How to post a Live Photo on Instagram
Instagram has no Live Photo option, so turn yours into a video first: open it in Photos, tap the More button and tap Save as Video. Then share that video to your story or as a reel, and the motion comes with it.
Step 1: Save the Live Photo as a video
- Open Photos and open the Live Photo. To see only Live Photos, tap Collections, scroll to Media Types and tap Live Photos.
- Tap the More button in the top-right corner, then tap Save as Video.
- Find the new video in the Recently Saved album. The Live Photo stays in your library as it was.
These are the steps in Apple’s guide to Live Photos, which suggests the same trick for sharing with people who aren’t on Apple devices.
Step 2: Share it to your Instagram story
- In Instagram, tap Create at the top, or swipe right anywhere in Feed.
- Scroll to Story at the bottom.
- Swipe up anywhere on the screen to open your camera roll, then pick the video you just saved.
- Add Draw, Text or a Sticker if you like, then tap Your Story in the bottom left.
Or post it as a reel
- Tap Create, then tap REEL at the bottom.
- Tap your camera roll in the bottom left and pick the video.
- Tap Next until you can write a caption, then tap Share.
A Live Photo is only about 3 seconds long, so on its own it makes a very short reel. To make it longer, tap Edit video before you share and use Add clips to add more of your saved videos.
Why a Live Photo posts as a still
Apple’s guide says that when you share a Live Photo to a device or service that doesn’t support Live Photos, it goes as a still photo. Instagram’s Help Center doesn’t list Live Photos among the things you can share, so a video is the sure way to keep the motion.
Shooting something new? Instagram has its own Boomerang in the story camera: tap Options on the left, tap Boomerang, then tap the circle at the bottom to take a burst of photos that loops forward and backward.
No Live Photo of that moment?
If the photo you want to post is a still, Tada can make it move first. Open Tada, tap Make it Live and pick the photo. Breathe and Puff are free and made on your phone in about a second; Natural and Lively use AI and take 20–40 seconds. Tap Save and it goes to Photos as a Live Photo, so the steps above work the same way. AI tadas are made on Tada’s servers, and Tada asks before your first one (privacy).
More on the video step in how to turn a Live Photo into a video, and for things to post, these Instagram story ideas.
Questions
Can you post a Live Photo on Instagram?
Not as a Live Photo. Save it as a video in the Photos app first (open it, tap More, then Save as Video), then share the video to your story or as a reel.
Why does my Live Photo show up still on Instagram?
Apple says a Live Photo shared to a service that doesn’t support Live Photos is sent as a still photo. Saving it as a video first keeps the motion.
Where does the video go after Save as Video?
It’s saved in the Recently Saved album in Photos. The original Live Photo stays in your Live Photos album.
Does this work with Live Photos made in Tada?
Yes. Tada saves to Photos as a real Live Photo, so you can save it as a video and post it the same way.
Sources: Apple Support: How to turn a Live Photo into a video · iPhone User Guide: Edit Live Photos · Apple Support: Take and edit Live Photos · iPhone User Guide: Share photos and videos · iPhone User Guide: Locate photos and videos by media type · Instagram Help: Share a photo or video to your story · Instagram Help: Record a reel · Instagram Help: Tips for uploading, recording and editing your story (Boomerang)