Save your Instagram post before you publish it
Instagram lets you save a post you are working on without publishing it to your feed or Stories. This is called a draft, and it stays on your phone until you decide to finish and share it. Drafts are useful when you want to write a caption later, find the right photo, or simply wait for a better time to post.
The process is straightforward: when you are creating a post and decide you are not ready to share it yet, you can save it as a draft instead of discarding it. Your draft will be waiting for you the next time you open the app, and you can edit it as many times as you want before publishing.
Key Takeaways
- You can save a post as a draft at any point while creating it, before you hit the Share button.
- Drafts are stored on your phone only and do not appear on your profile or in your followers' feeds until you publish them.
- You can access your saved drafts from the compose screen by tapping the gallery icon or by going to your profile and selecting the drafts folder.
- Editing a draft works the same way as creating a new post — you can change the photo, caption, location, and tags before you publish.
How to save a post as a draft on the Instagram app
Open Instagram and tap the plus icon at the bottom of the screen to start creating a new post. Select the photo or video you want to use, then tap Next. Add your caption, location, and any other details you want to include.
When you are ready to save the post without publishing it, tap the back arrow at the top left of the screen. A pop-up will appear asking if you want to discard the post or save it as a draft. Tap Save Draft. Your post is now saved and will not be published to your feed.
If you accidentally tap Discard instead of Save Draft, your post will be deleted and you will not be able to recover it. Always double-check the pop-up before confirming.
Where to find your saved drafts
To access a draft you saved earlier, open Instagram and tap the plus icon again to start creating a new post. On the screen where you select a photo or video, look at the bottom left corner. You will see a folder icon labeled Drafts. Tap it to see all the posts you have saved.
Your drafts appear as thumbnails showing the photo or video you selected. Tap any draft to open it and continue editing. The caption, location, and any other details you added before saving will still be there.
You can also reach your drafts from your profile. Tap your profile icon at the bottom right, then tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines) at the top right. Scroll down and tap Drafts. This takes you to the same drafts folder.
Edit and publish a draft when you are ready
Open the draft you want to publish. You can now make any changes you need: swap out the photo, rewrite the caption, add or remove location tags, or adjust any other settings. Nothing you change will be visible to anyone until you publish.
Once you are satisfied with the post, tap Next at the top right. Review your post one more time, then tap Share. Your post will now appear on your feed and in your followers' feeds.
If you decide you are still not ready to publish, tap the back arrow again and select Save Draft. The post will return to your drafts folder with all your latest changes saved.
How many drafts can you save
Instagram does not set a public limit on the number of drafts you can save. In practice, most users can save dozens of drafts without running into problems. However, drafts are stored on your phone's storage, so if your phone is running low on space, you may need to delete old drafts to free up room.
If you want to delete a draft, open your drafts folder, tap and hold the draft you want to remove, then tap Delete. The draft will be permanently removed and cannot be recovered.
Drafts on Instagram Stories and Reels
You can also save drafts for Stories and Reels using the same method. When creating a Story or Reel, tap the back arrow before publishing and select Save Draft. Your Story or Reel draft will be saved and appear in your drafts folder alongside your feed post drafts.
Story and Reel drafts work the same way as feed post drafts — you can edit them, change the content, and publish whenever you are ready. Keep in mind that Story drafts expire after 24 hours if you do not publish them, though the draft itself remains saved in your app.
What happens to drafts if you log out or switch phones
Drafts are stored on your phone only, not on Instagram's servers. If you log out of Instagram or uninstall the app, your drafts will be deleted. If you switch to a new phone, your drafts will not transfer over unless you back up your phone's data.
To keep your drafts safe, publish them before switching phones or logging out. If you need to switch devices, take a screenshot of your caption and any other details you want to remember, then recreate the post on your new phone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can other people see my drafts?
No. Drafts are completely private and stored only on your phone. They do not appear on your profile, in your followers' feeds, or anywhere else on Instagram until you publish them. Only you can see your drafts.
Can I save a draft of a post I have already published?
No. Once you publish a post, it is no longer a draft — it is a live post on your profile. You can edit a published post by tapping the three dots on the post and selecting Edit, but this is different from saving a draft. Changes to a published post appear immediately to anyone viewing it.
What if I save a draft but forget about it?
Your draft will stay in your drafts folder indefinitely until you delete it or publish it. There is no time limit for how long a draft can sit saved. You can come back to it weeks or months later and publish it whenever you want.
Can I share a draft with someone else before publishing?
No. Drafts cannot be shared with other people while they are still drafts. If you want someone else to see your post before you publish it, you will need to publish it first, then share the link with them. Alternatively, you can take a screenshot of your draft and send that to them.
Do drafts use up my phone's storage?
Yes. Drafts are stored on your phone, so they take up storage space just like any other file. If you have many large video drafts saved, they can use a noticeable amount of space. Deleting old drafts you no longer need will free up storage on your phone.