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 reels for research or archive. However, this is no built-in feature on Instagram that allows you to do so. A third-party service can help in this case. MultCloud Image Saver is a free web-based tool which can extract the photos and reels of a post or profile and let you download them without losing the quality. Besides, Image Saver supports saving all photos of a profile to the cloud at once. Therefore, you can save both time and local storage.

The steps for using Image Saver are easy:

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

Step 2. Select “Image Saver” in the left sidebar and choose “Save Instagram Images”.

Step 3. Go to Instagram, find your desired post, and click the 3-dot icon. Then, click “Copy link” in the menu.

Step 4. Paste the link in the “Save Instagram Images” blank and click “Fetch Now” beside it.

Step 5. Put your cursor on the photo and tap the downward arrow. Or, you can tap the “Save All to Cloud” icon to save this photo on your desired cloud after adding this cloud to MultCloud.

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 Image Saver. It is free to use and you can save the highest quality photos from Instagram easily.