Instagram Desktop Is Finally Getting Photo Uploads

Instagram desktop is finally getting the ability to add new photos and videos, a long-overdue update that's part of a set of new features the Facebook-owned social network is launching this week. Currently, while you can log into Instagram from a desktop browser and look through your timeline, actually creating posts requires the mobile apps.

That, Instagram says, is about to change. On October 21, the company plans to enable posting to Instagram from a desktop browser. The same limits as currently exist in the app will apply, so you'll be able to combine photos and videos under 60 seconds in length.

While Instagram obviously rose to prominence on smartphones, access to the same features from the desktop has been a frequently-requested update over the years. With businesses and professional content creators relying on Instagram for publicity, being able to edit photos and video in desktop apps and then publish the more polished results will be a boon. A trial of the feature earlier this year gave us hope that it would be made broadly available.

For those still using the apps, meanwhile, Instagram is also adding some new collaborative features. Instagram Collabs will allow two users to effectively co-author posts and Reels. Building on the existing tagging system, you'll now be able to invite someone to share the post with you.

Assuming they accept that invitation, the resulting photos and videos will be visible on the timeline of both people so that their individual audiences can see them. Likes, views, and comments will also be synchronized from both timelines.

Meanwhile, there'll be a new fundraiser options being added to posts. Hitting the "+" button will show a new nonprofit option that you can add, to raise money for charities.

Instagram is also adding new Reels effects, that show things like 3D lyrics that are synchronized with music, and other special effects tied into the background track. The hope, presumably, is to encourage more native Reels use among users, rather than the reposted TikTok content which is still rife.

The new features will begin rolling out from today, until eventually they're broadly available by the end of the week.