In the realm of social media, where personal experiences are shared and consumed, there may come a time when you desire to control who views your Instagram stories. Whether it’s for privacy reasons or to curate a specific audience, understanding how to hide your IG stories from certain individuals is crucial. This guide will empower you with the necessary steps to achieve this, granting you the ability to tailor your social media presence to your liking.
To begin, navigate to your Instagram profile and tap on the three horizontal lines located in the top right corner. From the menu that appears, select “Settings,” followed by “Privacy.” Within the Privacy settings, you will find the “Story” section, where you can manage who sees your stories. By default, your stories are visible to all your followers. To hide your stories from specific individuals, tap on the “Hide Story From” option and enter their usernames in the provided field.
After entering the usernames of the individuals you wish to hide your stories from, tap on the “Done” button to save your changes. Going forward, your stories will no longer be visible to those individuals. However, it’s important to note that they may still be able to view your stories if they have multiple accounts or if they log out of their current account and log in with a different one. To ensure complete privacy, consider blocking those you wish to restrict access from your stories altogether. By following these steps, you can effectively control who views your Instagram stories, allowing you to share your experiences with confidence and peace of mind.
Restricting a Specific User
Restricting a specific user is a more comprehensive approach to hiding your Instagram stories from them, as it limits their interactions with you across the platform.
To restrict a user:
1. Navigate to their profile page by searching for their username or accessing it from your followers list.
2. Tap the three vertical dots in the top-right corner of the screen.
3. Select “Restrict” from the menu that appears.
4. Confirm your choice when prompted.
Restricted users will still be able to view your profile and public posts but will be unable to comment on your posts, send you direct messages, or see when you are online. They will also not be notified when you post a story, effectively hiding your stories from them.
| Restriction | Effect on User |
|---|---|
| Commenting on posts | Unable to leave comments |
| Sending direct messages | Messages will go to the “Message Requests” folder |
| Viewing online status | Inactive status |
| Story notifications | Not received |
It’s important to note that restricting a user does not block them, and they can still follow you. If you need to completely prevent someone from interacting with you, you can choose to block them instead.
Hiding Stories from Followers
Instagram provides various privacy settings to control who can view your stories. One useful option is the ability to hide stories from specific followers. Here’s how you can do it:
- Open the Instagram app and tap on your profile picture in the bottom right corner.
- Tap on the three horizontal lines in the top right corner and select “Settings.”
- Scroll down and select “Privacy” under “Account.”
- Under “Story controls,” tap on “Hide story from.”
- Select the followers you want to hide your stories from by tapping on their names.
- Tap on “Done” to save your changes.
When you hide your stories from certain followers, they will no longer be able to see them, even if they follow you. However, it’s important to note that they will still be able to view your profile and other content you post, such as regular posts and reels.
If you later decide to make your stories visible to those followers again, you can easily do so by following the same steps and unchecking their names.
Using Close Friends Lists
Creating a Close Friends list allows you to share your stories with a select group of followers, excluding those you don’t want to see them. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to do it:
- Open the Instagram app and tap on your profile picture in the bottom right corner.
- Tap on the three lines in the top right corner and select ‘Close Friends’ from the menu.
- Search for people you want to add to your Close Friends list and tap on the ‘Add’ button next to their names. You can also create custom groups within your Close Friends list, such as “Family” or “Best Friends”.
- Once you’ve added people to your Close Friends list, they will be able to see all of your stories marked as “Close Friends”. To mark a story as “Close Friends”, tap on the “Close Friends” option when you’re creating a new story.
- You can manage your Close Friends list at any time by tapping on the ‘Close Friends’ option in your profile menu. You can remove people from the list or create new custom groups.
Benefits of Using Close Friends Lists:
- More privacy: You can share more personal moments with a smaller group of trusted followers.
- Control over who sees your stories: You have complete control over who can and cannot see your Close Friends stories.
- Builds stronger connections: Sharing more intimate content with a select group can help deepen connections with those you trust most.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Increased privacy | Potential for misunderstandings if someone finds out they’re not on the list |
| Control over story audience | Can be time-consuming to manage the list |
| Builds stronger connections | May limit engagement from a wider audience |
Blocking and Unblocking
Blocking someone on Instagram is a drastic measure that will completely cut off all communication between you and the blocked person. This means they will not be able to view your stories, posts, or send you messages.
Steps to Block Someone
- Go to the person’s profile.
- Tap the three dots in the upper right corner.
- Select "Block".
Steps to Unblock Someone
- Go to your profile.
- Tap the three lines in the upper right corner.
- Select "Settings".
- Tap "Privacy".
- Tap "Blocked Accounts".
- Find the person you want to unblock.
- Tap "Unblock".
