How to Hide One Story From Someone on Instagram: The Definitive Guide

So, you’ve got an Instagram story brewing, something you want to share with the world… well, almost the entire world. Maybe it’s a surprise party for your friend, a sneak peek at a gift for your significant other, or perhaps you simply want to keep nosy Aunt Mildred from commenting on your beach vacation photos. Whatever the reason, you’re wondering how to hide one story from someone on Instagram.

The answer is straightforward: Instagram doesn’t offer a feature to selectively hide a single story from a specific person. You either share it with your entire audience or hide all your stories from certain users through your settings. While it’s not exactly hiding one story, effectively achieving the desired outcome is hiding all stories until the specific story you want to hide is no longer visible (24 hrs), then removing the user from the restriction list. It’s a workaround, but it gets the job done! Let’s delve into the specifics.

How to Hide Your Instagram Stories (The Workaround Method)

While the platform doesn’t provide a direct “hide this one story” button, here’s how you can achieve a similar result:

1. Access your Privacy Settings: Open Instagram, tap your profile picture in the bottom right corner, then tap the three horizontal lines (hamburger menu) in the top right. Select “Settings” followed by “Privacy.”

2. Navigate to the “Story” Settings: In the Privacy menu, tap on “Story.”

3. Hide Your Story: Under the “Hiding Story From” section, you’ll see a list of your followers. Search for the person you want to exclude from seeing your story. Tap the circle next to their name to select them. You can select multiple people. The circle will turn blue with a checkmark, indicating they are now blocked from seeing your stories.

4. Post Your Story: Once you’ve hidden your story from the desired person (or people), you can post your story as usual.

5. Unblock the User (After 24 Hours): After 24 hours, the story disappears from your profile. Return to the “Story” settings, and uncheck the user from the “Hiding Story From” list. This will allow them to see your future stories, while successfully missing the specific one you wanted to keep from them.

Important Considerations:

• Future Stories: Remember, this method blocks them from all your stories until you remove them from the “Hiding Story From” list. You will have to perform steps 1-5 to unblock the user after 24 hours.
• Public Profiles: If your account is public, they can still see your posts (if they follow you). This method only hides your stories.
• Alternatives: Consider creating a “Close Friends” list if you want to share specific content with a select group of people regularly.

Understanding the “Close Friends” List: A Superior Alternative?

Instead of manually hiding and unhiding users, the “Close Friends” list offers a more streamlined approach for selectively sharing content.

Creating and Managing Your “Close Friends” List

1. Access Your “Close Friends” List: Go to your profile, tap the hamburger menu (three horizontal lines), select “Close Friends.”
2. Add or Remove Friends: You’ll see a list of suggested users and a search bar to find specific people. Tap “Add” next to their name to add them to your list. You can remove people by tapping “Remove.”
3. They Won’t Know: People aren’t notified when you add or remove them from your Close Friends list. Only you can see who is on your list.

Sharing a Story with Your “Close Friends”

1. Create Your Story: As usual, create your story with photos, videos, text, and stickers.
2. Select “Close Friends”: Before posting, tap the “Close Friends” option (it looks like a green star) at the bottom of the screen. This will share your story only with the people on your list.
3. Green Ring: When your Close Friends view your story, they’ll see a green ring around your profile picture, indicating it was shared with a select group.

Why Use “Close Friends”?

• Privacy: Share more personal or sensitive content with a trusted group.
• Control: You have complete control over who sees your content.
• Convenience: It’s much easier than manually hiding and unhiding users for each story.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Can someone tell if I’ve hidden my story from them?

No, Instagram doesn’t notify users when you’ve hidden your story from them. They simply won’t see your stories in their feed. However, if they consistently don’t see your stories, they might suspect something. They also wouldn’t see you appear at the front of their feed.

2. What happens if someone visits my profile directly after I’ve hidden my story from them?

They won’t see the story ring around your profile picture, indicating that you have an active story.

3. If I have a public profile, will hiding my story from someone still prevent them from seeing it?

Yes, hiding your story in the “Story” settings overrides the public profile setting. They won’t see your story regardless of whether they follow you or not.

4. Can I hide a story from someone after I’ve already posted it?

Yes, you can hide a story after it’s been posted. The process is the same: go to your Story settings and select the user you want to hide it from. However, they may have already seen it before you hid it.

5. Will blocking someone also hide my past and future stories from them?

Yes, blocking someone will hide all your content from them, including past and future stories, posts, and your profile.

6. If I unhide someone, will they be able to see stories I posted while they were hidden?

No, once a story has expired (after 24 hours), it’s gone. Unhiding someone won’t retroactively make those past stories visible to them.

7. How often can I change who is on my “Close Friends” list?

You can change your “Close Friends” list as often as you like. There are no limitations.

8. Is there a limit to the number of people I can add to my “Close Friends” list?

No, Instagram doesn’t impose a limit on the number of people you can add to your “Close Friends” list.

9. Can I use third-party apps to hide a specific story from someone?

Avoid using third-party apps that claim to offer this functionality. These apps often violate Instagram’s terms of service and can compromise your account security. They might ask you to log in with your Instagram username and password, which means they now have access to your account, even though it may be a scam app.

10. What’s the difference between muting someone and hiding my story from them?

Muting someone means you won’t see their posts or stories in your feed, but they can still see your content. Hiding your story prevents them from seeing your stories, but they can still see your posts (if they follow you).

11. If I share a story to both my general audience and my “Close Friends,” will someone on my “Close Friends” list see two versions of the story?

No, they will only see the “Close Friends” version of the story, indicated by the green ring around your profile picture. Instagram prioritizes the “Close Friends” view for those on the list.

12. Can I hide story highlights from someone?

No, you cannot selectively hide story highlights from specific users. If you hide your story from someone, they also won’t be able to see those parts of those stories which you have added to highlights. Story highlights are always publicly visible to anyone who can view your stories.

Conclusion

While Instagram doesn’t offer a direct “hide one story” feature, strategically using the “Hiding Story From” setting or embracing the “Close Friends” list allows you to tailor your content visibility. Remember to prioritize your privacy and account security by avoiding suspicious third-party apps. By understanding these nuances, you can confidently navigate Instagram and share your stories with the right audience. Now go forth and tell your story (to the right people, of course)!