Instagram is one of the largest social media platforms with a massive following nowadays. Every day an enormous amount of data is being shared on Instagram ranging from education to beauty to travel mentioning a few. People have millions of followers on Instagram who like and share their content.

The prominent feature of stories shared on Instagram is that they disappear after 24 hours, but what about the instances that you like a story so much and you want to visit it again later? 

It is only natural that you will want to take a screenshot and save the content for later use or enjoy later. But what if you don’t want the original poster to know that you have taken a screenshot of their story?

On the contrary, many of you must be very conscious about the stories that you share and want to keep them as secrets after they disappear, after all, that’s the whole point to keep guessing what the next story would be by engaging them with your interesting content and at the same time without cluttering your feed.

So, for many of you, the question might pop-up:

 Does Instagram notify when you take a screenshot of a story?

For those who have taken a screenshot of someone’s story and are concerned if the owner knows, the answer is No; they don’t know because Instagram does not notify the original poster that you have taken a screenshot of their story. The feature was introduced in February 2018, where Instagram used to send a notification stating that someone has taken a screenshot or screen recording. But it was disabled a few months later. 

When the feature was in place, the warning was triggered when someone took the screenshot of an Instagram story. But as of 2020, people do not know when you screenshot their story. 

So, relax, now you snoop around someone’s story and take a screenshot without knowing them. After all, amazing content is so irresistible. 

Does Instagram notify when you take a screenshot of a post?

But what happens when you screenshot someone’s photos or videos they posted? The answer to this is also No, Instagram does not notify you when you screenshot regular photos or posts in the home feed, a user’s profile, or even if you screen record video. They are all safe from being found out. The poster won’t be able to see a starburst icon next to your username in the stats of their story. 

Does Instagram notify when you take a screenshot of a disappearing photo?

Yes, the social media platform sends a notification. The disappearing photos are viewable for a limited time and disappear when the beneficiary has seen them.

This happens when you take a photo with the camera on Instagram and later send it as a direct message in a group or to an individual.

According to the help center of Instagram, screenshot notifications will be sent to the original poster if a screenshot is taken by any of the recipients. But on the bright side, the notification is very subtle and can be easily ignored.   

Does Instagram send a notification when you screenshot someone’s profile?

Just like photos and posts, Instagram does not send a notification when you screenshot their profile without letting them know. This might be helpful for those who want to save important information from someone’s profile or link to their website/page without following them.

On the other hand, if you are concerned about someone taking a screenshot of your profile, you might resort to making your profile private so only your followers would be able to see your profile. 

How to avoid Screenshot detection on Instagram?

It is no science to understand that no one will like the original poster to know that someone has taken a screenshot of their content and that too without their authorization. So, is there any way to avoid this? Yes, there is. 

These few ways can help you avoid this detection. 

• Use airplane mode while taking the screenshot.
• A low-tech way to avoid the detection is to use another camera to take the photo, since it is not your phone taking the photo, it can’t be detected by Instagram.
• Another option is to use third-party apps, however, this way is not popularly recommended because there is a risk that it may cause security threats, or led you to lose your Instagram account.

Alternative ways of saving content on Instagram

Now you all know that you can take screenshots of anything on Instagram except disappearing photos and videos in the direct message. But there are alternative ways to save your favorite content without getting anxious about anyone knowing about it.

Bookmarking

You can save the post/photo by tapping the bookmark icon and only you can access them later.

Direct message

You can send the post/photo as a direct message by hitting the plane like button at the bottom of the image. 

Sharing or copying the link

You can send the image or post to others via direct message by tapping the three-dot button and choosing “Copy Link” or “Share.”

Listed above are the instances when the original poster gets the notification when a user takes a screenshot. But the important point to understand is that Instagram is a social media platform where people come to connect and share their ideas and promote their products and services with others.

By introducing a feature to curtail the practice of taking screenshots Instagram did not understand that many people on social media wanted their content shared in whatever way possible.

As a result, they could not keep the feature for a long time because the users protested for, technically it hampered the spread of information.

If you want to keep your content hidden, there is always a way to keep your profile private. For now, in 2020, there is no need to worry that a notification will be issued by Instagram if a screenshot of a post/photo or a profile is taken. Enjoy the content and stop worrying!