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How to Archive Photos in Instagram

Instagram has a new feature to archive posts. It makes them private, so only you can see them, without deleting the post and losing the comments and likes.

Instagram Archive Posts

Categories: Social Media
Tags: Instagram Guides
Last updated about 3 months ago // Originally published about 4 years ago

Instagram has introduced a way to archive photos in your Instagram account. This takes them off your public profile feed and switches them to a private state so that only can see them. But it stops short of deleting them. That means the comments and ratings are preserved, and you can also restore it back to your public feed with a single click.

It was initially rolled out only for some users, but as of mid-June 2017, it should be available on all user accounts.

Manage Your Pinterest & Instagram Accounts with Tailwind

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Here’s a rundown of how it works.

A Word of Caution

First, though, a word of caution if you plan to temporarily disable your Instagram account at some point. Some users have reported that after archiving posts, then temporarily disabling their account, then re-enabling their account, that their archived posts have disappeared.

I’ve tried it myself and I couldn’t reproduce this issue–my archived posts were still showing up in the archive section when I re-enabled the account. But if you’re in this position, something to try is to remove the app from your phone and then re-install it. Some users have reported that that restores the archived posts.

How Instagram’s Archive Feature Works

You should see a new small icon at the top right of the screen in the Instagram app. It looks like a clock with an arrow going counterclockwise. Like this:

Instagram Archive Posts

It’ll then open the post archive page. If you haven’t archived any images before, it’ll obviously be blank, and you’ll see this message.

Instagram Archive Posts

To actually archive a post is very simple. Open the individual post in the app and click on the three dots (…) at the top right.

You should then see the option to archive it.

Instagram Archive Posts

It’ll then be added to your archive page and removed from your public profile. Only you have access to it now.

Instagram Archive Posts

To restore it, click on the post and choose Show on Profile.

Instagram Archive Posts

And that’s about it. Instagram is rolling this out to accounts gradually and I have no idea what determines the order of the rollout. But if you don’t have it already you should have it soon.

By David Coleman
Instagram: @havecamerawilltraveldc

Last updated on January 19, 2021

Categories: Social Media
Tags: Instagram Guides

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News & Deals

With the holidays fast approaching, there’s some great deals on photography gear and services available. I’ve put together a roundup of Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2020 Photography Deals. It’s a running list as new deals are announced, so be sure to check back.

Canon announces new EOS Rebel T8i DSLR. Canon has announced their new T8i DSLR. 24MP APS-C cropped CMOS sensor, 4K24 video, and updated image processing and detection systems. It’s available for preorder from B&H Photo.

New Firmware for the Ricoh GR III. Ricoh has release firmware v1.31 for the GR III. Release notes are: “Corrected — When shooting with the multiple exposure, in rare cases the live view may not display correctly. Improved stability for general performance.” You can download it here.

New Canon 1D X Mark III Pro DSLR Announced. Canon has announced their new flagship model of pro DSLR, the 1D X Mark III. They’re sticking with a 20.1MP CMOS sensor, but it’s a new and improved version and boasts an incredible native ISO range of ISO 100 to ISO 102400 and an extended range that goes up to a jaw-dropping ISO 819200. With revamped autofocus, a new image processor, and all sorts of other bells and whistles, it’s no wonder that Canon is billing it as “The Ultimate EOS.”

New Manfrotto Pro Rugged Memory Cards. Manfrotto, an Italian probably best known for their tripods and studio accessories, has launched a new Pro Rugged range of high-end SD, microSD, and CompactFlash cards. While they don’t have a huge selection of sizes and speeds, the cards are aiming for very fast cards that can put up with rugged demands. For instance, they claim that their V90 rated SD cards can withstand three times the force (20kg / 45 lbs) of a regular SD card. I’ve ordered some to run through my speed tests.

New Sony Alpha a7 firmware released. A firmware update for the Sony a7R IV now lets you control external Sony flashes from the camera’s own menu system. Up to 15 flashes in five groups can be controlled via the camera. It also applies to the a7R III and a7 III.

Comments

  1. darkd says

    January 9, 2021 at 1:23 pm

    great work
    thanks

    Reply
  2. Ahmed says

    July 13, 2020 at 2:43 am

    Helpful for beginers looking to use Instagram like me…Thanks

    Reply
  3. ummulzaty says

    May 25, 2019 at 4:13 am

    some of my photos in archive have gone! help me pls:(

    Reply
  4. esm says

    April 23, 2018 at 8:14 pm

    hello, If I delete my app and install it again will my achieved photos delete?

