Can you upload videos to Instagram from a computer?
Yes. Instagram's website works in any browser on Windows or Mac, and it lets you upload a video from your computer and share it. Since 2022, videos you share to your feed are published as Reels, so a video uploaded from a PC is a Reel like any other.
Many older guides say you can only upload feed videos from a desktop, or send you to Creator Studio or IGTV. Both of those have been retired, and the website has handled video for years now.
How to upload a video on instagram.com, step by step
Menu names move around between updates, so look for these labels rather than exact positions:
- 1. Open instagram.com in Chrome, Edge, Safari or Firefox and log in.
- 2. Click Create (the plus icon) in the left-hand menu, then Post.
- 3. Drag your video into the window, or click Select from computer.
- 4. Choose the crop. Pick the original or 9:16 so a vertical video isn't squared off.
- 5. Trim the clip and choose a cover frame, then click Next.
- 6. Write the caption, add a location or tag people, and click Share.
Video specs that upload cleanly
All the current sizes for every network are in the social media image and video size guide.
- Shape: vertical 9:16, ideally 1080 by 1920 pixels. Square and 4:5 work too but leave space unused in the Reels feed.
- File: MP4 or MOV.
- Length: up to 3 minutes is the length Instagram recommends to people who don't follow you yet. Longer uploads are rolling out, but Reels over 3 minutes are shown mainly to existing followers.
- Safe zone: keep text away from the bottom of the frame, where the caption and buttons sit.
What you still can't do from instagram.com
- Post a Story. The website still has no Story upload (checked October 1, 2026). There are other ways: see how to post Instagram Stories from a computer.
- Send the same video anywhere else. The upload goes to Instagram only; TikTok, YouTube Shorts and Facebook each need their own upload.
- Handle what comes back. Comments on the Reel are still answered one by one, usually on your phone.
Other ways to post Instagram videos from a PC
Meta Business Suite runs in a browser and can publish and schedule Reels for professional accounts (Business or Creator) linked to a Facebook Page.
A posting tool on Instagram's official API. Disclosure: PersonaXpand is our product. You upload the video once on your computer and send it to Instagram as a Reel, and to TikTok, YouTube Shorts and Facebook in the same step, each with its own caption. It adjusts the file to Instagram's Reels format before publishing, so an odd frame rate or size doesn't get it rejected, and you can post now or pick a time. When the comments start, it drafts replies in your own voice for you to approve.