You can share someone else's Instagram story to your story only when their account is public. Tap Share in the bottom right of their story, tap Add to story, tap Next, then tap Share. Your own account can be public or private, so that side never blocks you.
Resharing a story is the quickest way to pass something you've enjoyed on to your own followers, and Instagram builds the credit in for you. The catch is that whether you can do it depends on the other person's settings, not yours.
| Quick question | Quick answer |
|---|---|
| Whose account has to be public? | The person who posted the original story. |
| Does my account need to be public? | No. Public or private both work. |
| Will people know it isn't my story? | Yes. Anyone viewing your reshare can see who first posted it and can open their account. |
| Why can't I see Add to story? | Their account may be private, they may have limited or switched off resharing, or it may be a teen account, where it's off by default. |
| Can I stop people resharing mine? | Yes, from Settings, then Sharing and reuse, then Stories to stories. |
Resharing a story in four taps
- Open the story you want to pass on and tap Share in the bottom right.
- Tap Add to story.
- Tap Next in the bottom right.
- Tap Share.
That's the whole route, and Instagram's help centre gives the same taps whichever phone you're on. The story then appears on your own story for your followers, with the original poster attached to it.
When Add to story won't show up
If the option's missing, the problem almost always sits with the account you're trying to reshare from, not with you. These are the usual reasons:
- The account is private. Story-to-story sharing only works from public accounts.
- The owner has changed who can reshare. They can pick Everyone, Followers you follow back, or Off. If they've chosen the middle option, only followers they follow back can reshare.
- It's a teen account. All teen accounts have story-to-story sharing turned off by default.
There's no workaround to suggest here, and that's deliberate. The setting belongs to the person who made the story, so the polite move is to send them a message and ask.
What your followers see on the reshared story
A reshare isn't anonymous for the original poster. Anyone who views it can see who first posted the story and can tap through to that account. That's good news if you're sharing to support a friend or a business you like, because the credit goes with it automatically.
It also means a reshare is a cleaner option than a screenshot, which carries no credit at all. If you've ever wondered about that side of things, here's what Instagram shows when someone screenshots your story.
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Choosing who can reshare your own stories
If your account's public, anyone can reshare your stories by default. To change that, go to Settings, then Sharing and reuse, then Stories to stories, and choose one of three options:
- Everyone, which is the default for public accounts.
- Followers you follow back, which narrows it to people you've followed in return.
- Off, which stops story-to-story sharing completely.
If you're posting stories to grow, leaving resharing on is usually the better call, because every reshare puts your name in front of someone else's followers. There's more on that in this guide to getting an Instagram story in front of more people.
The bottom line on resharing stories
If the story's from a public account, four taps does it and the credit looks after itself. If you can't see Add to story, don't hunt for a hack: the account's private, the owner's limited it, or it's a teen account. And for your own stories, decide once whether you want reshares and set it under Stories to stories, so you're not surprised later.
For the rest of the series, see the Instagram Help: 81 Guides to Followers, Hashtags, Money, Accounts and Fixes.
Frequently asked questions
Can I stop people sharing my story to theirs?
Yes. Go to Settings > Sharing and reuse > Stories to stories and choose Everyone, Followers you follow back, or Off.
