Can you see who views your Instagram Highlights? [2025 guide]

Instagram is arguably the most popular social media platform where people love to share their life’s moments via photos, videos, stories, carousels, and different types of content.

Among its many features, Instagram Highlights stand out as a way to permanently showcase your favorite stories on your profile.

But one question continues to intrigue Instagram users: Can you see who views your Instagram Highlights?

This comprehensive guide will answer all your questions about Instagram Highlights viewers, providing clarity on what you can and cannot see when it comes to your highlight views.

What are Instagram Highlights?

Instagram Highlights are collections of your Instagram Stories that you choose to feature permanently on your profile. Unlike regular Instagram Stories that disappear after 24 hours, Highlights remain visible until you actively delete them.

Highlights serve several purposes for different types of accounts:

• Personal accounts: They showcase your favorite memories, trips, events, or aspects of your life
• Business accounts: They highlight products, services, customer testimonials, or behind-the-scenes content
• Creators: They organize content by themes, showcase collaborations, or feature tutorials

Each Highlight appears as a circle below your bio on your profile page, creating an organized, visually appealing way to categorize and present your best Stories content.

Here’s an example of Instagram Highlights and stories in them:

Now that you are familiar with the basics of Instagram Highlights, let’s come to the primary topic of this discussion:

Can you see who viewed your Instagram highlights?

The answer isn’t as straightforward as many users hope.

Here’s what you need to know:

The 48-hour window

You can see who viewed your Instagram Highlights, but only within 48 hours from when the original Story was posted – not from when you added it to your Highlights.

This is a critical distinction that many Instagram users misunderstand. The view count and viewer list are tied to the original Story’s timeline, not to when you created the Highlight.

What you can see within 48 hours?

Within this 48-hour window, you can see:

• The total number of accounts that viewed your Story/Highlight
• A list of specific accounts that viewed your content
• The order in which people viewed your Story (most recent viewers appear at the bottom of the list)

Understanding these metrics is similar to how you would track your Instagram engagement rate for other content.

What you cannot see?

Instagram does not provide:

• Information on how many times someone viewed your Highlight
• List of people who viewed your Highlights after the 48-hour window expires
• Any insights into how long someone spent viewing your Highlight
• Data on who has viewed your Highlights most frequently

These limitations are important to understand when planning your Instagram marketing strategy.

How to check your Instagram Highlight viewers?

The process to see who has viewed your Instagram Highlights is simple, whether you’re using the mobile app or accessing Instagram via desktop.

Mobile (iOS and Android)

1. Open your Instagram profile and tap on the specific Highlight you want to check.

2. Once you’re inside the highlight, swipe up on the screen. Alternatively, you can tap the Activity option in the bottom left corner to see who viewed your Highlights.

3. This action will open a screen showing the complete list of accounts that viewed your Highlight within the last 48 hours.

Desktop

1. Open your Instagram profile in a web browser and click on the Highlight of which you want to check the viewers list.

2. Look for “Seen by [number]” in the bottom left corner of the Story Highlights.

3. Click on this text to view the complete list of accounts that viewed your Highlight. Remember, this information is only available for the first 48 hours after posting the original Story.

Instagram highlights views after 48 hours

Once the 48-hour window has passed, Instagram removes all viewer data. This is a deliberate design choice by Instagram, likely meant to:

1. Reduce data storage requirements
2. Maintain some level of user privacy
3. Emphasize recent engagement over historical views

Is there any way to see views after 48 hours?

No, there is no official way to see who viewed your Instagram Highlights after 48 hours. Despite what some third-party apps might claim, Instagram’s API restrictions prevent legitimate access to this data.

A word of caution: Be extremely wary of any third-party apps or services that claim to show you who viewed your Highlights after 48 hours. These apps often:

• Request your login credentials, potentially compromising your account security
• Provide inaccurate or completely fabricated data
• May violate Instagram’s Terms of Service, potentially putting your account at risk
• Could contain malware or other security threats

This is similar to how the Instagram shadowban works – Instagram doesn’t officially acknowledge certain features, and trying to circumvent them can lead to account issues.

What you can do instead?

