you save images from Instagram to your phone in high quality. Although there are many apps for downloading Instagram pictures, one popular app you can use is Instagram++.
The Instagram++ app is a modded version of the official Instagram app. It logs you into your Instagram account like the traditional app. Unlike other third-party apps, this mobile application has better privacy and security. Besides, you can use it to download Instagram photos, reels, and stories.
With that said, here’s how to download Instagram++ photos from other Instagram users:
- Search for the Instagram++ app on Google
- Download and install the Instagram++ apk file on your phone
- Open the Instagram++ app on your phone
- Log into your Instagram account
- Go to the photo you’d like to download
- Tap the three horizontal dots at the top-right of the picture
- Tap Download to save the image to your phone library
Note: You may have to uninstall the official Instagram app before installing Instagram++.
Other popular third-party apps you can use to download Instagram photos include:
- ToolZu
- Instagram Photo Downloader
- DownloadGram
- Save-o-gram
- 4K Stogram
These apps work similarly. They require you to copy the link of the photo you want to download and paste the URL in the app’s address bar.
Here’s how to go about it:
- Open the Instagram app on your Android
- Log into your Instagram account
- Go to the photo you’d like to download
- Tap the three dots on the photo
- Tap Copy Link
- Open your preferred downloader app
- Paste the link into the address bar
- Tap download to save the image to your phone
How to Download Pictures from Instagram to Your Computer
Instagram has no native support for downloading photos to your computers. However, you can apply a few workarounds to overcome this issue.
You may download your entire Instagram data and extract your photos, or use the image’s source code to save the picture to your computer. Another way is using third-party apps to download Instagram photos.
Here’s how to download and save Instagram photos to your computer:
How to Download Images from Instagram That You’ve Created to Your Computer
You may have to download your entire Instagram account history to save your photos to your computer. Here are the steps:
- Open a web browser on your computer
- Go to www.instagram.com
- Log into your Instagram account
- Click the More button in the bottom-left
- Click Your Activity
- Click Download Your Information
- Enter your email address
- Select the format you would like to receive the data (HTML or JSON)
- Click Next
- Enter your Instagram password
- Click Request Download
- Go to your email inbox and check for an email titled Your Instagram Data
- Click Download Data
- Follow the on-screen instructions to download your data
- Use a zip program to extract your data
- Open the extracted folder and go to the photos folder to view your downloaded photos.
How to Download a Picture from Instagram from Other Users to Your Computer
You have at least three options for downloading Instagram photos from other users to your computer. You can use the image’s source code, take a screenshot, or utilize a third-party app.
Using the Source Code
A photo source code is a link or URL pointing to the image. You can use this link to download photos from Instagram on your computer. Here are the steps:
- Open a web browser on your computer
- Go to www.instagram.com
- Log into your Instagram account
- Find the photo you’d like to download
- Click the three horizontal dots on the top-right
- Tap Go To Post
- Right-click on the image
- Select View Page Source
- Turn on line wrap to make it easy to find the correct URL link
- Press Ctrl+F on your keyboard
- Type <meta property=”og:image” content=”
- Copy the URL link between the quotation marks
- Open a new tab on your browser
- Paste the copied URL in the address bar and press Enter
- Right-click the image
- Select Save Image As to download and save the photo on your PC
Note: This method might not always work, and you might get a Bad URL error.
Taking a Screenshot
Another way to download Instagram photos is by taking a screenshot. This method is straightforward:
- Open a web browser on your computer
- Go to www.instagram.com
- Log into your Instagram account
- Find the photo you’d like to download
- Press the Print Scrn/SysRq key on your keyboard
- Open any photo editing app on your computer
- Click paste
- Save the copied image to your computer
Utilizing Third-Party Apps
You can use third-party apps to download Instagram photos to your computer. Most apps described in the previous section work on mobile devices and computers. Check out the apps to find which works best for you.
Points to Consider When Downloading Instagram Photos
There are reasons why Instagram doesn’t let users easily download photos from the platform. While these reasons are valid, it is within your right to download your pictures whenever you want.
Perhaps you want to back up your photos after losing the original copies, or you intend to delete your Instagram account and want to save your images. Downloading your photos makes sense in these situations.
Whatever the case, there are three main points to consider when downloading pictures from Instagram. These include:
Data Privacy
When downloading your activity data, it might contain sensitive information that could put your privacy at risk. If someone has physical access to your device, they might send the downloaded files to their phones and use them maliciously.
Copyright/Intellectual Property Rights
When downloading pictures from other Instagram users, consider intellectual property rights. Instagram has enforced stringent copyright rules to protect the rights of other users. Even if you appear in an image, you may have to answer legal questions if you publish downloaded photos from other users without their consent. Instagram might suspend your account or ban your page if you repeatedly violate copyright guidelines.
Malware Threats
It may seem unlikely, but you might be vulnerable to malware attacks and phishing attempts when downloading pictures from other Instagram users. Hackers and phishers might inject malware into digital photos and send download links to your DM. Downloading these compromised images can breach your security and cause severe damage. To secure your account and protect your devices, avoid downloading photos sent via links from unknown people.
FAQs
Does Instagram notify the owner when I download their photos?
No, Instagram does not notify users when someone downloads their photos. After all, the platform has no native support for downloading images, so it cannot detect when this happens via screenshots or third-party apps.
Will Instagram ban my account for downloading other people’s photos?
Instagram only suspends or bans accounts for repeatedly violating other users’ intellectual property rights. Your account is not at risk if you download a photo for personal use and do not re-publish it.
Can I download the Instagram++ app from Google Play and Apple Store?
The Instagram++ app is not on the Google Play Store or Apple Store. The only way to download the app is from third-party websites. Search for the Instagram++ apk file on Google and download the app. Be sure to check to guarantee that the site is credible before downloading.
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