How to Fix Instagram Story Not Uploading

Your new Instagram Story is perfect, the edits are flawless, and you’re ready to share it - but it’s stuck on that dreaded Uploading… screen and won’t go away. Nothing sinks your creative momentum faster than an upload that just hangs in digital limbo. This incredibly common issue can disrupt your content flow, but fixing it is usually straightforward. This guide will walk you through every possible solution, from quick checks to more advanced troubleshooting, to get your Story live.

Start Here: The Simple Fixes That Often Work

Before you get too deep into troubleshooting, start with the most common culprits. More often than not, one of these basic steps will solve the problem in less than a minute. Think of it as the "turn it off and on again" approach for Instagram.

1. Check Your Internet Connection

This is by far the number one reason Stories fail to upload. Instagram needs a stable connection to process and post your content, especially if it's a video. A weak or intermittent signal can cause the upload to time out and get stuck.

• Switch Between Wi-Fi and Cellular Data: If you're on Wi-Fi, try turning it off and letting your phone use its cellular data. Sometimes, your home or office Wi-Fi might be slow or unstable without you realizing it. Conversely, if you're on data, try connecting to a reliable Wi-Fi network.
• Toggle Airplane Mode: A quick way to reset your phone's network connections is to use Airplane Mode. Swipe down from the top of your screen to open the control center, tap the airplane icon to turn it on, wait about 15 seconds, and then tap it again to turn it off. This forces your phone to establish a fresh connection to the network.
• Run a Speed Test: If you're still not sure, open your web browser and search for "internet speed test." A slow upload speed (ideally, you want at least 5 Mbps for smooth video uploads) will confirm that your connection is the problem.

2. Fully Close and Restart the Instagram App

Apps can get hung up on a background process or experience a temporary glitch. Force-quitting the app clears its temporary state and gives it a fresh start, often knocking a stuck upload loose.

How to Force-Close on an iPhone (with no home button):

1. Swipe up from the bottom of your screen and hold briefly in the middle.
2. This will open your app switcher, showing all your open apps.
3. Find the Instagram app and swipe up on its preview to close it.
4. Re-open the app from your home screen.

How to Force-Close on an Android:

1. Open your phone's Settings app.
2. Go to Apps or Apps &, notifications.
3. Find and tap on Instagram in the list.
4. Tap the Force Stop button.
5. Re-open the app from your home screen or app drawer.

3. Restart Your Entire Phone

If restarting the app didn't do the trick, the next logical step is to reboot your entire device. This clears your phone's memory (RAM) and shuts down any background processes from other apps that might be interfering with Instagram's connection or performance. It might sound overly simple, but you’d be surprised how often a full reboot solves stubborn app issues.

Press and hold your phone’s power button and follow the on-screen prompts to either restart or power it off. If you power it off completely, wait for about 30 seconds before turning it back on.

Is It You, or Is It Instagram?

If the basics didn't work, it's time to check if the problem is even on your end. Sometimes, Instagram itself experiences technical difficulties, and no amount of troubleshooting on your device will fix a server-side issue.

1. Check for Instagram Outages

Are other people having the same problem? A quick search can save you a lot of time. If a major Instagram server is down, tons of users will be affected, and you’ll find them talking about it online.

• Visit a Status Website: Go to a site like Downdetector. It tracks user-reported outages and will show a massive spike if there's a widespread problem.
• Search Social Media: Check platforms like X (formerly Twitter). A quick search for terms like "Instagram down" or "#instagramdown" will almost instantly tell you if you're not alone. If you see a flood of recent posts from others, you can relax and know that the problem is with Instagram, not you. All you can do is wait for them to fix it.

2. Update Your Instagram App

Running an outdated version of the app can cause all kinds of unexpected bugs and compatibility problems, including upload failures. Instagram regularly pushes out updates that include new features and, most importantly, bug fixes.

How to Check for Updates on iOS:

1. Open the App Store.
2. Tap on your profile picture in the top-right corner.
3. Scroll down to see pending updates. If you see Instagram in the list, tap Update.

