Installation
The program is only available on Ubuntu via a Debian package file. To install it, head over to the download page on its website. Once you’ve down loaded it, you’ll need to install the package. This can be done in a few ways: double-clicking it to install it through the Ubuntu software center or by installing the package via the terminal by entering the following command.
Once this command has finished running, the packaging tool will have installed 4kstogram to your system. It’s disappointing that there isn’t a source tarball or at least a PPA/repository available for this program, but overall the installation isn’t very painful.
Usage
Using this tool to download is pretty easy. Just open the program and go to the search box. In the search area, simply enter your Instagram username. When you do, the program will pull up every image and video on your account and start downloading them to your machine. Soon after, the entirety of your Instagram account will be backed up in your Pictures folder.
Along with image backups, 4k Stogram is able to back up any Instagram video in the Mp4 file format. This is good because Mp4 is perhaps the most used file format available today. The video backups are located in the same directory that the photo backups are (/home/username/Pictures/4k Stogram/). It’s a shame that the picture and video export directories are not separated because sifting through tons of unorganized tiles can be tedious.
Backing up videos and pictures from publicly available Instagram accounts is handy, but what about accounts that are set to private? Luckily, 4k Stogram can also download images from non-public accounts too! All you have to do is click on Edit, then Preferences. This will open up a small settings window. Inside it, just enter your username and password, and soon the program will be able to back up all of the images locked away in your private Instagram account!
Along with downloading, it’s also possible to export searched users as individual files. This means you can search for a particular username, download all images available, and then save the search for later. This is a handy feature. However, because the version of 4k Stogram given out for free is a “trial version,” you’re given certain limits. Overall, the trial version limits aren’t too hindering for someone looking to just back up their own account.
Pros/Cons
Pros
Though it only supports Ubuntu, the program appears to get updated very frequently Allows the backing up of any user regardless of knowing login info (if the user is public) Support for private accounts (if you have the correct login information) Downloads videos along with pictures Cross-platform
Cons
No PPA or repository available so users can get steady updates Only officially supports Ubuntu Not open source and requires a “software license” to remove limits Doesn’t organize exported videos and pictures in separate directories
Conclusion
Overall, 4k Stogram is a very competent program that does exactly what it sets out to do. There aren’t many other ways to download Instagram data on Linux, so this program is probably one of the only choices people have. Though it does have its share of issues, I’d have no problem recommending this program to Linux users looking for a quick way to get their Instagram posts backed up. Have you ever used 4k Stogram? Tell us your thoughts below!
