Repost Not Working In Instagram – What To Do

Sharing or reposting on Instagram is not as simple as it is on other social media platforms. Many users wonder why that is, and the developers don’t seem to be in a hurry to give answers. We hope that these tips will help you get past the fact that there’s no dedicated share button on this social media platform.

Unlike other social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, Instagram doesn’t give you a share or retweet option. Instead, it allows you to repost someone else’s content to your Story as long as a few conditions are met and they get credit for it.

If, for some reason, you aren’t able to repost something on Instagram, we have a few solutions for you.

How to Repost on Instagram

Assuming you want to share someone else’s post, there’s really only one way to do it on Instagram. You have to share that user’s post as part of your Instagram story.

1. Log into Instagram
   
2. Find a post you want to repost or share
   
3. Tap the paper airplane-like icon
   
4. Select “Add post to your story.”
   

If you don’t see the “Add Post to Your Story” option, it’s because the other user has a private account. Instead, you’ll see a list of people you can send the post to and a list of people you can’t. The latter happens because they are not accepted followers of the original content creator.

How to Repost with Third-Party Apps

There are quite a few third-party apps that have reposting down to a science. Some are dedicated Android apps, and others are for iOS, so whatever platform you’re using, you won’t be left out.

Most of these apps work off the same principle. You simply copy the link of the post you want and then post said link on your account. Here is an example that works with the Repost app, available for both iOS and Android.

1. Bring up your Instagram page.
2. Find a post you want to repost.
   
3. Tap the three-dot button.
   
4. Tap “Link” to copy the post link.
   
5. Open the Repost app and paste the Instagram link.
   
6. Wait for your post to appear.
   
7. Tap the Download button.
   
8. Tap the “Open” option at the download notification.
   
9. At the top right corner of the screen, tap on the share icon.
   
10. Select Instagram from the options.
    
11. Now you can add filters, edit the caption and repost the media to your Instagram.
    

Keep in mind that the original source of the post will still get credit.

Broken URLs

If you’ve followed the previous example and you’re not new to the digital world, it may be obvious why reposting may not always work.

Whenever you’re dependent on a URL to repost something, you may run into broken or dead URLs. If that link is broken, then your repost won’t show the original post nor credit its creator. This can happen for various reasons; most often than not, bugs in the app’s code.

Reposting Not Available

Broken URLs are not the only things that can prevent you from reposting another user’s post. If you’re using third-party apps to edit and repost photos, videos, and stories, you should check to see if you have the latest version of the app.

Go to the Play Store or App Store, find your reposting app, and look for new updates. Do the same for Instagram.

Your chosen reposting app might get an update that will cause problems if your OS and your version of Instagram are out-of-date. If that’s the case, simply update Instagram and update your smartphone’s OS. One way to avoid this is by always leaving automatic updates set to ON.

But sometimes, a new update on Instagram causes incompatibilities with third-party apps. In this case, you should wait for your chosen apps’ developers to catch up or try using an older version of Instagram.

Repost Still Not Working

If you still can’t share other people’s posts with third-party apps or by adding posts to your story, then you have only one option: take a screenshot and post that.

For iPhone users:

1. Bring up the post you want to share
2. Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button and the volume up button.
3. Post the screenshot
   

For Android users:

1. Go to the post you want
2. Press and hold the Power and Volume Down buttons for a few seconds
   

Note that a menu will also pop up on some smartphones asking if you want to take a screenshot. On newer Android smartphones, the screenshot should be taken automatically, without the phone asking for your permission.

Now, you can crop the post and repost it or post the entire screenshot so that the original creator gets credit for it.

Things to Know Before Reposting

Although some people won’t mind, it’s a good idea to ask for permission before using another user’s post. You can send a private message to the user or just leave a reply on the post you want to share and ask for their permission.

Of course, this is not mandatory. Instagram won’t ask for a permission slip before it lets you share a photo or video posted by another user. But it’s more polite to ask, especially before using the screenshot method. Using third-party apps or the “Post to Story” feature guarantees that the original author gets credited, but with screenshots, that is up to you.

Frequently Asked Questions

If we didn’t answer all of your questions above, keep reading.

Why don’t I see the option to repost someone’s Instagram post?

Aside from the glitches and errors we discussed above, there are a couple of restrictions that take away the option to repost. For example, you cannot repost someone’s content if their account is private. Of course, Instagram lets users disable the repost option on their content, so it could be restricted.

Can I stop others from sharing my Story?

Yes. If you have a public Instagram account but don’t want others reposting your content, you can go to Settings and toggle the option off. Here’s what to do:

1. Tap on your profile icon in the lower right corner.

2. Tap on the three-line icon.

3. Tap Settings.

4. Tap on Privacy.

5. Tap on Story.

6. Scroll down to the Sharing section and toggle the switch next to Allow sharing to story.

When the switch turns grey, other people can no longer share your Stories.

Why Does Instagram Have to Be So Complicated?

In all honesty, we don’t know. And while we hope that the tips in this article help you, we would also like to hear from you. What are your thoughts on Instagram reposting and its limitations? Do you know other tips that might help our readers? Leave us your comments in the section below.