It is very easy download full size instagram profile photos if we know how to do it, even if it is an option that Instagram does not integrate by default and requires the use of external tools or some additional tricks.
At the time, we already explained how to edit your Instagram profile photo, and now we're going to go a little further with a more advanced tutorial, which is used to see the full-size thumbnail that appears in profiles and then save it.
This system can be used for download our profile picture, in case we didn't save a full-size copy. It also works with photos from other users, but in that case we have to be careful with how we use them.
While it is technically possible to download their photos, the original account is the owner of the image, so we have to respect their copyright and of course not use it to annoy the user, as the profile photo is also public in private profiles.
Download using a tool
The simplest is to use a specialized website, such as those that allow you to view Stories without an Instagram account, bypassing the limitations of the social network. Not everyone supports profile photos, so in our tutorial we've picked one that does:
- We enter the StoriesDown site (from mobile or computer) for free with this link:
Website: StoriesDown
- In the box that indicates «Enter instagram username» we write the username of the account (without the @ symbol) and then click on "Near":
- We will touch on the option «View profile picture in full size» (in Spanish means «see the profile picture in full size») which appears:
- A pop-up window opens, we will press there "Download" («download») to download the image:
- We will already have downloaded the profile photo in the usual folder, if we did it from a mobile phone, the fastest way to see it will be to click on the "Open" button that appears in the lower area of the browser:
Other websites to download profile photos
While StoriesDown is a good option to download Instagram profile photos and does it in full size as well, a sometimes it can fail if too many concurrent users access it or suffers from other technical problems.
So here's a couple of alternative web pages, which basically work the same way:
Website: InstaDP
Website: SaveInsta
Another possibility is the app to download profile pictures that exist on Android, such as the following:
- Scarica Big Profile Photo per Android
- Download Download profile picture for Instagram for Android
Apps work almost identically to apps, although they can have problems downloading in full screen. But they let us see the Instagram profile photos in large size and we just need to take a screenshot so that they are saved in high quality.
Download from Chrome to your desktop
One option that saves us from depending on third parties is to download profile photos using the developer tools in a desktop browser (Windows, Mac or Linux). In this example we will be using Google Chrome, which is the easiest to use for this task.
The steps may seem a bit complex (this is a section for advanced users), but they are easy to apply if you follow them carefully:
- We need to enter the profile whose photos interest us from Chrome on a computer, the address to enter will be in this format:
instagram.com/username
- That is, after the slash «/» we will enter the username, but without the sign. For example, in our @elgrupoinformatico account the correct link would be this: instagram.com/elgrupoinformatico
- Now you need to access the Chrome developer tools, you can do it directly by pressing simultaneously Ctrl+Shift+l (it's one of the browser's keyboard shortcuts) or enter this path from the menu in the upper right corner:
Menu -> More Tools -> Developer Tools
- A panel opens on the right, in the upper area we choose the «Application» tab and in the dropdown menu go first to «Frames», then to «Top» and then to «Images». This would be the full path:
Application -> Frames -> Top -> Pictures
- Next we will look into photos one by one looking for profile picture, since the names are strings of numbers, we'll be guided by the preview that appears on the right:
- Instagram generates profile photos of various sizes, we will avoid the 150 x 150 px thumbnail and we will choose the full size image, which can have dimensions of 320 x 320 px or 640 x 640 px (depending on the quality in which it was uploaded).):
- On the image name right click on mouse and in the menu that opens we choose «Save image»:
- The photo will come saved full size in the folder we configured in Chrome to download the files, or it will ask us where to save it if we have chosen that option.
Bottom line, that's enough easy to download full size instagram profile photos, although it is not an option that the application includes by default. If we want to continue delving into the tricks of the social network, we have explained how to download filters for Instagram that make our Stories much more original.
