Social media has become a key part of our lives. Services like Instagram allow us to share moments and milestones, keep in touch with friends, express ourselves creatively, and more.
But have you ever wanted to know the exact time a post was published on Instagram? The app shows relative times like "5 minutes ago," but doesn‘t reveal specific timestamps.
As a social media marketing expert with over 10 years of experience, I often need to analyze the precise posting times of content on Instagram. This helps me identify optimal times to reach my clients‘ target audiences.
In this comprehensive guide, you‘ll learn how to find the exact date, hour, minute, and second Instagram posts were published, using desktop or mobile methods.
I‘ll also discuss the reasons you might need the specific timestamp, downsides of tracking times, and alternatives for analytics.
Let‘s dive in!
Why You Can‘t See Exact Times in the Instagram App
When viewing an Instagram post in the mobile app or website, there is no precise timestamp displayed.
Instead, you see relative times like "5 minutes ago" or "Yesterday at 5:30 PM" under each post. But this doesn‘t provide the specific time down to the exact second.
According to Instagram‘s CEO, Adam Mosseri, the app intentionally hides the precise timestamps on mobile for two key reasons:
- To keep the interface clean and simple for casual browsing. Precise times could seem cluttered.
- To make content seem more lively and current. "5 minutes ago" feels newer than a static date/time.
Additionally, by restricting access to the specific times, Instagram limits the potential for users to track and analyze timestamps in bulk. This aligns with its shifting focus towards privacy.
But just because you can‘t see the exact post times directly in the Instagram app doesn‘t mean it‘s impossible to find them. There are workarounds using Instagram‘s desktop site or third party apps, which I‘ll cover next.
Viewing Precise Timestamps on Instagram Desktop
The easiest and most reliable way to find the specific time an Instagram post was published is to view it on the desktop website.
Instagram‘s mobile and desktop experiences differ significantly:
- The Instagram desktop site utilizes a more feature-rich Progressive Web App with additional functionality compared to the stripped down mobile apps.
- More metadata and information is shown and accessible on the desktop site versus the mobile experience.
- Developer tools are available on desktop that let you inspect page elements and source code.
This enables you to uncover the underlying timestamp data that is not displayed on mobile.
Here are the steps to view exact timestamp on an Instagram post from desktop:
Step 1: Open the Instagram Post on a Desktop Browser
First, go to Instagram.com and log into your account. Make sure to use the desktop site on a PC or Mac, not mobile.
You can also log out of your account to access posts from public profiles you don‘t follow.
Next, navigate to the specific Instagram post that you want to inspect the timestamp for. The easiest way is to copy the post URL on your phone and paste it into the desktop browser.
If you‘re having trouble finding the post URL, here are some tips:
- Instagram app: Tap the three dots above a post, then "Copy Link"
- Instagram mobile web: Tap the three dots, then "Copy link"
- Direct link: The URL will be
https://www.instagram.com/p/POST_ID/
Once you have the link, paste it into your desktop browser and load the post.
Step 2: Right Click the Timestamp and Click "Inspect"
When viewing the Instagram post on desktop, you‘ll see text below the photo or video indicating how long ago it was shared, like "5 minutes ago" or "November 15".
To view the hidden exact timestamp, right click on this relative timestamp. This opens a menu.
Next, click "Inspect" on the menu. This will open the browser‘s developer tools panel and show you the page‘s underlying HTML source code.
Step 3: Find the datetime Attribute and Copy the Timestamp
In the developer tools panel, search for a <time> HTML tag. Specifically, we want the datetime attribute inside it.
The raw timestamp is formatted like this:
2022-01-05T22:08:32.000Z
Double click to highlight the entire timestamp string inside the datetime attribute, then copy it.
This timestamp is in a standardized format called ISO 8601, which includes the date, hours, minutes, seconds, and UTC offset.
Step 4: Paste the Timestamp into a Converter
The ISO 8601 timestamp string we copied isn‘t very human readable. To convert it into a formatted date/time, we need to process it.
Go to a UNIX timestamp converter and paste the copied timestamp into the "String value" field. Make sure the converter is set to expect ISO 8601 formatted input.
Hit convert and it will output something like:
Wed, 05 Jan 2022 22:08:32 GMT
This final formatted timestamp shows you the exact date, hour, minute, and seconds the Instagram post was published!
Now you have the specific time the post was made public on Instagram, down to the second.
Limitations of Instagram Timestamps
While this method provides the precise Instagram post time, some caveats:
- The timestamp is when it was processed by Instagram‘s server, not necessarily the exact instant the user pressed "Share".
- The time is in UTC, not local timezones. You‘ll need to manually convert UTC to your timezone.
- Only original posts have timestamps. Shared or reposted content shows the original post date.
- Instagram strips metadata from images/videos, so no timestamp there.
