How to block people from seeing your story instagram


How to Hide Instagram Stories from Other People (and Mute Theirs)

Instagram Tips & Resources


By Benjamin Chacon

Updated on August 21, 2019

4 minute read

If you’ve ever wondered how to mute (or hide)stories on Instagram, we’ve got you covered!

Published August 21, 2019

If you’ve ever wondered how to mute stories on Instagram (or how to hide Instagram Stories from other people), we’ve got you covered!

Instagram’s mute feature lets you silence stories from accounts you follow without having to actually unfollow those accounts — which is perfect if you’ve ever had a friend who posts *way* too many Instagram Stories!

But did you know that you can hide your stories from other users as well?

In this post, we cover everything you need to know about how to mute stories on Instagram + how to hide Instagram Stories from other people: 

How to Hide Instagram Stories From Other People

You have a few different options when it comes to hiding your Instagram Stories from other people.

If you want to prevent someone from seeing anything you post to your story in the future, simply head to your profile and open your account settings.

Next, tap Privacy.

And then Story.

Tap the number of people next to Hide Story From.

Select the people you’d like to hide your story from, then tap Done.

You can also choose to hide your story from specific users from as you’re looking at who’s seen your story.

Just tap the ellipsis button to the right of their name and select Hide Story From [Username].

If your story is appearing on a location or hashtag page, you’ll see it at the top of the list of people who have seen your story. You can tap “x” to the right of a location or hashtag page to hide your story from it.

Note: When you hide Instagram Stories from certain people, they won’t be able to see anything you post to your story in the future.

Hiding Instagram Stories from someone is also different from blocking them and doesn’t prevent them from seeing your profile and posts.

How to Mute Other People’s Instagram Stories

To mute an account’s Instagram Stories, all you have to do is tap the ellipsis button (“…”) in the top-right corner of any post and tap Mute.

From there, you can choose whether to mute posts or mute posts and stories from an account.

You can also mute posts and stories by pressing and holding on a story in your tray or from a profile.

This moves the account’s story to the end of your queue and prevents it from auto-playing.

Note: The accounts you mute will not be aware that you’ve muted them — and you can always unmute an account to get their stories back in your tray! Just re-follow the steps above and select Unmute.

Why You May Want to Mute or Hide Instagram Stories

We all have one… an irritating Instagram account that clogs your stories with photos and videos you have no intention of engaging with.

It could be an old friend or recent ex, but whatever the social dynamic, the ability to hide an accounts’ Instagram Stories from appearing in your tray without actually unfollowing them gives you way more control over the content you see!

It’s also a lot less drastic than unfollowing someone.

With the ability to mute stories on Instagram, you can avoid seeing the content you dislike (or prefer not to see) without affecting your real-life relationships with those users.

There’s also a possibility that Instagram algorithm takes this information into consideration when deciding what kind of content to serve up in your feed and Explore page.  

Finally, it can also be helpful for mental health. Muting other people’s Instagram Stories gives you a greater ability to personalize your feed — so you can focus on engaging with content that has a positive impact on your mental health.

Have you muted anyone one Instagram? Let us know what you think of this feature in the comments!

Always stay up-to-date with Instagram! Join over 1 million Instagram marketers and subscribe to the Later newsletter to keep up with all the latest Instagram trends:

About the Author

Benjamin Chacon

Content Marketer

Benjamin is a Content Marketing Strategist and recent transplant from Toronto. You can follow his day-to-day on Instagram @benjaminchacs.

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How to Hide a Story From Someone on Instagram

Last updated: 09.01.2023

Author: Branka

Insta stories are always a great idea when you want to share a moment but don’t want it to be engraved forever on your feed. But say you have a large following ranging from your aunt to your boss. Not every piece of content is for everyone. Are you worried about someone seeing a story on Instagram that you don’t want them to see? That’s why we will show you how to hide a story from someone on Instagram. Keep reading to learn more!

How to Hide Stories on Instagram

With nearly 90% of Instagrammers posting stories, it makes sense that some of those would occasionally like to hide a story or stories from some of their followers. Fortunately, the process is really straightforward. So, here’s what you need to do to hide your Instagram story from someone: 

  1. Open Instagram and go to your profile.
  2. Tap the menu at the top right and select “Settings”. 
  3. Tap on “Privacy” and then “Stories”.
  4. Find “Hide Story from”.
  5. If you haven’t done this before you will see a ‘0 people’ written, click on that.
  6. A list will show up where you can search for the specific people you want to hide the story from.
  7. Select their username, and they will no longer be able to view your stories until you reverse the process.

