The forward button lets you send someone else's story to another person through Instagram's direct messages
When you tap the arrow icon at the bottom of an Instagram story, you are sending that story to one or more people in your direct messages. The person who posted the original story does not get a notification that you forwarded it. The person who receives it sees it as a message from you, not as a repost of the original.
Instagram does not tell the original poster that their story was forwarded. This is different from taking a screenshot, which some apps can detect. The forward button is a built-in feature designed to let you share content with specific people without the original creator knowing it moved beyond their story viewers.
Key Takeaways
- Forwarding a story sends it to someone in your direct messages, and the original poster does not receive a notification.
- The person you forward to sees the story as a message from you, with your name attached, not the original creator's.
- Instagram logs that you forwarded the story on their servers, even though the original poster cannot see it happened.
- Forwarding is different from screenshotting because it uses Instagram's official feature rather than your phone's camera function.
How the forward button appears and where to find it
The forward arrow sits at the bottom right of a story, next to the reply bubble and the heart icon. It looks like a small arrow pointing to the right. Tap it once, and a list of your contacts appears. You can select one person or multiple people to send the story to at the same time.
After you select who to send it to, the story appears in their direct message thread with you. They see it labeled as coming from you, not from the person who originally posted it. If they tap on the story, they can see it the same way you did, but there is no link back to the original poster's account.
What data Instagram collects when you forward
Instagram records that you forwarded a story, even though the original poster cannot see it. This information stays on Instagram's servers and is part of your account activity. Instagram uses this data to understand how content moves through the platform—which stories get forwarded most, who forwards what, and to whom.
This forwarding data can be used to build a picture of your interests and your social connections. If you frequently forward stories from certain accounts to certain people, Instagram learns something about what you care about and who you talk to about those topics. That information feeds into Instagram's recommendation system and can influence what ads you see.
The difference between forwarding, screenshotting, and sharing to your story
Forwarding sends a story directly to one or more people in your messages. Screenshotting saves an image to your phone without using Instagram's tools—Instagram may notify the poster that you took a screenshot, depending on your app version and settings. Sharing to your story reposts the original content to your own story, and the original poster gets a notification that you shared it.
Forwarding is the quietest option. The original poster has no way to know it happened. Screenshotting may trigger a notification. Sharing to your story is the most visible—the original creator will see your name in their story shares and may see your repost in their notifications.
Why someone might forward a story instead of screenshotting
Forwarding is faster than taking a screenshot and then sending the image through messages. It keeps the story in its original format rather than converting it to a static image. It also leaves no trace on your phone's camera roll, so there is no record of the image saved locally.
Some people forward stories to avoid leaving a screenshot notification, if they are concerned the original poster might see it. Others forward because it feels more natural than explaining a story in words or sending a screenshot. The forward button makes sharing a quick, built-in action.
What the original poster can and cannot see
The original poster cannot see who forwarded their story, how many times it was forwarded, or where it went. They cannot see a list of people who used the forward button. Instagram does not provide creators with this information in their story insights or analytics.
The original poster can see how many people viewed their story overall, but they cannot break that down by action—they do not know which viewers screenshotted, which forwarded, and which just watched. This is by design. Instagram keeps forwarding private to encourage people to share content without worrying about tracking.
How forwarding affects your privacy and the privacy of others
When you forward a story, you are sharing someone else's content with people they may not have intended to reach. The original poster has no control over where their story goes once you forward it. If you forward a story to someone outside the original poster's followers, you are expanding their audience without their knowledge or consent.
Forwarding also means the person you send it to can screenshot it, forward it again, or share it elsewhere. Once content leaves the original story, you cannot control what happens to it. This is true of any content on social media, but forwarding makes it easier to move content to people who were not part of the original audience.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the person I forward a story to know I forwarded it?
They see the story in your direct message thread, so they know it came from you. They do not see a label saying "forwarded" or a link to the original poster. They see it as a message from you, the same way they would see any other message you sent them.
Can I forward a story to a group chat?
Yes. When you tap the forward button, you can select a group chat from your contacts list. The story appears in that group conversation, and everyone in the chat can see it. The original poster still does not get a notification.
What happens if someone forwards a private story to me?
You see it the same way you would see any forwarded story—as a message from the person who sent it to you. If the original poster set the story to be visible only to close friends, forwarding it to someone outside that circle means they see it anyway. The original privacy setting does not travel with the forwarded story.
Can I unsend a story I forwarded?
Yes. If you forward a story and then change your mind, you can delete the message from your direct message thread the same way you would delete any other message. Tap and hold the forwarded story, then select delete. The person you sent it to will no longer see it.
Does Instagram tell me if someone forwarded my story?
No. Instagram does not notify you when your story is forwarded. You cannot see forwarding activity in your story insights, your notifications, or anywhere else in the app. Forwarding is invisible to the original poster.