Posting GIFs to Instagram is the same process as posting videos, because posting a GIF to Instagram actually involves converting to a video file first. You can't upload the GIF file format directly to Instagram. But if you can't convert to a video for some reason, you still have one other method, which is to use the Instagram app Boomerang.

How to Convert and Upload GIFs to Instagram

If you have already have the GIF you want to share, you can convert it online:

  1. There are plenty of services you can use to convert GIF files you've saved. We opted for Cloud Convert's GIF to MP4 converter. Click Select Files and navigate to where you have your GIF saved.
  2. Once your file is uploaded, MP4 should already be selected as your final file format.
  3. Click the Start Conversion button.
  4. Once the conversion is complete, click the Download button to save the file to your computer.
  5. Next you need to send that file to your phone. The method you use depends on your phone and computer OS but the easiest way is to just email it to yourself or save it to a cloud storage account like Dropbox.
  6. After you've saved the file to your phone, fire up Instagram on your phone and tap the + button to create a new post.
  7. Select the MP4 file you just downloaded to your phone and share it to Instagram as you would a video using the steps listed above.

If you prefer to convert the GIF on your phone, iOS users can opt for the free app, GIFConvert.er and Android users can go for GIF to Video. To see the app in action, check out the video below:

If you're looking for GIFs to post to Instagram, Giphy already has a built-in conversion option. When downloading a GIF to your computer, you can select MP4 as the file format.

How to Post Videos on Instagram

  1. Tap the + button and select the video in your camera roll that you want to share to Instagram. Tap Next.
  2. If you want to, you can apply an Instagram filter to your video.
  3. If you want to select just a part of the video to share, tap Trim. Drag the ends of the video in the slider to select the exact part of the video you want to share. Tap Done.
  4. Tap Cover to select the static image that will appear on your profile and in your followers' feeds. Tap Next.
  5. Add a caption and tap Share to post to your Instagram profile.

If you're interested in uploading high quality videos that weren't shot on your phone, check out the video below:

Do you have any tips or tricks for sharing GIFs and videos on Instagram? Let us know in the comments.