Skip to main content

How to search for filters on Instagram

a hand holding an iPhone with the Instagram app showing.
Bryan M. Wolfe / Digital Trends

You can use Instagram filters to add special effects to your photos for use on Instagram stories and posts. Whether you want to completely change the entire look of your photo or lightly jazz it up, filters are a great way to do it.

Recommended Videos

Difficulty

Easy

Duration

5 minutes

What You Need

  • Your phone

  • The Instagram app

These filters are built into the Instagram app, but some are easier to find than others. Here's how to find and use Instagram filters.

a hand holding an iPhone with the Instagram app showing.
Bryan M. Wolfe / Digital Trends

How to search for filters on Instagram

To find filters on Instagram, open the app on your iPhone or Android phone, such as the iPhone 15 Pro or Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus.

Step 1: Select your profile via the app.

Step 2: Tap the + icon at the top right. On the Create menu, choose Reel or Story, followed by the Camera icon on the next page.

Screenshots showing how to make a selection for a new post on Instagram.
Digital Trends

Step 3: Locate the magnifying glass icon at the bottom middle of the page. This is the tool for finding filters. Choose it, then explore the available filters by swiping back and forth. As you do, the live camera video or photo will change based on the selected filter.

Screenshot showing how to find effects on Instagram.
Instagram

Step 4: You can also select the effects icon on the left side of your device. This will open a new window where you can choose a filter. You can find a specific filter using the search function or browse by category, such as Trending, Reels, and Appearance. Each time you select a filter, the preview at the top will change.

Step 5: Once you've found your perfect filter, choose the preview window at the app's top to the filter gallery and continue with your post.

How to find Instagram filters on profiles

Many Instagram filters are created by Instagram users for other people to try for themselves. If you find a filter you really like, you might be interested in seeing other filters by the creator. Here's how to find them.

Step 1: First, choose their profile on Instagram. Once on their profile, tap the effects icon (it looks like three stars) above their feed to access their effects gallery.

Step 2: To save an effect, select it from the gallery, then tap the three-dot icon at the bottom right and choose Save Effect. After saving it, you can easily access that filter using the above-mentioned effects tool.

Screenshots showing how to save an effect on Instagram.
Digital Trends

Finding filters on Instagram takes a few steps, but once you find the perfect one, you can use it again and again if you want.

Bryan M. Wolfe
Bryan M. Wolfe has over a decade of experience as a technology writer. He writes about mobile.
This music app is doing something different in the Apple App Store
The Practice Pro app.

The iOS App Store is awash with apps using subscriptions and in-app payments, but our attention has been drawn to a brand new release that goes back to the old way of doing things — charging a one-off payment. It’s such a rare approach, the company has even drawn attention to it in the app’s top features list.

The app is Practice Pro, a release from developers Dynamic App Design, and it is made to help musicians practice and improve with use. The studio claims it’s suitable for professional and amateur musicians due to its clever modular design. Using different widgets, the app can be set up to only include the practice tools relevant to you, a better option than either using multiple apps, or having a cluttered, unfocused menu.

Read more
There’s a secret way to free up 7GB of storage in your iPhone
iPhone 16 Pro homescreen with an Apple Intelligence Notification Summary

If you constantly run out of space on your iOS device, you could free up as much as 7GB of data just by disabling Apple Intelligence. The iOS 18.3, iPadOS 18.3, and macOS Sequoia 15.3 updates released this past week enabled Intelligence by default, but it isn't a requirement — and if you don't want to use it or would prefer the free space, you can turn it off.

On average, Apple Intelligence requires around 7GB of storage space regardless of platform. The reason for this relatively large requirement -- especially when the operating system itself takes up a decent amount of storage -- is because Apple runs the Intelligence features on-device. This ensures greater levels of security, but it also means less memory. This is a 7GB requirement per device, according to MacRumors.

Read more
iOS 18.4 is coming: everything we know so far
An Apple iPhone showing Siri's interface.

This week, Apple rolled out the iOS 18.3 update for supported iPhones. While it may not be as feature-rich as iOS 18.1 and iOS 18.2, this update introduced several new features, including updated Notification Summaries, mobile Safari enhancements, Calculator app improvements, and various bug fixes. With this update behind us, attention will soon turn to iOS 18.4.

Although this upcoming update has not yet been released in beta form for developers, we already have some insights into what it may include.
A more aware Siri
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman expects iOS 18.4 to focus almost exclusively on a refreshed version of Siri that’s part of Apple Intelligence.

Read more