How To See What Time You Posted on Instagram
When scrolling through your Instagram feed, you’ll come across posts with timestamps indicating when they were posted, such as “2 hours ago,” “three days ago,” “seven days ago,” and so on. This timestamp feature is common across most social media platforms, and while the exact reason for its implementation remains uncertain, it offers valuable insights.
Understanding the timing of a successful post can help you gain a better understanding of your audience’s preferences and behavior, enabling you to tailor your content to their interests and post at optimal times for maximum engagement.
Contents
- 1 How To Check the Exact Time on Your Instagram Post Using a Desktop
- 2 Step #1: Check the Instagram Post
- 3 Step #2: Click on “Inspect”
- 4 Step #3: Copy the “Date-Time” Element
- 5 Step #4: Convert the Time Stamp
- 6 How To Check the Exact Time Using a Professional Account
- 7 Step #1: Go to Your Account Settings
- 8 Step #2: Click on Account
- 9 Step #3: Tap on “Switch to Professional Account”
- 10 Step #4: Check the Post
- 11 Step #5: Click on “View Insights”
- 12 Conclusion
How To Check the Exact Time on Your Instagram Post Using a Desktop
As mentioned earlier, this method requires the use of a third-party website and can only be performed on your computer. If you have a professional account, you can disregard this method. Follow these steps when you have access to your laptop and have logged in to your Instagram account.
Step #1: Check the Instagram Post
Using your computer’s browser, go to the post for which you want to check the time. Locate the estimated time beneath the post, which could be displayed as “1 hour ago,” “3 days ago,” “March 25,” and so on. Highlight the estimated time with your cursor and right-click on it.
Step #2: Click on “Inspect”
After right-clicking and opening the list of options, select “Inspect” from the list. This action will open a developer tools page.
Step #3: Copy the “Date-Time” Element
On the developer tools page, you will be directed to the “Elements” tab, where you will find various lines of code. However, you are only interested in one specific line of code. If you highlighted the date or estimated time in step one, you will notice that this line of code is already highlighted for you in the tab.
For instance, it will appear in the format: datetime=”2022-07-19T13:00:15.000Z”. To copy the line of numbers and letters inside the quotation marks, double-click on it and press Ctrl + C.
Step #4: Convert the Time Stamp
To make the timestamp more readable, you can use an online converter like the Coder’s Toolbox UNIX timestamp. When you access this converter on the internet, you’ll find input boxes where you can enter the data, including the timestamp you copied earlier.
Make sure to choose the “Local timezone” option, and then paste your copied timestamp into the ISO 8601 time box. The result will be displayed in the box labeled RFC 2822 time. For example, you will get a result in the format Tue, 19 Jul 2022, 14:34:03 + 01:00. This represents the exact time and date when the Instagram post was made.
What Does “F4F” Mean on Instagram?
How To Check the Exact Time Using a Professional Account
In the settings, Instagram allows you to switch from a personal account to a creator’s account. By using the creator’s account, you gain access to more detailed insights about your posts, including metrics that show how many accounts you reached, the level of engagement, and the number of profile visits. Additionally, this account type provides information about the time and date you made a post.
To check the time and date of your posts, you need to switch to the professional account and view the insights. Here are the steps to do it:
- Go to your Instagram settings.
- Select “Account.”
- Choose “Switch to Professional Account.”
- Pick the “Creator” option.
- Follow the prompts and fill in the required information for your creator account.
- Once your creator account is set up, go to your profile.
- Tap the three horizontal lines in the top right corner to open the menu.
- Click on “Insights.”
- Navigate to the “Content” section to view detailed data about your posts, including the time and date of each post.
Step #1: Go to Your Account Settings
When you’re logged in to the mobile app, click on your profile icon, and then tap the menu icon located at the top right corner of the screen. From there, select “Settings.”
Step #2: Click on Account
In the settings, click on “Account” and scroll down to the bottom. There, you’ll find the option “Switch to Professional Account.”
Step #3: Tap on “Switch to Professional Account”
Click on the option and continue to describe what your professional account is about. Once you’re finished, go back to your profile page.
Step #4: Check the Post
Go to the post you want to check its date and time. Now that you’re using a professional account, you’ll see “View insights” at the bottom left of the post.
Step #5: Click on “View Insights”
Tap on “View insights,” and you’ll be able to see the date and time the post was made. You’ll also get data on how people interacted with the post.
Conclusion
These are the steps to check your posts’ exact date and time. We recommend the professional account method as it is more straightforward, allowing you to easily access it from your phone without using a third-party website.