The short answer: on iPhone, there is a switch in the app
The iPhone version of Instagram has a setting that stops HDR display. Go to your profile, tap the menu in the top right, and find Media quality — in recent versions it sits under Your app and media. Turn on Disable display of HDR media. Older versions called it Disable HDR video playback.
Then close Instagram completely and open it again. Without the restart, posts already loaded keep showing in HDR, which is why many people think the switch did nothing.
The setting only changes what you see. The posts themselves stay HDR, and everyone else still sees them bright.
Simulated. On the screen you are reading this on, both halves are identical — an ordinary display has no extra brightness to give. This is how the difference reads on an HDR display.
On Android, the setting is missing
At the time of writing the Android app has no equivalent switch, which is why so many people search for it and cannot find it. On Android the controls are on the phone's side.
On a Samsung Galaxy, go to Settings, Advanced features, Video brightness and choose Normal to stop videos jumping in brightness. Other brands sometimes have an HDR or vivid-video option under Display. Battery Saver limits HDR playback on some phones.
It is turned off and posts are still too bright
First, fully close and reopen the app. That fixes most cases.
If it still does not work, you are not alone: there are recent reports that an app update made the switch stop working for some people. Until that is fixed, the dependable option on an iPhone is Low Power Mode, which limits HDR display system-wide and removes almost all of the glare.
Turning screen brightness down does not help. The lower your brightness, the more power the phone keeps in reserve for HDR, which is why the glare is worst in a dark room at night.
Why only some posts are that bright
An ordinary photo cannot be brighter than your screen's white. An HDR photo carries a hidden grayscale image called a gain map that tells the display how much extra brightness each area may use, and an HDR phone obeys it — so those areas go past normal white.
Most of these posts are not made on purpose. iPhone 12 and later, Pixel 8 and later and recent Galaxy phones shoot HDR by default, so people post straight from the camera roll. Some advertisers and creators do it deliberately, because a post that outshines the feed is hard to scroll past.
Posting without HDR yourself
Instagram has no setting that makes your uploads ordinary. Disable display of HDR media only changes your own screen; your followers still get the HDR file.
For video, turn HDR off in the camera before filming: on an iPhone that is Settings, Camera, Record Video, HDR Video. For photos, posting a screenshot is the simple, reliable fix, at some cost in resolution; exporting from an editor such as Lightroom with HDR output off and sRGB colour is the cleaner route.
To check whether a photo you are about to post carries HDR, run it through the checker on this site.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the HDR setting on Instagram?
On iPhone: profile, the menu in the top right, Media quality (under Your app and media in recent versions), then turn on Disable display of HDR media and restart the app.
Why can't I find the HDR setting on Android?
The Android app does not have it at the time of writing. Use the phone's own settings instead — Video brightness on Samsung, or Battery Saver.
I turned it off but Instagram is still too bright. Why?
Close the app completely and reopen it. If that does not help, the switch may not be working after an update; Low Power Mode on an iPhone is the reliable fallback.
Does it turn off HDR for Reels and Stories too?
Yes. Disable display of HDR media applies to photos and videos, including Reels and Stories.
Can I post to Instagram without HDR?
Not with an Instagram setting. Turn off HDR Video in the camera before filming, and for photos post a screenshot or an export with HDR switched off.
Does turning off HDR lower the quality?
No. Posts show at the same brightness as the rest of your screen; resolution and colour are unchanged.