Learn How to Add Highlights on Instagram in Simple Steps

Key Takeaways

• • Instagram Highlights allow you to save and showcase your best Stories permanently on your profile
• • You can add existing Stories to Highlights or upload content from your camera roll without posting to your Story first
• • Customize your Highlights with creative covers and organized categories to make your profile stand out

Looking to make your Instagram profile more interesting? Learning how to add highlights on Instagram is one of the best ways to show off your best content and keep it accessible long after your Stories disappear.

Instagram Stories typically vanish after 24 hours, but Highlights let you save and showcase these fleeting moments right on your profile. They appear as little circles below your bio and stay there until you decide to remove them. This feature is perfect for businesses wanting to show products, creators organizing their content, or anyone who wants to save their favorite memories.

In this guide, we will show you exactly how to add highlights on Instagram, customize them, and use them to make your profile shine through some of the easiset social media tools.

Steps to Create Instagram Highlights

Post an Instagram Story

Before you can add highlights on Instagram, you need content to work with. Here’s how to create a Story:

1. 1. Open Instagram and tap your profile picture with the “+” sign in the Stories section
2. 2. Take a photo/video or swipe up to select from your camera roll
3. 3. Add any text, stickers, filters, or other elements you want
4. 4. Tap “Your Story” to publish it

Remember that only Stories you’ve posted can be added to Highlights, so make sure to save any Stories you might want to highlight later.

Save the Story to Highlights

Once you’ve posted a Story, here’s how to add it to your Highlights:

1. 1. Open your active Story by tapping your profile picture
2. 2. Tap the “Highlight” icon at the bottom of the screen (it looks like a heart inside a circle)
3. 3. Choose an existing Highlight category or tap “New” to create a fresh one
4. 4. If creating a new Highlight, name it (keep it short and descriptive)
5. 5. Tap “Add” or “Done”

That’s it! Your Story will now live permanently on your profile as a Highlight.

If you want to add multiple Stories to the same Highlight, you can do it in bulk:

1. 1. Go to your profile and tap the “+” button in the Highlights section
2. 2. Browse through your archived Stories and select all the ones you want to include
3. 3. Name your Highlight and tap “Done”

Accessing Highlights from Your Profile

Once created, your Highlights appear prominently on your profile just below your bio. Here’s how people can view them:

1. 1. Visitors tap on any Highlight circle
2. 2. They can watch each Story within that Highlight
3. 3. They can tap right to advance through Stories or tap left to go back

This prominent placement makes Highlights perfect for:

• • Personal branding: Show off your skills, interests, and personality
• • Businesses: Feature products, services, FAQs, and customer reviews
• • Content creators: Organize tutorials, behind-the-scenes content, or topic-specific material

Customizing and Editing Instagram Highlights

Making your Highlights look good is just as important as what’s in them. Here’s how to customize them:

Editing Highlight Titles and Content

To edit an existing Highlight:

1. 1. Go to your profile and press and hold the Highlight you want to edit
2. 2. Tap “Edit Highlight” from the menu
3. 3. From here you can:
   • • Change the name (keep it under 15 characters for best display)
   • • Add or remove Stories
   • • Change the cover image
4. 4. Tap “Done” when finished

If you want to remove a specific Story from a Highlight:

1. 1. Tap to open the Highlight
2. 2. Navigate to the Story you want to remove
3. 3. Tap the three dots (⋮) at the bottom right
4. 4. Select “Remove from Highlight”

Creating Custom Highlight Covers

Default Highlight covers are just snippets from your Stories, but custom covers look much more professional:

1. 1. Design a cover image (1080×1920 pixels works best)
   • • Use consistent colors that match your brand
   • • Keep designs simple with minimal text
   • • Create a set with the same style for a cohesive look
2. 2. Add this image to your Story (you can set it to “Close Friends” if you don’t want everyone to see it)
3. 3. Add the Story to the Highlight you want to customize
4. 4. Edit the Highlight and select the new image as the cover
5. 5. Once set as the cover, you can remove that Story from the Highlight if desired

Many brands use icon-style covers with a consistent color scheme to create a visually appealing profile.

