Instagram Close Friends: how it works and who can see it

Close Friends is a private list you make on Instagram. Stories you share to it are shown only to the people on that list, marked with a green ring and a Close Friends badge.

Who can see a Close Friends story

• Only the accounts on your list, even if your account is public.
• Not your other followers, and not anyone who isn’t logged in.
• Not story viewer websites, including ours: they aren’t on anyone’s list, so those stories never reach them.

Do people know they’re on your list?

Instagram doesn’t send a notification when you add or remove someone. They can tell they’re on it when they see one of your stories with the green Close Friends marking. If you remove them, they simply stop seeing those stories.

Can they see who else is on it?

No. The list is visible only to you. Others can’t see who’s on it or how many people it includes.

How to set it up

When you share a story, choose Close Friends instead of Your story. The first time, Instagram asks you to pick people; you can edit the list later from the same place or from your profile menu. Exact wording and menus change between app versions.

Related

• How to hide your story from someone without Close Friends.
• Why a story might not show up for you.