Does Instagram Notify When You Screenshot a Story?
Instagram stories come in the form of disappearing photos and videos that only last up to 24 hours.
If you want to preserve another person’s photo or video from an Instagram story, you’ll need to take a screenshot to do so.
But, does Instagram notify when you screenshot a story?
In this article we’ll answer:
- Does Instagram notify when you screenshot a story?
- Can you screenshot a story?
- When do Instagram users receive notifications after someone screenshotted their content?
Before you start taking screenshots of your friends’ stories photos and videos, learn if they’ll know it was you.
Does Instagram Notify When You Screenshot a Story?
No, Instagram does not notify you when someone takes a screenshot of your Instagram stories.
However, the app shows who sees a story, so it is easy to narrow down who might have taken a screenshot from the story.
Most Instagram screenshots of stories are taken by followers to preserve the video or photo before it disappears.
Can You Screenshot Instagram Stories?
Yes, you can take screenshots of Instagram stories.
You can do so on both Apple and Android devices with the respective screenshot command. To do so, just:
- Step 1: Open the Instagram app.
- Step 2: Search for the profile that has the story you want to screenshot
- Step 3: Click on the profile picture to see the story
- Step 4: Take the screenshot of the disappearing photo or video
- Step 5: Save it on your phone
Again, does Instagram notify when you screenshot a story? No, it won’t.
Most social media apps like Facebook and Twitter allow users to take a screenshot of another person’s posts without triggering a popup notification.
The exception is Snapchat, which has a robust system in place to protect posts and other content from being screenshotted.
Can You See When Someone Screenshot Your Instagram Story?
No, you can’t see when someone screenshots your Instagram story.
There is no way of knowing when any other user takes a screenshot of a photo or video on your Instagram story.
A person can make an educated guess of who took a screenshot of the disappearing photo by taking a look at which of the followers saw the story.
However, they must do it while the photos are still up in the digital cloud.
After the 24 hour period of the story, the identity of the viewers who saw it will disappear as well.
Instagram Screenshot Story Notification Example
There is no example, as there is no such feature.
The closest thing is the star icon.
It appears when a person takes a screenshot of a video message or image message on the DMs.
If that’s the case, Instagram will notify the user with the icon.
It’ll appear to the side of the video that was screenshotted.
How to Prevent Getting Notification When You Screenshot Instagram Story?
You can’t prevent it as Instagram does not notify users when you take screenshots of their stories.
Any person or user can save your story.
Since Instagram won’t send you any screenshot notification, the best way to prevent a person from doing so is to avoid story posts altogether.
When Does Instagram Notify Users that You’ve Taken a Screenshot?
Instagram only notifies users of a screenshot when the screenshot is taken directly from their DMs (Direct Message).
Screenshotting Instagram DMs will trigger notifications for the other party. And the other person will know who took the screenshot.
The notification appears as a starburst icon to the side of the message, photo, or video inside the Direct Message screen.
Instagram notifies its users only about screenshots on their direct messages and only with the icon.
It won’t notify a user about a quick screenshot or a screen recording of Instagram posts.
Note: If Instagram failed to notify you, Instagram might not be working. See Why & How to Fix It.
Instagram Stories Screenshot Notifications FAQ
Can You Tell If Someone Screenshots Your Instagram?
Usually, no. You won’t get a notification unless they take a picture from your DMs. In that case, you will get one.
How Do You Screenshot Someone’s Story on Instagram Without Them Knowing?
The easiest way to avoid screenshot detection is by opening the app, loading the Instagram post, and putting your phone on airplane mode.
Once you put it on airplane mode, you will be able to take a screenshot and store it on your camera roll.
How Can I Look At Someone’s Instagram Stories Without Them Knowing?
You can’t see an Instagram story post without them knowing.
In the same way, you can’t click on the like icon without them knowing you click on the icon. Different action, same concept. The interaction can be seen.
Karen is a senior technical writer and copywriter here at GrowFollowing. Her area of expertize are social media apps and new media.