Creative Ideas for Instagram Highlights

Personal and Business Profiles

For personal accounts:

• • “Travel”: Organize trips by location or year
• • “Cooking”: Share your best recipes and kitchen experiments
• • “Fitness”: Track your workout journey or share routines
• • “Pets”: Because who doesn’t love dedicated pet content?
• • “DIY”: Showcase your craftiness and home projects

For business accounts:

• • “Products”: Separate highlights for different product categories
• • “Testimonials”: Share positive customer feedback and reviews
• • “How-To”: Quick tutorials for using your products
• • “Team”: Introduce team members and company culture
• • “Events”: Coverage of launches, conferences, or meetings
• • “FAQ”: Answer common customer questions

Marketing and Engagement

Highlights can significantly boost your social medial marketing strategy:

• • “Promotions”: Share limited-time offers and discount codes
• • “Giveaways”: Feature current and past contests
• • “User Content”: Repost and celebrate content from your customers
• • “Behind the Scenes”: Show your process and personality
• • “New Releases”: Build excitement for upcoming products
• • “Features”: Highlight specific product features or benefits

Pro tip: Create a “Start Here” Highlight for new followers to understand what you’re all about and navigate your content easily.

Common Issues and Troubleshooting

Several common issues might prevent you from adding highlights on Instagram:

1. 1. Expired Stories: If it’s been more than 24 hours since your Story disappeared and you didn’t have Archive enabled, you can’t add it to Highlights. Solution: Make sure Story Archive is turned on in your settings.
2. 2. Privacy Settings: If your account is private and you recently switched from public, some archive features might be temporarily limited. Solution: Wait a day or two for settings to fully update.
3. 3. App Issues: Sometimes the app might glitch. Solution: Try closing and reopening Instagram, or check if you need to update the app.
4. 4. Account Restrictions: New accounts sometimes have limited features. Solution: Use the account actively for a few days before trying again.

Recovering Missing Highlights

If your Highlights disappear:

1. 1. Check if you accidentally archived them:
   • • Go to your profile > Menu > Archive > Story Archive
   • • Look for the missing content and add it back to Highlights
2. 2. If truly gone, you may need to rebuild:
   • • Check your device’s photo gallery for saved Stories
   • • Repost these as new Stories, then add to Highlights
3. 3. If you can’t find the content anywhere:
   • • Unfortunately, you may need to create new content
   • • Going forward, save important Stories to your device as well

Best Practices for Optimizing Instagram Highlights

To make your Highlights more effective:

1. 1. Be Strategic with Covers:
   • • Use clear, recognizable icons or images
   • • Maintain consistent branding across all Highlights
   • • Consider color-coding by category
2. 2. Organize Thoughtfully:
   • • Place your most important Highlights first (they appear from left to right)
   • • Group related content together
   • • Limit to 6-10 total Highlights to avoid overwhelming visitors
3. 3. Keep Content Fresh:
   • • Review Highlights every few months
   • • Remove outdated information
   • • Add new content to keep Highlights current
4. 4. Analyze Performance:
   • • Use Instagram Insights to see which Highlights get the most views
   • • Adjust your strategy based on what your audience engages with
5. 5. Cross-Promote:
   • • Mention specific Highlights in your posts or captions
   • • Direct followers to check your Highlights for more information
   • • Link to your profile (and by extension, your Highlights) from other platforms

Conclusion

Adding highlights on Instagram transforms your profile from a chronological feed into an organized hub of your best content. Whether you’re showcasing products, sharing expertise, or preserving memories, Highlights give your Stories a permanent home and help new followers discover what you’re all about.

Start by deciding what categories would best represent you or your brand, then gather your existing Stories or create new ones specifically for your Highlights. Remember to create consistent, branded covers for a professional look.

Ready to level up your Instagram game? Take action today by creating your first Highlight—it’s the perfect way to make a stronger impression and keep your most valuable content front and center.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do Instagram highlights last?

Instagram Highlights remain on your profile indefinitely until you manually remove them. Unlike regular Stories that disappear after 24 hours, Highlights have no expiration date, making them perfect for content you want to keep accessible long-term.

Can you see who views your highlights?

No, Instagram doesn’t show who views your Highlights. While you can see the total view count for each Story within a Highlight, you cannot see the specific usernames of viewers once the Story has been moved to Highlights.

Do highlights affect Instagram engagement?

Yes, Highlights can positively impact engagement by keeping your best content easily accessible. They allow new followers to discover your previous content, help establish your expertise or brand identity, and can even drive traffic to your website or products featured in the Highlights.