Screenshots have become part of most people’s daily lives. Whether it’s a funny meme or some important information, taking a screenshot can be very helpful. After some messaging apps introduced the option to automatically delete your messages for everyone, screenshots have become even more important.

On Instagram, you may want to take a screenshot of not just your direct messages. Stories only last 24 hours and then disappear for everyone but the user. If you want to send a private post to someone who doesn’t follow the person who posted it, taking a screenshot may be the only way. But can you screenshot Instagram posts? How about the stories? And will anyone find out?
How to take a screenshot of an Instagram post
The short answer to the question, if you can screenshot a post, DM or Instagram story is: yes. It’s like taking a screenshot of anything else on your mobile phone. How do you take a screenshot? It depends on the type of smartphone you are using.
iPhone
- On iPhone X or later, screenshot by pressing the button Close button and Turn up the volume button at the same time.
- On older iPhone models, take a screenshot by pressing the button Close button and Home button at the same time.
Android
Android models vary a little more in the way they take screenshots, but these are the most common:
- press the Turn up the volume button and Power button at the same time.
- Hold the Power button and select Screenshot of the list
- Strong punch down from the top of the screen and select Screenshot of the list.
Will the other person know I took a screenshot?
For those who are worried about the author knowing that you took a screenshot of their post, don’t worry: you’re safe. They will never know unless someone tells them. Instagram users do not receive notifications when someone takes a screenshot of their posts or stories. Until 2018, people could see who took a screenshot of their story.
There is still a situation where the other user will be notified that you took a screenshot. When you send a disappearing image to someone via DM, a notification will appear if a screenshot of that image is taken.
Save a post for later on Instagram
Please note that if you are taking a screenshot to save a post for later, you can do it another way. There is an icon in the right corner below each post, which allows you to save it to your collection, so you can return to it when you have more time or want to see it again.

Can I download a photo from Instagram?
Directly downloading your own content from your Instagram account is quite easy. If you accidentally deleted the entire Instagram folder from your Gallery, lost your phone, or had it stolen, don’t worry about recovering your photos. It’s pretty easy. If you want to directly download all the photos and videos in your account, there are a couple of different options.
If you want to download someone else’s posts or story directly, not through a screenshot or screen recording, unfortunately there is no direct way. However, there are a few different solutions.
Other ways to share an Instagram post
If you’re still unsure about screenshots, there are ways built into Instagram to share interesting posts with others. If the original author’s profile is public, you have two options:
- Send the post to your friend by tapping the Airplane icon next to the Like and Comment icons. It will appear in your friend’s direct messages.

- From your phone, tap the same Airplane icon and choose Add post to your story to share it with all your friends.

Sharing is showing interest
Instagram is, without a doubt, an entertaining platform. Not only will you be able to enjoy beautiful photographs, but you will also be able to stumble upon a few words of wisdom here and there. If you want to share them with your followers, you can take a screenshot without getting in trouble because the person who posted will never know. There are also other ways to share great content with your friends, depending on the author’s privacy settings.