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If you take a screenshot of someone’s Instagram story, can other users see it? You will not receive a notification from Instagram if you take a screenshot of a user’s story or post. If you take a screenshot of a direct message on Instagram, the app will alert you. Continue reading if you want to learn more.
When You Screenshot a Story or Post, Does Instagram Notify?
Instagram, a photo and video-sharing social media platform owned by Facebook, is one of the most popular and widely utilized globally. It’s a terrific way to stay up to date on the lives of the people you like and a resource for discovering visually stimulating stuff.
You may want to save a copy of a photo that someone else has shared for future reference. Instagram does allow you to bookmark a picture, but if you’re going to access it when your phone isn’t connected to the internet, you’re better off taking a screenshot.
One of the most often asked topics on Instagram is whether or not taking a screenshot of someone else’s photo alerts the person who originally uploaded it. You may discover the solution to this question and more in this post.
When You Take a Screenshot on Instagram, Are Your Followers Notified?
Does Instagram tell people when you screenshot their posts or stories? Nope. However, if you snap a screenshot of a disappearing photo or video sent to a user’s DMs, they will be notified (direct message chat).
Remember that Instagram introduced an upgrade in 2018 that alerted users if you grabbed a screenshot of their stories. After a few months, the climb was reverted to its original state. It’s good to know that Instagram now can alert users when their stories are screenshotted. Maybe, in the future, Instagram might re-introduce a similar option.
Also, note that Instagram doesn’t send screenshot notifications when you screenshot any other app area – be it a user’s profile, list of followers, or different screens – including photographs.
If you capture a video of a user’s video post, Instagram does not tell the person that you’ve done so.
What Happens if You Take a Screenshot of a Direct Message?
Yes, but there’s a stipulation. A notification isn’t sent for every snap or video you take when in an Instagram DM (direct message). If you snap a screenshot of a “disappearing” photo or video message, Instagram will alert you.
A “disappearing message” has been captured directly from the camera in the DM conversation. Only once the other person has seen it will it disappear from view permanently.
If you capture a screenshot of a photo or video that someone else has uploaded from their gallery or camera roll, