Why Can’t I Post On Instagram?

I love Instagram for so many reasons, except for when it’s not allowing me to post anything. I recently found myself having issues with posting photos. I try to click on the buttons, but nothing happens. Apparently, I’m not the only one who has this issue from time to time. It’s a common issue that happens more than it should. 

The most common reason you can’t post on Instagram is that there’s a glitch or a bug in the Instagram app that hasn’t been fixed by developers yet. This can’t be fixed by you and neither can the website being down, which is another common reason. If these aren’t the cause, there are various troubleshooting methods to try.

Seeing as how Instagram is such a popular social media app, the developers like to update it frequently. This could in itself lead to issues. If you’re facing the same problem I was with not being able to post pictures, keep reading to try some of the most common troubleshooting methods available. 

How Do You Fix ‘Not Posted Yet Try Again’ on Instagram?

1. Restart Your Device

This is the first thing you should do if you’re encountering any type of issue with an app. A quick restart of your phone can solve any type of temporary software issue that your device may be experiencing. Here’s how to do it: 

Android (May vary by model)

1. Press and hold the power button
2. Once you see the Restart option, click on it
3. Let your phone reboot

iOS

1. Press and hold the power button until you see the Apple logo
2. On iPhone 11 or 12, hold down both the volume key and power button for 3 seconds until the Apple logo appears

2. Check Your Connection

One common reason why Instagram isn’t letting you post photos is because of a poor or unstable network. If you think this is the case, you can try to refresh your network connection. The easiest way to do this is to put your phone in Airplane mode or switch your network status off and on. 

If you’re using Wi-Fi from a home router, make sure it’s on and providing you with a stable connection. You can reset your router if you think it’s having issues by following these steps: 

1. Unplug all cables from the back of the router
2. Allow it to sit for 30 seconds
3. Plug everything back in and wait for it to connect

If you’re using a cell phone or tablet with cellular data, follow these steps: 

1. Check to see if your phone’s internet is turned on
2. If the connection is already active, tap on Flight Mode and wait for a few seconds before turning it off. This flushes and restarts a new connection
3. If you’re using Wi-Fi, reconnect it
4. Turn off your cell data and turn it back on. Most devices have a shortcut to this in the dropdown menu

3. Sign Out and Restart Your Phone

Sometimes signing out of an app and restarting your phone can clear bugs in the app. It’s simple to log out of Instagram, but if you’re unsure how here are the steps: 

On PC

1. Click on the circle in the top-right corner (your profile)
2. Click Log Out on the popup menu

On Mobile

1. Open the Instagram app
2. Click your profile photo at the bottom right corner 
3. Tap the three parallel horizontal lines at the top corner
4. Select Settings
5. Tap on Log out

Once you’ve done this, restart your phone via these steps: 

Android (May vary by model)

4. Press and hold the power button
5. Once you see the Restart option, click on it
6. Let your phone reboot

iOS

3. Press and hold the power button until you see the Apple logo
4. On iPhone 11 or 12, hold down both the volume key and power button for 3 seconds until the Apple logo appears

4. Close Background Apps

If you have a lot of apps running at once, it can slow down your phone. It can also cause glitches within websites that require a lot of juice to run properly. One way to fix this is by closing out all background apps that are running and restarting the Instagram app. There are different ways to do it on various devices. Here’s how: 

Android

1. To close all apps, swipe up from the bottom of your phone, hold, and then let go. Swipe from left to right and on the left, tap on Clear all
2. To close one app, swipe up from the bottom, hold, then let go. Swipe up on the app to close it out
3. On Android Go, swipe up from the bottom, hold, and let go. At the bottom, click on Clear all

To stop apps working in the background: 

1. Open Quick Settings by swiping down twice from the top of the screen
2. Click # active apps at the bottom left
3. To close each active app, tap Stop

iPhone X and Later

1. Swipe up from the home screen and pause in the middle of the screen
2. Swipe Right or left to find the app you want to close
3. Swipe up on the app’s preview to close it

iPhone SE, iPhone 8 and earlier, and iPod Touch

1. Double-click the Home button to show all recently used apps
2. Swipe Right or Left to find the app you want to close
3. Swipe up on the preview to close it

5. Clear The Cache

The cache memory is where metadata is held that’s related to your account from previous entries. The cache can prevent apps from performing regular activities and can prevent you from posting photos/videos on Instagram. 

To clear the cache, you will need to open the app manager or access Instagram app storage settings directly. Check out these steps to clear the cache memory on various devices: 

Android

1. Go to Settings
2. Select App settings
3. Locate Storage 
4. Click on Clear Cache

iOS

1. Go to Settings
2. Click on General
3. Select iPhone storage
4. Locate Instagram and tap on it
5. Click Offload App to clear the cache

6. Change Your Instagram Data Settings

Instagram has introduced a data saver setting that prevents you from sharing too many pictures or posts simultaneously. This disables multiple bulk uploading features to save your internet data. If you can’t post on Instagram, then it’s possible that you have data saver enabled. 

You can disable data saver in your mobile data settings within your account by following these steps: 

1. Go to your Instagram profile
2. Select Settings
3. Click on Accounts
4. Find Mobile data usage
5. Turn off Data saver

7. Update Instagram

Developers will release updates for apps to fix bug issues and introduce new features or enhance performance. Updating Instagram will help fix most of the issues that you may be facing with the app. Most accounts will update automatically, but not all of the time. To do it, simply follow these steps: 

1. Open the Google Play Store or Apple Store
2. Search for Instagram
3. Tap on it
4. Click on Update if there’s an available update

8. Check Instagram Photo/Video Policy

Instagram has set terms in place regarding what type of pictures or videos you can upload. They implemented powerful bots that can swiftly identify any picture or video that may be violating their policy. 

