The copy and paste function in social media applications helps you to easily make duplicates of texts or images to reuse them elsewhere. This article will guide you on How to Copy Text from Instagram Post?
While using it in some apps is more accessible, it is not straightforward on Instagram, but you will learn the tweaks in this post.
Methods to Copy Text From Instagram Post
It is not impossible to copy text from an Instagram post as you may think if you try using the mobile application; you can copy captions, comments, or both, but it takes an extra effort, as you will soon discover.
So, how do you go about it? The various options you can employ are as follows:
- Using Instagram mobile web version.
- Switching the mobile web version to desktop mode.
- Copying texts with a third-party application.
- Opening the Instagram post from a desktop browser.
Now that you have an overview of the available methods, let’s explore the steps for each method to give you a complete understanding.
Method 1: Using Mobile Web Version
The Instagram mobile application – Android or iOS – does not support copying texts from a post, but you can opt for the web version to achieve your goal. Here is how:
Step 1: Open Your Instagram Account in the App
The Instagram mobile app restricts you from copying text from a post, though it has a better user interface – straightforward and streamlined – than the web version. But, you should first open your account in the mobile app before copying the link to a web browser.
Step 2: Navigate to the Post
Navigate through your Instagram feed to select the post from which you want to copy a text.
Step 3: Tap Menu Button
Tap the menu button at the top right of the post in the same line as the name of the user that shared it (the post).
The menu button is a three-dotted line (it can be horizontal or vertical, depending on your mobile app version), and you will find it as described on every post in your field.
Step 4: Copy the Link
Click on the link button in the displayed menu tab if you use an updated Android version of the Instagram app. You will find the button (a hyperlink icon) at the center of the menu tab.
On the other hand, tap ‘copy link’ from the menu options if you cannot find the described icon due to your app version or if you use an iPhone.
A ‘link copied’ notification will appear on the screen, indicating that you have successfully copied the link to your device’s clipboard.
Step 5: Open a Mobile Browser
Open your preferred mobile browser, although Google Chrome and Safari are recommendable for Android and iOS devices.
Step 6: Open the Link
In the mobile browser, open the copied link by long-pressing in the address bar and selecting paste from the pop-up options. Then, tap the ‘Go’ button on your keyboard. Depending on your keyboard interface, it may be a ‘mark’ or ‘arrow’ icon.
Step 7: Copy the Text
Long-press a word – preferably the first word in the caption – to select it, then expand the highlight bar to cover the other texts you want to copy.
You may need to tap the more button if the page does not show the whole caption. You can also drag the highlight to the comments section to select the first few comments displayed.
A pop-up bar will display after lifting your finger from the selection, and you can copy the selected text by tapping ‘copy’ from the options in the bar.
Note: You will need to tap the view all comments’ option if the text you want to copy is in a comment not displayed on the main page. It is because the comment is further down the comment section, and you can only see it when you open the comments page.
However, using this method, you will not be able to copy text – caption or comment – on the comment page. You should opt for the other methods in such a case.
Method 2: with Mobile Browser in Desktop mode
Some browsers let you open web pages in desktop mode, even on a mobile device. Thankfully, both Chrome and Safari – for Android and iPhone, respectively – support this feature, and you can do this by building on the steps in the first method above.
Open the copied link in the browser and follow the steps below:
Step 1: Go to Your Browser Menu
The menu button in the Chrome browser is the vertical three-dotted line at the top right corner of the page. Tap on this button to display the browser’s settings and other options.
Safari has a different interface from Chrome, and you need to tap the aA icon to the left of the address bar at the bottom part of the page.
Where to find a browser’s menu button varies from one browser to another, but this idea will assist you with other browsers if you do not use Chrome or Safari.
Step 2: Select Desktop Mode
Tap Desktop site from the menu options if you use Chrome or the ‘Request Desktop Website’ option using Safari.
Your device will display the Instagram page in desktop mode in both cases. You may need to rotate your device to landscape view or zoom in to see the comments.
It is advisable to download Chrome and Safari from your respective app store if you use a different browser and have trouble switching to the desktop mode; some browsers may require a few steps that are not necessary for these two browsers (Chrome and Safari).
Step 3: Copy the Text
The browser will display the post’s caption and comment on the right side of the page, and you can copy the text if you rotate your device to landscape view or zoom in first if you don’t.
However, video posts require one more step in landscape view before you can copy texts, as the video will play on full screen. Drag from the top of the screen and tap the back button to exit the full-screen mode. You can also tap the exit full-screen button at the bottom right side of the screen.
Method 3: with a Third-party App
Universal Copy is a third-party application that lets you copy texts from any image or application; It is available for Android and iOS, and you can copy text from Instagram posts with it as follows:
Step 1: Download Universal Copy
You can download and install the Universal Copy application from your device’s app store.
Step 2: Activate the App
Once the app is installed, open it and follow the instructions below to activate it.
- Tap skip on the first page.
- Tap the Universal Copy toggle at the top of the page to enable the app.
- Tap Open Settings.
- Tap Universal Copy under the Accessibility section.
- Tap the Use Universal Copy toggle.
- Allow Universal Copy to fully control your device on the following prompt by tapping Allow.
Step 3: Copy the Text
Open the Instagram post and copy the caption or comment as follows:
- Tap more to view the whole caption.
- Tap to view all comments if you want to copy text from the comments.
- Scroll through the page to display the text you want to copy; You need the desired text to display on your screen before using Universal Copy.
- Open the quick access or notification panel on your phone.
- Tap on Universal Copy and turn on its normal mode.
- Tap the text you want to copy either in the caption or comment.
- Tap copy from the options at the bottom of the page.
You can also use the OCR technology on Google Photos app.
- Install Google photos from your app store.
- Screenshot the text you want to copy on the mobile app.
- Open the screenshot image with the Google Photos app.
- Tap on Google Lens in the bottom tab of Google Photos.
- Press and hold the text you want to copy to select it.
- Tap copy text.
Method 4: With a Desktop Computer
The Instagram desktop web version lets you copy text from posts without restriction, just like when you use the mobile web on desktop mode.
Open your Instagram account with a desktop web browser and select the desired post. Next, highlight the text with your mouse, right-click on the selection, and select copy from the context menu.
You can also press the Ctrl button + C to copy the highlighted text.
Conclusion
Copying text from an Instagram post is not straightforward, but it is possible. Explore the methods in this post, and choose one that suits you most.
You may also learn quickly Why Is Instagram Blacking Out My Messages?
