How to view old Instagram stories

Instagram Stories are a popular feature on the social media platform. They aren't deleted after 24 hours, unlike Snapchat Stories. Instagram will hide Stories in 24 hours, however, they are still available in the app. You can recover a story that you have posted but has expired before you have a chance to save it.

Like many other users, you may not be aware of this feature or how to access it. So let's look at how to view your old Instagram Stories.

Read also How to share Youtube video on Instagram story.

Access to Your Expired Instagram Stories

Instagram Stories gained popularity, and users began asking for ways to access their stories beyond the 24-hour limit.

Instagram responded by adding the Archive and Highlights features in 2017. Highlights allow you to group story elements and post them as regular posts on your profile. Although they are called Highlights, they act the same way as regular Instagram posts.

Another feature, 'Archive,' saves your stories for future reference. Your stories are archived only for you. They will be deleted for everyone else after 24 hours, just like usual.

You should have the archiving feature turned on by default. However, you can change it in your Settings if it isn't. Look in the Privacy Settings panel and toggle the option "Save to Archive". Learn how to find archived posts on Instagram.

Tap the menu icon in your profile

To see your older Instagram Stories go to your profile screen and tap the hamburger icon at the top-right corner.

Tap "Archive"

To access your Stories Archive, tap on the "Archive" button from that menu. You can highlight, re-share, and interact with your Stories from there. This is how you can access your old Stories. However, it's an entirely different process to see other people's Stories.

Can You See Someone Else's Expired Instagram Story?

You can view Stories for 24 hours only. There is no way around it. If you know the Story creator, you can request them to share it by saving it from their Archive.

This is the most you can do to see other users' Stories. This feature was intended to be temporary, much like Snapchat Stories.

There are some proactive steps that you can take if you find yourself often wanting to see other users' stories.

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Save Other Users' Stories

Stories last for 24 hours. Some websites can save Instagram Stories. Storiesig is the most accessible and straightforward of all these. Enter someone's username to find all of their active Stories. You can then select the Story that you wish to save and click the "Download" button.

This is not the only option. Many other websites offer the same. This is however the easiest way.

Although you won't be able to access expired Stories, you are good to go if you find them within 24 hours of their publication. You can also access this website from your mobile device, but you have another option.

Both iOS and Android have screen recorders available for the latest versions. A screen recorder app can be downloaded to record the Story. AZ screen recorder can be used for both Android as well as iOS. You need to start recording, view the Story, and save the recording.

These methods won't allow you to access past Stories, but they will let you keep active Stories on your device so you can use them again.

See also How to post someone's story on your story.

Screen Recording Instagram Stories

You can screen record the content or take a screenshot of it during the 24-hour active period to save another user's, Instagram Story. In addition, Instagram may inform another user that you have captured the content.

Although there is much debate over this issue, you can now take unsuspected screenshots of Instagram Stories. Unfortunately, it will not work for DMs. Instagram has made several changes to this policy over the years. You should test it with another friend before you take a screenshot of someone you don't like.

Once you have captured the Story on your iPhone/Android, you can go back to it in your camera roll as many as you like.

Viewing Highlights of Stories

You may be able to revisit your favorite content by visiting a friend's profile using Instagram's highlights feature. The account owner can save a story as a highlight after it is created.

The user can keep the Story on their profile until they delete it. This is a permanent option to display the best content. In addition, this will allow you to check if your favorite stories have been saved as a highlight.

To locate the account that interests you, tap on the magnifying glasses icon or the following option in your profile. Locate the Story beneath the 'Following' and 'Message' icons - these icons are round with an image. Tap the Story

This is all there is to it. If you don't see any stories, they weren't saved as highlights, or their account has been set to private.

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Most Frequently Asked Questions

Can I view a Story multiple times?

Absolutely! Yes, as long as the Story is within 24 hours. Instagram does tell the creator that you watched their stories, but it doesn't tell them how many times you watched. So beware, if you watch their Story repeatedly, they'll see the view count increase, and you may be the only person who's seen it. This is a sign that you have been watching their Story a lot.

Can I republish an old Instagram Story?

Yes. You can repost a favorite Story by going to your Archive folder and tapping on the Story you wish to repost. To access the sub-menu, tap the three dots in the lower-left corner. Next, tap on "Repost."

Follow the prompts to ensure that your Story is visible in other people's feeds for 24 hours. You can also repost the Story of another person. To share, tap on the paper airplane icon. If the option doesn't appear, the other user likely has a personal account. Private accounts mean you cannot share another user's content for others to see.

Conclusion

This sums up all the resources available to you when viewing and saving Instagram Stories.

The Stories you post are saved for future reference, but your own stories are not. Therefore, they are not visible after they expire, but you can save them while active. You can save IG Stories to a website or use a screen recorder app on your smartphone.