You can make a story permanent on Instagram by adding it to your Instagram Highlights, a feature designed specifically for this purpose.
Instagram Stories typically disappear after 24 hours, but Highlights allow you to save your favorite moments and keep them visible on your profile indefinitely. This feature is located just above your posts, right below your profile bio, making them easily accessible to anyone visiting your profile. They serve as curated collections of your best stories.
What are Instagram Highlights?
Instagram Highlights are permanent collections of your past or current Instagram Stories. Unlike regular stories that vanish, these remain on your profile until you remove them. They are perfect for showcasing important aspects of your life, business, or content.
According to the reference, this feature allows you to save your favourite Stories and make them permanent, instead of letting them disappear after 24 hours.
Steps to Make a Permanent Story (Add to Highlight)
You can create a Highlight from an active story or from your story archive.
Method 1: From an Active Story (as mentioned in the reference)
If the story you want to save is still live (less than 24 hours old):
- Go to the story you want to highlight.
- While viewing the story, look for the options at the bottom.
- Press the Highlight button. This usually looks like a heart or a star icon within a circle.
- You'll be prompted to add it to an existing Highlight or create a New one. Select "New".
- Enter a title for your new Highlight (e.g., "Travel," "Pets," "Work").
- Tap "Add".
Your story is now saved in this new Highlight, visible on your profile.
Method 2: From Your Story Archive
Most often, you'll want to save stories that have already expired. This is done via your story archive.
- Go to your profile page.
- Tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines) in the top right corner.
- Select "Archive".
- Make sure you are viewing the "Stories Archive" (it might default to Posts Archive).
- Browse your past stories and tap on the story you want to add to a Highlight.
- Once the story is open, tap the "Highlight" icon at the bottom (the heart or star in a circle).
- Choose to add it to an existing Highlight or tap "New" to create a fresh one.
- If creating a new one, enter a title and tap "Add".
Using the archive allows you to select any story you've ever posted (provided archiving is enabled in your settings).
Managing Your Instagram Highlights
Once you've created Highlights, you can easily manage them:
- Add More Stories: Tap on an existing Highlight on your profile and tap the "More" option (three dots). Select "Edit Highlight" and then "Archive" to add more stories from your archive.
- Edit Cover: From the "Edit Highlight" menu, you can choose a different story or even upload a custom photo as the Highlight cover icon.
- Change Title: The "Edit Highlight" menu also allows you to rename the Highlight.
- Delete Highlight: You can remove an entire Highlight from your profile via the "Edit Highlight" menu.
By utilizing the Highlights feature, you can effectively make your favorite Instagram Stories a permanent and curated part of your profile display.
