It’s been in development for the last few months, and now, Instagram is launching a first live test of the capability to publish feed posts from the desktop version of the app, with a small group of users now able to access the full suite of upload and posting options.
As you can see in this tweet from social media expert Matt Navarra, some users are now seeing the desktop posting “+” icon in the top bar of instagram.com. When clicked, that then enables users to upload images or videos direct from their PC hard drive.
Once you add your visual, you then have access to all the regular, in-app options for editing feed posts, including image formatting tools and filters.
You can then upload, direct from the site, giving you another way to manage your Instagram content and process.
The option doesn’t facilitate Stories or Reels uploads at this stage, but additional tests have shown that IGTV uploads are also in the works, which likely suggests that full posting functionality is coming in the near future.
The option to upload from desktop could be a big boost for social media managers who are looking to streamline their workflow, and more easily publish edited graphics and visuals made within other apps.
But as noted, it’s not available to everybody just yet.
Instagram provided this statement to SMT:
“We know that many people access Instagram from their computer. To improve that experience, we’re now testing the ability to create a Feed post on Instagram with their desktop browser.”
Instagram says that this is a small test for now, with a view to further expansion soon.
Of course, users have been able to upload Instagram feed and IGTV posts from desktop since 2019 via Facebook’s Creator Studio app, but that is restricted to business accounts. The Creator Studio upload process also doesn’t provide access to all of the regular Instagram editing tools, which could be another advantage of this new option.
Instagram has been building out its PC functionality over time. Last year, it added the capacity to view live-streams from the desktop version of the app, while it’s also improved the Stories viewing experience on PC.
That, as Instagram notes, enables more people to use the platform, while it also enables a more centralized approach for social media managers, using the native visual enhancement tools of the app.
We’ll keep you updated on any future roll-out updates.
