How to Hide Instagram Highlights Without Deleting Them

Introduction: Why You Might Want to Hide Instagram Highlights

If you’re here, you’re likely trying to keep certain Instagram Highlights out of sight — without deleting them. While Instagram doesn’t offer a direct “hide” option, there are built-in features that let you control who sees your Highlights.

Whether it’s for privacy, profile cleanup, or limiting access to personal content, this guide walks you through simple, effective ways to hide Highlights using Instagram’s existing settings.

Method 1: Hide Highlights Using the “Hide Story From” Setting

To hide an Instagram Highlight from someone, the most effective method is to hide your Stories from that person. Since Highlights are created from Stories, anyone blocked from viewing your Stories won’t see them in your Highlights either — even if those Highlights are already live on your profile.

🛠 How to Do It:

1. Open Instagram and go to your profile. 
2. Tap the menu (☰) in the top right corner. 
3. Go to Settings & Privacy > Hide story and live. 
4. Tap “Hide story from” and select the people you want to block. 
5. Once done, exit and your changes are saved automatically. 

Important: This works for both new and existing Highlights, but only if the Story they came from is still in your archive. If you delete the original Story, this method no longer applies.

 

Summary:

This is the most direct way to hide Highlights from specific people. Since it blocks access to the Stories themselves, it also hides any Highlights made from them — no extra steps required.

Method 2: Use the “Close Friends” Feature to Control Who Sees Highlights

By sharing a Story only with your Close Friends list, any Highlight created from that Story will also be visible only to those selected people.

🛠 How to Use Close Friends for Hiding Highlights:

1. Go to your profile, tap the menu (☰), and open Close Friends. 
2. Add the people you want on your private list. 
3. Now, when you post a Story, choose the “Close Friends” option instead of “Your Story.” 
4. After posting, save that Story to a Highlight. 

Summary:

Using Close Friends limits Highlight visibility to a private list. It’s the best option if you want to create Highlights that are never visible to the general public — only to people you’ve pre-approved.

Want to control even more of what’s shown on your profile? Here’s how to remove suggested Reels on Instagram and clean up your feed even further.

Method 3: Remove the Highlight from Your Profile Temporarily

Whether you’re rebranding, planning a content refresh, or just feeling undecided about a certain Highlight, you can temporarily remove it from your profile without losing it forever.

While Instagram doesn’t have a “hide highlight” button, you can achieve the same result using two simple options: delete the Highlight (you can recreate it later) or archive the Stories and rebuild when ready.

🛠 Option 1: Delete the Highlight (But Save the Stories)

1. Open your profile and tap on the Highlight you want to remove. 
2. Tap the three dots (•••) in the bottom right. 
3. Select “Remove from Highlight.” 
4. Confirm. The Highlight disappears from your profile, but the Stories stay in your archive (if Story archiving is turned on). 

Summary:

If you want to “pause” a Highlight without deleting the content, this is your best bet. It takes the Highlight off your profile but keeps the Stories archived for future use.

🛠 Option 2: Turn Off Story Archiving First (If You Want It Gone for Good)

If you’re concerned about privacy and don’t want the content stored at all:

1. Go to Settings & Privacy > Archiving and downloading. 
2. Tap Story archive and toggle it off. 

This ensures the Stories won’t be saved after deletion. Use this only if you don’t want any trace of the content.

Method 4: Change Account Privacy Settings 

Want to hide all Highlights from non-followers? Switch your account to private.

🛠 How:

• Go to Settings & Privacy > Account Privacy 
• Toggle on Private Account 

Only approved followers can now view your profile and Highlights.

Summary:

Switching to a private account hides your Highlights from non-followers. It’s an all-or-nothing option, best for users who want full control over who sees their entire profile, not just Highlights.

If you ever see a warning like “We restrict certain activity,” Instagram might be limiting your actions. Learn what that means and how to fix it in this guide.

3rd Party Apps That Allow You to Hide Highlights:

There are no third-party apps that can actually hide Instagram Highlights in the way most users hope — that is, making a Highlight invisible to others while keeping it live on your profile. Instagram doesn’t allow external apps to access or change Highlight visibility directly.

If an app claims it can “hide Highlights,” it’s either misleading or trying to access your account in unsafe ways.

What Third-Party Apps Actually Do

Some third-party tools offer workarounds or help with privacy and content control, but they operate outside the Instagram app. Here’s what they might offer:

• Story scheduling apps (e.g., Later, Planoly): Help you control what gets posted and when — useful for Highlights planning, but not hiding.
• Analytics tools (e.g., HypeAuditor, Iconosquare): Give insights into who’s viewing your Highlights and Stories — but don’t hide anything.
• Account management tools: Some offer “bulk delete” or post removal options, but they still can’t selectively hide a Highlight.

How to Archive Your Highlights on Instagram

While you can’t archive an entire Highlight in one click, you can archive the Stories that make up a Highlight. 

How to Make Sure Story Archiving Is Enabled

1. Go to your Settings & Privacy. 
2. Tap Archiving and downloading. 
3. Toggle on Save story to archive. 

Now, every Story you post is automatically stored in your private archive — even after the 24-hour expiration.

How to Remove the Highlight Without Losing the Content

1. Tap the Highlight on your profile. 
2. Press the three-dot menu (•••) > Edit Highlight or Remove Highlight. 
3. Confirm removal — this just deletes the Highlight, not the original Stories. 

Tips for Managing Your Highlights in 2025:

To manage your Instagram Highlights effectively: keep them relevant, organized, and aligned with your profile goals. Delete outdated content, use clear titles, and apply consistent covers for a clean look.

Quick Best Practices:

• Clean up regularly: Remove old or irrelevant Highlights. 
• Use descriptive titles: Make it easy for viewers to find what they need. 
• Apply custom covers: Maintain a cohesive visual style using icons or brand colors. 
• Reorder Highlights: Instagram displays them left to right — place your most important first. 
• Update often: Add new content to keep Highlights fresh without reposting. 

Why It Matters

Organized Highlights make your profile easier to navigate, more professional, and more engaging. Whether you’re running a brand or just like a clean aesthetic, managing Highlights properly improves how people experience your page.

 

FAQs About Hiding Instagram Highlights

Can someone tell if I’ve hidden a Highlight from them?

No — Instagram doesn’t notify users when you hide Stories or Highlights from them.

Can I hide just one Highlight from someone?

Not directly. Use “Hide Story From” or “Close Friends” to control who can see a Highlight.

Can I archive or remove a Highlight without deleting it?

Yes — if you’ve enabled Story archiving, the original Story stays saved even if you remove the Highlight. You can later rebuild that Highlight from your archive.

Can I unhide a Highlight later?

Yes — just reverse your privacy settings or rebuild the Highlight from archived Stories.

Concerned about privacy in DMs too? Here’s what really happens when you unsend a message on Instagram.

 

 

Final Thoughts

You can’t hide Highlights directly on Instagram — but you can control who sees them by managing your Story privacy settings. The most effective options include:

• Hide Story From: Blocks specific users from viewing Stories and the Highlights created from them. 
• Close Friends: Lets you create Highlights visible only to a private list. 
• Remove Highlight: Temporarily take it off your profile without deleting archived Stories. 
• Private Account: Makes your entire profile — including Highlights — visible only to approved followers. 
• Archive: Keeps Stories saved privately so you can rebuild Highlights later. 

Choose the method that fits your needs — whether you’re managing your brand or protecting your privacy. Each option gives you control without sacrificing content.