To add highlights on Facebook, go to your profile, tap New (or Story highlight if you can't see New), pick the stories you want, then name the highlight, choose a cover and save it. Highlights keep stories on your profile after the usual 24 hours, until you remove them.
Those are the steps in Facebook's Help Centre, checked in October 2026. One thing worth knowing before you start: Facebook doesn't describe a separate audience setting for highlights. It says the people you've allowed to see your story can also see your highlights, so a highlight is only as private as the stories in it.
Quick heads-up if you go and read Meta's own article: it has a stray line telling you to log in to the Instagram app to add story highlights. Ignore that line: the steps listed underneath are written for the Facebook app, and they're the ones below.
Create a new story highlight on iPhone or Android
- Tap Profile or your profile picture in the bottom right to go to your profile.
- Tap New. If you can't see New, tap Story highlight.
- Tap to select the story or stories you want, then tap Next in the top right.
- Tap Edit cover to choose a cover photo and enter a name for the highlight.
- Tap Add in the top right on iPhone, or Done on Android.
Create a highlight on a computer
- Click your profile picture on the left to go to your profile.
- Click New. If you can't see New, click Story highlight.
- Enter a name for the highlight, then click Next.
- Click to select the story or stories you want, then click Next.
- Choose a cover photo and click Done.
Add a story to a highlight you've already made
The route here differs a little between phones and the computer, so here they are side by side:
| Step | iPhone | Android | Computer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Go to your profile | Go to your profile | Click your profile picture on the left |
| 2 | Tap your profile picture in the top left to see your story | Tap your profile picture in the top left to see your story | Click the highlight, then More in the top right |
| 3 | Tap More in the bottom right of the story | Tap Highlight in the bottom right of the story | Click Edit, rename it if you want, click Next |
| 4 | Tap Highlight, then pick the highlight | Pick the highlight | Click Stories next to Selected, choose stories, click Next, then Done |
On a phone there's a shortcut too: tap and hold the highlight on your profile, then tap Edit highlight. That's also where you change the name or cover later.
Adding an old story from your archive
Your story only stays visible for 24 hours, but if your story archive is switched on, Facebook saves each story there automatically when it disappears. Only you can see the archive. From there you can add an old story to your profile. On Android, Facebook's steps are:
- Tap Menu in the top left, then tap your name.
- Tap Options, then Archive, then Story archive at the top.
- Tap the story you'd like to highlight, then tap Highlight in the bottom right.
- Pick a collection, or tap New to make one, add a title and cover, then tap Save.
Facebook calls these collections part of the Featured section of your profile, the area that shows photos and stories you want to feature. One catch: if you delete a story before it disappears, it won't be saved to your archive, so it can't be highlighted later.
Who can see your Facebook highlights
| Question | What Facebook says |
|---|---|
| How long do highlights stay up? | Until you remove them, even after the original story has gone |
| Who can see them? | The people you've allowed to see your story |
| Who can see your story archive? | Only you |
| Can you change a highlight later? | Yes, through More then Edit highlight |
So if you posted a story to Friends only, highlighting it won't suddenly make it public, and if you posted it publicly, the highlight will be public too. If you'd rather a highlight reached fewer people, the place to sort that out is your story audience, before you post.
Profile highlights aren't group highlights
Facebook uses the word highlights in more than one place, which is why searches get muddled. The steps on this page are for story highlights on your own profile. Groups have a highlights feature of their own, and that's separate from your profile, with its own settings.
Want AI doing the heavy lifting in your marketing?
I build the systems that handle the boring 80 percent, so you get your week back. Done properly, with the human kept in.
Running a group alongside your profile? The rules for mentioning every member are explained in a guide on how to tag everyone in a Facebook group.
The verdict
Story highlights are the easiest way to keep your best stories working after 24 hours, and for a small business they're a free shop window at the top of your profile. Turn your story archive on first, so nothing you post is lost, then build two or three highlights with clear names and covers. Keep in mind the privacy rule: the audience of the story decides the audience of the highlight. If you're after an old story, my guide to seeing archived stories on Facebook shows where they live, featured viewers on Facebook highlights explains that list you'll see on your highlights, and for the group version see Facebook group highlights.
I keep every related walkthrough in the Facebook Help: 80 Guides to Pages, Groups, Ads, Stories and Fixes.
Frequently asked questions
How do I add highlights on Facebook?
Go to your profile, tap New or Story highlight, select stories, tap Next, choose a cover and name, then tap Add on iPhone or Done on Android.
Can I add an old story to my Facebook highlights?
Yes, if your story archive is on. Open Story archive, tap the story, tap Highlight and pick or create a collection.
Who can see my Facebook story highlights?
Facebook says the people you've allowed to see your story can also see your highlights.
Do Facebook highlights disappear after 24 hours?
No. Stories you add as highlights stay on your profile until you remove them.
