Can someone see a screenshot on instagram story

We've got you covered.

It has never, ever been a thing. But that hasn't stopped the urban myth from spreading.

Instagram rolled out their stories feature last year, mimicking the likes of Snapchat who pioneered the feature a long time before that.

The move has been a massive success for the social media app with the stories feature now having 250 million daily active users in July, up from 200 million in April, 150 million in January and 100 million in October last year.

This is compared to 166 million active users daily on Snapchat.

With Snapchat stories, if you screenshot a photo or video, an automatic notification is delivered to the sender that somebody has taken a picture of your Snapchat.

But, a myth quickly spread that a similar feature was in use in Instagram stories, and that if you screenshotted someone's story, they would see that you did so.

I've heard my friends say it and I've seen various comments about it online.

This is not the case... at least not fully the case anyway.

Instagram does not share with anyone when you screenshot photos they post. It also does not share when you screenshot an Instagram story.

But, it does notify when you screenshot a private direct message - this is the only time.

So any screenshots you've taken over the last week of stories you've received by DM have been noted by the sender.

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Some social platforms send alerts when you screenshot content. Is the same true for Instagram?

If you’ve ever taken a screenshot of an Instagram story, you’ve undoubtedly felt a little paranoid about the other person finding out.

There might be a genuine reason why you took the screenshot in the first place. Perhaps someone uploaded a funny meme, and you wanted to pass it on to someone else.

Or maybe someone added a sentimental photo to their story, and you wanted to treasure it as a memory. 

On the other hand, you may be curious as to whether people are screenshotting your stories, photos, and messages.

So, does Instagram notify users when someone screenshots a story or anything else? Read on to find out.

Does Instagram notify when you screenshot a story, post, or Reel?

Short answer: No 

When screenshotting or screen recording someone’s Instagram story, Instagram won’t send a notification to that person.

You can also screenshot Instagram posts and Reels without worrying about the other user being notified. 

So, this is good news if you want to screenshot a story on Instagram without the person knowing. But it’s bad news if you upload something to your story and want to know when someone takes a screenshot.

READ MORE: What is Vanish Mode on Instagram?

This hasn’t always been the case, though.

Instagram briefly tested a feature in 2018 that would notify users when someone screenshotted their story, but the social media giant abandoned it not long after and hasn’t brought it back since.

Does Instagram ever send notifications for screenshots?

Short answer: Yes, when you screenshot a disappearing photo or video in DMs

Although you’re safe to screenshot stories, posts, and Reels without Instagram notifying the user, the same can’t be said for disappearing photos and videos sent as direct messages.

READ MORE: Who’s the most followed person on Instagram?

If someone sends you a photo or clip that can only be viewed for a short time and you decide to screenshot it, they will see a star symbol next to the item in the message thread.

Additionally, when they go into their direct messages inbox, there’ll be text saying “screenshot taken” underneath your name. 

READ MORE: Can you see who views your Instagram Stories?

However, you can screenshot someone’s direct message without them getting a notification. They’ll only know that you’ve read the message as it will say “seen.”

Don’t be a creep when screenshotting on Instagram

There are plenty of reasons to screenshot an Instagram Story or Reel.

Maybe there’s a movie recommendation you want to remember or a recipe you want to check out. But don’t screenshot things that could be private or posted by mistake.

When it comes to screenshotting DMs on Instagram, we’ve also covered everything you need to know about that topic. Again, the rules are the same. Don’t be a creep. It’s literally that simple.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

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