How to Put a Location in an Instagram Photo or Video

By
Elise Moreau
Elise Moreau
Elise Moreau
Freelance Contributor
  • University of Ontario
  • George Brown College
Elise Moreau is a writer that has covered social media, texting, messaging, and streaming for Lifewire. Her work has appeared on Techvibes, SlashGear, Lifehack and others.
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Updated on September 29, 2022
Close up of pushpins on roadmap route
JGI/Jamie Grill / Getty Images

What to Know

  • Take photo/video > tap arrow/Next > tap Add location > select location > tap Share when finished.
  • Optional: Add a caption, add tags, select social media sharing details.
  • Tap a location tag on a post to access the Photo Map.

This article explains how to add location information to a photo or video posted on Instagram, without needing to state it in the caption. Locations are displayed at the top of each Instagram post once they're published, right beneath the username.

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Get Started With Location Tagging on Instagram

Personal perspective view of a young man taking picture with smart phone of a cafe table with breakfast served in skillets
Alexander Spatari / Getty Images

The first thing you need to do is snap a photo or film a video through Instagram (or upload an existing one) and make any necessary edits. Crop, brighten and add filters as desired.

Once you're happy with everything, press the arrow or "Next" button in the upper right corner, which takes you to the caption and tagging page. This is where you can add a location.

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Add to Photo Map

On the page where you fill in all the details about your Instagram post, you should see a menu option in the middle of the screen labeled "Add location" along with recommended selections.

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Name This Location

Tap Add location to bring up a search bar and a list of nearby locations.

You can either choose one of the locations displayed in the list, which is generated by your device's GPS, or you can start typing the name of a specific location in the search bar if you don't see it in the list.

If you don't see a list of recommended nearby locations, tap the GPS arrow in the top-left corner of the screen. This will make Instagram repopulate the list with location data for your area.

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Add Caption/Tagging/Sharing Details

Adding location to post in instagram

Now that you have a location selected, it should be displayed beneath the "Tag products" menu item. You can then add a caption, tag any friends, set which social networks you want to share it on and then hit the Share button in the upper corner to post it on your Instagram feed.

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Look for the Location Tag

Once you've published your photo or video, you should be able to see the location just beneath your username right above your post. And if you tap the location name in your post, you should notice that your photo or video will also be tagged to the location as shown on Instagram's map.

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Tap the Location to See Photos from Other Users

Viewing a location's posts in Instagram

Any location you add to a photo or video acts as a live link, so after you've published it, you can actually tap it to bring up the Map page for that specific location in order to see more photos from other Instagram users who also geotagged their photos and videos.

You can choose to see either the Top or most Recent posts, so as more photos and videos are added, yours will move down the feed. Feeds for locations that get lots of visitors, like tourist attractions, tend to move pretty fast.

You can disable the location tagging feature anytime by turning off location permissions for Instagram before you make a new post. Open Settings and select Instagram > Location, then choose Never to stop the app from using your location data.

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