Instagram Highlights are a great way to showcase important stories on a profile for long-term visibility, even after the 24-hour limit of Instagram Stories. However, many users wish to add Highlights without first posting the content to their Stories, maintaining privacy or avoiding cluttering their followers’ feeds. While Instagram does not provide a direct feature for this, there are simple workarounds to achieve the same effect.
Contents of Post
Understanding Instagram Highlights
Instagram Highlights allow users to categorize and save stories on their profile indefinitely. These appear as circular icons at the top of a profile, allowing visitors to revisit important moments anytime.
Ways to Add Instagram Highlights Without Posting to Stories
While Instagram normally requires stories to be posted before they can be added to Highlights, users can bypass this limitation with specific steps. Below are two primary methods to achieve this.
Method 1: Using the Close Friends Feature
This method is effective for privately uploading a story without alerting all followers.
- Open Instagram and tap on your profile icon to access your account.
- Tap the + icon or swipe right to create a new Story.
- Upload the desired photo or video.
- Before posting, tap on the “Close Friends” option.
- Add only yourself or a select private list of trusted accounts.
- Post the story; this ensures only your selected friends see it.
- Once posted, open the story and tap on the “Highlight” option.
- Choose an existing Highlight or create a new one.
- After successfully adding it, delete the story from the Close Friends list for enhanced privacy.
This technique works efficiently while keeping the story visible only to a select audience.
Method 2: Adjusting Privacy Settings
This approach involves modifying privacy settings before posting.
- Go to Settings by tapping the menu (three lines) on your Instagram profile.
- Select Privacy and then tap Story.
- Under Hide Story From, manually select all followers.
- Go back to Instagram’s main page and create a new Story.
- Upload the desired content and post it.
- Once the story is live, add it to a Highlight.
- Wait a few minutes, then return to the Story Settings and remove people from the Hide Story From list.
This ensures that the story is posted and added to Highlights without any follower seeing it.
Best Practices for Instagram Highlights
To ensure an effective Instagram profile, consider the following tips when adding Highlights:
- Use clear and engaging cover images: Custom cover images can make Highlights look professional and attractive.
- Organize content by theme: Group related stories (e.g., trips, work, events) to make navigating easier for visitors.
- Limit the number of Highlights: Having too many can overwhelm viewers, so prioritize important content.
- Update regularly: Keep Highlights fresh by removing outdated content and adding new relevant stories.
Conclusion
Although Instagram does not offer a built-in feature to directly add content to Highlights without posting to Stories, the above methods allow users to achieve this privately and efficiently. Whether using the Close Friends feature or adjusting privacy settings, these steps help users maintain greater control over their content while organizing their profile aesthetically.
FAQ
Can I add Highlights on Instagram without posting a story?
No, Instagram requires Stories to be posted before they can be added to Highlights. However, privacy settings and Close Friends can be used to hide the story from followers while adding it to a Highlight.
Will anyone see my story if I use the Close Friends method?
Only the accounts added to the Close Friends list will see the story. If you add only yourself, no one else will view it.
How long should I keep the story active before deleting it?
Once the story is posted and added to a Highlight, it can be deleted immediately from the story section. The Highlight will keep the content.
Can I add old Instagram Stories to Highlights?
Yes, previous stories are saved in the Story Archive (if enabled), and they can be added to Highlights anytime.
How can I change my Highlight cover image?
Go to your profile, tap on the Highlight you want to edit, select Edit Highlight, then tap Edit Cover to choose a new image.