Short answer: Instagram Highlights are stories you keep on your profile after the usual 24 hours. To create one, open your profile, tap New (or Story highlight), pick the stories, choose a cover and a name, and tap Done. They stay until you remove them.
What highlights are and how long they stay
Instagram says photos and videos you share to your story disappear from Feed, your profile and Direct after 24 hours, unless you add them as a highlight. Highlights stay on your profile until you remove them. Anyone you’ve allowed to see your story can also see them.
A highlight can also hold stories that already disappeared, because Instagram saves the stories you share in your Stories Archive. You can turn the archive off in Settings, so keep it on if you want to build highlights from older stories. Instagram warns that some stories change when they’re saved there, for example with the music muted or a video or GIF frozen.
How to create a highlight
- Go to your profile: tap your profile picture at the bottom right.
- Tap New in the top right; if you don’t see New, tap Story highlight.
- Select the story or stories you want in the highlight.
- Tap Next in the top right.
- Tap Edit cover to choose the cover photo.
- Enter a name for the highlight.
- Tap Done in the top right.
To add a single story to a highlight you already have, open your story, tap Highlight at the bottom right and pick the highlight. On a computer, click your profile picture, then New, enter the name, select the stories and choose the cover photo.
| Task | In the app | On a computer |
|---|---|---|
| Create a highlight | Profile, New, pick stories, Edit cover, name it, Done | Profile picture, New, name, pick stories, cover, Done |
| Add one story | Open the story and tap Highlight | Open the highlight, More, Edit, Stories |
| Edit a highlight | Tap and hold it, then Edit Highlight | Open it, Options, Edit |
| Remove one story | On that story, More, then Remove from Highlight | On that story, Options, then Delete |
Summary of what the Instagram Help Center says about highlights, as read on November 6, 2026.
How to edit or delete a highlight
Your highlights sit on your profile below Edit profile. Tap and hold the one you want: Edit Highlight adds more photos or videos, and Delete Highlight, then Delete, removes it. To take out a single story, open the highlight, tap More on that story and tap Remove from Highlight.
To delete several highlights at once, tap Menu, then Your activity, and under Content you shared tap Highlights. Tap Select, choose the highlights and tap Delete.
How a business can use highlights
Highlights are the first thing below your profile details, so for a business they work like a short menu for new visitors. We suggest a few that answer what someone asks before they buy: your services, common questions, reviews from customers and how to reach you. Give each a name of a word or two and a cover that matches the rest.
Add new stories to each highlight as they happen, and remove the ones that no longer apply. To plan stories ahead, Meta Business Suite lets you schedule them, and our Meta Business Suite guide shows how.
The archive and privacy
Instagram says stories shared publicly, including those in your archive, are used to improve AI at Meta unless you delete them from the archive or make your account private. A business account is usually public, so keep only the stories you’re happy to show. Our Instagram business account guide covers what a professional account changes.
Before you set up your highlights
- Stories Archive is on.
- Each highlight has a short, clear name.
- Each highlight has a cover you chose.
- Your highlights answer what a new visitor asks first.
- Stories that no longer apply are removed.
- You add new stories to the right highlight as they happen.
RememberA highlight keeps your stories on your profile after 24 hours. Keep the archive on, give each highlight a clear name and cover, and remove stories that no longer apply.
Our social media management service designs and posts your stories on the Growth and Pro plans, and the pages and followers belong to you. Send us a WhatsApp or fill in the form.
Quick answers about Instagram Highlights
Do Instagram highlights disappear?
No. Stories you add as highlights stay on your profile until you remove them, even after the original story disappears after 24 hours. Anyone you’ve allowed to see your story can also see your highlights.
Can I add an old story to a highlight?
Yes. Instagram saves the stories you share in your Stories Archive, and you can add stories as highlights even after they disappear. The archive can be turned off in Settings, so keep it on if you want to use older stories.
Can I create highlights on a computer?
Yes. On instagram.com, click your profile picture, then New, enter a name, select the stories and choose a cover photo. To edit one, click the highlight, then More and Edit.
How do I delete a highlight?
Tap and hold the highlight below Edit profile, tap Delete Highlight and confirm. To remove only one story, open the highlight, tap More on that story and tap Remove from Highlight.
Who can see my highlights?
The people you’ve allowed to see your story can also see your highlights. Instagram also says stories shared publicly, including those in your archive, are used to improve AI at Meta unless you delete them or make the account private.
Sources
Instagram Help Center pages, each read on November 6, 2026: Add a story to your Story Highlights. Edit or delete a highlight on Instagram. Archive Instagram Stories or turn off Stories Archive. How long Instagram stories remain visible.