You can share someone else's post to your story in three taps

When you see a post on Instagram you want to share with your followers, you can add it directly to your story without screenshotting or reposting. Instagram calls this feature "Share to Story," and it appears as a paper airplane icon on every post. The original poster's name stays attached, so your followers know where the content came from. The post appears in your story for 24 hours, just like any other story you create.

This is different from reposting, which creates a copy of the post on your own feed. Sharing to story is faster, keeps the original creator credited, and reaches only your story viewers rather than your main followers. It also leaves a record that you shared it — the original poster can see who added their post to stories.

Key Takeaways

  • Tap the paper airplane icon below any Instagram post and select "Add post to your story" to share it without leaving the app.
  • The original creator's name and profile picture appear on the shared post, so your followers always know the source.
  • Shared posts stay in your story for 24 hours and disappear automatically unless you save them to highlights.
  • The original poster receives a notification that you shared their post, and they can see your username in their story shares list.
  • You cannot edit or add text to a post after sharing it to your story, but you can add stickers, text, or drawings on top of it.

Finding and tapping the share button

Open Instagram and scroll to any post you want to share. Below the image or video, you will see four icons in a row: a heart (like), a speech bubble (comment), a paper airplane (share), and a bookmark (save). Tap the paper airplane icon. A menu will appear with several options, including "Send as Message," "Share to Story," and "Copy Link."

Tap "Add post to your story." Instagram will open your story editor and place the post in the center of your screen. The original creator's profile picture and username appear in the top left corner of the post, and a small link icon shows that this is a shared post, not your own content.

What happens after you share

Once you tap "Add post to your story," you have the option to add your own stickers, text, or drawings on top of the post before posting it. You can tap the smiley face icon to add emoji stickers, the "Aa" icon to add text, or the pen icon to draw. These additions are optional — you can share the post as-is by tapping "Your story" at the bottom of the screen.

The post will now appear in your story feed for 24 hours. Your followers will see it in the order you posted it, along with your other stories. If you want to keep the post longer than 24 hours, you can add it to a story highlight by tapping the three dots at the bottom of the story and selecting "Add to highlights." The original creator will receive a notification that you shared their post, and their name will appear in a list of people who shared it.

When you cannot share a post to your story

Some posts do not have a share button available. If the original poster has turned off sharing for that post, the paper airplane icon will not appear, or it will be grayed out. This is a privacy setting the creator can enable to prevent their content from being shared to stories. You can still like, comment on, or save the post, but you cannot add it to your story.

Posts from private accounts may also have sharing disabled. If you follow someone with a private account and they do not want their posts shared, the share button will be unavailable. In these cases, your only option is to screenshot the post and share it separately, though this does not credit the original creator in the same way.

The difference between sharing and reposting

Sharing to your story and reposting are two separate actions. When you share a post to your story, it appears only in your story feed and disappears after 24 hours. When you repost, you create a permanent copy of the post on your main feed that stays until you delete it. Reposting also requires a third-party app or the Instagram Reels feature, depending on the type of post.

Sharing to story is faster and cleaner because Instagram handles the credit automatically. The original creator's name is always visible, and the post does not clutter your main feed. If you want to permanently share someone's content with your followers, reposting is the better choice — but sharing to story is the right move if you just want to give it a quick boost to your story viewers.

What the original poster sees

When you share a post to your story, the original creator gets a notification. They can tap the notification to see your username and view your story. Instagram also keeps a running list of everyone who shared that post to their story, which the creator can view by tapping the share count on their own post.

The original poster cannot see what you added on top of the post (like stickers or text) — they only see that you shared it. If you add a caption or drawing that covers part of the original post, they will not know what you wrote. This is why sharing to story is a good way to amplify someone's content while keeping your own commentary private.

Saving shared posts to highlights

By default, stories disappear after 24 hours. If you want to keep a shared post visible on your profile longer, you can add it to a story highlight. While the story is still live (within the 24-hour window), tap the three dots at the bottom of the screen and select "Add to highlights." Choose an existing highlight or create a new one by typing a name.

The shared post will now stay on your profile indefinitely, grouped with other stories in that highlight. The original creator's name and profile picture remain attached, so anyone viewing your highlights will know where the content came from. You can add the same post to multiple highlights if you want it organized in different categories.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I share a post to my story if the account is private?

If you follow a private account, you can usually share their posts to your story the same way you would a public account. However, the account owner can disable sharing on individual posts as a privacy setting. If sharing is disabled, the paper airplane icon will be grayed out and you will not be able to add it to your story.

Does the original poster know I shared their post?

Yes. Instagram sends them a notification with your username, and they can see your story if they tap the notification. They can also view a list of everyone who shared that post by tapping the share count on their own post. However, they cannot see what text or stickers you added on top of the shared post.

What happens if the original post gets deleted?

If the person who created the post deletes it, the shared version in your story will also disappear. The link between your story and the original post breaks, so Instagram removes it automatically. If you added the post to a highlight before it was deleted, the highlight will show a blank space or an error message.

Can I edit a post after I share it to my story?

You cannot edit the original post itself after sharing it to your story. You can only add stickers, text, or drawings on top of it before you post it. Once your story goes live, you can delete the entire story and reshare the post with different additions, but you cannot change what is already posted.

Is there a difference between sharing Reels and regular posts?

Sharing works the same way for Reels, photos, and carousel posts — tap the paper airplane icon and select "Add post to your story." Reels will play in your story the same way they play on the main feed. The original creator's name stays attached, and they receive a notification that you shared it.