The Repost button in plain terms
A repost is Instagram's own way of passing a post along. You tap Repost on someone's public post or reel, and three things happen:
- Your followers may see in their feeds that you reposted it.
- The post is filed in a dedicated Reposts tab on your profile.
- It stays the creator's post. You do not upload a copy, so the credit stays with them.
Instagram notes that the feature may not be available to everyone yet.
How to repost on Instagram
- Open a public reel or post you want to share.
- Tap Repost.
- To add a note, tap the bubble next to your profile picture in the bottom left, type it, and tap Save.
Your note travels with the repost. Comments people leave on your repost come to you as direct messages rather than appearing under the original post, so a repost with a note can start conversations in your inbox; how to DM in Instagram covers the inbox side.
Who sees your repost
Your followers may see that you reposted something in their feed, and anyone who visits your profile can open your Reposts tab. Your followers may also see the repost when they come across that piece of content.
Reposts also show up in how Instagram ranks posts. Meta's description of the Feed system lists whether a post is a repost among the signals for one of its predictions, the likelihood that you will share a post in a direct message. How those predictions fit together is in what the Instagram algorithm means.
Finding and removing your reposts
To see them: go to your profile and open the Reposts tab.
To remove one: open the post you reposted and tap Repost again.
To remove several at once: go to your profile, tap Menu, then Your activity, then Reposts. Select the posts and tap Delete.
Your reposts are also included when you download your information from Instagram.
Stopping other people from reposting your posts
- Go to your profile and tap Menu.
- Below How others can interact with you, tap Sharing and reuse.
- Turn off the toggle next to Reposts on posts and reels.
The same Sharing and reuse menu holds the settings for sharing your posts and stories to other people's stories. If someone's repost of your content looks wrong, long press the profile picture on that repost in the bottom left and tap Report.
How it differs from sharing to a story
| Way to share | Where it shows | How long |
|---|---|---|
| Repost | Your followers' feeds, and the Reposts tab on your profile. | Until you remove it. |
| Add to story | Your story, with the original account attached. | 24 hours, unless saved to a highlight. |
| Send in a message | One chat or a few. | In that chat. |
Sharing to your story has its own rules about who allows it; how to repost a story on Instagram covers that route. Instagram also has a separate feature for sharing someone's post to your own feed, which its help page shows as not available in every location.
What cannot be reposted
- Private posts. Only public reels and posts can be reposted.
- Posts whose creator turned reposts off. The original creator has to allow it.
- Reposts. Only content posted by the original creator can be reposted. You cannot repost a repost.
Downloading someone's post and uploading it as your own is not a repost at all. It strips the credit and is a different thing entirely; ask the creator first.
For a brand account
For a brand, the Repost button is the clean way to share what customers, partners and press post about you. It keeps the credit with them, puts their post in front of your followers, and builds a Reposts tab that works as a quiet wall of social proof.
- Repost, do not re-upload, when a customer posts about you.
- Add a short note that says why it matters, rather than a generic thank you.
- Decide on your own setting. If you want customers to pass your posts along, leave Reposts on posts and reels switched on.
If you want someone to watch what people post about you and share the good ones, the Instagram management service covers it.
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 repost a public reel and a public post from a test account, with and without a note, check what a follower sees in their feed and on the profile tab, comment on the repost from a second account, and turn reposts off on a third account to confirm the button disappears.
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, Repost a reel or a post on Instagram
- Instagram Help Center, Share someone's post to your Instagram feed
- Meta Transparency Center, updated June 29, 2026, Instagram Feed AI system
Questions people ask next
What is a repost on Instagram?+
Sharing someone's public post or reel with your followers using the Repost button. It stays credited to the creator and is saved in a Reposts tab on your profile.
How do I repost on Instagram?+
Open a public reel or post and tap Repost. To add a note, tap the bubble by your profile picture, type it and tap Save.
Where do my reposts go?+
To a dedicated Reposts tab on your profile. Your followers may also see them in their feeds.
How do I undo a repost on Instagram?+
Open the post and tap Repost again. To remove several, go to Your activity, then Reposts, select them and tap Delete.
Can I stop people reposting my posts?+
Yes. Go to Menu, Sharing and reuse, and turn off Reposts on posts and reels.
Why can't I repost something?+
It may be private, its creator may have turned reposts off, it may itself be a repost, or the feature may not be available to you yet.
Can I repost a repost?+
No. Only content posted by the original creator can be reposted.
What happens to comments on my repost?+
They come to you as direct messages.
Is a repost the same as sharing to my story?+
No. A repost goes to your followers' feeds and your Reposts tab and stays until you remove it; a story share lasts 24 hours unless saved to a highlight.
Does reposting give credit to the creator?+
Yes. You share their post itself rather than uploading a copy, so it stays theirs.
Can I report a repost?+
Yes. Long press the profile picture on the repost in the bottom left, then tap Report.