If your picture or video violates their policy, you won’t be able to post it. If you’re sharing something you don’t own, you have to credit the creator or you may face copyright issues that can prevent you from posting these images. 

It’s important that you comply with their policy or it could result in action from Instagram. If you try to post something that violates their copyright policy, you’ll get a message that says “This video is blocked because it may contain content owned by (creator) Music Publishing Rights with Blocked Status Owner). 

If you think you violated their community guidelines, you can check by performing these actions: 

1. Open your Instagrams settings
2. Click on Account
3. Choose Account Status

9. Try Reducing File Size

If you’re trying to upload photos from your high-quality camera, you may find yourself having some issues. Uploading a file of 4K or UHD quality will take longer to upload and may not post because they’re too large. 

To fix this, you can reduce the file size before uploading it. Here are the post sizes you can use: 

Instagram Post Size

• Posts can be landscape, square, or vertical
• Square posts should be 1080px by 1080px with an aspect ratio of 1:1
• Landscape posts should be 1080px by 566px with an aspect ratio of 1.91:1
• Vertical images should be 1080px by 1350px with an aspect ratio of 4:5

Instagram Video Post Size

• The aspect ratio of the video can be between 1:91:1 to 4:5
• The horizontal video aspect ratio should be 16:9
• Video files shouldn’t be any larger than 4 GB
• Max length can be up to 60 seconds

10. Reinstall The App

If updating the app and changing some settings around doesn’t solve the issue, you can try to reinstall the app. This will delete all the Instagram data from your phone and helps fix bugs embedded in the installed app. All you have to do is delete the app from your phone and reinstall it using the Google Play Store or Apple Store. 

11. There Is Something Wrong With Your Account

If you’ve violated any of Instagram’s policies, they will temporarily or permanently block your account. If nothing else has worked so far, it could be that you’ve accidentally violated their policy and your account is now suspended or blocked. There are a couple of reasons why your account would get banned from posting. 

Mass Following or Unfollowing

There are thousands of people who perform mass following and unfollowing. They’ll mass follow users on Instagram and a few days later will unfollow all of them or a few more. They think that this is a quick way to gain followers, but this is against Instagram policy. This is considered to be a vulnerable act. It may result in suspension or the inability to post pictures. 

Liking Or Commenting On Posts Too Quickly

Instagram is full of bots that comment on various related posts as you set it up. This is done to gain more exposure. They’ll like and post comments frequently without human interference. However, if Instagram catches you doing this, they can suspend your account. This will mean that you can’t post pictures or videos. 

Using Third-Party Applications to Increase Followers, Likes, Etc

Using third-party tools on Instagram to cheat the system is against the rules. It takes a long time for an Instagram influencer to build a fan base. Many new users use third-party tools to get fake followers and likes. This is quickly noticed by Instagram and since it’s considered to be a malicious practice, Instagram will block the user. 

12. Free Up Storage Space In Your Phone

If the storage space in your phone is full, you may encounter the issue of not being able to post pictures. Instagram saves uploaded videos/images to your local memory based on your saved uploaded photo settings. The app will keep original media, save posted videos, and saves posted photos on your device. In this case, your device memory may be full and you won’t be able to post a new image because it can’t complete the saving process. 

You can disable the “saved posted media” option or clear up space on your phone. This option can be found inside the app. Here’s how to disable it: 

1. Go to the Instagram app settings
2. Tap on Account
3. Tap on Original post settings
4. Check the status of the three options 
5. Disable saved posted videos and save posted photos

Alternatively, you can remove some content from your phone’s memory. Delete any unnecessary apps that are taking up a lot of space so Instagram can save the posted videos/images. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Why Doesn’t Instagram Let Me Post Multiple Photos/Videos?

Instagram may not let you post multiple photos/videos because either the background refresh is turned off or you’ve been blocked for spamming. This happens if you’re uploading multiple photos and videos too frequently. This ban will remain active for a few minutes or up to an hour. You will just have to wait and see. 

If your background refresh settings are turned off, then the uploading process may automatically be terminated if you switch to another app while you’re uploading the images. 

Why Won’t Instagram Let Me Post Stories?

If your account is private, you can’t share stores. If your internet connection is slow, stories may not post or they may be blurry. If you have slow internet speeds, you will need to connect to a quicker Wi-Fi network if possible to upload stories. 

Why Doesn’t Instagram Let Me Post Comments?

There are many reasons why Instagram won’t let you post comments such as poor/no internet connection, Instagram being down, there are more than 5 people mentioned in a comment, and more. 

Additionally, if you are blocked by the person who owns the account you’re trying to post a comment on, you won’t be able to do so. You will also not be able to post if you have spammed comments on big accounts, are over-engaged with likes and comments, or have posted multiple & duplicate comments including emojis. 

Conclusion

Since Instagram is such a large app, it’s bound to have some issues. Remember, not all of them are your fault. Just follow the instructions I’ve provided above and you should be good to go.

If none of these solutions helped, your account may be banned. It’s not uncommon and sometimes it’s the result of a simple mistake. I hope this article has helped you better understand why you can’t post photos on Instagram.