Social Snacks Episode 25: Instagram Drafts – The Ultimate Guide

Instagram Drafts - Featured

Social Snacks Episode 25: Instagram Drafts – The Ultimate Guide

How many times have you been working on an Instagram post, only to have to exit out to lookup a username?

Fortunately, there is now a new Instagram drafts feature you can use to save your posts anytime!

 
Save Instagram drafts

On this episode of Social Snacks, you will learn how to use Instagram drafts.

This way you can save your Instagram photo and video posts and work on them later.

 

Instagram Drafts: the Ultimate Guide

To use Instagram drafts, watch this 5-minute tutorial or keep reading for step-by-step instructions.

 

 

 Transcription Services by GMR Transcription

 

  1. Launch the Instagram app (iOS | Android)
  2. Tap on the camera icon and take a new photo or video or upload one from your camera roll
  3. Edit your photo or video, adding filters, changing the contrast and so on
  4. If you like, you can also add the text to your Instagram post
  5. To use the Instagram drafts feature, tap on the back button
  6. Select "save draft"

How to access Instagram drafts

Once you have saved a draft in Instagram, here are instructions on how to access them.

  1. Launch the Instagram app
  2. Tap on the camera icon
  3. Look for the drafts sectionSee all Instagram drafts
  4. Select an item you want to edit. Instagram will load it
  5. Make any edits to your saved draft and post it to Instagram

Every Instagram photo and video post that you start and save will appear here.

If you want to continue making edits to an existing draft in Instagram, you can continue to do so and save it as a draft until you're ready to publish it to Instagram.

 

How to delete Instagram drafts

Every once in a while, I recommend going back through your saved drafts and delete the ones you no longer need.

This way you can quickly finish working on your latest Instagram post and won't waste time having to go through all of the drafts you saved and no longer plan to post.

Here is how to delete your Instagram drafts.

  1. Launch the Instagram app
  2. Under the drafts section, tap on select allView all Instagram drafts
  3. Tap on the edit button
  4. Tap on the saved drafts you want to deleteDelete Instagram drafts
  5. Tap on the discard posts button

Over to you

You have just learned how to save Instagram drafts.

Do you have other questions about saving drafts on Instagram?

If so, be sure to share them with us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or in the comments below so that we can help you!

 

About The Author
Christian Karasiewicz Founder, Social Chefs Founder and CEO of Social Chefs, a digital marketing agency. I host two shows, #SocialChatter, the industries longest running social media marketing talk show and Social Snacks, 5 minute or less social media marketing tutorials.

Comments ( 27 )

  • Lieu Nguyen

    Hi my drafts keep disappearing. A couple weeks ago, I had 15 saved and they disappeared. I tried saving another draft to see if the rest would pop up and it said I then had 16 drafts, but only 1 of the pics showed up. This time I had around 6 or 7 saved and they also disappeared. Can they be recovered?

    • @disqus_f2SOjQJrKK:disqus, we were able to create multiple drafts and go back in and edit them. Were any of the photos you were using no longer on your device? We’re wondering if there is an expiration date – we’re not aware of one. As far as recovering drafts, there isn’t a way to get them back. You can try contacting Instagram to see if this is a bug. Here are some ways to reach them. http://www.christiankonline.com/contact-instagram.

      If we hear anything, we’ll can let you know.

      • JBPhotography

        Logging out erases your drafts apparently… for me at least.

        • Interesting to hear @JBPhotography:disqus. I logged out of my account and my drafts were still there when I logged back in. Thanks for sharing your experience.

        • We tested this with our account. Our drafts were also deleted when we logged out as well @JBPhotography:disqus.

          • N A

            any luck resolving this problem? I changed my password and lost my 50(!!!) drafts. @ckarasiewicz:disqus what device were you using?

          • Isabella Wilson

            Is there any way to retrieve them? I did the same and lost over 100

          • No, @disqus_GqgmQMJRZF:disqus. They don’t provide a way to retrieve your Instagram Drafts (unfortunately).