How to Check for Updates on Android:

1. Open the Google Play Store.
2. Tap your profile icon in the top-right corner.
3. Select Manage apps &, device.
4. Under "Updates available," check if Instagram is listed and tap Update.

Troubleshooting Your Content and App Data

If your connection is strong, Instagram isn't down, and your app is up to date, the issue might be related to the content of your Story or the cached data in your app.

1. Review Your Story's Content

Sometimes, the specific media file or an interactive element in your Story can cause the upload process to fail.

• File Type and Size: Instagram prefers certain video formats like .MP4 and .MOV. If your video is in an obscure format, the app might struggle to process it. Also, extremely large video files or videos with a very high bitrate can time out during the upload. As a test, try uploading a much simpler Story - a simple photo or a short, unedited video - to see if it goes through. If it does, the problem likely lies with your original media file.
• Interactive Elements (Stickers, GIFs, Music): While engaging, elements like music, poll stickers, quizzes, and a large number of GIFs can sometimes trigger bugs. Try removing them. Post a version of your Story without any interactive elements. If it posts successfully, you can try adding them back one by one to identify which element caused the problem. Music rights are an especially common culprit, sometimes, a specific track might have a regional restriction that causes an upload failure.

2. Clear Instagram's Cache

An app's cache is where it stores temporary files to help it load faster. Over time, this data can become corrupted and cause performance issues, including failed uploads. Clearing it removes these temporary files without deleting your account data.

How to Clear Cache on Android:

1. Navigate to Settings > Apps > Instagram.
2. Tap on Storage &, cache.
3. Tap the Clear Cache button. Be careful not to tap "Clear Data" or "Clear Storage," as this will delete all of your login information and app settings.

How to "Clear Cache" on an iPhone:

Apple doesn't provide a simple "clear cache" button for most apps. The closest equivalent is to offload and reinstall the app, which clears out its temporary documents and data.

1. Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage.
2. Find and tap on Instagram.
3. Tap Offload App. This deletes the app but keeps your data.
4. Once it's offloaded, tap Reinstall App.

3. Free Up Space on Your Phone

If your phone's storage is nearly full, it may not have enough space to temporarily process and cache the video file before uploading it to Instagram's servers. This can cause apps to behave sluggishly or fail certain tasks. Check your storage in your phone's settings and try to free up some space by deleting old photos, unused apps, or large files.

When All Else Fails: Advanced Solutions

You’ve tried everything, from the simple to the technical, and that Story is still mocking you. Don't give up just yet. These are the last-resort options that can solve the most stubborn upload problems.

1. Reinstall the Instagram App

This is a step beyond clearing the cache. Deleting the app entirely and reinstalling it from the app store gives you a completely fresh, clean version. It can resolve deeper-rooted issues that a simple restart or cache clearing won't touch. Just make sure you know your password before you delete the app!

2. Report the Problem to Instagram

If you're confident the issue is a bug within the app that affects your specific account or device model, reporting it is the best course of action. When you make a report, you can include screenshots and detailed descriptions of the problem. This helps Instagram's engineers identify and fix bugs in future updates.

How to Report a Problem:

1. Go to your Instagram profile.
2. Tap the three horizontal lines (the "hamburger" menu) in the top-right.
3. Go to Settings and privacy.
4. Scroll all the way down and tap Help.
5. Select Report a Problem and follow the prompts. Be as descriptive as possible about what's happening.

While you aren't likely to get a personal response, these reports are critical for Instagram to track and patch recurring issues.

Final Thoughts

Getting stuck on the upload screen is a major headache, but the fix is often straightforward. By methodically working through these steps - from checking your connection and restarting the app to clearing your cache and reviewing your content library - you can usually solve the problem quickly and get back to engaging with your audience.

For my team, wrestling with random upload errors taught us how important tool stability is for staying consistent. That’s why we rely on using a modern platform like Postbase, which is built from the ground up for today’s content formats like Stories and Reels. When your publishing tool just works and you can trust that your videos will go live without technical hiccups, you get to focus on creativity instead of troubleshooting.