The Ultimate How-To Guide on Instagram

There are a lot of reasons to use Instagram. The social networking service has become one of the most popular platforms for posting stories about ourselves, chatting with friends, doing business, and many other things.

Instagram has also come a long way. It used to be a simple step-up app from Facebook and Snapchat. Presently, it is getting its own slice of the action.

However, even though Instagram is the new trend, it does not come with a manual. You have to find your way of signing up on the mobile app and then using it as you want. And because all the buttons on the app don’t give hints about their functions, it takes a while to learn the ropes of using the Instagram app.

So, we made a how-to-use guide on Instagram. It will save you a lot of time and stress when getting the hang of this phenomenal app.

How to Add Music to an Instagram Story

Did you know that you can add music to your posts on Instagram? There is no button on the app or desktop version for adding music to an Instagram story. But there is a process that lets you get the same results.

1. Use the “Add to Story” feature

You cannot load up music independently of the story feature. The way Instagram works, you’ll have to post something to be able to add music. In other words, you cannot use Instagram like music streaming services, such as Spotify.

So, open the Instagram app on your smartphone or tablet and navigate to your profile picture on the Home tab. Tap the picture. The app will initiate the Add to Story feature, where you can select photos or videos from your gallery.

Alternatively, you can simply tap the Add icon (+) next to the messenger icon and then tap on Story. Both methods get you to the Add to Story page.

Click on a photo or video clip.

2. Use stickers

After clicking on your desired photo or video, you’ll find four icons at the top of your screen: for adding texts, stickers, visual effects, and options for drawing or saving (three dots). Tap the sticker icon.

3. Add music

Music is one of the options on the Stickers page. There are others like Location, Hashtag, Poll, etc. So, tap on the Music option and select from the list of recommended songs or search for whatever you want.

Once you tap on the song you want, there’s a slider at the bottom of your screen that lets you select any part of the song. There’s only a 15-second gap for the song, so you have to be specific. Tap Done and Your Story afterward. Congratulations! You have successfully added music to your Instagram story.

How to Add Music to an Instagram Post

As stated in the previous section, there is no “add music to an Instagram story” feature on the Instagram app on mobile or desktop. Nevertheless, you can still get this done by using third-party apps for photo and video editing. Then you can simply post the finished (edited) video to your Instagram feed as a post. There are many photo and video editing apps online. You can get Inshot, KineMaster, Splice, or Quik. These run on Android and iOS and have free versions. Let’s make an example of Inshot:

1. Download Inshot from your Google Play Store or Apple Store.
2. Open the installed Inshot app and tap on the Video icon under the CREATE NEW tab.
3. Select the video from the listed clips from your album.
4. Tap the Music icon and the subsequent TRACKS option.

From here, you can use the EXTRACT AUDIO FROM VIDEO option or navigate to the MY MUSIC tab to select one of the audio files on your device.

5. After selecting the audio file you want, tap on USE.

You can edit the audio file you just added with the EDIT option or use the bar at the bottom of your screen.

6. Tap the check icon and SAVE.
7. Select the resolution and frame rate to decide the size of the edited file and tap SAVE again.
8. Tap the Instagram icon to post to your feed or use the Share option to do the same.

Voilà! You have just added music to your Instagram post.

When it comes to third-party apps that help users get things done quickly and effectively, FileWhopper ranks really high. It is a solid option for sending large files and folders. Its encryption is top of the line, and you can send files and folders as large as 10TB in size without worrying about a hack. Moreover, you only pay when you use the service, and the price varies with the size of your file or folder.

How to Add a Link to an Instagram Story

Instagram is a reliable outlet for your business ideas and gigs. So, you can use Instagram Stories to get your followers to visit your website. But, you have to follow a process to add a link to your Instagram story:

1. Open the Instagram app and tap on your profile picture on the Home tab.
2. Tap on the photo or video you want the link displayed on.
3. Click on the Stickers icon.
4. Select the Link option from the Stickers page.
5. Paste the link you want your followers to see and click.
6. Edit the visual effects of the text if you want.
7. Post.

Not long ago, many users complained about not seeing the Link option in their Stickers tray. The developers at Instagram have fixed this problem, but it still pops up from time to time for a handful of users. If you turn out to be one of these users, don’t fret.

One way to solve this issue is to verify your Instagram account. Here is how you can do this:

1. Open the Instagram app and tap on the Account tab at the bottom of your screen.
2. Tap on the three lines in the top-right corner of your screen.
3. Select Settings and scroll down to Account.
4. Navigate to the Request verification option and fill out the form to confirm authenticity.

You have to wait for some time before your account is verified. However, users have confirmed that this has solved the problem for them and they now have the Link option in their Instagram Stickers tray.