    Reply
  5. Jane says

    March 31, 2018 at 9:54 pm

    Does Instagram moderate any photos that are archived? Like sexy photos? Basically what I’m saying is are my archived risky posts safe from being deleted by Instagram?

    Reply
    • David says

      April 2, 2018 at 9:40 am

      Sorry, but I don’t know.

      Reply
  6. Kierra Boyd says

    February 10, 2018 at 8:06 am

    I archived a pic but it’s not in the archived section for me to repost agian.

    Reply
    • Anna says

      June 1, 2018 at 11:59 am

      have you made sure at the top of the archive page you’ve clicked posts not stories?

      Reply
  7. TINA STATIA says

    December 10, 2017 at 10:55 am

    Hello I have my live stream set up to archive all my videos. However when I go to view them nothing is in my archived folder. Any suggestions on what I am.possibly doing wrong.
    Thanks

    Reply
  8. Sue says

    November 30, 2017 at 6:14 pm

    The archive symbol is now at the top right on my profile instead of the 3 dots. This means I can’t switch to my other Instagram account – tapping my name isn’t working either. Can anyone help?

    Reply
  9. Ornela says

    November 20, 2017 at 4:28 pm

    I dont have this aplication archive.i update my instagram but nothing change it ??

    Reply
  10. Avika says

    November 11, 2017 at 3:17 pm

    I had earlier archived a post but now it has gone & in fact I don’t even get the archive option

    Reply
  11. Yeoh says

    November 11, 2017 at 12:41 pm

    And here I am, mid-November, still without an Archive button AT ALL. Someone save me TT^TT

    Reply
    • alex says

      December 13, 2017 at 10:03 am

      just update the app

      Reply
  12. Chantia says

    October 1, 2017 at 7:46 pm

    I archived a post and then wanted to put it back on my feed so I did the whole “return to feed” and now it’s completely gone. I can’t find it anywhere. Help!!!

    Reply
  13. Samantha says

    September 21, 2017 at 11:22 pm

    I deactivated then reactivated my account and all my photos reposted onto the feed??

    Reply
  14. FoghornLeghorn says

    September 20, 2017 at 4:43 am

    Do we know if followers will receive notifications when an archived photo is restored? For instance, if the restoration might be my “first post in awhile” which usually sends out a notification, or if my followers have turned on notifications for my new posts.

    Reply
    • David says

      September 20, 2017 at 4:29 pm

      Sorry, I don’t know the answer to that.

      Reply
    • PATWIST says

      October 10, 2017 at 6:11 pm

      Hello @FoghornLeghorn: There’s also a way to send photos from the archive back to your profile, where they’ll appear in their original chronological location. Instagram doesn’t notify others of your archiving and unarchiving habits at all, so you’re able to move things in and out as much as you’d like.

      source: https://www.theverge.com/2017/6/13/15787880/instagram-archive-feature-launches-for-all-users

      Reply
  15. Atiqazaifulizan says

    July 19, 2017 at 9:14 pm

    I disabled my account for a week due to personal reasons and after reactivating my account again all my archive photos are gone. My profile was like new. I really need them back. If you guys know what to do. I’m devastated :(

    Reply
    • David says

      August 8, 2017 at 3:49 pm

      Others have reported the same thing, but I’ve not yet heard of a reliable way to make them reappear, unfortunately.

      Reply
    • Maria says

      September 26, 2017 at 9:18 am

      Try to uninstall then reinstall the Instagram app. For some people that brings them back. Hope it works for you!

      Reply
  16. Raquel says

    July 5, 2017 at 10:20 am

    Are you able to use the archive feature to, in essence, “schedule” your posts for maximum engagement purposes?? For example, if I take a pic, set up my post with caption, etc, then post and archive…then I restore it later during the recommended 7p to 9p timeframe for the best exposure, will it post to the feed in real time? Or will it basically back-date the time and place the archived post way down on everyone’s feed based on the time it was originally generated?? I hope my question makes sense…lol

    Reply
    • David says

      July 5, 2017 at 10:26 am

      It makes sense, but I’m not sure of the answer off-hand. My guess is that it will backdate to the original posted time, but I haven’t tested that. There are other ways to schedule posts (some here, although Instagram generally discourages it, and some of them run afoul of Instagram’s rules. The safest options are essentially beefed up reminder services. Ones like Sendible or Buffer, where you can do much as you describe but you have to manually hit publish when you get the reminder.