What Happens When You Block Someone
When you block someone on Instagram, they will not be able to:
- View your stories or posts
- Send you messages
- Like or comment on your posts
- Follow you
Other Ways to Hide Your Story from Someone
There are other ways to hide your story from someone without resorting to blocking them.
Create a Close Friends List
A close friends list allows you to share your stories with a select group of people. You can add and remove people from this list at any time.
Use the Story Privacy Settings
The story privacy settings allow you to control who can see your stories. You can choose to share your stories with everyone, only your followers, or only a select group of people.
Turn Off Story Notifications
You can turn off story notifications for specific people. This will prevent them from being notified when you post a new story.
Table: Ways to Hide Your Story from Someone
| Method | Description |
|---|---|
| Block | Completely cut off all communication with the person |
| Close Friends List | Share your stories with a select group of people |
| Story Privacy Settings | Control who can see your stories |
| Turn Off Story Notifications | Prevent specific people from being notified when you post a new story |
Temporarily Hiding Stories
If you want to hide your Instagram stories from someone without unfollowing them, you can temporarily hide them. To do this:
- Open the Instagram app and tap the Stories icon in the top left corner.
- Tap Create Story.
- Take a photo or video, or upload one from your camera roll.
- Tap the “Who can view this?” button.
- Scroll down and select the people you want to hide your story from. Tap the “Done” button.
- Tap the “Share” button to post your story.
Your story will now be hidden from the people you selected. They will not be able to see it in their feed or in your profile.
Tips for Temporarily Hiding Stories
- You can only hide your stories from people who follow you.
- People who you hide your stories from will not be able to see them, even if they search for your username.
- You can change who can view your stories at any time. To do this, tap the “Who can view this?” button and select the people you want to exclude.
Customizing Story Visibility
Instagram offers fine-tuned control over who can view your stories. You can customize the visibility of each story individually or set default settings for all future stories.
Hide Story from Specific Individuals
To hide a story from specific individuals:
- Create or select the story you want to hide.
- Tap the “Story Settings” icon (three dots at the bottom right).
- Under “Hide Story From,” tap “Add People.”
- Search for or select the individuals you want to hide the story from.
- Tap “Done.”
- Go to your profile page and tap the “Following” tab.
- Tap “Close Friends” and select “Create List.”
- Add the desired individuals to the list.
- Public Account: Anyone can view your stories.
- Private Account: Only your approved followers can view your stories.
- Go to your profile page and tap the “Story Settings” icon (three dots at the top right).
- Under “Hide Story From,” tap “Non-Followers.”
- Choose whether to hide stories from all non-followers or only those who are not approved followers.
- Go to your profile page and tap the “Story Settings” icon (three dots at the top right).
- Under “Hide Story From,” tap “New Followers.”
- Select the desired amount of time (24 hours, 48 hours, or 7 days) during which new followers will not be able to view your stories.
- Open the Instagram app and navigate to the profile of the person whose story you want to mute.
- Tap the three dots in the top-right corner of their profile.
- Select “Mute” from the menu.
- Choose “Mute Story” from the options.
- Open the Instagram app and tap on your profile picture in the bottom right corner.
- Tap on the three horizontal lines in the top right corner, then select “Settings.”
- Scroll down and tap on “Story Settings.”
- Under “History Archive,” select “Hide from.”
Privacy Setting Description Everyone Your story will be visible to everyone on Instagram. People You Follow Your story will only be visible to users you are following. Custom You can select specific users to hide your story from. - Once you have selected the desired users or groups, tap on the “Done” button.
- Your story will now be hidden from the selected users or groups.
- Open the Instagram app.
- Tap on the “+” icon in the top-right corner.
- Select “Story” from the list of options.
- Create your story.
- When you’re finished, tap on the “Share” button at the bottom of the screen.
- Tap on the “Custom” tab.
- Use the search bar to type in the name of the person you want to hide your story from.
- Tap on the checkmark next to their name.
- Tap on the “Share” button.
- Open the Instagram app.
- Tap on the profile icon in the bottom-right corner.
- Tap on the “Edit Profile” button.
- Scroll down and tap on “Close Friends”.
- Tap on the “Add” button.
- Search for the people you want to add to your close friends list and tap on their names.
- Tap on the “Done” button.
- If you used to see their stories regularly and now you don’t, it’s possible that they’ve hidden their stories from you.
- If you search for their username in the Instagram search bar and their stories don’t appear, it’s another sign that they may have hidden their stories from you.
Select the users or groups you want to hide your story from. You can search for users or groups by name, username, or email address.
