In Summary
- Instagram compresses all uploaded media on its platform. Therefore, the size of all photos is reduced.
- But the good news is, with third-party tools, you can view Instagram photos in full size.
- In this tutorial, we will show you how to view Instagram photos and profile pictures in their original size.
Instagram is among the most popular social media platforms, with over 2 billion active monthly users in 2023. However, all the photos you see on Instagram are not in their original quality. Whenever you upload images to the platform, the files are compressed. However, there are some tricks you can use to view the media in its original quality. In this guide, we’ll show you how to view Instagram photos and profile pictures in their full size.
Table of Contents
Why Does Instagram Reduce Image Quality & Size?
If you have been active on social media for a while, you may have noticed that it’s not just Instagram that reduces the quality of the media you upload. Meta (formerly known as Facebook) has been reducing the quality and size of media on Facebook and Instagram for some time. Reducing the size of images and videos helps them reduce server load and improve load times.
In layman’s terms, this means that images will load faster for anyone using Instagram if they’re a slightly smaller size and quality. Short load times are important for any social media platform to improve user experience. For example, if you don’t have high-speed Internet while browsing Instagram, it might take a long time to see all the photos in your feed if they’re of high quality and with a large file size.
How To View Full-Size Instagram Photos And Profile Pictures
Since you can’t download or view photos in original quality with the official Instagram app, you have to resort to third-party websites and services. Therefore, you need a web browser to view Instagram photos in full size. However, you can view original-quality photos on both your smartphone and PC.
How To View Full-Size Instagram Profile Photos On The Instagram App
Instagram has been testing a new app-exclusive feature for its app that lets users tap (or hold) on the profile photo of any Instagram profile to view its enlarged version. The new feature was recently rolled out to all users of the Instagram apps for Android and iOS. It won’t show the full-size version, but you’ll get a fairly large, high-quality version of the same photo. Here’s how it works here, too.
1. Open the Instagram app on your smartphone.
2. Open the profile you want.
3. Simply tap the profile picture if the profile has no posts uploaded yet. However, if the profile has an active story, tap and hold the profile picture to view the enlarged version.
4. After opening, tap anywhere on the blank area of the screen to close the enlarged view.
Using this method, you can easily view anyone’s profile picture in the Instagram app, even on private accounts. The social media app doesn’t seem to have a privacy setting yet that prevents users from seeing your profile picture. Therefore, at the time of writing this guide, you can open and view any person’s profile picture on the platform.
How To View Full-Size Instagram Photo On A Browser
If the photo you want to view in original quality is in a post with only one photo (not multiple media in one post), you can view it without a third-party tool.
1. In a web browser on your phone or PC, visit the Instagram website (www.instagram.com).
2. Sign in to your Instagram account by entering your account credentials. If you’re already logged in, skip this step.
3. Find and open the post that contains the photo you want to view in its original quality.
4. Once you’ve opened the photo, you’ll need to edit its URL in your browser’s address bar and add “media/?size=l” to the end of the URL. Once you’ve edited the link, open the new link in your browser.
Here’s what the URL looks like before and after editing it.
Before editing: "https://www.instagram.com/p/Ck_8Y7mPb7g/" After editing: "https://www.instagram.com/p/Ck_8Y7mPb7g/media/?size=l"
5. When you open the edited link, the same photo is displayed in its original quality and full size. You can also right-click (or tap and hold on your phone) to save the photo to your device.
Using this method, you can view full-size Instagram photos in a post with just one image in a web browser. However, if you want to view full-size images in a post with multiple media, you need to use a third-party tool. Here’s how you can do that.
How To View Full-Size Instagram Photos In Posts With Multiple Images
On Instagram, you can post multiple photos or videos (maximum 10) in a single post. Also, in 2023, it’s very common to see a post with multiple media. If you want to view full-size Instagram photos from a post with multiple media, you can use a third-party website. Here’s how.
1. Open the Instagram app on your smartphone or its website (www.instagram.com) on a web browser.
2. Find and open the post from which you want to see the photos in their original quality.
3. If you’re using the app, tap the ‘Send’ or ‘Share’ button below the post and select the ‘Copy link’ option. If you’re using a browser, copy the URL of the post from your browser’s address bar.
4. Also, visit the Inflact website in a browser on your phone or PC.
5. Once you have the website open, paste the link you copied earlier into the website’s search box and select the ‘Download Photo’ option.
6. Wait for the website to process your request. Once it does, you’ll see all the photos in the post in their original quality.
You can download each photo individually by clicking the ‘Download’ button below each photo. With this third-party tool, you can view Instagram photos from a post with multiple media in their original size. Besides, you can also view Instagram profile pictures in full size; read on to find out how.
How To View Full-Size Instagram Profile Pictures Via Third-Party Websites
In a recent update, Instagram added the ability to display the profile picture of any account when tapped. However, the update doesn’t display the profile pictures in their original quality. For that, you need to use third-party websites. Here’s how you can view Instagram profile pictures in their original size.
1. Open the Instagram app on your smartphone or the Instagram website (www.instagram.com) in a web browser on your phone or PC.
2. Find and open the profile whose profile picture you want to see in original quality.
3. Select the profile’s username and copy it (in a browser only). If you’re using the app, you’ll need to remember the username.
4. Open a browser on your phone or PC, and visit the Inflact website.
Note: You can also use other websites like InstaDP and InDown (requires profile link instead of username).
5. Further, paste the link that you previously copied on the website’s search box and select the ‘Download’ option.
6. Wait for the website to process your request. Once it does, you’ll see the account’s profile picture in its original quality.
Finally, you can download the profile picture using the ‘Download’ button below it. This third-party tool lets you view Instagram profile pictures in their original size from any valid Instagram account.
Conclusion: View Full-Size Instagram Photos And Profile Pictures
Instagram compresses all uploaded media on the platform, but there is a workaround to view posted photos in their original quality. Although compression doesn’t make a noticeable difference when viewing, you may want to see an image you’ve seen for personal use in high quality. Whether you want to send it to someone or use a picture as wallpaper, you can conveniently view and download Instagram photos and profile pictures in their original size.
Like this guide? Make sure to check out how to check who viewed your Instagram highlights.
FAQs on viewing full-size Instagram photos
What is the maximum size of a full-size Instagram photo?
The maximum size of a full-size Instagram photo is 1080 x 1350 pixels. This is the size that Instagram uses when it compresses images. However, if you upload an image that is larger than this size, Instagram will automatically resize it to 1080 x 1350 pixels.
Can I download full-size Instagram photos?
Yes, you can download full-size Instagram photos using a third-party app like GramDownloader, Inflact or InstaDP. These apps allow you to download Instagram photos and videos to your device so that you can view them in full resolution. You can also use developer tools on desktop browsers to view full size Insta pictures
How can I view full-size Instagram profile pictures?
There are several ways to view Instagram profile pictures at full size.
- One way is to use a third-party app like InstaDP or Full Size Insta Profile Picture.
- Another way to view full-size Instagram profile pictures is to use the Inspect Element tool in your browser. To do this, open the Instagram profile picture that you want to view in full size in your browser. Then right-click on the profile picture and select "Inspect Element." This will open the Developer Tools window in your browser. In the Developer Tools window, click the Elements tab. Then scroll down until you find the code for the profile picture. The code is surrounded by a blue border. Right-click on the code for the profile picture and select Copy. Then paste the code into a new tab in your browser. This will open the profile picture in full size.