Can’t you post an Instagram story? First, try a regular photo without music or stickers. Then switch between Wi Fi and mobile data. This can help you determine whether the issue is with your file, connection or app. Would you like to share someone else’s post or story? First, check whether Instagram displays a sharing option for it.
Choose what is going wrong for you below and follow the steps.
Where does posting your Instagram story go wrong?
Pay attention to what you see. Can’t you choose a photo, does the upload keep spinning or is only the sharing option missing? Each issue requires a different check.
| What do you see? | What should you check first? |
|---|---|
| You can’t choose a photo or video. | Check whether Instagram has access to that file. |
| Your own story keeps uploading. | Test a regular photo over a different connection. |
| Only one video won’t work. | Check the file and try a shorter copy. |
| The option to share a post is missing. | Try sharing a different public post. |
| You can’t share someone else’s story. | Check whether you were mentioned on Instagram and received a sharing option. |
| Instagram says that your account activity does not meet its requirements. | Read the notice and look for your account status. |
Change one thing at a time. Are you choosing a different video and a different network at the same time? Then you won’t know which change helped.
Your Instagram story keeps uploading: test your connection and file
First save the original photo or video on your phone. Edits that exist only in Instagram may be lost if you close or remove the app.
- Check whether your story was posted after all. Open your own story before pressing post again. This prevents you from trying again while it is already online.
- Test your internet. Open a new web page. Doesn’t it load either? Check your connection first.
- Switch networks. Try mobile data instead of WiFi, or vice versa. For a video, keep your data plan in mind.
- Try a regular photo. Don’t use music, stickers or other extras. Your test story may be visible to the people you share it with. So don’t choose a sensitive photo.
- Close Instagram and reopen the app. Then try uploading one story, not several at once.
Does the regular photo work? Add one extra element on your next attempt. Does it only fail with music? Then read the explanation about music that does not work in your Instagram Story.
Is only one video stuck? Check whether you can play it all the way outside Instagram. Save the original and try posting a shorter copy. This lets you compare two files. It does not prove that your original video is too long or too large.
Can’t post an Instagram story on iPhone or Android
Then check your phone settings. Setting names and locations may vary by device and version. If needed, use the search function in your phone settings.
On iPhone
- Search for Instagram in your phone settings. Check whether the app has access to the photos you want to post. You do not need to make your entire photo library accessible right away.
- Can’t upload over mobile data? Check whether Instagram is allowed to use that connection.
- Check the App Store for an Instagram update.
- Does your phone say that storage is almost full? Check the available space. Delete only files you do not need or have saved elsewhere.
On Android
- Find Instagram among the apps in your phone settings. Check whether the app has permission to use the desired photos and videos.
- Does uploading fail only over mobile data? Check whether data use for Instagram is restricted.
- Check Google Play to see whether you can update Instagram.
- Does your phone warn you that there is not enough space? Check how much storage is still available.
Google explains how to update Android apps. Updates can add new features and help an app run more reliably.
Restart your phone if the upload is still stuck. Don’t reinstall Instagram right away. First save your files and check that you have your password and any additional login code.
Don’t install an old version through a standalone APK. That is an installation file from outside the regular app store. You do not need unknown software for these checks.
You can’t share a post to your Instagram story
Is ‘Add to story’ or a Dutch sharing option missing? Try sharing a different public post to your story. The option’s name may vary, and it is not always available.
- Another post works: look at the original post and the account that posted it.
- None of the tested posts work: check your app and see whether Instagram shows a notice about your account.
- Your own photo does not work either: start with the upload and connection steps.
The TechYorker explanation about sharing posts to a story discusses checks involving private accounts and differences between accounts.
Check whether the creator’s account is private. If needed, ask the creator whether the post can be shared. A missing sharing option does not necessarily mean that your account is restricted. Making your own profile public is therefore not a logical first test.
Don’t use a download site to bypass the missing sharing option. Want to post the content yourself? Ask the creator for permission and for a file you are allowed to use.
You can’t share someone else’s Instagram story
Sharing a story again works differently from sharing a regular post. Open the story or the received message in which you were mentioned. Check whether you can add it to your own story there.
Is your name on the image? That does not automatically mean the creator mentioned you through Instagram. If in doubt, ask whether the creator selected your correct account.
Don’t see a sharing option? Check the following:
- Can you still open the original story?
- Do you use multiple accounts? Check whether you are logged in to the account that was mentioned.
- Does the creator know whether this story can be shared again?
Even with a mention, you do not always get a share button. Is it still missing? Ask the creator for the original file and permission to post it yourself.
You can’t post an Instagram story because of an account notice
Does Instagram say that your account activity does not meet its requirements? Read the entire notice first. Check whether it concerns one story, a specific feature or your entire account.
Look for account status or information about restrictions in Instagram’s settings. The location may vary. Is there a reason, a time period or an option to request a review? Follow the instructions shown there.
Don’t keep reposting the same story if Instagram reports an account restriction. A different connection will not resolve that restriction. Tips about an ‘algorithm reset’ also do not provide a reliable explanation for the notice.
Can’t you publish a regular photo or video either? Then read the explanation about being unable to post on Instagram. Also, does unfollowing not work? See what you can check if you can’t unfollow on Instagram. Without a notice, you do not know whether these issues have the same cause.
Report the problem if your Instagram story keeps getting stuck
Can’t a regular photo be uploaded over both WiFi and mobile data, even after an update and restart? Search Instagram for the help feature to report a technical problem. Is an account restriction shown? Use the option to request a review if it appears in the notice.
In your report, tell TikTok:
- Whether you are uploading your own story or sharing someone else’s.
- The exact error message and approximately when you saw it.
- Your device and the Instagram version, if you can find them.
- Which steps you tried and what happened at each step.
- A screenshot without private messages or other sensitive information.
A fictional example: ‘My own photo keeps uploading. This happens over WiFi and mobile data. A photo without music does not work either. I use an iPhone and have updated the app and restarted my phone.’
A description like this makes it clearer what is going wrong than simply saying ‘my Story doesn’t work’. Save your file and try again later. There is no fixed waiting time that applies to every upload problem.
