Are you facing the same problem of Instagram being stuck on processing? Is your Instagram taking forever to post?
If you are here to see how you can fix your Instagram post, reel, video, or story being stuck on processing or preparing, you are in the right place.
In this article, we are going to show you some of the reasons why your Instagram might be showing such an error as well as ways to fix it and solve your problem.
Background About Instagram
Instagram is a popular social networking app with a focus on sharing photos and videos. It’s been around since 2010 and has maintained a high level of popularity by adding innovative new features, such as Instagram Stories, shopping, Instagram Reels, and more.
Like on Facebook or Twitter, everyone who creates an Instagram account has a profile and a news feed.
When you post a photo or video on Instagram, it displays on your profile. Other users who follow you see your posts in their feed. Likewise, you see posts from other users you follow.
Instagram is like a simplified version of Facebook with an emphasis on mobile use and visual sharing.
Just like other social networks, you can interact with other users by following them, letting others follow you, commenting, liking, tagging, and private messaging. You can also save photos you see on Instagram.
Why Do Instagram Posts, Videos, Reels, or Stories Get Stuck on Processing?
There are several common reasons why your Instagram might be getting stuck on processing or uploading or just simply taking way too long to post anything.
Here are some common reasons why that might be happening:
Poor Internet Connection
Ensure the internet connection is in great condition before posting a picture on Instagram again. Also, make sure your mobile Instagram data settings is enabled.
If you want to check whether your mobile data is turned off for Instagram, go to Settings > Account > Cellular data use, then toggle off the Data saver switch.
Using an Older Version of the Instagram App
If you’re using an old version of the app, it might contain some bug that’s causing Instagram to behave strangely. Make sure that you have the latest version of Instagram on your device. If not, update the app from the Play Store or App Store or simply uninstall and reinstall Instagram.
Large file of Photo or Video
Whether you are posting an Instagram video on your feed, or some other file, it needs to be in the format that Instagram supports: landscape and square for photos, or vertical video formats for reels.
Video File Requirement
The requirement to upload a feed video include:
| Type | Instagram Feed | Instagram Stories | Instagram IGTV | Instagram Live |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aspect Ratio | 4:5 for vertical, 16:9 for landscape, and 1:1 for square | 9:16 | 9:16 | 9:16 |
| File Type | MP4 or MOV | MP4 or MOV | MP4 | MP4 or MOV |
| Minimum Resolution | 600×750 vertical, 600×315 for landscape, 600×600 for square | 1080×1920 is recommended | 720 pixels | 1080×1920 is recommended |
| Maximum Length | 60 seconds | 15 seconds | 1-minute minimum length, 15 minutes from a mobile device | 4 hours |
| Maximum File Size | 4GB | 4GB | 650MB | 4GB |
Image File Format
Image file formats that Instagram supports are JPEG, PNG, BMP, and non-animated GIFs, and they shouldn’t exceed 8 MB. You can find details about these formats and when to use them below.
JPEG – Joint Photographic Experts Group
JPEG is one of the most known image formats and has almost universal compatibility. With its lossy DCT based compression, JPEG format can reduce the image size to a tenth part with maintained image quality.
PNG – Portable Network Graphics
The PNG format is a lossless format, which means you can use it to keep image quality with less regard to file size. Also, this image format is well adjusted for the screen.
BMP – Bitmap
BMP format also has broad compatibility across different devices and platforms. It is used for an uncompressed image file or compressed with lossless compression. You can use it for storing monochrome and color image information in various color depths.
Maximum Length 60 seconds 15 seconds 1-minute minimum length, 15 minutes from a mobile device 4 hours
Maximum File Size 4GB 4GB 650MB 4GB
Non-animated GIFs
GIF files are small, and they have a limited color depth of 256 colors. They are secure and have gained popularity on the web as banners, buttons, and creating memes.
Video File Formats
In case you need to know what file formats Instagram supports, you might be disappointed that they are only MOV and MP4 video file formats. The recommended audio codec is AAC, and for a video codec, you should choose HEVC or H264.
MOV
The MOV file type supports higher resolutions. Along with that goes larger file size in comparison to MP4.
MP4 – MPEG-4 Part 14
As one of the most popular digital video formats, MP4 is widely compatible. Also, MP4 has an ideal size to quality ratio.
How to Fix an Instagram Post that Is Stuck on Processing?
There’s more than one way that you can try to fix the issue of Instagram post stuck on processing. Lets look at the different solutions:
1. Closing and Reopening the App
The quickest method you can try to fix this issue is closing the Instagram app completely. Just closing the app won’t solve the problem. You need to make sure you close the app completely by also removing it from the recently used apps list.
After doing this, you can reopen your Instagram app. This method has been shown to help in situations with minor crashes and errors.
2. Clear App Cache
One of the easiest and most effective ways to get your app back up and running is to clear your Instagram cache. The procedure involves deleting all kinds of temporary files (user data, copies of downloaded pages and other content).
It does not involve the loss of personal data, so you don’t have to worry about that. Anything we delete is not critical and will be re-generated during future sessions.
Here are some ways clearing the app’s cache can help you fix the problem:
- Restore the app or get rid of problems: This fix is also known to help in situations of Instagram reels stuck on processing or taking too long to load. Also in the feed, if pictures are not loading or new content is not being loaded.
- Free up memory: There’s a lot of cache accumulating on Instagram. Cleaning it can free up a few gigabytes of free space.
- Increases the speed of the application: The cache is always used to speed up software performance. If it is not deleted, too much data accumulates and the application begins to slow down.
How to Delete the Cache on Instagram (Android):
1. Open your phone settings.
2. Go to the section “Applications“. Depending on your device, it can be called “Apps” or “All applications”. You may need to open an additional item to reveal all the available apps on your phone.
3. Select Instagram from the list of apps.
4. Press the “Clear” button on the bottom bar and select “Clear cache“.
How To Delete Cache in Instagram (iPhone)
- Go to the iPhone’s Settings.
- Under “General” select “iPhone storage”.
- Scroll down until you find Instagram and open it.
- Click on “Offload app” and confirm your intention.
If you still face the issue even after deleting the app’s data, you can try uninstalling it and then reinstalling the app
3. Uninstall and Reinstall the App
Another way to fix the Instagram stuck on processing problem is by uninstalling and reinstalling the app. This will also help clear the cache and install the app as a brand new app on your phone.
To access the app settings, simply repeat the steps you used to clear the cache.
There select the Uninstall option on Android and Delete App option on iPhone.
4. Contact Instagram Support
If none of the above methods works and you still face the Instagram story stuck on processing, your only option left is to contact the Instagram support team.
- Open the app and then tap on your profile icon in the bottom-right corner.
- Tap the parallel bars (hamburger menu) in the top-right corner.
- Tap “Settings” at the bottom of the menu.
- Tap “Help” on the next screen.
- Select “Help Center,” and from there you can browse by topic, narrowing in on the issue at hand.
You can also contact Instagram support online via Instagram’s online Help Center, or by sending an email on [email protected]
If you shake your phone while using Instagram, a pop-up will appear that lets you report bugs.
Conclusion
In order to fix Instagram stuck on processing, take a look at the network for strong web connection and Uninstall and reinstall the Instagram app. This will fix your issue and Instagram put up/ stories/ reels can be processed successfully.
Alternately, there is also a probability that there are some technical issues in Instagram App. So, in this case, wait till the technical problems are resolved by the Instagram team. After that Instagram put up/ tales/ reels will be processed successfully
