My instagram wont let me post pictures from my camera roll

Instagram is a popular social media platform for sharing pictures and videos. Nowadays, almost everybody has the Instagram app on their smartphones.

Being such a popular social media application, the developers are keen to update the application frequently. Still, there could be times when you may face trouble with the Instagram app, and there are many of those encountered by its users regularly.

One such issue is that the Instagram app prevents you from uploading photos and videos. You must be wondering why Instagram doesn’t let me post. Well, there are multiple causes, but the solutions are mostly similar.

It becomes difficult to overcome Instagram posting-related issues if you can’t find the reason. Hence it would be best to find out why Instagram might prevent you from posting and try fixing it with a step-by-step solution guide.

This post focuses on interpreting why you can’t post on Instagram and how to fix the “Instagram preventing you from posting photos & videos” issue.

Why Instagram doesn’t let me post photos and videos?

One common reason for people suddenly not being able to post on Instagram is when the Instagram app has a cache-related issue.  

If Instagram doesn’t let you post photos or videos, you can first try updating the Instagram app, clearing the app cache, or switching your network before re-uploading.

Apart from the cache memory issue, there are possibilities of other reasons being the culprit to prevent you from posting on Instagram.

1. A poor internet connection can prevent Instagram from posting photos and videos.
2. Instagram might fail to identify the video or picture format being uploaded.
3. The content on your post could be violating the terms of Instagram.
4. You might need to give credit to the actual creator of the post.
5. Your Instagram account gets a temporary ban from posting activity.
6. The Instagram app might be unable to access your device’s gallery and probably lacks the required permission.
7. You have included so many (over 30) hashtags in your post.
8. The posting item exceeds the uploading file size limit set by Instagram.
9. The posting item could also exceed the maximum aspect ratio (applies to images)
10. Maybe you are trying to post a video file longer than 60 seconds.

Note: here are Instagram video length limits: 60-second for video clips as posts, 15 minutes for IGTV uploads (on the mobile app), 60 minutes for IGTV uploads on Insta web (PC), and 15 seconds for Instagram story clips.

Now that you know about the possible reasons why you can’t post on Instagram via the mobile app let’s take a look at how to fix it.

Worth Noting: If you notice this message “Instagram will auto-post when possible,” then this indicates that your device is facing trouble with the internet connection that prevents Instagram from uploading media into their server. Ensure you have connected to a stable network, and then try to re-upload the photo/video.

How to Fix The “Instagram doesn’t let me post” Issue.

1. Restart your device

The first and easiest solution would be restarting your phone. A simple restart can solve temporary software issues and could fix Instagram’s posting issue.

On Android, hold press the power button until you get the reboot option. Tap on restart the phone. Based on your phone model, the procedure can be different.

On iOS, press and hold power and home buttons until the Apple logo appears on the screen. For iPhone 11 and 12, hold down either of the volume keys and power buttons for about 3 seconds until it goes black and the Apple logo appears.

2. Reduce Your File’s Size

If you try uploading images or videos imported directly from your high-quality camera, you might encounter this issue. We rarely give intention to Instagram file size limit, but you need to know the critical size and aspect ratio before uploading a high-quality image and video.

Uploading a file of 4K or UHD quality would take longer to upload. Still, occasionally, they won’t get posted either for being too large in size or unable to keep the uploading stream active for some reason.

To fix this, Instagram doesn’t let me post issues; make sure to reduce the file size before uploading it. I have added some of the ideal sizes info originally published at adobe.

#1. Instagram post size

• Posts can be square, landscape, or vertical.
• The ideal size of square posts is 1080px by 1080px with an aspect ratio of 1:1.
• For landscape posts, ideal size is 1080px by 566px, with an aspect ratio of 1.91:1.
• Vertical images should be sized at 1080px by 1350px with a 4:5 aspect ratio.

#2. Instagram video post size.

• The aspect ratio of video can be anywhere between 1.91:1 to 4:5.
• The ideal horizontal video aspect ratio is 16:9.
• Make sure your video files are no larger than 4 GB.
• Max length of the video could be up to 60 seconds.

3. Reset the Network Connection

As we have discussed, one of the most common reasons for Instagram doesn’t let you post photos & videos can be an unstable or poor network.

