Can Someone See That You Viewed Their Instagram Story?

Yes, if you watch it in the Instagram app or on instagram.com while logged in. Every story keeps a list of the accounts that viewed it, and the person who posted it can scroll through that list.

Your name stays off the list if you:

• peek at the story with Story Preview, part of the paid Instagram Plus subscription, or
• watch it through a viewer that doesn't use your Instagram account, such as StoryLurk (public accounts only).

What the story owner sees

When people open their own story, they can swipe up to see how many views it has and which accounts watched it. Only they can see this list.

The list stays available for 48 hours after the story is posted: the 24 hours a story is normally live, plus another day in the archive. After that the list is gone, even for stories the owner saved to a highlight.

The list doesn't include Instagram Plus subscribers who previewed the story, so it may not show everyone who looked. Instagram also hasn't published how it orders the list, so who appears at the top doesn't tell you much.

Replies, likes and polls show your name

• Replies and emoji reactions go to their inbox as messages.
• Likes show up as a small heart next to your name in the viewer list.
• Poll votes, quiz answers and slider responses show them how you answered.
• Answers to a question sticker reach them with your name attached.

Does Instagram tell people when you screenshot their story?

No. Taking a screenshot of a story doesn't send a notification. Instagram tested screenshot alerts for stories in 2018 and dropped them the same year.

Direct messages are different. If someone sends you a disappearing photo or video and you screenshot it, they can find out.

Watching a story without logging in

Instagram's website asks you to log in before it plays stories, so you can't just open them in a browser.

StoryLurk works differently. When you search for a public account in our anonymous Instagram viewer, a separate data service looks up the stories, and your Instagram account is never used. So your name isn't added to the viewer list. There's nothing to sign up for, and we don't keep a history of the accounts people search.

Two limits to know:

• It only works for public accounts. Private profiles and Close Friends stories stay private.
• Photos and videos load straight from Instagram's servers, so Instagram can see your IP address, the same as on any site that shows Instagram images. The person who posted the story can't.

Tricks that don't work well

Airplane mode. Load the stories, switch on airplane mode, then watch. It isn't reliable: the app often hasn't loaded the whole story, and the view can still be recorded once you're back online.

A second account. Your main account stays off the list, but the second one shows up instead. If it's new, or follows the same people you do, the owner may guess it's you.

Does Instagram show who visited a profile?

No. Instagram doesn't tell people who looked at their profile, scrolled their posts or watched their reels. Business and creator accounts see numbers, such as how many profile visits they got, but not who made them. Apps that promise to show your profile visitors can't do it, and many of them ask for your Instagram password. Don't give it to them.

How to keep your stories from certain people

If you post stories, you can hide them from specific accounts in Settings and privacy, without blocking anyone. A Close Friends list works the other way: stories you share to it only go to the people you add.

Hiding your stories only applies to the accounts you pick, so it can't stop someone who views them without logging in. That person only sees what a public account shows everyone, which never includes Close Friends stories. For full control over who sees your stories, make your account private.

Why the list exists

The viewer list lets people know who's seeing what they share. Looking at a bakery's menu highlight without logging in is one thing. Using a viewer to keep tabs on someone who blocked you, or who clearly wouldn't want you watching, is another, and our terms don't allow it.

The short version

If you watch a story while logged in, the owner can see your name for 48 hours after it was posted. Replies and reactions land in their messages, so they'll see those whenever they check. To stay off the list, you can use Story Preview with Instagram Plus, or a viewer that doesn't need your login, such as the Instagram story viewer on our home page.