While Instagram is primarily a smartphone platform, you can still make contributions to your feed from the comfort of your PC. We show you the software you need, and how to use it, so you can upload video to Instagram from your laptop or desktop computer.
What you’ll need
The official Instagram site doesn’t allow the uploading of video from a PC, only a smartphone, so we’ll need to download some software that will make this possible. There are several apps available, but the one we’ll be using for this tutorial is Gramblr which is free.
Visit the Gramblr site and download the version for your system (both Windows and macOS are available) then install the program. You’ll need to create an account and log in with your Instagram details as well.
Using Gramblr to upload video
Once the installation and setup is completed you’ll see the Gramblr interface appear. In the main pane is an area where you can drag or drop images and videos that you want to upload.
To do so, open up a File Explorer window (Windows key+E) and navigate to the folder where your videos are stored. This can be on the hard drive or external storage such as a thumb drive.
When you’ve located the relevant file, drag it onto the Gramblr main pane and drop it there.
Now it will occupy the middle of the screen, with a few options appearing around it. At the bottom you’ll see a time-line. Slide the two white ball-markers to set the beginning and end points of the video.
Next, it’s time to highlight the section of the video you want to be shown. You’ll see three different aspect ratios listed below the image – Any, 4:3, and 1:1 – so select the one that suits your video. 1:1 is the square type that’s used for most images and videos that appear in the Instagram feed, but you can also use 4:3 to get a decent result.
Any means there are no set dimensions, so you can make the box as tall or thin as you like. Sadly there’s no option for 16:9 which is the format for Instagram Stories.
With the aspect ratio selected, move onto the image itself and drag the + icon to highlight the area intended for your creation. The ratio setting will ensure that the shape is locked in the correct dimensions.
To the right of the image you’ll see a Thumbs-Up icon which will have previously been red. Once you’ve highlighted the video it will turn green, so click it to proceed.
The last step is to enter a caption, take a look at the video to see if it’s what you intended, then post it to Instagram. This can either be done immediately, or scheduled for a later time if you select the option listed is the Upload On: section.
Now click Send and the video will be loaded into your feed for all the world to enjoy.