If this is the case, you should try refreshing the network connection. Either put your device into flight mode or switch your network status to off and on, then check if this solves the problem. If you are using a router, then make sure the router is active. Make sure your device can receive internet connectivity from the router.

If you are using Instagram on your PC while connected to a router, ensure the connection between your PC and router is stable. One of the common problems with routers could be incorrect PSK for network SSID errors.

If you are on the phone, like I said above, follow these steps:

• Check your phone’s internet connection status; if disabled, enable it.
• If the connection is already enabled, tap on the flight mode, wait for a few seconds and disable the flight mode. It will flush & restart a new connection.
• If you are using Wi-Fi, try to reconnect with the Wi-Fi.
• Additionally, you can just turn your data off and turn it on again.

After everything is done, try uploading photos/videos on Instagram again.

👉🏽 Additional reading: 5 Ways To Fix Laptop FPS Drop When Plugged In

4. Clear Instagram cache memory

When a user flushes the application cache memory of Instagram, the issues seem to get resolved. During runtime, the Instagram app generates and stores the cache on your phone.

The cache memory holds metadata related to your account from previous entries. Cache memory can prevent apps from performing a regular activity. This can be a reason preventing you from posting photos/videos on Instagram.

To clear the Instagram cache, you need to open the app manager or directly access Instagram app storage settings.

The steps to delete cache memory in Android and iOS devices are different but simple. Go through the steps to clear the cache memory on each device type.

How to clear Instagram Cache on Android?

1. Go to phone settings > Select App settings.
2. Find Instagram from the list of apps and tap on it.
3. Click on “Storage” and then select “Clear Cache”.

How to Clear Instagram Cache on iOS?

1. Go to “Settings” and click on “General.” 
2. Select “iPhone storage” inside the General.
3. Find Instagram in the list and tap on it.
4. Click on “Offload App” to clear the Instagram cache.
5. You can tap on the “delete app” option to permanently delete all Instagram-related data and then reinstall the app with fresh data.

After clearing the application cache, check whether you can post photos or videos on Instagram. If you cannot do so, proceed to the next step.

5. Check Instagram Photo/Video Policy

Instagram has strict terms about what kind of pictures you can upload. They have powerful bots that can quickly identify any picture or video violating their policy.

If your picture or video violates their policy, then Instagram won’t let you post that picture/video. 

In another circumstance, if you are sharing something you don’t own, you have to give credit to the creator of the post; otherwise, copyright issues may prevent you from posting such pictures or images.

So make sure your videos comply with their policy and do not have any copyright issues.

6. Change Your Instagram Data Settings

Instagram has data-saver settings that prevent you from sharing too many posts simultaneously. The application disables some bulk uploading features to save your internet data.

If you are not able to post on Instagram, then there is a possibility that your data saver is enabled. Though it has nothing to do with single file uploading, you should still consider its possibility.

You can disable the Instagram data saver and go to mobile data settings inside your Account. Follow the steps mentioned below to increase your data use limit.

• Go to your Instagram Profile, then select “settings.”
• Click on “Accounts” inside the settings.
• Find the “Mobile data usage” setting.
• Turn off the “Data saver” option.

7. Free Up Storage Space in Your Phone

If your phone’s storage space is full, you may encounter this issue. Instagram tries to save uploaded videos/images into your local memory (based on save uploaded photos settings).

If the app keeps original media, saves posted videos, and saves posted photos on your device, then space needs to be freed for these images and videos to be saved. In case your device memory is full, then you may not be able to post a new image because the app won’t be able to complete the saving process.

You can either disable the “save posted media” option or clear up some spaces on your phone. These options can be found inside app Account settings > Original Post.

• Go to Instagram app settings.
• Tap on the account.
• Then tap on Original post settings.
• Check the status of the three options there.
• Make sure to disable save posted videos and save posted photos.

The alternate way is to solve this issue by removing some content from your phone’s memory.

Delete unnecessary apps and data from your phone, so Instagram can save posted videos/images. Once done, you should not see the upload fail issue.

8. Uninstall Apps That Have Access to Your Instagram Account

Some apps on your phone can have access to your Instagram account. If you are using both Instagram and the application simultaneously (even running in the background), they can conflict and may lead you into this trouble – unable to post on Instagram.