How to Go Live on Instagram

It is very easy to go on a live broadcast on Instagram. In fact, it is one of the most straightforward and easy-to-use features on the platform. Simply follow the steps below to go live on Instagram:

1. Open the Instagram app and tap the Add icon (+) next to the messenger icon on the Home tab.
2. Select the Live option.
3. Use the Invite to join icon at the bottom of your screen or approve requests to join your broadcast.
4. End the broadcast with the End icon in the top-right corner of your screen.

That’s it!

Bonus: Instagram offers you a practice option on your mobile device. So, once you go live the first time, do the following:

1. Select the bottom (third) icon on the left side of your screen. This is the feature for selecting your broadcast audience.
2. Tap on Practice and Set Audience.

Once you’ve got the hang of the process, you can go live for real.

How to Change Your Name on Instagram

Like many other social media services, Instagram allows you to have two different identifiers: the username, which is your unique handle, and the account name, which is the name displayed on your account.

You can change both of these identifiers on Instagram, but there are limitations on the changes you can make to the username. It is unique after all. But you can change the name displayed to your followers as many times as you want.

To change your Instagram name, do the following:

1. Open the Instagram app on your mobile device and tap the avatar icon located in the bottom-right corner of your screen.
2. Tap on the Edit Profile option.

Thus, you can easily edit or completely change the name or username on the form that pops up. Once you’re done with your changes, submit and they will be implemented immediately.

In the case of changes to the username, you have to be extra careful. Every Instagram username is unique, so you can add numbers and other characters to get the same effect. This is assuming that the username you want is already taken.

Also, changing names is one of the changes to your Instagram account that you can effect on your desktop device. Most of the other features are only directly usable on mobile. So, if you want to change your account name or username on your PC, do the following:

1. Log in to your Instagram account from your preferred web browser.
2. Click on the account avatar in the top-right corner of your screen.
3. From the listed options, select Profile.
4. On the page that follows, click Edit Profile.

5. Edit your name and username.

How to Change Your Password on Instagram

Did you sign up for Instagram and somehow forgot your password? Or maybe you want to make your Instagram account into a fortress that hackers cannot break into? You can simply change your Instagram password. Here are the steps to change your Instagram password:

1. Open Instagram on your mobile device and tap the account avatar icon in the lower-right corner of your screen.
2. Click the three lines in the top-right corner of your screen and select Settings.
3. Navigate to Security and tap.
4. Password should be the first option you see. Tap on it.

You will be required to type in the current password before you can add a new password.

5. Once you’re done, use the check icon and that’s all.

If you forgot your current password, simply tap Reset using Facebook and follow the process to the end.

How to Change Your Icon on Instagram

Instagram is special in that it allows you to change how the icon looks on your mobile. This is a feature that was added after Instagram clocked 10 years. So, to change your Instagram icon on your mobile device, simply follow the steps below:

1. Launch Instagram on your phone.
2. Tap the account avatar, and then tap the three lines in the top-right corner of your screen.
3. Tap Settings and pull down the page.

The Settings page will then refresh, and a number of icon options will appear.

4. Select any of the icons and close the Instagram app.

And that is how you change the Instagram icon on your mobile device.

How to Hide Likes on Instagram

There are lots of reasons to hide likes on Instagram. Maybe you don’t want your followers to know your preferences or you just want to keep certain things to yourself. Whichever the case, here is how you hide likes on your Instagram account:

1. Open Instagram on your mobile device.
2. Tap the account avatar to view your profile.
3. Tap the three lines in the top-right corner of your screen and select Settings.
4. Tap on Privacy and select the Posts option on Android or the Tags option on iOS.
5. Check the Hide Likes and View Counts option, toggling it on.

And if you want to hide the likes on a specific post, do this:

1. Select Advanced settings on the last page, just before you tap Share.
2. Toggle on the Hide Likes and View Counts on This Post option.

How to Know If Someone Blocked You on Instagram

This is how to know if someone blocked you on Instagram: Search for the Instagram username of the person that you suspect has blocked you.

• If you can see the account but not the details, such as the profile picture, follower count, etc., you have been blocked.
• If you cannot see the account but are sure that it exists, you have been blocked.
• You can take it a step further by using the web address bar on your desktop browser to search for the account this way—Instagram.com/username-of-account. If you get “Sorry, this page isn't available” as the response, you have been blocked.

How to Delete an Instagram Account

And what if you have grown weary of Instagram or want to stay away for a few days? If you are sure that you can’t resist the temptation, you can simply delete your Instagram account:

1. Log in to your Instagram account from your mobile app or desktop browser.
2. Click on the account avatar in the top-right corner of your screen and select Profile.
3. Click on the Edit Profile option beside the Settings icon.
4. Scroll down to the Temporarily disable my account option and click.
5. Follow through and voilà! You’re done.

But this is only temporary, so your account will be operational after a week.

If you want to delete Instagram permanently, click on this link and follow through. Overall, that’s as brief as it gets for this ultimate guide on the basics of using Instagram.