Remember that this setting refers only to your stories and won’t prevent someone from looking at your profile and seeing your posts. 

How to Hide Highlights on Instagram From Someone

Hiding highlights entails using pretty much the same process. Through the settings menu, you can use the ‘Hide Story from’ option.

Alternatively, you can make a private story on Instagram and make sure only certain people see your stories and highlights.

How to Block Someone From Seeing Your Story

Blocking someone from seeing your story can be done by hiding your story in one of two ways already described, or by entirely blocking their account altogether. They will not be able to view your story, nor will they be able to access your profile, send you direct messages, or even find you listed on Instagram.

The Bottom Line

As you can see, hiding your stories on Instagram is a piece of cake. Now that you know how to hide Instagram stories, you don’t need to worry if your godmother is going to be counting your cocktails or about nosy acquaintances.  

FAQs on How to Hide a Story From Someone on Instagram
Can you block someone from seeing your Instagram story? 

Yes, you can both hide your story from someone and limit their viewing options, in which case they will see your profile and posts but not your stories. Or you can block them completely in which case they will not be able to see any of your content or your profile.

Will a person know if I hide my story on Instagram from them?

No, they will not know that you have hidden the story unless someone tells them about it and they try to view it. However, if they are fully blocked, they might notice that your profile is gone from their view.  

Can you block someone from seeing your highlights on Instagram? 

Yes, and if you know how to hide a story from someone on Instagram, you can apply the same process. Follow the instructions for hiding a story and it will work on the highlights feature as well.

instructions for setting up restricted access

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Is it possible to hide stories on Instagram and how to do it

Every year, Instagram introduces features that make life easier for its users. One of them is customizing the display of stories. With its help, you can easily control which users can view your stories, as well as hide from the feed the stories of those whose content you are not interested in.

How to hide your Instagram stories

How to hide other people's stories on Instagram

Frequently asked questions

How to hide your stories on Instagram

There are 3 ways to limit the viewing of your Instagram stories: close them for certain followers; hide from users who are not subscribed to you; Broadcast stories only to selected people on your Close Friends list. Depending on the goals, brands and bloggers choose the method that suits them. For example, they are used during contests/draws or during closed sales (for example, only for subscribers or loyalty card holders). Also, the restriction on viewing stories is applied when the account is both personal and work, so as not to broadcast moments from life to the entire audience, but only to a narrow circle of friends.

Hide stories from the user does not mean blocking him. In addition to stories and live broadcasts, he will see your other content (posts in the feed, Reels), and will also be able to comment on publications and write to you in Direct.

Method 1. How to limit the viewing of stories for some subscribers

In the Instagram app, go to Settings ― Privacy ― History. In the "Watching" section, select "Hide history from". In the list, mark the subscribers from whom you want to hide your stories, and click "Done". You can change the choice (add or remove a person from the list) at any time. If a user has unsubscribed from you, the settings for restricting viewing for him will be saved.

Method 2. How to hide stories on Instagram for those who do not follow you

To hide stories from a person who is not your subscriber, go to his profile and click on the three dots in the upper right corner. Select Hide My History. Now this user will not be able to view any of your stories. To remove restrictions, also click on the three dots and select "Show my story again."

Method 3: Show stories only to a select list of people

With the Close Friends list, you can easily separate public and private content. To customize the list, go to the settings menu and select Close Friends. In the search, find and mark users (you can add both subscribers and those who are not subscribed to you) and click "Finish". Now select "Close Friends" when posting a story. After publication, such stories will be marked with a green circle, and only users from the list will see them. You can edit the list at any time.

How to hide other people's stories on Instagram

You may need to hide other people's stories in your feed if their content is uninteresting or distracting to you. For example, you are subscribed to some expert, but he publishes the content you need only in posts, and broadcasts his personal life in stories. Since this content is not interesting for you, you can hide its stories.

Go to the account of the person whose stories you want to hide, and in the profile header, click on the "You are subscribed" button. Select "Hide" and turn on the toggle switch opposite "History". Now his stories will not be shown in your feed. The person whose stories you have hidden will never know about it. To see his stories again, turn off the toggle switch.

If you have many accounts where stories were hidden and you can't remember them all, you can find them in a separate list. To do this, go to Settings - Privacy - Hidden Accounts.

Frequently asked questions about hidden stories on Instagram

How do I know if another person has hidden their stories from me?

Unfortunately, there is no 100% way to determine this, since Instagram does not notify that someone has hidden their stories from you. You can ask friends or log in under a different account and see if the user has published stories. If you see them under another account, but not under your own, stories have been hidden from you. But if a user publishes stories only for the "Close friends" list, it is impossible to find out about this and view these stories.

