How to Fix GIF Not Working on Instagram

Is the GIF that you’re trying to upload not working on Instagram?

Maybe you’re looking to post a GIF on Instagram but you’re unable to.

Or maybe you want to send a GIF in your camera roll as a direct message but it isn’t working.

Either way, there are solutions that you can use to fix these issues.

It can be frustrating because you might be trying to send a GIF as a direct message.

However, the GIF happens to be an image, and not an actual GIF.

When you tap to view it, the GIF isn’t animated.

Instead, it’s sent as a normal image (PNG) that doesn’t move.

In this article, you’ll learn why your GIF is not working and three different workarounds for it.

At the end of the article, you should be able to send a working GIF to someone.

1. Why is my GIF not working on Instagram?
2. How to fix GIF not working on Instagram
3. Why is GIF search on Instagram not working?
4. Conclusion

Why is my GIF not working on Instagram?

Your GIF is not working because Instagram does not support the GIF file type.

Instagram only supports PNG and MP4 file types (photo/videos).

The GIF file type is not supported on Instagram.

Instagram only supports PNG and MP4 file types—they do not support GIFs.

So, if you’re trying to post a GIF on Instagram, you won’t be able to.

When you access your camera roll, the GIF that you want to post will not be shown.

So don’t be surprised if you don’t see your GIFs when you access your camera roll from Instagram.

Only photos and videos can be posted from your camera roll to Instagram.

Similarly, if you’re trying to send a GIF as a direct messages, you won’t be able to as well.

If you were to send a GIF as a direct message, it will turn into a normal image.

The image will not be animated as Instagram does not support GIF file types.

How to fix GIF not working on Instagram

There are three workarounds to fix GIFs that are not working on Instagram.

You can either upload your GIF to GIPHY, convert the GIF to MP4, or send GIFs via GIPHY if you’re looking to send it as a direct message.

Either upload your GIF to GIPHY (and retrieve it as an MP4), convert the GIF to MP4, or send GIFs via GIPHY if you’re direct messaging someone.

As the GIF file type is unsupported on Instagram, you can only post GIFs by searching for them on the app.

As the GIF file type is not supported on Instagram, the only way you can post it with the animation is to convert it to a supported file type.

You can do so via uploading the GIF on GIPHY or converting it to MP4 using an online file converter.

Otherwise, you won’t be able to post the GIF on Instagram.

Alternatively, if you’re direct messaging someone on Instagram, you can send them a GIF via the GIPHY search function.

The GIPHY search function is available in your direct messages where you can use to search for your favorite GIFs to send.

1. Upload your GIF to GIPHY

The first method is to upload your GIF to GIPHY.

Upload your GIF to GIPHY > tap on the airplane icon > share it to Instagram > enter your email > save the video you received via email to your camera roll.

GIPHY has a feature that automatically converts your GIF to MP4.

If you’re looking to post a GIF on Instagram, this method is for you.

To begin with, you need to upload the GIF from your camera roll to GIPHY.

Once it’s uploaded, tap on the “airplane” icon to share it and then select Instagram.

When you try to share the GIF that you uploaded to GIPHY on Instagram, there will be a pop-up message that informs you that Instagram does not support GIFs.

After which, you’ll be prompted to key in your email.

The GIF that you uploaded will then be converted into an MP4 format and sent to your email.

Finally, you can post the MP4 file on Instagram as a video.

Here is a step-by-step guide on how you can do this on a mobile device:

1. Log in to GIPHY.
2. Tap on the “+” icon to upload a photo/video.
3. Select the GIF that you want to post on Instagram.
4. After it’s uploaded, tap on the “paper airplane” icon.
5. Tap on Instagram.
6. Enter your email address.
7. Save the video that is sent to your inbox.
8. Post it on Instagram!

After you keyed in your email address, the GIF that you uploaded to GIPHY will be converted into an MP4 file format.

After which, you can post it as a video on Instagram.

2. Convert GIF to MP4

The next method is pretty straightforward—converting your GIF to MP4.

Online converter tool > upload your GIF > tap on the upload button > save the video to your camera roll.

Since Instagram doesn’t support GIFs, you can convert it to a video if you want to post it (with the animation).

This is because if you were to send a GIF as a direct message, it’ll be sent as a normal image.

However, by converting the GIF to MP4, you can send it as a video with the animation.

To convert your GIF to MP4, do a Google search for, “GIF to MP4”.

There are lots of free tools online that you can use to convert your GIF to MP4.

In this example, we’ll be using ezgif.com.

1. Go to ezgif.com.
2. Upload your GIF by selecting “Choose File”.
3. Tap on “Upload” to convert your GIF.

Once your GIF has been converted to MP4, save it to your camera roll.

You can now post the converted GIF to Instagram as a video.

You can also send it as a direct message without compromising the animation.

Although the file format is not a GIF, it’ll still play as intended—but not automatically.

3. Send GIFs via GIPHY

The final method is to send GIFs via GIPHY.

Instagram has a direct message feature where you can search for GIFs to send via GIPHY search.

This can be used if you want to send a GIF as a direct message.

If you’re looking to send a very popular GIF, you can try searching for it on Instagram via GIPHY search.

In most cases, you should be able to find the GIF that you’re looking for by searching for it.

However, if the GIF that you’re trying to send is not on GIPHY, then you’ll have to use the first couple of methods instead.

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how you can do this:

1. Go to your chat on Instagram.
2. At the right side of the message field, tap on the “+” icon.
3. Tap on the “smiley face” sticker.
4. Search for related GIF tags (e.g. dog, cat).
5. Send the GIF!

Using this method, you can easily send GIFs in your chat without having to go through the hassle of converting GIFs in your camera roll.

If you can’t find the GIF you’re looking for, don’t worry.

There are thousands of GIFs in GIPHY, so you can use an alternative instead.

Why is GIF search on Instagram not working?

If your GIF search on Instagram is not working, it could either mean that your app isn’t updated to the latest version, or because of a glitch.

Many Instagram users reported that the GIF search function is not working in early August of 2020.

The error is a known bug that can be typically resolved after updating the app,

In early August of 2020, many Instagram users had issues with the GIF search.

No matter what you type, GIFs will not show up on the search results.

If your GIF search is not working on Instagram, are two solutions you can try in order to fix it.

You can either try deleting and reinstalling the app or wait for the next update.

Deleting and reinstalling the app can help solve the issue as it’ll delete all of its locally stored data.

In addition, the app will be updated to the latest version (if there any updates) when you reinstall it.

At times, certain functions in the Instagram app are not working properly because the previous update has introduced bugs to it.

If that’s the case, the problem lies on Instagram’s end and not yours—so there’s nothing you can really do about it.

As such, you might have to wait until Instagram releases a new update that fixes those issues.

Then, you can update the app as soon as it’s released.

Conclusion

If your GIFs aren’t working on Instagram, it can be frustrating.

GIFs are important as it makes conversations more fun.

It can also be used to emphasize your emotion, mood, or response to something.

If your GIFs aren’t working, you can use the solutions in this article to fix it.

To recap, there are three workarounds you can try to fix GIFs on Instagram—upload your GIF to GIPHY, convert the GIF to MP4, or send GIFs via GIPHY.

In the event that the GIF search function is not working on Instagram, you can either try deleting and reinstalling the app or update it to the latest version.

Further Reading

How to See Who I Accidentally Unfollowed on Instagram?

Add Post to Your Story Missing on Instagram (How to Fix)

Instagram Music Isn’t Available in Your Region (How to Fix)

Author: Lim How Wei is the founder of Followchain. Feel free to follow him on Instagram.