If you've been on social media since your teenage years, chances are you shared some relatively cringe-worthy things back in the day. Whether you simply want to see how far you've come or find the perfect #ThrowbackThursday picture, looking at old posts can be a lot of fun. But if you're searching for a specific post, you might find yourself wondering if you can search within your own Instagram photos.
Unfortunately, Instagram doesn't offer a native search feature for old content or photos you posted on the social media platform. Instead, you can only look up account names, hashtags, and places that have been geotagged. If you have thousands of Instagram posts because you share every single detail of your life on the app (guilty!), finding the post you're looking for can take some time, especially if you don't know when you shared it. If you don't want to sit down and scroll all day, understandable — you can get creative with some workarounds, although they aren't super quick fixes. Still, these solutions are slightly easier than mindlessly scrolling and squinting at image previews, and they can save you some time as you try to find an old Instagram post.
1Search Hashtags
This suggestion works best if you use niche hashtags on your posts — for example, I used the same hashtag on all of the pictures I shared from my wedding, so it's easier to look up that hashtag instead of scrolling through my feed. If you've posted using popular tags, though, this isn't the fastest way to search old posts.
2Use Instagram Insights
If you have an Instagram business account, you can use Insights to narrow down old posts. Go to your profile, open the Instagram menu in the upper right corner of the screen, then tap Insights. From there, tap "See All" under posts. You can sort posts by how many comments and likes they've gotten, which can help you find an old post that received a lot of engagement relatively quickly.
3Check Instagram Memories
This won't help you if you're looking for a specific post, but if you simply want to see old things you've posted, checking Instagram Memories is a quick way to do so. Open the Instagram menu on your profile, and tap Archive. From there, select Stories and scroll to the bottom of the screen — you'll see a post that you shared on this day in previous years.
4Scroll On A Computer
This may seem silly, but it can actually make things easier. Constantly scrolling on your phone is a pain and bad for your thumbs. Using a computer with a mouse can make your scrolling experience feel a little bit more pleasant. Just log in on the Instagram desktop website, and you'll find your post in no time.
Unless Instagram integrates a feature that lets you search and sort your pictures, finding older posts will always take a little while. Just know that the satisfaction you'll feel after discovering what you're looking for will be worth it.
