Tech

It's Now Super Easy To Add GIFs To Your Instagram DMs

Express your thoughts without typing a single word.

by Lauren Grant
Updated: 
Originally Published: 
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GIFs have become a way of life and a new visual language, so it's only fitting that they make an appearance on every social messaging platform. Instagram has come a long way since launching in 2010. It has gone through lots of updates, which primarily came into play once they were acquired by Facebook in 2012. The app that was once essentially just a public picture album has been getting continuous updates since the debut of Stories back in 2016. Along with now being able to see your old stories on the app, Instagram allows users to add GIFs to DMs.

As a millennial, GIFs are more than just a language. GIFs. Are. Life. How many iconic reactions have we seen throughout the years that have allowed us to express our true thoughts without having to type a single word? The blinking man GIF? Classic. The tired baby that symbolized every single human being who was reluctant to do work or just plain tired? Relatable on too many levels.

As if we needed another reason to love the app, this update follows their automatic closed captioning feature for videos and ability to post photos from your desktop. So how exactly do you access the GIFs, aka the language of millennials? Luckily, it’s relatively simple!

For starters, make sure your app is up to date. Only the latest version has GIF capabilities. Next:

  • Open the app and click the message button in the top right hand corner
  • Select a message and open
  • Click the “+” sign in the message bar to scroll out the options
  • Tap the smiley face to open GIPHY
  • Click the GIF button on the bottom right corner
  • Search and add your GIF

Once again, Instagram has reminded us why it's one of the least stressful and more fun of the social app choices. Thanks, Instagram. You’ve done good.

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