If tracking views is important to you:

• Take screenshots of your viewer lists before the 48-hour window expires
• Use Instagram Insights (for business/creator accounts) to track overall story performance with an Instagram analytics tool
• Focus on engagement metrics like replies and reactions, which can provide more meaningful feedback

Related: 27 top social media analytics tools

Can people see when you view their Highlights?

This is perhaps one of the most common questions about Instagram Highlights: can people see when you view their highlights on Instagram? The answer follows the same rules as above:

Yes, people can see it when you view their Instagram Highlights, but only within 48 hours of posting the original story.

If you view someone’s Highlight that contains a Story posted more than 48 hours ago, they will not be able to see that you viewed it. This creates an interesting dynamic where browsing older Highlights is essentially “anonymous” viewing.

What this means for your browsing habits?

• Recent Highlights: The account owner can see when you view these if the original Story is less than 48 hours old
• Older Highlights: The account owner cannot see when you view Stories that were posted more than 48 hours ago

So, if you have ever wondered how to view someone’s Highlights on Instagram anonymously, you can do so if the story is achieved into the Highlights and is older than 48 hours, as Instagram doesn’t track views on Highlights. Keep in mind that views within the first 48 hours of posting the story won’t be anonymous.

Related: How to view Instagram Stories anonymously?

Privacy settings and Highlight visibility

Understanding who can see your Highlights (and whose Highlights you can see) depends on privacy settings. Here’s what you need to know:

Public accounts

• Anyone can view your Highlights, even people who don’t follow you.
• You can see Highlights from any public account.

Private accounts

• Only approved followers can see your Highlights.
• You can only see Highlights from private accounts that have approved your follow request.

Controlling who sees your Instagram Highlights

You can control who views your Instagram content by adjusting your privacy settings for Stories—and by extension, your Highlights.

When you hide your Stories from someone, any Highlights—whether created before or after applying the setting—will be hidden from them.

Here’s how!

How to hide Instagram Highlights?

1. Go to your Instagram profile and tap the three lines (hamburger menu) to open Settings.

2. Scroll down to the Who can see your content option and tap Hide story and live.

3. Under “Hide story from,” add accounts you want to block from viewing your Stories and Highlights

Remember: When you hide Stories from someone, they won’t be able to see your Highlights either, as Highlights are made up of Stories. These settings are part of maintaining appropriate social media privacy settings.

Here’s an example of an Instagram profile displaying Highlights to the user before being added to the “Hide story” list, and no Highlights visible after they have been restricted.

Common myths about Instagram highlights

Several misconceptions circulate about Instagram Highlights views. Let’s debunk the most common ones:

Myth 1: Special gestures reveal hidden Highlights viewers

Reality: No amount of tapping, swiping, or other gestures will reveal additional viewers beyond what Instagram officially shows in the first 48 hours.

Myth 2: The order of viewers shows who checks your profile most

Reality: The order of viewers is based on recency of viewing, not on how frequently someone visits your profile. Understanding this helps when analyzing your Instagram reach.

Myth 3: Third-party apps can show highlight views after 48 hours

Reality: Due to Instagram’s API restrictions, no third-party app can legitimately access your Highlight viewer data after the 48-hour window.

Myth 4: Instagram notifies you when someone screenshots your Highlight

Reality: Unlike Snapchat, Instagram does not notify users when someone takes a screenshot of their Stories or Highlights.

Related: Does Instagram notify when you screenshot a story, post, DM, or Vanish mode?

Myth 5: You can see how many times someone viewed your highlight

Reality: Instagram only shows if someone viewed your Highlight within the 48-hour window of posting the story, not how many times they viewed it. This differs from Instagram reel analytics which provide more detailed insights.

Conclusion

Instagram Highlights are a powerful feature for showcasing your best Stories content and creating a curated experience for profile visitors.

While Instagram provides limited viewer analytics (only within the first 48 hours of posting the original Story), the feature still offers significant value for personal expression and brand building.

Remember, while it’s natural to be curious about who’s viewing your content, the quality of engagement often matters more than the quantity of views. Focus on creating meaningful connections through your Instagram presence, and the right audience will find and appreciate your Highlights.

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