what are Instagram highlights? Add Story To Highlights
Instagram Highlights have become an essential tool for users who want to make their stories last longer and keep them visible on their profile.
But how do Instagram Highlights work? Are Instagram Highlights public, permanent, or private? Do Instagram Highlights have limits or expire? In this complete guide, we’ll answer these and many other common questions about the features and functionality of Instagram Highlights.
What Are Instagram Highlights and How Do They Work?
Instagram Highlights are collections of your Instagram Stories that you choose to keep on your profile permanently. Unlike regular Stories, which disappear after 24 hours, Instagram Highlights stay on your profile until you manually remove them. If you’re wondering, “Are Instagram Highlights only for Stories?”, the answer is yes. Highlights can only include Stories that you have shared before, either publicly or with Close Friends.
When you create a Highlight, it appears below your bio and above your feed. How do Instagram Highlights work? Simply put, they allow you to categorize and display your past Stories for visitors to view anytime.
Are Instagram Highlights Public, Private, or For Close Friends?
One of the most common questions is “Are Instagram Highlights public?” By default, Instagram Highlight Stories are visible to everyone who can see your profile. So if your profile is public, your Highlights are public too. However, if you add a Story to your Highlights that was originally shared with Close Friends, that Highlight will only be visible to those Close Friends.
Can Instagram Highlights be private? Not entirely, unless your profile is private or the included Stories were shared with a restricted audience. Can Instagram Highlights be for Close Friends? Yes, if the Story itself was shared only with them.
🎨 Download any Instagram Highlight cover you like — 100% free with Instagram downloader
Do Highlights Story Instagram Have a Limit or Expire?

Many users ask, “Do Instagram Highlights have a limit?” and “Do Instagram Highlights expire?” Each individual Highlight can contain up to 100 Stories, but you can create as many Highlights as you want on your profile. Highlights do not expire; they stay on your profile indefinitely unless you choose to delete them.
If you’re wondering, “How long does a Highlight stay on Instagram?”, the simple answer is: as long as you want it to.
Who Can See Instagram Highlights? Are Views and Screenshots Notified?
Are Instagram Highlights visible to everyone? As mentioned earlier, anyone who can view your profile can view your Highlights. But can you see who views an Instagram Highlight? Yes — for up to 48 hours after the Story was added to the Highlight, you can see who viewed it. After that, you’ll only see the number of views, not the list of viewers.
A frequent concern is “Does Instagram Highlights show views or screenshots?” Instagram Highlights show view counts, but they do not notify you if someone takes a screenshot. Similarly, “Does Instagram Highlights notify screenshots?” No, Instagram does not provide screenshot notifications for Highlights.
Download Instagram Highlights Instantly Using Insget
With Insget, downloading Instagram Story Highlights has never been easier. This free online tool lets you save any public Highlight instantly, no login, no app installation, and no hassle. Just enter the username, select the Highlight you want, and download it in high quality within seconds!
With our Instagram Highlight Downloader, you can instantly save your favorite Highlight Stories in high quality, 100% free and without any login required. Try it now and keep your favorite moments forever!
Can You Hide or Archive Them?
Some users ask, “Can I hide an Instagram Highlight?” or “Can Instagram Highlights be hidden?” While there is no direct feature to hide Highlights, you can control who sees them by adjusting your Story privacy settings or by using Close Friends. Can you archive an Instagram Highlight? Highlights are built from archived Stories, but the Highlights themselves stay on your profile unless you delete them, they can’t be archived separately.
Why Do Highlights Disappear or Get Removed?
From time to time, people wonder, “Why did my Instagram Highlights disappear?” or “Why did my Highlights disappear on Instagram 2024?” This can happen due to temporary app glitches, deletion of the original archived Story, or changes in account settings. If you’re asking “Did Instagram remove Highlights?” — the platform has not removed the Highlights feature. Usually, issues are temporary and can be fixed by updating the app or clearing the cache.
Best Practices for Instagram Highlights

If you’re thinking, “What should I put in my Instagram Highlights?” or “How many Highlights should I have on Instagram?” — consider these tips:
Create Highlights for categories that represent your brand or personal style, such as products, tutorials, events, or personal moments.
Use clear and attractive Highlight covers (many ask “What is Instagram Highlight covers?” or “What size should Instagram Highlight covers be?” — the recommended size is 1080×1920 pixels).
Keep your Highlight names short and descriptive to improve user experience.
Looking to save Instagram content easily? Use Insget’s free Instagram Downloader to download photos, videos, reels, and more — including Highlights!
What Is the Difference Between Instagram Highlights and Highlight Covers?
Instagram Highlights and Highlight Covers are often confused, but they have distinct roles on your profile. Instagram Highlights are collections of your Stories that stay permanently on your profile, allowing you to showcase your best content beyond the usual 24-hour limit. Instagram Highlight Covers, on the other hand, are custom images or icons that serve as the visual thumbnail for each Highlight, helping you create a clean, branded look.
If you want to learn exactly what are Instagram Highlight Covers and how to create one, be sure to check out our detailed article on Instagram Highlight Covers!
Conclusion
Instagram Highlight Stories are a powerful feature to make your Stories last longer and to enhance your profile’s appearance. Whether you want to know “Are Instagram Highlights public?” or “Do Instagram Highlights expire?” or “what are Instagram highlights?” now you have a full understanding of how Instagram Highlights work and how to make the most of them.
By using Highlights wisely, you can make your profile more engaging, professional, and reflective of your