Next, let‘s look at methods to try finding exact post times on mobile.
Finding Exact Post Times on Mobile
While you can‘t directly see the specific timestamps in the Instagram app itself, some third-party apps provide access on mobile devices.
However, these apps often break or have inconsistent reliability as Instagram actively tries to block access to metadata via its API terms of service.
Here are some methods to try Finding exact post times on mobile:
InSaver App
InSaver is a free app for iOS and Android that can display precise timestamps when you share an Instagram post URL with it.
To use:
- Install InSaver app on your iPhone or Android phone.
- In Instagram, copy the post URL using the "Copy Link" option.
- Open InSaver and paste the link when prompted.
- View the exact timestamp if available.
However, success rate is hit or miss as Instagram blocks its API.
Post Online and View Source Code
Another option is to upload or share the Instagram photo somewhere else online, then view the HTML source code of the page to try finding a date/time stamp.
For example:
- Download the Instagram photo or video to your phone.
- Upload it to a host like Imgur or your own website.
- On desktop browser, right click the image and view page source.
- Search for a datetime field in the metadata.
But Instagram scrubs metadata before uploading, so this method is unreliable.
EXIF Data Apps
Some mobile apps like Metapho claim they can read embedded EXIF timestamp data from Instagram videos.
However in my testing, Instagram appears to strip this metadata before uploading. So this method does not work consistently anymore.
Why Unreliable on Mobile
The reason reliably accessing exact timestamps on mobile is so difficult is that Instagram explicitly blocks it:
- The Instagram API prohibits apps from displaying precise timestamps [1].
- Metadata like EXIF data is stripped from uploads [2].
- Instagram‘s terms ban third-party apps from replicating core functionality.
For the best chance of success, I recommend using the desktop instructions above.
Why You Might Want the Exact Instagram Timestamp
Here are some of the main reasons you may want to find and analyze the specific, down-to-the-second timestamp for an Instagram post:
Time Sensitive Content
For announcements, new product launches, or time sensitive content, knowing precisely when something was posted on Instagram can be important.
Brands want to verify time-specific posts went out at the planned moment for maximum impact.
Post Scheduling and Queueing
Social media managers often schedule Instagram posts in advance to go out at optimal times. Being able to verify scheduled posts went live at the exact planned time is helpful.
Likewise, seeing timestamps helps ensure a proper queue if you have multiple posts planned in a series.
Social Media Analytics
Analyzing the specific posting times and engagement rates on Instagram helps brands identify the best times to reach their audience. While Instagram Insights provides analytics, it lacks precise timestamp data.
I consult with a variety of lifestyle and retail brands to analyze the optimal times to post on Instagram and other networks based on past post performance.
Granular timestamp data helps me provide strategic advice tailored to their audience‘s habits by day, hour, and channel.
Dispute or Legal Reasons
In some cases, the exact post time can help settle disputes or act as evidence of who shared content first. This can matter for establishing originality or ownership.
Lawyers may also request precise timestamps for legal proceedings.
Curiosity
Some Instagram users are simply curious to know the exact moment an event or meme started trending. Uncovering the first post can provide context.
For individuals, this level of timestamp tracking isn‘t always necessary or healthy. But brands often rely on hard analytics.
Should You Use Timestamps for Social Media Analytics?
While access to precise Instagram timestamps can provide helpful analytics, over-focusing on detailed times has some downsides to consider:
Significant Manual Effort
The process of extracting timestamps is technically complex for non-developers. This doesn‘t scale well for large analytics.
For an individual post here and there, it‘s reasonable. But regularly extracting times for hundreds of posts will be tedious.
Potential to Lose Macro View
When you obsess over micro-details like specific post times, it‘s easy to miss the bigger picture trends.
While hour-by-hour data is helpful, don‘t lose sight of week-over-week or month-over-month performance.
Privacy Risks
Metadata can reveal more user information than expected. While brands need analytics, individuals should be cautious sharing certain timestamped data.
Consider Simpler Alternatives
Rather than timestamp extraction, consider using Instagram‘s native Insights analytics instead. While not as granular, these provide performance averages that are often sufficient and more accessible.
Focus less on minute details, and more on tangible metrics improving week to week and month to month. Consistency matters more than one-off viral posts.
Conclusion
Finding the exact timestamp of an Instagram post is possible, but requires using Instagram‘s desktop website and understanding developer tools to inspect metadata not shown in the mobile apps.
There are valid reasons brands, social media managers, and power users may want to extract specific Instagram timestamps. But I recommend exercising caution and focusing more on macro performance trends.
Precise timestamps can provide helpful signals, but lack necessary context on their own. For most purposes, the general post times Instagram displays are sufficient.
I hope this comprehensive guide helps provide expert insight into how to extract specific post times on Instagram if you need them. Let me know if you have any other Instagram analytics questions!
