This is one in a series of guides to using apps that be used to upload photos to Instagram from a desktop or laptop computer. Instagram is designed to be used with phones and mobile devices, but for any number of reasons, you might want to be able to upload from your computer rather than your phone.
This guide is focused on Uplet, a Mac app that’s available directly from the developers. (When I originally tested and used it, it was available through the Mac App Store. It has since been removed from the store and is now made available through Eltima’s website.)
It’s a simple app that doesn’t have many bells and whistles, but I’ve found it to be lightweight, easy to use, and to work as advertised. It doesn’t have any filters or advanced editing features, but that simplicity is a big part of its appeal. A recent update added the ability to work with multiple Instagram accounts.
Here’s a quick rundown of how it works.
Logging In to your Instagram Account
Once you’ve installed it on your Mac and run it, the main screen is about as simple as can be. You log into your Instagram account in the top panel, providing your username and Instagram password. That then gets stored in the app’s memory so you don’t need to re-enter it every time.
Uploading Photos to Instagram with Uplet’s Drop Panel
The core program is just a drop panel. You can drag one or multiple photos onto it or use the + button to open the usual dialog to browse for them. A recent update has also added the ability to upload videos.
Once you’ve added a photo, you can choose whether to display it cropped as a square or in a rectangular format using the small arrows in the bottom left of the image. You can post photos with aspect ratios between 1.91:1 and 4:5.
Under that is the caption and tagging section. Just type whatever text you want in that section.
Once you hit the Share button, you’ll get a progress dialog.
And then a notification of successful upload.
You can also add multiple photos at once. Simply drag them all at once onto the window. But it’s worth noting that when you upload multiple photos, it posts each as a separate post. It doesn’t support Instagram’s new feature of uploading multiple photos in a single post.
You’ll then get the navigation arrows at the top of the image to move between them. Add your text below each one individually and then hit Share all. Another thing to be aware of is that it uploads them all immediately–it doesn’t stagger or schedule them. So you’ll end up with a bunch of posts at the same time.
I asked the developers whether there were any plans to add scheduling capabilities, and they said there aren’t because it would conflict with Instagram’s policies against automatic posting. It would also presumably add multiple layers of complexity, which would go against the simplicity-of-use of Uplet.
You can find it in the Mac App Store.
Other Alternatives
If Uplet doesn’t meet your needs, I’ve put together a list of other ways to post to Instagram from a desktop or laptop. Each has its own pros and cons. Some have features likes scheduling, and some work as browser plugins.
Reginald Wilkins says
I’m in the U.S., and tried to download Uplet but apple’s message came back stating not available in the States. Groan. Can I get it anywhere else?
Marion Tipple says
I have been using uplet to post to Instagram for a couple of years without difficulty. Recently, I started getting a message as follows:
Completed with Error
Open your Instagram app on your mobile device and verify your account or try to log out and log in to Uplet. If this doesn’t work your Instagram account might have been banned.
I follow the instructions, confirm that it was me and can access my Instagram account without difficulty. However every time I try and use uplet I get the same message and the cycle repeats.
I can upload to Instagram on my iPhone without difficulty but prefer accessing via uplet.
Have contacted Eltima and they say it is not their problem.
Can you help??
Many thanks
David says
Sorry, but I haven’t been using Uplet much lately (I originally posted this a while ago) and haven’t come across that issue. Normally I’d recommend contacting the developer directly, but since you’ve already tried that and haven’t gotten it resolved, I’m afraid I’m not sure what else to do. For troubleshooting, some things that I would normally try would be to re-download the latest version and reinstall and to flush out all cache and cookies.
David Deutsch says
When I try to upload a picture from my Macbook Pro to Instagram using Uplet, I continually get an error message. The error message is the photo number. ERROR MESSAGE: L1060273.jpg
Any idea of the problem? Many thanks
David says
Sorry, I don’t. If I was troubleshooting it, the first thing I’d do is try a different image. It’s possible there’s something specific about that file that is causing trouble–some kind of corruption or exif data that is causing one or other of them to choke on it.
Roger Watts says
I can type caption info in. It doesn’t show up on Instagram page.
I can also type in hashtag info…same thing: It never shows up on the Instagram page.
Must be doing something wrong?
David says
It’s been quite a while since I used Uplet. I just went to test this out again and the app isn’t available in the US Mac App Store any longer. So I have to assume it has been abandoned. I’ll add a note to the post to that effect.
David says
Okay, so I see that the developers (new owners, perhaps?) have removed it from the Mac App Store but are now selling it directly from their site. Will investigate further and see what I can find out, but it would be worth reaching out directly to Eltima support.
R.B. says
I only post images to Instagram from my computer via Uplet.
How do I delete images that have been posted this way?
David says
You can delete them through the mobile app or through the website if you’re using a web browser and spoofing the user agent.