Instagram intentionally limits users from downloading photos to ensure copyright holders’ rights. However, if you stream a lovely picture or you need to ask for the holder’s authority to download their high-quality original pictures, after, getting an effective way to download original Instagram photos is essential. This post explains how to download Instagram photos easily and straightforwardly to you.
Brief Introduction of Instagram Photo Downloading Policy
Instagram’s photo-download policy is strict, aiming to protect user’s rights and privacy. Instagram does not provide a built-in option to download photos or videos directly. This policy aligns with Instagram’s commitment to safeguarding copyrighted content and personal data.
If you want to share a post with your close friends, Instagram supports using built-in features like reposting with credit or direct sharing via links to respect ownership. Moreover, if you download the content without the owners’ permission may violate Instagram’s terms of service and intellectual property laws.
However, several third-party tools offer solutions to download Instagram photos now. You can work with these tools to download pictures on your devices.
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How to Download Instagram Photos?
Here are some solutions for downloading Instagram photos, just follow and have a try:
Take a Screenshot
If you don’t mind the photo’s quality and clarity, taking a screenshot is the most straightforward way to download Instagram photos.
Go to the Instagram app or website, scroll to the post you like, and use the screenshot feature on your device. Then navigate to “Photos”, and crop the size and corners of the photos. Store the photo as a new one and you have gotten the photo.
If You Are the Right Owner of the Photo
Nowadays, we receive more and more information from the Internet every day, and many times your device memory will be low, so sometimes you will accidentally delete some of your Instagram pictures by mistake. At this time it’s easy if you want to retrieve these pictures, just a few steps:
On the mobile device:
Step 1: Open your Instagram app on your device.
Step 2: Click your profile icon under the bar, then click the three horizontal lines at the top right corner of the interface.
Step 3: In this interface, browse to “Your app and media” and click “Archiving and downloading”

Step 4: Open “Saving original photos”. Wait for a few minutes, then your original photos can be saved on your devices.

On the PCs:
Step 1: Search “Instagram” on the Google bar, and sign into your account on the website.
Step 2: At the user’s page, click the three horizontal lines at the bottom left corner below the thread icon, then click “Setting”.

Step 3: Scroll the page to “Your app and media” and open “Archiving and downloading”.
Step 4: Open “Saving to archive”.

If You Are a Regular User Using Instagram
This is the most common situation we may encounter in daily life: When you look through Instagram for relaxation and find a pretty post but can’t download it, follow the steps below to download Instagram photos quickly.
On the mobile device:
Step 1: Open Instagram on your device, and select a post that you prefer to download. You’ll see three vertical points at the top right corner of the post and click it.

Step 2: Here’s a pop-up window listing some selections for you, click “We’re moving things around”.

Step 3: In this step, here are some functions listed at the bottom, then click “Copy link”. If you are not updated on the latest version, the selection can be seen on the pop-up.

On the PCs:
The steps on PCs are similar to mobile devices. You can do the same things on it.
Download Instagram Photos with Online Tools
As we mentioned before, if you are the browser, you can copy the post’s link to download, but the last step depends on the third-party tools. We take an online third-party tool as an example:
After you copy the link, you can open the third-party tool app, third-party tool web version, or applet. Paste your link on the text blanket, and wait for a few seconds, the original photos will download on your devices.
However, you need to notice that some third-party tools are not free, you can compare their price and features to select the more suitable one. To download Instagram photos successfully, you need to turn on your phone app permissions, such as allowing access to your gallery and storage methods.
Download Instagram Photos – FAQs
Is Downloading Instagram Photos Illegal?
This question is difficult to define, and technically you should seek authorization from the blogger each time you download someone else’s image, otherwise, you’ll be in violation of the Instagram community’s rules. But it’s not illegal. If you’re using a third-party tool to download images, be sure to choose a software or program that is legal and has a business license.
Why I Can’t Download Photos from Instagram?
Based on the Instagram official’s policy, downloading users’ photos is forbidden. It works to protect the privacy and rights of users. However, if you are the rights owner, you can download the original pictures via “Settings”.
What Can You Do with These Download Instagram Photos?
You can do whatever you want to with these photos but not for commercials. It is illegal to use other users’ photos to earn money.
Conclusion
Unlike other platforms, downloading photos from Instagram is not that simple. This post shows you the three ways to download photos from Instagram and the reasons why you cannot download directly from Instagram. Hopefully, after reading it, it will help you to use Instagram better.