It’s very easy to add an instagram feed to WordPress, there are a number of different plugins you can use, but Google Blogger is less flexible. However, lightwidget.com has a great, easy, fast and free way to add a beautiful instagram feed to your Blogger blog. Note before you start: if your blog is NOT set to a custom domain, eg. you have a blog at mydomain.blogspot.com, you WILL need to upgrade to the premium version of the plugin for it to show up. The fee for this is $10, and it is a one-time payment. Also, at this point, July 2018, most viewers will be viewing your blog via secure connection (https:// vs. http://). So in order to ensure that most viewers will be able to see your instagram widget, you should upgrade to the pro widget for $10 to ensure maximum compatibility. Please keep in mind I am not an affiliate or reseller for Lightwidget, I simply am a blogger who has found a product that seems to work well. We are not responsible for changes in Lightwidget’s payment plan or compatibility. You can follow the step by step tutorial below, or watch my video above!
To start, go to www.lightwidget.com.
Step 1:
Click on the green Log in with Instagram box, and log into your instagram account. You will need to click to allow Lightwidget access to your instagram. Don’t worry, this is fine, it won’t autopost or affect your instagram feed.
Step 2:
You will be redirected back to Lightwidget. Now you can choose the appearance settings for your widget. You can also filter photos by hashtag if you wish. To show your instagram feed as a full grid across the bottom of your blog, copy the settings in this screenshot. If you want to just use the widget on your blog sidebar, 3 columns and 3 rows should work. The widget will auto-fit to the width of your sidebar. You can also choose an image hover effect if you wish. If you want more white space between your photos, set the padding to around 5px.
Step 3:
If you want all of your photos to be cropped into a square, click the Square Crops box.
Step 4:
Now just click the gray Get Code! button
Step 5:
Your widget is ready, yay! Now just click the green Copy to Clipboard button. This will copy the widget code to your computer.
Step 6:
Now, log into your Blogger blog. On the Layout tab (select from the list on the left), scroll down to the footer (if you want the widget to appear in the footer). Click on the Add a Gadget link. This will open a popup window, select HTML/Javascript. Now paste the code you copied in Step 5 into the window. Click the orange Save button. If you prefer to add your widget to the sidebar, follow the same steps but add into the Sidebar, not Footer area. Voila! When you save your changes, the instagram feed will appear in your blog footer. You do not need to update, photos will be added as you add them to instagram. Note: if your blog is NOT set to a custom domain, eg. you have a blog at mydomain.blogspot.com, you WILL need to upgrade to the premium version of the plugin. The fee for this is $10, and it is a one-time payment. Enjoy, and feel free to post any questions below!
25 Responses
Dont understand why you tell us about the fact that you have to pay at the end of the tutorial? Misleading.
Hi there that’s a good point, I’m definitely not an affiliate and I don’t get a commission or anything from Lightwidget, it just seems to be the best Blogger widget to show Instagram feeds that I have found. I added a note to the top of the post as well about the fee if you’re not on a custom domain thanks for reading!
I definitely saw the $10 fee underneath your picture up there, right at the beginning of the demonstration and i don’t know why Ellis is talking about misleading?
Thank you for reading Brigitte! Yes, I’ve tried to highlight that since this tutorial was made most blogs are now appearing at https:// so unfortunately one does need to purchase the full widget for it to work on all domains, but still I think $10 is a pretty reasonable one time fee. Thank you again for stopping by!
Same! it was really misleading. I was so excited to check thst you only need to pay in the end.
https://awomansmodedevie.blogspot.com/
Hi guys yes I have moved the info about possibly having to pay to the beginning of the tutorial so users will know that dependent on how their blogger domain is set up, they may need to purchase the pro version, thank you for reading!
Hi guys thanks so much for reading, I have added text to the beginning of the tutorial that indicates that you MAY have to pay for the premium version dependent on how your domain is set up in Blogger, hopefully that will eliminate any confusion. Thank you!!
This was an amazing tutorial – thank you!
Thanks so much for reading Kris I really appreciate it!!!
Thank you so much for reading I really appreciate it!
Excellent site. Plenty of useful info here. I’m sending it to some buddies ans additionally sharing in delicious.
And obviously, thanks on your effort!
Thank you Bibit that is much appreciated!
Thank you for this- both the video and the step by step for those of us who like to read along. This was exactly what I was looking for and so easy. I ended up needing the upgrade but am sure it will be worth it.
Off to explore the rest of your site- it is so visually appealing and I’m sure there’s so much more I can learn!
I’m so glad! Thank you so much for reading I really appreciate it!
Very helpful tutorial. I paid for it but it’s not updating on my blog. Is it an immediate purchase?
Nevermind disregard my prior comment!
I am so sorry, but I just need to confirm something… I can’t see the widget myself when I click on”view my blog” but I can see it from a third party. Is that normal?
Thanks!
Hey Taylor I think this is most likely because you are viewing both http and https. Https view is not available with the free widget so I would assume when you see the widget, you are viewing in http and when you can’t see it you are viewing in https. I couldn’t say 100% but this is my guess, if the $10 is not much to you it might be worth it to purchase the premium plugin in case this is the issue, that would be my best guess! However I will let you know that I can see the scrolling widget just fine when I went to your blog link, so it might be that it just doesn’t show up in preview mode. 🙂
You are the Best!!!
Donna that’s awesome!!! And I’m so glad to hear from you and I’m so glad you’re still blogging! I recently painted our condo and I’d like to think I found the perfect gray! Mwah!!!
hi i just tried this out but the widget in my footer says, I have to upgrade my widget but as mentioned in your blog my blogger domain should be a custom domain. I have a custom domain then why should I still pay 10 dollars? help please thanks.
Hi Amy! Yes, I have posted an update at the top, as of July 2018 most domain registrars are now supporting https:// (or SSL certificates) so if your domain appears at https://yourdomain.com, you will want to purchase the upgrade for maximum compatibility. I’m not an affiliate or reseller I just like to help people find things that work for them so I’m not associated with Lightwidget in any way, but the $10 is a one-time fee, a lot of plugins make you pay a subscription fee but this is one time only so it might be worth it ensure maximum compatibility, totally down to you! Thank you so much for reading!
I thank you so much. This really works very well. I came across your site and is very informative. Thank you again!
Thank you so much for taking the time to make this tutorial! So very kind of you!
Thank you for reading, Michelle! I’m so glad it was helpful! Now that most blogs are served over https:// you do need to pay for the upgraded version but still, it’s really the best and easiest way to show your instagram feed on Blogger!