This HuffPost Canada page is maintained as part of an online archive.

How To Do Top Nine On Instagram

See what your most liked posts are.
DeanDrobot via Getty Images

It's that time of year again, when everyone takes to Instagram to post those nifty grid collages of their top nine, most-liked photos of the past year.

If you've been wondering how to get into the Instagram Top Nine fun, here's a step-by-step guide.

How to do Best Nine on desktop computer

The collages are not an Instagram feature, so the simplest option is to go to a site like Top Nine or Best Nine, enter your Instagram user name, and wait the service to spit out a composite image.

2017bestnine website.
HuffPost Canada Owned
2017bestnine website.

Best Nine is fastest. It creates a collage in a few seconds, and gives you the option of either getting the collage with a built-in Instagram comment or just the square with all nine photos.

2017bestnine collage, with total number of likes.
HuffPost Canada Owned
2017bestnine collage, with total number of likes.

On the other hand, Top Nine will ask for your email so it can send you a copy of your collage.

Top Nine homepage.
HuffPost Canada Owned
Top Nine homepage.

At the moment, the Top Nine is seeing a spike in users and is warning that it could take days to get your collage emailed. Instead, it is directing people to use their app.

Top Nine website saying it's overloaded.
HuffPost Canada Owned
Top Nine website saying it's overloaded.

Use Best Nine app if you have a private account

If your Instagram account is private, an app is your best bet because the websites only work on public Instas.

Apple app store results for "top 9."
HuffPost Canada Owned
Apple app store results for "top 9."

The Best Nine app requires you to log in and connect your Instagram account to it. Select the year you want analyzed, enter your log-in information, authorize the app to look through your account, and it will create a collage.

Best Nine app screen.
HuffPost Canada Owned
Best Nine app screen.

The app also tells you how many likes you got on all your posts of the year, and gives you options to rearrange the pictures, rescale them, or turn the post into a video slideshow.

When you're ready, you can hit save, and the app gives you the choice to save just the collage or also save the like count.

Then you can post it on Instagram in all its glory. This is the only method that works if your account is private.

How to use Top Nine without logging in

If you want to use an app but still aren't keen on logging into your account, the Top Nine app is the way to go: it only asks for your username and email. (If your account is private though, it'll ask you to log in the same way the Best Nine app will.)

Top Nine app homepage.
HuffPost Canada Owned
Top Nine app homepage.

Once you enter your username and email, the app gives you your Top Nine collage — albeit with a watermark. If you want it without the watermark, you'll need to pay $2.79.

Saved version of the Top Nine app's collage.
HuffPost Canada Owned
Saved version of the Top Nine app's collage.

Top Nine also gives you a pretty spiffy video that could make a nice Instagram story — you can even pick from three different songs for it.

And there you have it: pick your method of choice, and collage away.

Also on HuffPost:

Close
This HuffPost Canada page is maintained as part of an online archive. If you have questions or concerns, please check our FAQ or contact support@huffpost.com.