How To Add A Highlight On Instagram Without Posting A Story

Ever wanted to showcase specific content on your Instagram profile without bombarding your followers with a constant stream of stories? 

Highlights are a fantastic way to curate curated collections, but the current system needs the content to be a story first.

Anyway, doesn’t matter. This blog breaks down two clever workarounds to add highlights to your Instagram without posting a story. 

I’ll explore how to strategically hide your story from everyone or utilize a quick post-and-delete method. Enough talking, let’s see how to put highlights on instagram without a story in 2024.

How to Add to Highlights Without Adding to The Story on iPhone and Android

Adding highlights has no difference in iPhone and Android and you can use both methods. You can add a highlight on Instagram without posting it to your story by following these two methods:

Method 1: Hide Your Story From Everyone

1. Make Your Profile Private:
   • Open the Instagram app and go to your profile.
   • Change your profile to “Private.”
2. Hide Your Story:

1. Hide your story from all your followers.

1. Upload Your Story:
   • Upload the desired photo or video to your story as usual.
2. Add to Highlights:

1. After 24 hours, the story will be automatically deleted.

1. Go to your profile and tap on the ≡ icon.
2. Select “Your activity” and then choose “Recently Deleted.”
3. Add the deleted story to your highlights.
4. Unhide Your Contacts:
   • Finally, unhide the contacts you blocked in step 2.

Read more: How to Unview Someone’s Story on Instagram?

Method 2: Post and Immediately Delete The Story

1. Create your story with the content you want for the highlight.
2. Before posting it, tap on the three dots in the bottom right corner and choose “Save story.” This saves it to your archive.
3. Now, post the story to your feed.
4. Immediately after posting, tap on your story icon and swipe up to view the story you just posted.
5. Tap on the three dots again and choose “Delete.”

This will remove the story from your feed, but it will still be saved in your archive and available to add to your Highlights. 

Can you Add Posts to Highlights on Instagram?

No, you cannot directly add regular posts (photos or videos from your feed) to Instagram highlights. Highlights are specifically designed for content that has already been on your story. Stories disappear after 24 hours, but highlights allow you to save and showcase them on your profile for a longer period. You can later delete highlights on Instagram, and if you regret that, you can add them again.  

How to Add Old Instagram Posts to Highlights

There isn’t a built-in way to add old Instagram posts directly to highlights since they haven’t been stories first. However, there are a couple of workarounds you can try:

Method 1: Repurpose the Post as a Story

1. Save the original post to your camera roll. Open the post you want to highlight, tap the three dots in the top right corner, and choose “Save to Camera Roll.”
2. Create a new story. Tap on your profile picture in the bottom right corner to access your story.
3. Add the saved photo or video to your story. Swipe right to access your camera roll and select the content you saved.
4. Edit and customize your story (optional). You can add text, stickers, or drawings to personalize the content.
5. Add the story to your highlight. After you’re happy with your story, tap the “+” button at the bottom right corner and choose “Add to Highlight.” You can either add it to an existing highlight or create a new one.

Read more: Why are My Instagram Stories Blurry?

Method 2: Archive the Post and Add Later

1. Archive the post you want to highlight. Open the post and tap the three dots in the top right corner. Choose “Archive” from the menu.
2. Access your story archive. Go to your profile and tap the “+” icon next to your profile picture. Select “Story archive.”
3. Find the archived post and add it to your highlight. Locate the post you want to highlight and tap on it. Then, tap “Next,” name your highlight (if creating a new one), and tap “Add.”

Keep in mind: Whichever method you choose, the content will appear in your story feed for 24 hours before being saved to the highlight.

How do I add highlights on Instagram from a gallery (camera roll)?

From your story:

1. Open Instagram and tap your profile picture to create a new story.
2. Swipe right to access your camera roll (gallery).
3. Select the photo or video you want to add to the highlight.
4. Edit your story as desired (optional).
5. Tap the “+” button at the bottom “Add to Highlight.”
6. Choose an existing highlight or create a new one.

From your profile: Tap the “+” icon next to your profile picture and choose “Story archive.” Select the content you want to highlight and tap “Next.” Name your highlight 

AiGrow Instagram Highlight Downloader

Thinking about saving your favorite Instagram Highlights? Unlike disappearing Stories, Highlights stay on your profile. But what if you want to keep them outside of Instagram? Here’s how to download them with AiGrow’s free Instagram Downloader:

1. Copy the Highlight Link: Open Instagram and find the Highlight you want to save. Tap the three dots (…) and choose “Copy Link.”
2. Paste and Download: Head over to AiGrow’s Downloader and paste the copied link into the designated field. Click “Download” and wait a moment for your Highlight to be ready.

Why AiGrow’s Downloader?

• Unlimited Downloads: Save as many Highlights as you want, forever!
• Top Quality: Enjoy your Highlights in the best possible quality.
• Free and Easy: Downloading is completely free, with no signup required.
• Works on Any Device: Download from your phone, computer, or tablet.

Download Instagram highlights for free to save your moments forever!

FAQs

Now let’s answer some frequently asked questions on this subject:

Can you add to Instagram highlights without adding to a story?

Unfortunately, no. Highlights are meant to showcase content that has already been on your story. However, there are a few workarounds:

• Hide Your Story: Make your profile private, hide the story from everyone, post the content, add it to highlights, and then switch everything back.
• Post and Delete Story: Briefly post the content, delete it right after, then add it to highlights from your archive.

Can You Add Instagram Highlights From a Camera Roll?

Yes! When you create a story, you can swipe right to access your camera roll and choose photos or videos to add. These can then be saved to highlights.

Final Thoughts

With a little creativity, you can now create Instagram highlight reels that show your best content without overwhelming your followers’ feeds. These methods involve a touch more effort than the traditional story-to-highlight route. But the payoff is a polished and organized profile that reflects your unique style.