How to save someone’s Instagram story

Instagram lets you save your own stories but not other people’s. For a public account there are still a couple of clean ways to keep a copy, as long as it’s for yourself.

Save a story from a public account

1. Look up the account on Ghost Story Viewer.
2. Open the story you want.
3. Tap Save. You get the original photo or video file, at the quality it was uploaded, not a blurry screenshot.

You do this without logging in, so you don’t appear in the viewer list either. It only works while the story is live: after 24 hours it’s gone.

Screenshot or screen recording

You can always take a screenshot or record your screen in the app. Instagram doesn’t notify people about screenshots of stories. The catch: you’ll be in their viewer list, and you get the app’s interface and lower quality along with the story.

Save your own stories

• While it’s live: open your story, tap the three dots, then Save.
• After it’s gone: Instagram keeps your old stories in your archive (Profile → menu → Archive) as long as “Save story to archive” is switched on in your story settings. From there you can download them or add them to a highlight.

What you can do with a saved story

Keeping a copy for yourself is one thing. Reposting it is another: the photos and videos belong to whoever made them. Before sharing someone else’s story, ask them. Don’t repost it as your own, use it to embarrass or harass anyone, or use it commercially. That applies to anything you save from this site, and it’s part of our terms.