Why Won’t Instagram Let Me Open a Photo in DM?

• User Case: Can’t Open Photos in DMs
• Why Won’t Instagram Let Me Open a Photo in DM?
• How to Fix Instagram Not Allowing Access to Photos
• Bonus Tip: How to Save Instagram Photos and Reels in the Highest Quality
• Conclusion

User Case: Can’t Open Photos in DMs

Why Won’t Instagram Let Me Open a Photo in DM?

Instagram may not allow you to open your photos for a number of reasons. Here are some of the most common ones:

How to Fix Instagram Not Allowing Access to Photos

After knowing “Why won’t Instagram let me open a photo”, let’s see how to fix this issue with specific steps in this part.

Solution 1. Check Permissions

► iPhone:

Step 1. Open Settings on your iPhone.

Step 2. Scroll down the page until you see “Privacy & Security”. Then, open it.

Step 3. Click “Photos” on the “Privacy & Security” page and make you grant Full Access permission to Instagram. Then, open your Instagram to see if you can open the photos.

► Android:

Depending on your device, the steps may vary slightly.

Step 1. Open Settings on your Android phone.

Step 2. Navigate to “Apps & notifications”. Then, find Instagram in the app list and click it.

Step 3. Go to “Permission” and ensure “Storage” or “Photos and media” permission is allowed.

Solution 2: Re-enable Your Instagram Access

Instagram may have a setting in the app to access certain versions of your photos. Here’s how to check (your app may vary slightly):

Step 1. Open the Instagram mobile app

Step 2. Go to your profile and tap the 3-line button in the upper-right corner.

Step 3. Select “Device permissions” under “Your app and media”.

Step 4. Open “Photos” and check if you allow Instagram to access all photos.

Other Steps to Fix the Problem

1. Restart your phone: Sometimes restarting it directly can fix short-term issues.

2. Update the Instagram app: Older versions of the app may have errors. Check the Google Play Store or App Store for updates.

3. Turn off the app and restart it: Close it completely and then re-open Instagram (swiping up on an iPhone or using the app switcher on an Android device).

4. Clear the app cache (Android only): Go to Settings > Notifications & Apps (or equivalent). Search for Instagram and select “Storage.” Look for the “Clear Cache” option. (Note: Deleting temporary files from the app cache will not delete your data).

Bonus Tip: How to Save Instagram Photos and Reels in the Highest Quality

When you use Instagram, you may want to download some photos or videos for research or archive. However, there is no built-in feature on Instagram that allows you to do so. A third-party service can help in this case. MultCloud Instagram Downloader is a free web-based tool which can extract photos and videos from a post URL and let you download them without losing the quality. Besides, Instagram Downloader supports downloading all posts' photos and videos at once with one click only.

The steps for using Instagram Downloader are easy to follow:

Step 1. Go to the MultCloud website and sign up for an account.

Step 2. Select "Instagram Downloader" in the upper place and enter the Instagram post URL in the search bar.

Step 4. Put your cursor on the photo and tap the "Download" button to save it to a local place. Or, you can tap the "Download Entire Post" button to download all the images in this post.

Conclusion

When you encounter the issue “Why won’t Instagram let me open a photo”, you can solve it with 2 basic solutions: check the Instagram permission in the phone settings or check the Instagram access in the Instagram settings. If they can’t make sense, you can try some common ways like restarting your phone or reinstalling the app. If the issue still exists, contact Instagram Support and ask the experts for help.

What’s more, when you want to save Instagram videos or photos to the local or cloud, try MultCloud Instagram Downloader. It is free to use and you can save the highest quality photos from Instagram easily.