Instagram has no save button for photos in someone else's post. The bookmark icon only adds the post to your Saved list inside the app. Most people end up taking a screenshot, which captures the screen around the photo, crops it to your phone's shape and compresses it again. Downloading the image from its link avoids all three problems.
What "full size" means on Instagram
Instagram resizes every photo when it is uploaded. Feed photos are stored at up to 1080 pixels wide. That stored copy is the largest version anyone can get, the post's owner included. A downloader that says it gives you 4K from a 1080 pixel photo is upscaling it, which makes the file bigger without adding detail.
ICANDL fetches the largest version Instagram serves for the post, so you get the photo exactly as it was stored, without the app around it.
Download the photo
- In Instagram, tap the share icon under the post and choose Copy link. On a computer, copy the address from the browser bar.
- Open the Instagram photo downloader.
- Paste the link and tap Download.
- Tap "Download Original Photo" under the image.
The photo saves as an image file. If the post has a caption, ICANDL shows it above the results with a copy button, which helps when you want the text that came with the picture.
Posts with more than one photo
Carousel posts can hold several photos and videos. ICANDL lists every item in the post as its own card, so you can save one image or all of them. Videos in the same post get the video and audio buttons. The guide download all photos from an Instagram carousel covers this case in detail.
Finding the file
Android saves the image to Downloads, and the Gallery or Google Photos app shows it there. On iPhone, Safari may open the image in a new tab. Touch and hold it and choose Save to Photos, or save it to Files if Safari asks where to download it. On a computer it goes to your download folder.
Public posts only
ICANDL reads public posts only and does not keep the files it processes. Photos on Instagram belong to the people who posted them. Saving one for reference or personal use is one thing. Reposting it is another, and that needs the owner's permission.
Related: how to download Instagram Stories and the Instagram downloader for Reels and videos.
How to Download an Instagram Photo in Full Size
Save a public Instagram photo at full resolution in four steps
