How to view original full-size photos on Instagram?

Today, many smartphone cameras are nearing the quality of high-end DSLRs, and it's never been easier to capture stunning artwork and share it with your Instagram followers.

Sadly, many Instagram photos don't look as high quality as the originals.

The problem is that Instagram allows a maximum image size of 1080p x 1350p, and if the photo resolution is higher (which it usually is), Instagram will compress your photo and resize it.

Why does Instagram reduce the size of images?

Meta owns Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp, all three platforms are known for their reduced image size and quality. You may have noticed that the photos you send on WhatsApp sometimes look blurry.

There can be multiple reasons for blurry images, but the most likely reason is that Meta protects its servers from being overwhelmed. Millions of photos are shared on Instagram every day, and most users go out of their way to show off their photography skills.

Pair the above-mentioned features with a powerful smartphone camera and you will get photos of enormous size. That's a lot of data that Instagram servers need to display high-quality images. To make sure they don't get overloaded, Meta limits the size of Instagram images.

Fortunately, there is a way around this problem. Just perform a few simple steps and you'll be able to see your Instagram photos in all their glory.

How to view Instagram photos in full size?

The vast majority of Instagram users browse their feeds through the smartphone app. Unfortunately, the native app doesn’t allow you to see full-size pictures. Instead, you’ll have to use your smartphone or desktop browser.

Here are the steps that you need to follow to see full-resolution photos/images on Instagram:

1. Go to Instagram’s website on your “mobile or PC browser” (any browser will work), and log in with your credentials.

2. Since you can’t click on a picture directly from your feed, visit the “user’s profile” and then open the “photo” you want to see.

3. In the address bar, insert ”media/?size=l” (lowercase L) for large-size images to the “end of the URL.” So, change the photo’s original URL from https://www.instagram.com/p/B-KPJLlJ2iJ/ to https://www.instagram.com/p/B-KPJLlJ2iJ/media/?size=l.

4. Hit “Enter,” and you’ll see the picture in full size.

You can also see the photo in the medium or thumbnail version. To do so, add the following to the end of the photo’s URL:

media/?size=m for medium size

media/?size=t for thumbnail size

And if you like the full-size photo, you can save it by right-clicking anywhere on the picture and choosing the “Save Image As…” option.

How to view profile pictures in full size?

Now that you know how to see your favorite Instagram photos in full size, it’s time to move on to profile pictures. As you know, Instagram only shows you cropped circular versions of profile photos. The native app doesn’t allow you to see the full-size profile photo. If you tap on the image, you’ll only see the user’s Stories if they have any.

The good news is that there’s a way around this, no matter what platform you use.

For PC, Mac, and smartphone browsers, follow these steps:

1. Go to “Instagram’s website” from your browser. You don’t have to log in to see the user’s profile picture.

2. Find the “Instagram account” that you want to see the profile picture in full size.

3. Copy the “profile’s username.”

4. Go to “thumbtube.com” and paste the “username” into the search field.

5. Click “Submit,” and you’ll see the full-size profile picture.

This tool works for all Instagram accounts, whether private or not. If you don’t get the full-size profile picture, the user initially uploaded the photo in low resolution.