How to Delete an Instagram Story, and Get It Back
Open your story, tap Options, then Delete. Each photo or video goes alone. Archive and highlight stories, and how long Recently Deleted keeps them.
To delete an Instagram story, tap Your story at the top of your Feed, tap Options on the photo or video you want gone, and tap Delete. Each photo or video in a story is deleted on its own, so repeat it for every part. Changed your mind? A deleted story sits in Recently Deleted for a while. Instagram's help center says that's "up to 24 hours for stories that aren't in your stories archive."
We read Instagram's help center as Google showed it on October 23, 2026. Instagram's help pages block our reader.
"How to delete instagram story" gets about 5,400 searches a month, and "how to delete a story on instagram" another 5,400.
How do you delete an Instagram story?
Instagram's help center gives the steps:
- "Go to your story by tapping Your story at the top of Feed."
- "Tap Options in the top right of the photo or video you'd like to" delete.
- Tap Delete, then confirm.
If your story has several photos or videos, tap through to the one you want and delete it. The rest stay up.
How do you delete a story from your archive?
Old stories live in your archive. Instagram's help center starts with "Tap Profile or your profile picture in the bottom right to go to your profile," then "Tap more options Menu in the top right." From there, open Archive, pick the story, and delete it from its options.
How do you remove a story from a highlight?
Edit the highlight. Tailwind's guide says to tap the highlight, "Tap Edit Highlight," and then "uncheck any of the Stories you'd like to remove." To delete the whole highlight, delete it from the same menu.
Can you get a deleted Instagram story back?
Sometimes, if you're quick. Instagram's Recently Deleted folder holds deleted posts and stories for a while.
| What you deleted | How long Recently Deleted keeps it |
|---|---|
| A story that isn't in your archive | Up to 24 hours |
| Other photos, videos and reels | 30 days |
| Messages | They can't be restored |
Instagram's help center pages on deleted content and recovery, as Google showed them on October 23, 2026.
"Content in Recently Deleted will be automatically deleted 30 days later, or up to 24 hours for stories that aren't in your stories archive," Instagram's help center says. It adds: "Keep in mind that deleted messages on Instagram cannot be restored." Instagram introduced the folder in February 2021, when it said deleted stories not in your archive "will stay in the folder for up to 24 hours."
Instagram's help page on recovering deleted photos, videos, reels and stories covers restoring them from Recently Deleted. Our guide on how to unarchive an Instagram story covers bringing back older ones from the archive.
Who might still have seen it?
Anyone who viewed it before you deleted it. If it mattered, assume someone may have taken a screenshot.
For more cleanups, see how to delete comments on Instagram, deleting Instagram messages and, on Snapchat, how to delete a Snapchat story. Hclout sells Instagram story views, so weigh that the way you'd weigh any seller. Its free tier gives 100 free Instagram views on a public post, with no password, on the free page. A short Cloudflare check runs before each claim.
Frequently asked questions
How do I delete an Instagram story after posting?
Open Your story, tap Options on the photo or video, and tap Delete.
Can I delete just one part of my story?
Yes. Each photo or video deletes on its own.
How long can I restore a deleted story?
Up to 24 hours if it isn't in your stories archive, Instagram says.
Can I recover a story from months ago?
If your stories archive was on, it's still in your archive.
How do I delete a highlight?
Open it, tap Edit Highlight, and remove stories, or delete the whole highlight.
Sources
- Instagram Help Center, "Delete your Instagram story," "Delete a story from your archive on Instagram," "What happens to content you delete on Instagram" and "How to recover deleted Instagram photos, videos, reels, and stories," as Google showed them on October 23, 2026
- Instagram, "Introducing 'Recently Deleted'," February 3, 2021, and Tailwind on highlights, as Google showed them
- Google Ads Keyword Planner, worldwide, read October 23, 2026
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