Here's Everything You Need To Know About Navigating Instagram's New Layout

Even though it's been a week since Instagram released its whopper of an update on Thursday, Nov. 12, you might still find yourself having trouble navigating the new layout. Since Instagram's layout has been the same for quite some time, the sudden change has even regulars on the 'Gram a little confused. One of the biggest changes is the location of the "create a post" button, so if you're not sure where to find it, here’s how to post with Instagram’s new update.

In Instagram's Nov. 12 blog post announcing the change, Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, said the main focus of the update was to add a new Reels tab and Shop tab to the homepage. But by adding the two new tabs, many other buttons were shifted around, including the post button. When you open Instagram, you’ll notice the bottom menu looks quite different, because the create a post option used to be in the middle.

Now, from left to right on the bottom, you’ll see the Home tab (which looks like a house); the Explore tab (which looks like a magnifying glass, and where you can also search for keywords and hashtags); the Reels tab (which looks like a clapboard); the Shop tab (which looks like a shopping bag); and finally, your profile tab (which looks like an outline of a person). At the top right corner, you'll see the create a post tab (which looks like a plus sign); the notification tab (which looks like a heart); and the DM tab (which looks like a message bubble).

If you're looking for where to post on your grid or Story and feeling lost, here's what to know:

How To Post On Your Grid With Instagram's New Update:

1. Open Instagram to the homepage.
2. Look at the top right corner of the screen. You’ll see three buttons there, with the first being the create a post button (+). Tap on it.
3. The default page to create a post is your photo gallery for both Android and iOS users, but if you want to take a picture, there's a slight difference. For Android users, you’ll need to tap on the camera icon to the far right of the middle bar next to “Select Multiple." If you have an iPhone, you'll see the camera icon in your gallery page as the first photo, so tap there to take a picture.
4. The rest of the process is the same. Take a picture or select a picture to upload, edit, add a caption and hashtags, and post.

How To Post A Story With Instagram's New Update:

The create a post button at the top left of the homepage serves as an all-in-one spot for anything you want to post. To change what you're creating, tap or swipe the bottom menu, which reads Post, Story, Reel, and Live, from left to right.

You can also create a Story by tapping "your Story" at the top left of the homepage. If you have a Story up already, simply tap the blue plus sign (+) at the top left of your Story. From there, you can create a Story, or you can also switch to create a post by tapping “Post” on the bottom menu, to the left of the “Story” button. The Stories Camera brings up the same four options options at the bottom — Post, Story, Reel, and Live — so you can easily switch between what you're creating if you need to.

How To Create A Reel With Instagram's New Update:

To create a Reel, you'll go to either your Stories Camera in the top left of the homepage (your Stories photo), or you can use the create a post button (+) in the top right corner of the homepage. If you use the Stories Camera, you'll automatically be on Story creation. To get to the Reel creation tab, tap where you see "Reel" on the bottom menu, to the right of "Story."

If you're using the create a post button, you'll use the bottom menu again. Tap where it says "Reel" to the right of "Story" or swipe right twice.

The major change to the new arrangement is that if you're in any of the other tabs, you'll need to go back to the Home tab to create a post since the option is no longer anchored to the bottom of the screen. Once you've figured out where the new post button on Instagram is, you'll get used to the new layout in no time.