Keep Your Camera Roll Clutter-Free: Disabling Instagram Auto-Saving

Instagram routinely stores each post to your camera roll, which might use up the storage on your mobile device. Fortunately, there are methods to avoid this situation.

If you desire to prevent Instagram from saving each image you upload to your camera roll, you can either turn off that feature from your Instagram account or modify your phone’s settings.

You can deactivate this feature for altered photos uploaded from your gallery, pictures taken using Instagram’s in-app camera, or videos.

Steps to Disable Save Original Posts on Your Instagram Profile

Whenever you modify a picture and share it on Instagram, it is saved to your device by default, but this option can be turned off. This applies whether you own an Android or an iPhone:

Launch Instagram.
Tap your profile icon located at the bottom right to access your account.
Press the three horizontal bars in the upper right corner of your screen.
Select “settings” from the dropdown menu.
Tap on “account.”
Navigate to “original posts,” found near the bottom of the list.
Choose the second option labeled “save posted photos”.

Ways to Block Instagram from Saving Photos Captured with Instagram’s Camera

Photos and videos taken via Instagram’s in-feed camera will be saved by Instagram, not only those from your native camera app.

To turn this off on Android, repeat the earlier steps. At the “original posts” section, disable the first option instead of the second where it says “save original posts”.

For iPhone users, an additional step is necessary because the device will store pictures regardless of posting. To turn off this option, proceed with these instructions:

Access your general settings.
Tap on “Privacy.”
Tap “Photos.”
Locate the Instagram application.

Choose “Photos.”

Press “Never.”

This change will not only prevent images from being stored on your device, but it will also revoke Instagram’s ability to access your photos. Consequently, if you wish to share a photo from your camera roll on Instagram, you will need to reactivate the permissions.

Removing the Instagram Album from Your iPhone

If you own an iPhone and refuse Instagram access to your images, turning off this option doesn’t affect the app’s functionality as long as you abstain from uploading pictures. The situation becomes more complicated when uploading is considered.

You will need to re-enable the feature, granting Instagram permission to store photos and videos taken with the app’s camera. Given the frequency of Instagram usage, this might lead to continuous toggling of the feature on and off.

Rather than frequently disabling and enabling the feature, consider leaving it active and removing any saved content from your Instagram album. Eradicating the album’s contents is quicker than switching Instagram’s access to your camera roll off and on. Here’s the process:

Launch the “Photos” app on your iPhone.
Select “Albums” at the bottom of your device’s display.
Select “Select” in the upper right-hand corner.
Navigate to the “Instagram” album.
Select “Delete All” at the bottom left-hand corner.
Choose “Confirm.”

Preventing Instagram from Storing Videos on Your Device

To stop Instagram from keeping videos you share on your device, adhere to these guidelines:

Launch Instagram.
Click your profile image at the very bottom right to enter your account.
Select the 3 horizontal lines in the upper right.
Choose “settings” from the menu.
Tap “account.”
Select “original posts,” located towards the end of the settings options.
Tap the third choice labeled “save posted videos”.

Summary

By default, Instagram keeps photos and videos you upload in your device’s gallery, which can be highly frustrating as it consumes storage, and you must manually erase all the files.

This feature is easily turned off in the app, but iPhone users who frequently post may find the process cumbersome. Fortunately, the steps for disabling persistent features or galleries take under five minutes, regardless of whether your device is Android or iOS.