Lurking through someone’s Instagram profile? Learn which viewing metrics are visible on the app, and which ones are anonymous, plus how to get more views on your own content!
Key Points:
How To See Instagram Highlight & Story Views
Instagram Highlights are Stories that have been saved past the initial 24 hour viewing period. They appear beneath the bio on a user’s profile and can be viewed at any time.
Instagram will only show you Highlight or Story viewers within 48 hours of the Story’s initial posting. After that, there will be no visible viewer list on a Story or Highlight even if the original poster views it through Insights.
To check your Highlight or Story view count, first open the Highlight or Story on either the Instagram mobile app or desktop site.
On the bottom left you’ll see an Activity or Seen By icon. Select this.
From here you’ll see a list of users who viewed your Story or Highlight, and whether they engaged with your content.
What Counts As Watching An Instagram Story?
Simply opening the Story counts as watching - regardless of how long you remain on that page or whether or not you interact with it in any way.
Can People See If I Viewed Their Highlights If I Don’t Follow Them?
That depends. If the Highlight was just recently made and is still an active Story at the same time, all views on an active Story will result in a view metric, even if you don’t follow that account.
If you view a Highlight after the initial Story has expired (24 hours after the Story was originally posted), then your view won’t result in a view metric and you can essentially swipe through anonymously.
Does Instagram Notify When You Screenshot A Story?
Nope - the only time Instagram notifies users about screenshots is when you take a screenshot of a direct message that’s currently in Vanish Mode.
Otherwise you can screenshot any content, including Stories, completely anonymously.
Learn more about Vanish Mode here.
Instagram Highlights Views After 48 Hours
Once 48 hours has passed from the time the original Story was published, you won’t be able to see the views list for your Highlight or Story anymore.
Any third party app claiming to have this ability is lying and should be avoided, as they’re most likely a scam and attempting to obtain your private data.
How To See Instagram Reel Views
Instagram Insights will show you how many views your Reels received, but not who specifically viewed them.
To access the aggregate view data for your Reels, you can either access Insights from the main dashboard or from the specific Reel.
From The Reel
Open the specific Reel you want to view Insights for.
Tap the three dot menu, then tap Insights.
Alternatively, tap View Insights just above the caption.
From The Insights Dashboard
Tap the three lines on the top right corner of your Instagram profile.
Scroll down to For Professionals and tap Insights.
Tap Content You Shared.
Tap All.
Select Reels.
Tap the Reel you want to view analytics for.
How To See Instagram Livestream Views
While you’re actively streaming on Instagram Live, you can see which specific users are tuning in by tapping on the Eye Icon.
However, once the livestream is over you will only have access to the aggregate view data. That means you’ll be able to see the number of concurrent viewers you had during your stream, but no information on which specific users were watching.
How To See Instagram Post Views
If you’ve shared a photo or video post you can check on the total number of views your post received. Keep in mind that you will only be able to see the number of views, not the usernames of any viewer.
From The Post Page
Open the specific post you want to view Insights for.
Tap the three dot menu, then tap Insights.
Alternatively, tap View Insights just above the caption.
From The Insights Dashboard
Tap the three lines on the top right corner of your Instagram profile.
Scroll down to For Professionals and tap Insights.
Tap Content You Shared.
Tap All.
Select Posts.
Tap the post you want to view analytics for.
How To Unlock Instagram Insights
Instagram Insights are built-in analytics that can show you details such as engagement on specific posts, profile views, audience activity, audience demographics, and more.
Instagram insights data is updated every 24 hours.
You can learn more about what each Insight metric means here.
If you’re using Instagram from a personal account, you’ll first need to swap into a Business or Creator account in order to unlock Insights.
Tap the three lines on the top right corner of your Instagram profile.
Scroll down to For Professionals and tap Account Type And Tools.
Tap Switch To Professional Account.
Follow the on-screen prompts depending on your account type.
Select either Creator or Business (either option will let you view insights).
Complete the on-screen prompts to finish set up.
Accessing Insights On Mobile
Tap the three lines on the top right corner of your Instagram profile.
Scroll down to For Professionals and tap Insights.
Accessing Insights On Desktop
Click Dashboard in the left hand menu.
Under Professional Dashboard at the top, click the first drop-down menu to select Insights for Account or Content.
How To Get More Views On Instagram
If you’re struggling to gain views on your Instagram Reels, Stories, or posts, consider buying Instagram views! It’s a straightforward way to grow your view count and increase visibility on the platform without wasting valuable time and energy on content strategies.
All you need to get started is the link to your post - no passwords or login information needed. You can even buy engagement for someone else, so whether you’re a social media manager helping a client improve their reach on Instagram or just want to gift a friend a bit of a boost, you can!
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can you see who viewed your lately Highlights on Instagram?
If the Highlight was posted within the last 48 hours, you’ll be able to see who viewed it. Once the initial 48 hours have passed, all views will be anonymous.
How to watch someone's Instagram Highlights without them knowing?
If you’re watching an old Highlight, the original poster will have no way of knowing that you’ve viewed it. If the Highlight was posted as a Story within the last 48 hours, your view will appear.
How to not be shown as someone who watched Highlights on Instagram?
All you have to do is wait! Just give it at least 48 hours from the time the Highlight was posted and your views will be anonymous.
Can you tell if someone stalks your Stories?
Yes, you can see the list of users who viewed your Story by tapping the Activity list on the bottom left corner. From here you can see a full list of viewers, plus any engagements that happened while your Story was active.
How do I know who secretly viewed my Story?
On Instagram there’s no such thing as a secret Story viewer. While the Story is active, if the user viewed it, their username will appear on the list of viewers just like anyone else.
What's the difference between viewing and stalking?
That depends on your intentions - if you’re just viewing a friend’s content and they’re comfortable with it (i.e they accepted your follow request knowing that you were the person behind the account), then it’s usually not considered stalking.
On the other hand, if you’re keeping up with someone’s content from a secret account (i.e they don’t know it’s you behind the account) and you’re repeatedly monitoring their post activity, then it could be considered stalking.
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