To uninstall the app on Android, simply drag it and drop it in the trash icon. For iPhone, hold press and choose the remove app option.

👉🏽 Additional reading:How to solve Windows did not detect any networking hardware

9. Try updating and reinstalling Instagram

As I said, updating the Instagram app can fix most of the bugs you may experience and improve the app’s security measures. You can update the app from Play Store or App Store, depending on your device type.

I prefer that reinstalling the app sometimes does better than updating. It flashes all the data from your phone and thus reduces the chance of issues like Instagram doesn’t let me post.

10. There is something wrong with your Account

Instagram does not hesitate to permanently block an account or temporarily if the user violates its policies. If nothing helps you to resolve the posting issue, it could be that you have violated their policy in some ways and could be banned from posting any new content.

Here are the possible reasons to get banned:

– Using third-party applications to increase followers, likes, etc:

Instagram Influencers need hard work to build a real fan base. There’s no shortcut to success on Instagram.

Many new Instagramers mistake using third-party tools to get fake followers and likes. Let’s be sure this does not go unnoticed by Instagram and as a result of such malicious practice, Instagram blocks the user.

Instagram bots can comment on various related posts as you set it up and try to get more exposure. They can like and post comments frequently without human action. However, such frequent activities can be caught by Instagram, and as a result, they can suspend the user from benefiting from the features on Instagram.

– Mass Following or unfollowing:-

Many people do that. They mass follow users on Instagram and, after a few days, unfollow all of them once or a couple more. They believe this is a strategy to gain more followers, but the Instagram policy does not accept that and marks such activity as a vulnerable act. The user might get a suspension, or an issue such as “Instagram doesn’t let me post” can occur.

A few similar issues can be fixed with these steps too. Let’s take a look at those.

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

In this case, you first need to look at your Application Background Refresh settings. If by chance, the background refresh is turned off for Instagram, then the uploading process may halt or terminate automatically if you switch to another app when uploading is being conducted.

The next issue could be, not usually, by the way, that Instagram may block your account temporarily for the spamming issue if you are uploading multiple photos and videos over frequently. Such a ban stays for a couple of minutes or an hour, but soon you will be able to upload photos & videos again.

Also, ensure that the photos and video format is aligned with Instagram’s supported formats to avoid errors during upload.

Why Instagram Won’t Let Me Post Stories?

There are two ways you need to look at this. If you share stories or posts from other’s accounts, ensure that the 3rd party account is public. Instagram doesn’t let to share stories from content coming from a private account. You might also need to tag the creator to share stories from a public account.

You might encounter fails in posting stories if you are on a slow internet connection. Stuck stories don’t allow you to edit/remove either, so if you are in an area with poor network reach, try connecting to a faster WiFi network or switch to your second network provider, if any!

Now it’s time to discuss 5 quick solutions you should try when the Instagram app suddenly stops you from posting.

👉🏽 Related post: Instagram saved posts not loading – how to solve?

Why Instagram Doesn’t Let Me Post Music on Stories?

If you cannot post music on Insta stories, either you haven’t updated your Instagram app, or it can be because your country doesn’t have access to the Insta music features. You can take the help of a VPN in this case.

Why Instagram Doesn’t Let Me Edit Posts?

It’s quite possible that the previous app versions had a bug that prevented users from editing their posts. This has been fixed in the recent releases, so if you encounter such an issue, update your app to the latest version.

Also, keep an eye on your Internet connection if that could be the reason your edits are not being updated.

A couple of fundamental reasons for Instagram preventing you from posting comments are:

1. Poor/No internet connection.
2. Instagram is down; it’s rare but not impossible.
3. You have mentioned more than 5 people in a single comment.
4. You have posted multiple & duplicate comments (this includes emojis).
5. You are over-engaging with likes and comments.
6. You are blocked by the person who owns the account you are trying to post a comment on.
7. You are trying to spam comments on numerous big accounts.
8. You have included a word that Instagram bans.

Wrapping up –

These are the easy-to-follow solutions for Instagram won’t let me post issues. You just need to experiment and see which solution works best for you. Follow the above-mentioned steps, and you should be able to post pictures or videos on Instagram again.

I hope this post will help you find your solution to this problem.

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