Reposting someone else's story to yours
- Open the story you want to share.
- Tap Share in the bottom right.
- Tap Add to story.
- Tap Next in the bottom right.
- Tap Share.
Two conditions decide whether the Add to story option is there at all: the account that posted it must be public, and it must allow its stories to be reshared. Your own account can be public or private; that does not matter here. Public accounts allow resharing by default, so unless the owner changed that, the option is there.
The repost always carries the original account with it. Anyone who views it can see who posted the story first and open their profile.
Reposting a story you are tagged in
When someone mentions you in their story, Instagram tells you in a direct message that includes a preview of the story. Open that message and add the story to yours from there. If the person is someone you do not follow, the message lands in your message requests instead, so look there too. When several people are mentioned in the same story, the notice may arrive in a group chat with all of them.
Timing matters. The preview disappears from the message thread after 24 hours, as the story itself does, so a story you were tagged in is a same day decision. The person who tagged you can also have switched off resharing for people they mention, and then the story cannot be added to yours even though you are in it.
Reposting your own story from the archive
Your expired stories are kept in your Stories Archive, if the archive is on, and any of them can go out again:
- Go to your profile and tap Menu.
- Tap Archive.
- Tap the story you want.
- Tap Share, then choose Your story, or pick people to send it to.
Stories Archive and Highlights are not available for every account. If you cannot find an old story, how to unarchive a story on Instagram covers where they go and how to get them back.
Why you cannot repost a story
| What you see | Likely reason |
|---|---|
| No Add to story option on someone's story | Their account is private, or they turned off story resharing. |
| Tagged, but no way to add it | They switched off resharing for people they mention. |
| The preview is gone from your messages | More than 24 hours have passed. |
| No message about a tag at all | They are not someone you follow, so it is in your message requests. |
| Your own old story is missing | The archive is off, or not available for your account. |
| A teen's story will not share | Teen accounts have story to story sharing off by default. |
Controlling who can repost your stories
On a public account, anyone can reshare your stories unless you change it. Go to Settings, then Sharing and reuse, then Stories to stories, and pick Everyone, Followers you follow back, or Off. In the same Sharing and reuse menu, the toggle next to Stories in messages is the one Instagram names for stopping other people from sharing your story.
When you mention someone, there is a separate switch in the mention step: Let people you mention add this to their story. Instagram remembers your choice for future stories.
Think about the privacy side before you allow it. If you let people reshare, their followers can see your story, even if your own account is private. More on who sees what is in Instagram privacy, who sees what.
Sharing a post or reel to your story
The same Add to story route works for posts in your feed: tap Share below the photo or video, tap Add to story, then Next and Share. The account has to be public and allow resharing of its posts, and the option is not available to everyone. Creators cannot see who reshared their reel or where. A shared post can also be sent privately; how to DM in Instagram covers sending a post in a chat. To share a post or reel with your followers for longer than a day, Instagram's Repost button is the route; what a repost is on Instagram explains it.
Turning a story into a post
Going the other way, a photo or video from your current story can become a permanent post on your grid:
- Tap Your story at the top of your feed.
- On the photo or video you want, tap More in the bottom right.
- Tap Share as Post, crop and add effects if you want, then tap Next.
- Add a caption and location, then tap Share.
The post has the same visibility as your other posts, and unlike the story it does not disappear after 24 hours.
For a business account
For a brand, a customer's story that mentions you is one of the few pieces of content you did not have to make. Treat it that way:
- Check mentions daily, including message requests, because the preview disappears after 24 hours.
- Repost the good ones to your own story and save them to a highlight, so they outlast the day.
- Ask before you go further. Resharing a story inside Instagram keeps the original account attached; using the same photo in an ad or on your website is a different matter, so ask the person first.
Saving reposts into highlights is covered in how long Instagram stories last. If you want someone to watch the mentions and handle the posting, the Instagram management service does both.
How we will test this
Not run yetEverything above comes from the published sources listed below, and nothing here is presented as something we measured. Our own test on live accounts has not been run yet.
This is the test we will run: we tag a test account in a story from a second test account, with resharing on and off, and record the message the tagged account receives, the exact button it offers, and what happens after 24 hours, on iPhone and Android.
Platforms change behavior without announcing it, so once the first test is run we repeat it every quarter, and this section will say when it was run and on which devices and app versions.
Sources
Read on October 1, 2026.
- Instagram Help Center, Share someone's Instagram story to your own story
- Instagram Help Center, What happens when someone mentions you in their Instagram story
- Instagram Help Center, Mention someone in your Instagram story
- Instagram Help Center, Manage who can share your Instagram story
- Instagram Help Center, Share someone's post from feed to your Instagram story
- Instagram Help Center, Share a photo or video from your Instagram story to feed
- Instagram Help Center, read September 2026, Share a story from your archive
Questions people ask next
How do I repost someone's story on Instagram?+
Open the story, tap Share in the bottom right, tap Add to story, then Next and Share.
Why can't I repost someone's story?+
Their account has to be public and allow resharing. If it is private or they turned resharing off, the option is not there.
How do I repost a story I'm tagged in?+
Open the direct message that shows the preview of their story and add it to your story from there. If you do not follow them, look in message requests.
How long do I have to repost a story I'm tagged in?+
The preview disappears from the message thread after 24 hours, so repost it the same day.
Can I repost a story if my account is private?+
Yes. Your own account can be public or private; what matters is that the original account is public and allows resharing.
Does the person know I reposted their story?+
Your repost shows their account, and anyone who views it can open their profile.
How do I repost my own old story?+
Go to your profile, tap Menu, then Archive, tap the story and tap Share, then Your story.
How do I stop people from reposting my story?+
Go to Settings, then Sharing and reuse, then Stories to stories, and choose Off or Followers you follow back.
Can people repost my story if my account is private?+
If you allow resharing, their followers can see your story even if your account is private, so check your Sharing and reuse settings.
Can I share a post to my story?+
Yes, if the account is public and allows it. Tap Share below the post, then Add to story, Next and Share.
Can I turn my story into a post?+
Yes. In your story, tap More on the photo or video, then Share as Post, and finish it like any post.