How to Use Instagram Stories

In August 2016, Instagram introduced the feature Instagram Stories, which allows users to post a series of photos and videos that last for 24 hours before disappearing. This is a totally different way to interact with people within the app than what's existed previously, and thanks to its user-friendly design, it's not too hard to get the hang of.

EditSteps

EditGetting Instagram

1. Download the app. Search for "Instagram" in the App Store or Play Store on your iPhone or Android, respectively. When you find the app, tap “Install” to download it.
   
2. Open the app. From the home screen of your phone, tap on the Instagram app to open it.
   
3. Sign up for an account. If you don't already have an account, tap "Sign Up" at the bottom of the screen and follow the instructions that appear to get set up with an account.
   
4. Log in. If you already have an account, type your username and password into the corresponding boxes on the screen, and tap "Login" to sign in.
   

EditUsing Instagram Stories

1. Open the app. Find the Instagram app on your phone, and tap on it to open it.
   
2. Log in. If you aren't already logged in, type your username and password into the corresponding boxes on the screen, and tap "Login" to sign in.
   
3. Tap the Snap Story button. This button is in the top-left corner of your screen, and is shown as a plus with a circle surrounding it.
   
4. Enable camera and microphone access. If this is your first time taking a photo or video in the Instagram app, you will need to grant it permission to use your microphone and camera. Tap "Allow" or "Enable" on the prompts that appear, and you will be brought to Instagram Stories' camera mode.
   
5. Change your camera's direction. If your phone has both a front and back camera, you can tap the circling arrows at the bottom-right corner of the screen to change the direction in which your photo faces.
   
6. Take a photo. Tap the white circle near the bottom of your screen to capture an image.
   
7. Take a video. Tap and hold on the white circle near the bottom of your screen to begin to capture a video. Release the button to end the video.
   
8. Draw on your photo. After taking a photo or video, tap the marker icon in the top-right corner of the screen to draw on the media.
   
   • The icons in the center of the top of the screen allow you to choose between three different types of pen to draw with.
   • Choose a color to draw with by tapping the colored circles at the bottom of the screen.
   • You can undo your work stroke by stroke by tapping the "Undo" button in the top-left corner.
   • Tap "Done" in the top-right corner of the screen once you are content with what you've drawn.
9. Add a caption. Tap the upper-and-lowercase "Aa" button to open your keyboard. After typing a caption, tap anywhere on the screen to add it to your photo.
   
   • Tap and drag your caption to change its position.
   • With two fingers, pinch, pull, or twist your caption to change its size and orientation.
10. Add a filter to your photo. Swipe left or right on your screen to browse different filters to add to your photo.
    
11. Save your photo. Tap the downward pointing arrow at the bottom-right of your screen to save your photo to your phone.
    
12. Add the photo to your story. Tap the checkmark sitting inside the white circle to add the photo to your story. It is now viewable to all of your followers.
    
13. Add another photo to your story. Tap the Instagram Story button in the top-left corner of your screen again to add more photos and videos to your story!
    

EditEditing Your Instagram Story

1. Open your story. In the banner just below the Instagram logo at the top of your screen, look for the thumbnail of your profile picture on the far left, which is labelled "Your Story". Tap on it to open your story.
   
2. See who has viewed your story. If anybody has viewed your story, you'll see the icon of an eye with a number next to it at the bottom of your screen. Tap on it to see the list of followers who have viewed your photo.
   
   • If you have posted multiple photos to your story, you can also swipe left and right on their thumbnails at the top of your screen to see who has viewed each individual photo.
   • Tap the X in the top-right corner of the screen once you are finished reviewing your story viewers.
3. Tap on the Options button. This is denoted by the three horizontal notes on the bottom-right of your screen. You'll see a number of options appear. Here, you can:
   
   • Save your photo to your phone.
   • Share your photo as a "permanent" post on Instagram.
   • Change your story settings.
4. Open your story settings. This option is listed when you tap on the the Options button on your story.
   
5. Change your story's privacy. The menu you will land on will present you with two ways in which to control your story's publicity:
   
   • Tap "Hide Story From" to open a list of your followers. Search for or tap on the names of the followers whom you would like to keep from seeing your story. Tap "Done" in the top-right corner when you're content.
   • Tap "Off" in the "Allow Message Replies" section to prevent all Instagram users from being able to respond directly to your story with text-based messages. Tap "Followers You Follow Back" to limit these replies to users who you also follow on Instagram.

EditWatching Other Instagram Stories

1. Tap on a user thumbnail in your story reel. From the home page of your Instagram account, you'll see a reel of thumbnails of people you follow who have added photos to their stories in the past 24 hours. Tap on one of these thumbnails to open that user's story.
   
2. Navigate between photos in a story. Tap on the photo that you open to see the next photo in that user's story.
   
3. Navigate between different stories. Swipe your finger left or right on your screen to see other stories that have been posted in your network in the past 24 hours.
   
4. Reply to a story. Tap the "Send Message" button in the bottom-left corner of the story to send a message to the poster of a particular story.
   
   • If you do not see the "Send Message" button, it is because a user's privacy settings prevents some or all of their followers from replying to them directly.

EditTips

• If you see a photo on another story that you deem inappropriate, you can report it by tapping the Options button at the bottom-right corner of the screen and tapping "Report".