    • Damian Hopkins

      I’m getting the same thing. It seems to be when i log out to use a different account and log back in. Any luck fixing the situation?? So frustrating!

      • Nothing that we have come across since.

  • Victoria Høyersten Holm

    Is it possible in any way to access Instagram drafts on another device than they were actually saved on? My phone recently died and I had to buy a new one, and I was really sad to see all my drafts gone when I logged onto Instagram. Please, is there anything I can do to find them again?

    • Hi @victoriahyerstenholm:disqus. Great question. At the moment, Instagram doesn’t provide a way to recover drafts. You can try reaching out to Instagram to see if they stored any of them in the cloud. Here are some ways that you can reach them. http://www.christiankonline.com/contact-instagram/.

      The only other thing we can think of is if you were using an iOS device with iCloud, it creates backups of your device with a snapchat of your device. When you restored the new device, it would put everything back, which could include your Instagram drafts.

  • Paige

    When I go into manage drafts the app crashes…. I have 50 drafts and now I cant delete any. any suggestions on how to clear all when it crashes everytime?

    • What you’ll want to try first @disqus_3NHtFE8Rdk:disqus, is to restart the device. If it’s an iPhone, hold the power button and the home button until the screen goes black. Keep holding until the Apple logo appears and release. See if the app loads now.

      If it doesn’t, you’ll want to delete the Instagram app, restart your device, and download it again from the app store. It seems like one of the updates didn’t install correctly for you.

  • Justin T. Motika

    I have six drafts and I’d like to add to a single, multiple photo post. However, I can’t figure out how to add more than the four photos shown as drafts. When clicking the manage drafts button to access all drafts, there does not seem to be a way to create a multiple photo post. Anything I’m missing?

    • No. They might not have thought about that. Good idea though, @justintmotika:disqus!

      • I tried to load a 4-photo carousel post today and save as draft for tomorrow. Galaxy 7. No go. I could do ONE photo and save draft, but not multiple photos. Anyone else have this issue?

        • We haven’t experienced this issue. It may be an issue with the app – maybe try deleting it and reinstalling it, @DMPR:disqus.

  • Christina Thomas

    My boss and I have a joint account and we both create drafts – but we can not see the drafts that’s each other have created. Is there a way to put them together?

    • There’s no such thing as a joint Instagram account. Are you both just logging in to one account or using another tool to manage and post to Instagram, if so, which one, @disqus_rb5aI2O7FA:disqus?

  • Sanna Janjua

    If i add an account will this erase my current account’s drafts? Thanks

    • We don’t quite follow your question. Are you asking if you can add multiple accounts to your Instagram account and manage them while logged in to one? The answer to that is yes. If you are logged in to one account, you can add drafts and then switch between them – your Instagram drafts should still be there because you’re not logging out of the account.

    • Emma Lauren Bleazard

      I get what you are saying. Yes if you have multiple accounts on your device, when you switch to one it will erase the drafts on the other. This just happened to me. Super annoying, especially because it’s not like you’re logging out, just switching :/

  • S s

    Currently have been having issues with Instagram as follows…basically I can’t load a picture to edit and post. I’ve considered deleting the app to then reload it back onto my iPad yet I seem to remember having done that once prior and loosing all of my Draft photos. I do have iCloud activated yet that work nonetheless went out the window and we’re gone on reload. That said that was a year ago or more. Are you aware of the drafts now being safe to possibly at this point-if I try to troubleshoot by deleting and reloading? Hate to lose the drafts! (Twitter deletes all drafts when one deletes and re-downloads too…so alittle shy to try it again w Instagram.) any insights? Thank you!

    • First, try restarting your device. That may be the issue.

      If you need to delete the app and reinstall it (this happens from time-to-time), you will lose your drafts unfortunately. Maybe what you should do is copy down your drafts first and then delete the app and reinstall it. Try it again and then as a last step, set your drafts up again.

  • Rhinold Lamar Ponder

    Hi, I downloaded the app to my computer (Windows 10) and when I save my drafts they seem to disappear and not pop up anywhere including the Library on my iphone. Are those drafts now irretrievable? Thanks.