How to Save Instagram Photos in Full Quality
Screenshots shrink and crop Instagram photos. Here is how to download the original image, including every photo in a carousel, on any phone or computer.
By the Yocker team · Updated · 2 min read
Instagram has no "save image" button. Most people take a screenshot, which gives you a smaller picture with the interface around it, at your screen's resolution rather than the photo's. There is a better way: download the image file Instagram actually stores.
Screenshot vs. original file
| Screenshot | Downloaded original | |
|---|---|---|
| Resolution | Your screen's size, minus the cropped-off interface | The largest version Instagram stores (usually 1080 px wide) |
| Cropping | You crop by hand | None needed |
| Carousels | One screenshot per slide | Every photo listed, one tap each |
| Works on a computer | Awkward | Yes |
Instagram normally resizes uploads to about 1080 pixels wide, so that is usually the largest version that exists. A downloader gives you that file; nothing online can give you more pixels than Instagram kept.
How to download an Instagram photo
- Open the post, tap the share icon (or the ⋯ menu) and choose Copy link.
- Open the Instagram Photo Downloader and paste the link.
- Tap Download photo.
The link should contain /p/, like instagram.com/p/Cx1a2B3c4D5/. A link to someone's profile won't work, because it doesn't point to a specific post.
Downloading every photo in a carousel
Paste the carousel's link once. Each photo appears as a numbered tile (1 / 7, 2 / 7, and so on) with its own download button, in the same order as the post. Tiles you've already saved are marked Downloaded, so you don't lose your place in a long post. Carousels that mix photos and videos work too; videos are saved as MP4.
Where the photos are saved
- Android: the Downloads folder. Your gallery normally shows it as an album called Download.
- iPhone: the Files app, under Downloads. Open the image there and tap Share → Save Image to copy it into Photos.
- Computer: your browser's Downloads folder.
If you can't find a file, see where do downloaded videos and photos go?
What can't be downloaded
- Photos from private accounts.
- Profile pictures, Stories and Highlights, which all require being logged in.
- Posts that have been deleted or archived.
No legitimate tool needs your Instagram password. If a site asks for it, close the tab.
A note on using other people's photos
A photo belongs to the person who took it, and posting it publicly doesn't change that. Saving a picture to look at later, or keeping a copy of your own posts, is personal use. Putting someone else's photo on your own page, in an ad or on a product is not, unless they've said yes. When in doubt, send the photographer a message; most are happy to be asked. There's more detail in is it legal to download from social media?