7 Fixes For “Photo Can’t Be Posted” Instagram Eror

Instagram can give off a long list of errors, one of which is the “photo/video can’t be posted”. This error might require some trial and error to figure out what exactly causes it, but most of the time the fixes are pretty simple and straightforward to implement.  

Remove the “photo/video can’t be posted” notification

 A common problem with “photo/video can’t be posted” errors is that they stick around your Instagram feed and keep annoying you with no apparent way to close them.

This usually happens if you use dark theme with Instagram, since the X close button is also black and fades into the background. The button is there, however.

Just press the far-right corner of the notification, near the edge of the screen. That’s where the X close button is.

Finally, simply switch your Instagram app to the light theme for a few seconds and close the notification, since the X should now be visible against the white background.  

Outdated Instagram app

 A common reason you might not be able to post videos or photos on Instagram is that your app is outdated and requires an update.

Most of the time, you don’t need the latest version of Instagram to post photos and videos. However, some updates can affect the backend of Instagram, including the functions that deal with uploading and posting new content. 

These updates can often impact not just the posting of photos and videos but also comments, direct messages, etc.

Fix: If you think this is the reason you keep getting a “photo/video can’t be posted” error, simply update your app and see if it works.

Check your Internet connection

 If your Internet connection is unstable or it functions at very low speeds, it’s possible the Instagram app timed out your photo uploads since your Internet speed wasn’t fast enough to upload the photo/video in the given time.

If you want to check if your Internet is to blame, try visiting this site: https://ping.canbeuseful.com/en#ping .

This website should tell you how strong your Internet connection is. 

The smaller the average ms is, the quicker your Internet connection is to send and receive data packets.

On top of this, there’s also the “fail” section, which tracks how many data packets fail to be sent or received. Ideally, this number should be 0, or as low as possible. 

Fix: If your Internet connection is shoddy, simply try to go someplace that allows a more stable connection. If your Internet speed is throttled, try using Wi-Fi or wait for the start of the next billing period to become unthrottled. 

Instagram might have technical issues

 Technical issues on Instagram’s servers are another common reason you might not be able to post a photo or video.

These happen all the time, where an update, ISP, or server provider messes up something on their end, which prevents Instagram (and other sites such as Facebook, Reddit, etc.) from working properly. 

If you want to see if Instagram is down, check out these links:

• IsItDownRightNow: https://www.isitdownrightnow.com/instagr.am.html
• DownDetector: https://downdetector.com/status/instagram/

Fix: There’s nothing much you can do about this. Simply wait for Instagram to resolve these issues on its own. At most, try reposting every few hours later or some other day.

Instagram’s image editor and filters might be bugged

 If you want to do something more complex in Instagram, like working with a draft file or editing and posting multiple photos/videos at once, then it’s possible your app might have bugged out.

Fix: If you suspect this is the case, then try editing your photos and videos before you post them on Instagram.

Try using other photo editing apps, such as Snapseed or Photoshop Mobile. Normally, these apps should even have better image editing tools and filters than Instagram.

Once you’re done editing, save the files, and then try uploading them without editing them in Instagram’s own editing tools.If that works, you’ve found your culprit.

File was too big or in the wrong format

 Another reason you might get a “photo/video can’t be posted” error is that you’re trying to post photos and videos that are either too big or in the wrong format.Below are the maximum file sizes and formats Instagram allows:

• Image file format: .jpg and .png
• Image maximum file size: 30MB
• Video length: up to 240 minutes (15 seconds recommended)
• Video file format: .mp4
• Video maximum file size: 4GB

Fix: To check if your photo or video is in the supported formats, go to your phone gallery, and find the details for the file you wish to post. If it’s too big, try to compress it or reduce its length (if it’s a video).

Instagram’s automated systems prevent you from posting

 Instagram has numerous algorithmic filters in place to prevent users from posting abusive or illegal content.

In some fringe situations, it’s possible these algorithms might have flagged your account or photo for some reason, blocking you from posting certain photos and videos.

If you think this might be the case, look over the previous photos and videos you posted. Do you think any of them might have been reported by certain users?

Did you use copyrighted content that might have been flagged? Was your image a bit too NSFW for Instagram’s Terms of Service?

Fix: First, try waiting a few hours or a day. If that doesn’t work, try posting a different photo or video. Maybe even use a different filter. Maybe even try posting a photo carousel instead of a single image.  

Clear Instagram’s cache and reinstall the app

 Another reason you might not be able to properly post photos and videos on Instagram is that your current app installation is bugged.A simple fix for this is to 1) clear Instagram’s cache and then 2) reinstall the app.

Clearing the cache is an important step since it will also remove any conflicting settings or legacy files that might cause Instagram to produce bugs, even on a reinstall.

By clearing the cache, you are certain to make a clean reinstall.

Here’s how to clear the cache on Android:

Settings > Apps > Instagram > Storage and Cache. Click on “Clear Storage” and “Clear Cache”. 

Don’t worry, this will not delete any of the photos and videos you’ve already posted on the app. Those are stored on Instagram’s servers. 

After clearing the cache, delete Instagram, reinstall it, log in, and see if you can post photos and videos. 

On iOS, you don’t need to clear Instagram’s cache. Simply deleting the app will automatically remove all of the data and files Instagram has on your device. After deleting, reinstall Instagram, log in, and see if you can post images and photos.