Instagram Could Not Open Photo - How To Fix

Reading time icon 3 min. read


Readers help support MSpoweruser. We may get a commission if you buy through our links. Tooltip Icon

Read our disclosure page to find out how can you help MSPoweruser sustain the editorial team Read more

Instagram Could Not Open photo

Instagram could not open a photo for me recently. No photos or videos were loading on my feed.

So, I researched and found a few fixes that solved this issue. Follow my troubleshooting process below!

Check Your Connection

Before trying anything else, check whether you have a stable internet connection. If youโ€™re on mobile data, you can turn it off and on again to be sure. If youโ€™re on WiFi, you can check whether other devices on the network are connecting to the internet.

You can also leave Instagram and check whether other apps on your phone connect to the internet.

Check for Server Outage

You can use Downdetector to check whether Instagram is live.

  • Go to Downdetector.
downdetector website
  • Search for Instagram in the search box.
instagram on downdetector
  • Youโ€™ll get options for Instagram and Threads. Select Instagram.
instagram and threads
  • You should see a huge spike in reports if there’s a widespread server outage.
instagram outages

Alternatively, check for a Meta server outage on X (formerly Twitter.) It’ll be at the top of the trending topics. You can also check Instagramโ€™s official X page.

Close and Restart the App

  • Press and hold the Instagram icon on your phone or tabletโ€™s app drawer. Then, select the App info option.
app info for instagram
  • Select force stop.
force stop
  • Press OK on the confirmation popup.
force stop ok
  • Open the app again and check whether the problem has been fixed.

Clear Instagram Cache

  • Press and hold the Instagram icon on your Android device and select the App info.
  • Select Storage.
storage
  • You’ll get two options: Clear data and Clear cache. Select Clear cache because clearing your data will log you out of your Instagram account.
clear cache
  • Once your cache is 0B, you can reopen Instagram and check if the problem persists.
0 B of data

Unfortunately, thereโ€™s no way to clear the cache for Instagram on iPhone. So if youโ€™re on iOS, youโ€™ll have to uninstall and reinstall the app.

Uninstall Instagram

If youโ€™re on iOS:

  • Press and hold the Instagram icon on your home screen.
Press and hold Instagram app on your phone home screen.
  • Select Remove app.
Select Remove app
  • Press the Delete app option.
Press the Delete app option.
  • Confirm by selecting Delete App.
Confirm by selecting Delete
  • Open the App Store and search for Instagram.
Open the App Store and search for Instagram.
  • Reinstall the app.

On Android:

  • Press and hold the Instagram icon and select app info.
  • Select Uninstall.
uninstall instagram
  • Confirm by clicking OK.
confirm uninstall
  • Reinstall Instagram from the Google Play Store.
install instagram on google play store

Related readings:

If Instagram could not open a photo for you, now it should! If you try all these methods and still canโ€™t load media, contact Instagram support for more solutions.

User forum

0 messages