Welcome to our comprehensive guide on how to make your Instagram highlights private. Instagram highlights are a fantastic way to showcase your best moments and stories on your profile. Still, you may prefer to keep them private and only visible to a selected audience.
Answer:
There are two ways to make Instagram highlights private and they are:
– Use privacy settings,
– Create a close friends list.
This article will walk you down through the step-by-step process of ensuring your Instagram highlights remain private, allowing you full control over who can view and enjoy your carefully curated content. So, if you’re ready to learn to safeguard your Instagram highlights and maintain your privacy, let’s dive right in!
What Are Instagram HIghlights?
Before diving into how to make Instagram highlights private, let’s first understand the Instagram story highlight feature and how it works.
Imagining going on a picturesque vacation and wanting to capture and share every beautiful moment on Instagram. However, constantly posting numerous pictures might come across as excessive or boastful to your followers.
So, how can you update your Instagram profile without overwhelming your followers with an overflow of vacation pictures? It is where Instagram’s story updates features come to the rescue.
Stories provide a temporary platform where you can share photos and videos you like but don’t necessarily want to make permanent posts. After 24 hours, these story updates automatically disappear from your profile, allowing you to share casual or spontaneous moments.
Enter the story highlights feature. All the stories you have ever posted are stored in your story archives. From there, you can easily create highlights featuring the photos from your vacation. These highlights are a permanent collection on your profile, allowing anyone to view and appreciate your memorable moments.
Also Read: Cool And Aesthetic Names For Instagram Highlight
How To Add Story Highlights?
The great news is that crafting a fresh highlight on Instagram is a straightforward process. The following steps outline how to create a new Instagram highlight:
- Launch the Instagram app,
- Tap on the profile icon located in the bottom right corner of the screen to access your profile,
- Below your Instagram bio, tap on the “New” option indicated by a plus sign,
- Browse through your Stories Archive to find the pictures or videos you want to include in your new highlight,
- Tap “Next,”
- Provide a name for your newly created highlight,
- Tap “Add,”
That’s it! Instagram will add your new highlight successfully. Furthermore, you can select “Edit Cover” to customize and choose the desired story or photo as your highlight cover.
Also Read: How To Add Instagram Highlights Without Posting Story On Instagram?
Can I Make My Instagram Highlights Private?
Many individuals often wonder how to hide their Instagram highlights, especially when they have uploaded a story from their camera roll that they don’t want certain people to see.
Unfortunately, there isn’t any direct way to delete Instagram story highlights without hiding them from others. As previously mentioned, highlights are designed to showcase your story updates on your profile for an extended period. If your highlights are not visible to anyone on your profile, it defeats their purpose entirely.
However, if you want to hide a highlight from being displayed to everyone, you can delete it. Now, if your objective is to ensure that only you can view your story, there is no need to create a highlight. You can easily access all your past story updates through your archives.
Also Read: How To Download Posts From Instagram Highlights
How To Make Instagram HIghlights Private?
When it comes to maintaining privacy or keeping certain information to yourself, hiding your Instagram highlights is a viable option. As mentioned earlier, there are two methods you can use to make your Instagram highlights private.
By Using Privacy Settings
Here are some of the steps to make your Instagram highlights private by using the privacy settings:
Step 1:
Log in to your Instagram account page and go to your profile by tapping on the profile icon at the bottom right of your mobile screen,
Step 2:
On your profile page, tap on the three horizontal line icons located in the upper right corner,
Step 3:
A pop-out window will appear at the bottom of the screen; tap on “Settings,”
Step 4:
Scroll down on the Settings page till you find the Privacy setting. Look for the padlock icon and tap on it,
Step 5:
In the privacy settings page, continue scrolling until you see the “Story” option. Tap on it to access the next page,
Step 6:
On the Story Settings page, locate the “Hide Story From” section and tap on it.
Step 7:
Inside the Hide Story From section, you will see a search bar and a list of accounts you are friends with on Instagram.
You can scroll down the list and select the accounts you want to hide your Instagram highlights from.
Alternatively, if you know the account username of the person or follower you wish to hide your highlights from, type the account name in the search bar.
As you select the accounts, a blue checkmark will pop up on the right side of the account name.
Step 8:
Once you have selected all the accounts you want to hide your highlights from, exit the “Hide Story From” section by tapping the left pointing arrow.
Continue tapping on the arrow until you return to the profile page.
If you want to confirm that the selected accounts are on the list, you can repeat steps 1-6.
Step 9:
You will now see the number of Instagram accounts included on the list you created earlier.
By following these above steps, you can effectively hide your Instagram highlights from specific accounts and have more control over your profile’s privacy.
Creating A Close Friends List
To keep your highlights private on Instagram, follow these simple steps below:
Step 1:
Log into your Instagram account and further go to your profile page by tapping the profile icon at the bottom right of your mobile screen.
Step 2:
Tap the three horizontal line icons in the upper right corner and select the “Close Friends” option from the pop-out window.
Step 3:
In the Close Friends window, you will see a list of accounts you follow and those following you on Instagram.
Scroll through the list to find the account manually, or use the search bar to enter the account name.
Step 4:
Once you locate the account name, tap the circle next to it and add it to your Close Friends list.
Alternatively, you can select your second Instagram or popular brand account to keep that particular highlight private.
Step 5:
After adding the desired accounts to your Close Friends list, tap the blue “Done” button at the bottom of the page.
Step 6:
With your Close Friends list created, you can now add a new story.
Return to the Instagram feed page and tap the “Your Story” button to start creating a story on Instagram.
Step 7:
To create a story, tap the Camera button in the Story app and use the captured image as your story and highlight cover.
Step 8:
After adding your story highlight, tap the “>” icon, select the “Close Friends” option, and press the “Share” button to post your story, visible only to your close friends.
Following these eight steps, you can keep your Instagram highlights hidden from the public eye, ensuring privacy and control over who can view your content. So enjoy the benefits of this incredible feature and regain the privacy you desire!
Also Read: How To Add A Blank Space For Instagram Highlights?
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Some of the frequently asked questions about making Instagram highlights private and other issues regarding highlights and stories are as follows:
Will My Instagram Story HIghlights Be Visible To Everyone By Default?
By default, your Instagram story highlights are visible to all your followers and anyone visiting your profile.
However, you can change the privacy settings and make your highlights visible only to specific accounts using the “Close Friends” feature.
Is There A Way To Prevent Certain Users From Seeing My Instagram Story Highlights?
Yes, you can prevent certain users from seeing your Instagram story highlights.
By excluding specific accounts from your “Close Friends” list, you can ensure those users won’t have access to your story highlights.
In addition, they will be unable to view the highlights shared exclusively with their close friends.
Can I Make My Instagram Highlights Private Without Deleting Them?
Yes, you can make your Instagram highlights private without deleting them.
By adjusting the privacy settings for your highlights, you can control who can view them.
Utilize the “Close Friends” feature to limit access to your highlights, ensuring that only selected accounts can see them.
If I Make My Instagram Highlights Private, Will My Existing Followers Still Be Able To See Them?
If you make your Instagram highlights private, your existing followers or friends will still be able to see them as long as they are included in your “Close Friends” list.
However, users not on your “Close Friends” list will no longer have access to those highlights.
Will Hiding My Instagram Highlights Affect The Visibility Of My Regular Posts On My Profile?
No, hiding your Instagram highlights will not affect the visibility of your regular posts on your profile.
Your regular posts will remain visible to all your followers and anyone visiting your profile.
In addition, the privacy settings you apply to your highlights do not impact the visibility of your regular posts.
Conclusion
In conclusion, mastering the art of making Instagram highlights private allows you to curate a personalized and controlled viewing experience for your profile.
Following the simple steps outlined above in this guide, you can effortlessly navigate Instagram’s settings to ensure that only selected individuals, such as your close friends, can access your cherished moments and stories.
Furthermore, taking advantage of the “Close Friends” feature and customizing your privacy settings empowers you to maintain the desired level of confidentiality while sharing and preserving your special memories on Instagram.
So make your Instagram highlights private, and enjoy a more personalized and secure platform to showcase your unique story.
