Overview
If you receive the following error while publishing an Instagram post from Birdeye:
“Instagram doesn't support this media format. Update the file to a supported format and try again.”
Instagram could not process the media attached to your post. This may occur if the file format or specifications are not supported, or if the media upload failed during processing.
Why This Happens
This error can occur for one of the following reasons:
The uploaded image or video does not meet Instagram's supported media specifications.
The media file is corrupted or could not be processed successfully.
The media upload failed during processing.
A temporary issue occurred while Instagram was preparing the media for publishing.
How to Resolve the Issue
1. Verify your media format
Ensure your media meets Instagram's supported specifications.
Images
JPEG or PNG format
Recommended resolutions:
1080 × 1080 px (Square)
1080 × 1350 px (Portrait)
1080 × 566 px (Landscape)
Videos
MP4 or MOV format
H.264 video codec
Duration between 3 and 60 seconds for feed posts
2. Check the file size
Ensure your media does not exceed Instagram's supported limits.
Images: up to 8 MB
Videos: up to 100 MB
3. Re-upload the media
If the media meets Instagram's requirements but the error persists:
Remove the media from your post.
Upload the file again.
Try publishing the post.
Re-uploading the media creates a new upload session, which can resolve temporary processing issues.
4. Export the media again (if needed)
If the problem continues, export or convert the image or video into a supported format and upload the newly generated file.
If the Issue Persists
If you've confirmed that the media meets Instagram's requirements and the error continues:
Try publishing with a different media file to determine whether the issue is file-specific.
If the issue persists across multiple files, contact Birdeye Support for further assistance.
Additional Information
Instagram validates uploaded media before publishing. If the uploaded file doesn't meet Instagram's requirements or the media processing fails, publishing will not complete until a supported file is uploaded.