      Reply
  17. nada says

    June 24, 2017 at 5:46 pm

    I had the same problem when I temporally disabled my account the archive button went when I reactivated it but then I deleted the app and installed it again and it was back!! yayy

    Reply
    • David says

      June 25, 2017 at 10:35 am

      Thanks for the tip!

      Reply
  18. Claudia says

    June 7, 2017 at 12:58 pm

    Same I disabled my Instagram and know all of my archive photos have been deleted fml

    Reply
    • Trix says

      June 11, 2017 at 2:04 pm

      I have the same problem :(

      Reply
      • ash says

        June 20, 2017 at 9:36 pm

        me too I didn’t think the archived posts would be gone once I deactivated it

        Reply
  19. Sade says

    June 7, 2017 at 11:39 am

    There is a glitch with the Archive feature on instagram!! I disabled my account 2 weeks ago I waited 1 week & reactivated my account only to find all of my photos were removed my photo count however still displays 160 but, my actual page only shows 3 photos I’ve tried re-disabling my account again but instagram won’t allow me it keeps saying “sorry you can only deactivate your account once a week try please back in a few days” but it’s been over two keeps now please help

    Reply
  20. Kaybaezy says

    June 3, 2017 at 11:50 am

    I’ve had the same problem, and I’m very disappointed. ?

    Reply
  21. Zina says

    June 3, 2017 at 4:06 am

    Had my archive on my user, but now it had dissappeared from my profile. Why?? Tried to contact Instagram, but getting no response

    Reply
    • David says

      June 3, 2017 at 9:31 am

      I don’t know–I’m only speculating–but it might be that they’re testing it and finding bugs that need squashing so are adjusting the rollout. It’s still accessible on my account, but I don’t know why it’s disappearing off some accounts.

      Reply
      • Jim says

        June 12, 2017 at 2:32 am

        i cant find the option to archive posts it doesn’t ocme up and i have updated the latest version ??

        Reply
        • David says

          June 12, 2017 at 3:14 pm

          Instagram is rolling it out gradually to some accounts. It’s unclear what the roll-out schedule is or what criteria is used for prioritizing which accounts get it before others.

  22. McKenzie says

    June 3, 2017 at 1:00 am

    I was just archiving some photos 2 days ago and now there’s no option for me to archive any of my posts and the section to see my archived photos is gone… Does anyone know what’s going on??

    Reply
  23. Madiha Turshin says

    June 2, 2017 at 7:13 pm

    I archived a photo of mine a week ago to try out the archive feature. And then I disabled my Instagram account for a few days due to personal reasons. Now when I enabled it, the archive button is not there. My lovely photo is missing! How do I get my photo back?? :'(((

    Reply
  24. Gemma says

    June 2, 2017 at 1:08 pm

    I had this feature the other week but it wasn’t there by the next day I don’t know what happened but is they a solution?

    Reply
    • David says

      June 2, 2017 at 1:35 pm

      I don’t know of one. I have it available on one of my accounts but not on others.

      Reply
    • Blue says

      June 3, 2017 at 2:53 am

      Same problem.

      Reply
      • Lucca_MR says

        July 24, 2017 at 8:07 pm

        same problem

        Reply
  25. Julia says

    June 1, 2017 at 6:19 pm

    My account doesnt have the archive feature? Why?

    Reply
    • David says

      June 2, 2017 at 10:17 am

      They’re rolling it out gradually, so it’s appearing on some accounts before others. I don’t know what criteria they’re using or their schedule.

      Reply
    • Fazi says

      June 28, 2017 at 3:01 am

      Same problem?

      Reply
  26. zelia2 says

    May 31, 2017 at 6:54 pm

    i lost my all archived posts after i was temporarily disable my account. How can I see my archived again?

    Reply
    • David says

      June 1, 2017 at 8:15 am

      Sorry, I don’t have an answer–I haven’t tried disabling my account so haven’t seen this happen. I don’t know of any trick that would magically make them reappear. Your best bet is to contact their customer support line (google “instagram customer service number” for some contact numbers).

      Reply
    • Lord says

      June 2, 2017 at 4:46 pm

      Same problem with me!

      Reply
    • Chip says

      June 5, 2017 at 1:23 am

      :( same problem…

      Reply

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I take photos. I travel. I do it for a living. Seven continents. Dozens of countries. Up mountains. Under water. And a bunch of places in between.

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