Is it possible to hide already published stories from the user?

Yes, to do this, go to your stories and click "More" at the bottom. Select "History settings" - "Hide history from" and mark the desired user.

Can I watch someone else's stories anonymously?

Yes, there are several ways to hide your view of someone else's stories. More detailed in the article. Also, these methods will be relevant if you have limited access to viewing stories.

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5 ways to watch Instagram Stories anonymously? without registration

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Contents

  • 1 How to watch Instagram stories anonymously
    • 1.1 View via telegram
    • 1.2 View before archiving
    • 1.3 Rest the history of Instagram Anonymously
  • 9015 Instagram allows you to hide stories from specific users, as well as know who has seen them. But is it possible to watch the stories of others without being discovered?

    For example, you want to know what your ex-lover or the one you decide to unfollow is doing and not be noticed. In other words, is there an option to view Instagram stories anonymously?

    The answer is yes, and it can be done whether you are a follower of this person or not. There are applications and tricks that allow you to hide the name in the list of those who watched the story.

    Just note that most of these methods will only work if the account you're trying to follow is a public account and you're not in the block. How to block on Instagram, read our instructions.

    How to view Instagram stories anonymously

    So, there are several ways to view other people's stories.

    View via Telegram

    There is one simple bot in Telegram. You can find it by searching for @spystoriesbot or follow the link. Write the nickname of the account whose story you want to view and the bot will send all media files from the stories of this person.

    View before archiving

    The first option is to wait until the story is archived.

    This is one of the easiest methods available, with one annoying point - you have to wait almost a full 24 hours after publication.

    The list of people who have viewed Stories doesn't show up on Instagram 24 hours after it's posted, which means all you have to do is wait a while.

    When the 24-hour time limit is almost up, look at the story on the right profile, and if that person doesn't constantly update the viewer list, you won't get caught.

    The tricky part is that you won't be able to know exactly what time this 24-hour period will expire. But if you are online and caught the moment when the story was recorded, set a reminder to view it before it disappears. Otherwise, we suggest trying one of the following options.

    Watch your Instagram story anonymously

    It's a little risky and may not be for everyone. However, if you need to preview right away, we recommend trying this method. What needs to be done:

    1. Open the Instagram app on your phone and go to your news feed.
    2. The latest stories are the very first at the top of the screen, and you need to click on one of the stories to the left or right of the one you need to peek at it.
    3. Assuming that in this example you have selected the scene to the right of what you want, you must swipe to the right without lifting your finger from the screen. You should see the first image, or the start frame if it's a video.
    4. Drag your finger back to the left to prevent content from taking up the entire screen. In other words, make sure the story you originally uploaded stays on screen at all times.

    Again, this doesn't always work and it's easy to make a mistake here. So if you're not sure if you can do it, it's best to practice on a story posted by someone you're not trying to hide from.

    If you did everything right, the "peeped" story should remain highlighted when you return to the news feed.

    3 applications to view stories anonymously

    Option 3 - use third party applications and dedicated web services.

    Another way to watch someone's Stories without being detected is to install a number of free apps.

    1. Stalker for Instagram available for iOS and Android.
    2. Story Saver for Android. If you're on Android, you have the option of using the Story Saver app available on the Play Store. Access to the application through an Instagram account. You can also download stories to your device.
    3. Story Reposter for iPhone. Open the app and enter the name of the person whose Stories you want to see. After entering your username, click Search. If you have viewed and saved a photo or video, the other person will not know.

    You don't have to use third-party apps and downloads to view Stories anonymously.

    There is a site called StoriesIG where, by entering a person's account name, you can download and save all published stories and view them without appearing in the watch list.

    If blocked after viewing Stories

    If you want to stop showing name after viewing Instagram Stories, do the following:

    1. Open the Instagram app and go to the user's profile.
    2. Click on the three dots icon in the upper right corner and click "Block".
    3. Blocking this account will prevent your name from appearing in the viewer list.

    The problem is that as soon as you unblock this person, your profile will automatically appear in the list of Stories viewers. So leave it locked until 24 hours after posting.

    To unblock someone on Instagram, go to the profile, tap the gear icon (iOS) or (Android) and under "Account" go to blocked users. Select a specific user and then click Unblock.

    In addition to wanting to follow an ex or check on significant others, there are a number of reasons why people need to anonymously view another account's Instagram Stories.

    Brands and marketers alike conduct anonymous research before reaching out to an influencer in the company—and this includes anonymous research on the content of stories.


    Learn more