Exploring Third-Party Apps
Numerous third-party apps allow you to hide your Instagram stories from specific individuals. These apps typically work by creating a separate list of users who will not see your stories. Some of the most popular third-party apps for story hiding include:
App Features Hidden Story Viewer Hides stories from specific users, allows you to view hidden stories from others Story Hider Simple interface, hides stories from selected users Hide Stories Multi-profile support, password protection for hidden stories Unseen – Hide Stories Hides stories from specific users, allows you to view stories without being seen Story Saver Downloads and saves stories, hides stories from selected users Note: It’s important to use third-party apps with caution. Not all apps are created equal, and some may not be secure or reliable. Make sure to read reviews and check the permissions required by the app before using it.
If you are looking for a less invasive way to hide your stories from someone, you can also try blocking them temporarily. However, this will also prevent them from sending you messages or seeing your other posts.
Understanding Privacy Implications
1. Visibility of Hidden Stories: Hidden stories are not visible to the selected individuals on your story viewer list. They will not receive notifications or have access to view the story content.
2. Limited Reach: Hiding stories from specific users limits the potential audience for your content. While it may provide privacy, it can also reduce engagement and reach for your stories.
3. Privacy Concerns: Hiding stories from certain individuals can raise concerns about privacy, transparency, and accountability. Users may question why they have been excluded and speculate on the reasons behind the action.
4. Trust and Transparency: Open and honest communication with your followers is crucial. Explaining your reasons for hiding stories from certain individuals can help maintain trust and transparency in your relationships.
5. Potential for Misuse: While hiding stories can be a privacy measure, it could also be potentially misused. Individuals may intentionally hide stories to avoid accountability or to maintain a false or misleading narrative.
6. Limited Control Over Resharing: Once a story is shared by someone else, you lose control over who can view it. Hidden stories do not prevent others from resharing or taking screenshots, potentially compromising your privacy.
7. Impact on Engagement: Hiding stories from certain followers can affect engagement metrics. Hidden followers will not be able to like, comment, or share your stories, potentially reducing overall engagement.
8. Temporary Nature: Hidden stories are only hidden for 24 hours. After that, they become visible to all your followers unless you manually delete them or set them to expire sooner.
9. Complicated Management: Managing a list of hidden followers can be cumbersome, especially if you have a large number of followers. It requires ongoing monitoring and updating to maintain privacy.
10. Ethical Considerations: Hiding stories from certain individuals raises ethical questions about transparency, accountability, and the potential for discrimination. It’s important to carefully consider the implications before implementing this feature.
How to Hide Instagram Stories From Someone
Instagram Stories are a great way to share your daily life with your followers. However, there may be times when you don’t want to share certain stories with everyone. Maybe you’re posting something that’s a little too personal or controversial, or maybe you just don’t want someone to see it. Whatever the reason, hiding your stories from certain people is easy to do.
Here’s how:
Your story will now be hidden from the person you selected.
People Also Ask
How can I hide my Instagram story from a group of people?
To hide your Instagram story from a group of people, you can create a close friends list and only share your story with those people. To create a close friends list:
Once you’ve created a close friends list, you can share your story with only those people by tapping on the “Close Friends” option when you’re sharing your story.
How can I tell if someone has hidden their Instagram story from me?
There is no surefire way to tell if someone has hidden their Instagram story from you, but there are a few things you can look for:
Close Friends List
Create a Close Friends list and share stories exclusively with them. To create a Close Friends list:
When you share a story to your Close Friends list, it will be marked with a green circle. Only individuals on that list will be able to view it.
Public/Private Account
Your account privacy settings also impact story visibility.
To adjust your account privacy, go to your profile page and tap the “Edit Profile” button. Toggle the “Private Account” option to the desired setting.
Hide from Non-Followers
You can hide stories from individuals who do not follow you. To do so:
Auto-Hide from New Followers
You can automatically hide stories from new followers for a specified period. To set this up:
Utilize the Mute Feature
The mute feature on Instagram provides a subtle and effective way to hide your story from specific followers without unfollowing them. By muting their story, you’ll no longer see their updates in your feed, and they won’t know that you’ve muted them.
Steps to Mute Someone’s Story:
Once you’ve muted someone’s story, it will disappear from your feed. However, you can still view their story directly from their profile if you wish.
Here’s a table summarizing the different options available when muting someone’s story:
| Option | Result |
|---|---|
| Mute Story | Hides the person’s story from your feed, but you can still view it from their profile. |
| Mute Posts | Hides the person’s posts from your feed, but you can still view them from their profile. |
| Mute All | Hides both the person’s stories and posts from your feed. |
By carefully utilizing the Mute feature, you can tailor your Instagram feed to include only content that interests you, while maintaining a harmonious relationship with those you follow.
Adjusting Stories Archive Settings
The Stories Archive allows you to review and manage your past stories. To hide your story from someone’s archive, follow these steps:
