The basic way to add to your story

To add to your Instagram story, open Instagram and tap your profile picture in the top left corner, or swipe right from your feed. This takes you to the camera screen. Take a photo or video right there, or tap the gallery icon at the bottom left to pick something you already saved. Once you have your image or video, tap the arrow at the bottom right to move to the editing screen, add any text or stickers you want, then tap "Your Story" at the bottom to post it.

The whole process takes about 30 seconds once you know where to tap. Your story will stay visible for 24 hours, then disappear automatically. People who follow you will see it at the top of their feed, in order, as a row of circles with your name.

If you want to add something without posting it right away, tap "Save" instead of "Your Story" — this saves it as a draft you can finish later. You can also tap and hold "Your Story" to choose whether to post to your main story, a close friends list, or a specific group you created.

Key Takeaways

  • Swipe right from your feed or tap your profile picture to open the story camera, then take a photo, record video, or pick from your phone's gallery.
  • You can add text, stickers, filters, and drawings to your story before posting, and these tools appear on the editing screen after you choose your image.
  • Stories disappear after 24 hours, but you can save them as drafts before posting or archive them afterward so only you can see them.
  • You can post to your main story, a close friends list, or a custom group, and you control who sees each story you add.

Adding photos from your phone's gallery

If you want to use a photo you took earlier instead of taking a new one, tap the gallery icon at the bottom left of the camera screen. This opens your phone's photo library. Scroll through and tap the photo you want. You can pick one photo at a time, or on some phones you can select multiple photos by tapping the "Select multiple" option, then tapping each photo you want to add.

When you add multiple photos at once, Instagram creates a story with each photo as a separate slide. People viewing your story will see them one after another. If you want to add photos one at a time instead, just go back to the camera screen and pick another photo from your gallery — Instagram will add it as a new slide after the first one.

Recording video for your story

To record a video directly in the story camera, press and hold the circular button at the bottom center of the screen. Keep holding it while you record — the longer you hold, the longer the video. Instagram lets you record up to 15 seconds in one go. When you let go, the video stops recording.

If you want to record multiple short clips and string them together, you can press and hold the button again after your first clip finishes. Each time you press and hold, you add another clip to the same story slide. You can record up to 15 seconds per clip, and you can add as many clips as you want to one story post.

If you mess up a clip, swipe left to delete it and try again. Once you are happy with your video, tap the arrow to move to the editing screen where you can add text, stickers, or filters before posting.

Using filters, text, and stickers

After you pick your photo or video, the editing screen opens automatically. At the bottom, you will see icons for different tools. Swipe left and right on the row of filter previews at the bottom to see different looks — tap one to apply it. The smiley face icon opens stickers and emoji. The "Aa" icon lets you add text. The pen icon opens drawing tools so you can draw or write directly on your image.

Text you add can be moved around by tapping and dragging it. You can change the font, size, and color by tapping the text after you type it. Stickers can also be moved, resized, and rotated by tapping and dragging them. If you add something you do not like, tap it and press delete, or swipe up to undo your last action.

Filters change the whole look of your photo or video — they add color shifts, blur effects, or other visual changes. Stickers are small graphics like emoji, location tags, or time stamps that sit on top of your image. You can use both on the same story slide, and you can add as many as you want.

Posting to different audiences

By default, when you tap "Your Story," your story goes to everyone who follows you. But you can change who sees it. After you finish editing, look at the bottom of the screen. Instead of tapping "Your Story," tap and hold the button. A menu appears with options like "Close Friends," "Custom," or specific group names you created.

If you tap "Close Friends," only people on your close friends list will see the story. If you tap "Custom," you can pick specific people to include or exclude. This is useful if you want to share something with a smaller group without posting it to your whole following. Once you pick your audience, tap the button to post.

You can also save a story as a draft before posting. Instead of tapping "Your Story," tap "Save" at the bottom. The draft stays in your camera roll until you open the story camera again, find it, and finish posting it. This is helpful if you want to edit something more later or post it at a specific time.

Archiving and deleting stories

After you post a story, it stays visible for 24 hours. When the time is up, it disappears from your followers' view automatically. But you can save it before it disappears. Tap your profile picture at the top left of your feed, then tap the three-line menu icon. Tap "Archive," and you will see all your old stories. Tap the one you want to save, then tap the three dots and choose "Save to Archive."

Archived stories are private — only you can see them. They do not show up in your main story or on your profile. You can look at them anytime by going to your profile, tapping the three-line menu, and tapping "Archive." If you want to delete a story before the 24 hours is up, go to your story, tap the three dots at the top right, and tap "Delete."

Troubleshooting common problems

If the camera will not open, close Instagram completely and open it again. On most phones, swipe up from the bottom of the screen to close all apps, then tap Instagram to reopen it. If that does not work, restart your phone.

If your photos or videos are not showing up in your gallery when you try to add them, make sure Instagram has permission to access your photos. On iPhone, go to Settings, tap Privacy, tap Photos, find Instagram, and make sure it says "Read and Write." On Android, go to Settings, tap Apps, find Instagram, tap Permissions, and make sure Photos is turned on.

If your story is not posting, check that you have an internet connection. Stories need a working connection to upload. If you are connected but it still will not post, try saving it as a draft, closing Instagram, and opening it again to finish posting.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can people screenshot my story without me knowing?

Instagram sends you a notification if someone takes a screenshot of your story, but only if you posted it to your main story. If you posted to close friends or a custom group, Instagram does not notify you of screenshots. There is no way to prevent screenshots entirely — people can always take one with their phone's built-in screenshot tool.

How do I add music to my story?

After you pick your photo or video and reach the editing screen, look for the music note icon. Tap it to open the music library. Search for a song or browse by mood or genre. Tap the song you want, and it will play over your story. You can adjust how much of the song plays and where it starts.

What happens if I delete a story by accident?

Once you delete a story, it is gone and cannot be recovered. If you want to post it again, you will need to recreate it. This is why saving drafts or archiving stories you like is useful — it gives you a backup in case you change your mind.

Can I edit a story after I post it?

No, you cannot edit a story once it is posted. You can only delete it and post a new version. This is different from feed posts, which you can edit after posting. If you want to make changes, delete the story and add a new one with the changes you want.

How do I add a story to my highlights?

Highlights are permanent collections of stories that sit on your profile below your bio. Before your story disappears after 24 hours, tap it, then tap the bookmark icon or the three dots and choose "Add to Highlights." Pick an existing highlight or create a new one. The story will stay on your profile in that highlight even after the 24 hours is up.