How to post an Instagram Story from a computer
Short answer
Not at instagram.com: Instagram’s Help Center says sharing to your story isn’t available on computers, only in the Instagram app on phones and tablets. From a computer, two official routes work with a professional account. Meta Business Suite in the browser can share a Story now or schedule it, with stickers and a link. Mellow Kitty on a Mac publishes a photo or video Story through Instagram’s API, now or at a time you set.
Why instagram.com has no Story button
The website posts photos, carousels and Reels, but Instagram keeps Stories to its apps. Its Help Center lists the Story feature for the Android, iPhone and iPad apps and Instagram Lite, and says it isn’t available on computers. Both routes below go through Meta’s own tools or Instagram’s official API, so they need a professional account (Creator or Business).
Meta Business Suite, in any browser
Meta’s free tool for Facebook Pages and Instagram professional accounts. You can sign in with your Instagram account; no Facebook Page is needed. From Meta’s instructions:
- Open Meta Business Suite and click Create story, on the home page or the Content tab.
- Under Post to, choose your Instagram profile. Your Facebook Page can go too.
- Under Media, click Add photo/video. You can add up to 10 photos or videos, or drag them from your computer.
- Click Edit on a photo or video to crop it, trim a video, or add text, mentions or stickers. Add link adds a URL that viewers open by swiping up.
- Under Scheduling options, choose Share now or Schedule with a date and time, then click Share or Schedule.
You need full control of the Instagram account, or permission to post content for it.
Mellow Kitty, on a Mac
A free Mac app, for up to 30 publications a month. A Story in Mellow is one photo or one video; Instagram’s API takes a Story video of up to 60 seconds. A Story has no caption on Instagram, so Mellow leaves the caption out.
- Download Mellow Kitty from the Mellow Kitty page and open it. It runs on macOS 12 or later, on Intel and Apple silicon, and is signed and notarised by Apple.
- Sign in to Mellow in its window, or create an account there. It is free for up to 30 Instagram publications a month, with no card.
- Connect Instagram from Profile. You approve access on Instagram’s own screen; Mellow never sees your password. The account has to be a professional one, Creator or Business: Instagram only allows publishing through its API for those.
- Click New publication and choose Reel, Post, Carousel or Story. Pick the photo or video from your Mac and write the caption.
- Click Publish now, or set a date and time and click Add to the plan. Scheduling runs on Mellow’s servers, so your Mac can be asleep when the post goes out.
Mellow publishes the photo or video itself. It can’t add interactive stickers such as polls, questions and links, or music from Instagram’s library. For those, use Business Suite or the Instagram app.
Which one to use
| Meta Business Suite | Mellow Kitty | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | Any browser | A Mac app, macOS on Intel or Apple silicon |
| Stickers and links | Yes | No |
| Schedule a Story | Yes | Yes |
| Also posts | Posts, Reels, Facebook | Posts, carousels, Reels; a Plan and a profile grid |
| Price | Free | Free for up to 30 publications a month |
Questions people also ask
Can I schedule an Instagram Story?
Not in the Instagram app: its scheduler covers posts, Reels and carousels. Meta Business Suite can schedule a Story, and so can Mellow.
Can I post a Story from a computer without a professional account?
Not through an official route. instagram.com doesn’t post Stories, and Meta Business Suite and Instagram’s API both work with professional accounts only. You can switch a personal account to a professional one in Instagram’s settings.
How long can a Story video be?
Through Instagram’s API, which Mellow uses, a Story video can be up to 60 seconds long.
Do I need a Facebook Page to post Stories from Meta Business Suite?
No. Meta Business Suite works with an Instagram professional account on its own, and you can sign in with your Instagram account.
Does a Creator account work for Stories through Mellow?
Meta’s API documentation lists Stories among what professional accounts can publish and doesn’t limit them to Business accounts, though some publishing services say Instagram accepts API Stories only from Business accounts. If a Story from a Creator account is refused, try it from a Business account: Instagram’s settings switch between the two.
Can I add a link sticker from a computer?
Yes, in Meta Business Suite: its Add link option adds a URL that viewers open by swiping up. Mellow can’t add stickers or links to a Story.
Sources
- Instagram Help Center: Share a photo or video to your Instagram story (computer)
- Meta Business Help Center: Create and manage stories in Meta Business Suite
- Meta Business Help Center: using Business Suite with an Instagram professional account
- Meta Business Help Center: about Meta Business Suite
- Instagram Help Center: How to create and manage scheduled posts and Reels
- Meta for Developers: Instagram Platform, content publishing
- Meta for Developers: IG User media reference (Reel and story limits)
- Meta for Developers: Instagram Platform overview (professional accounts)
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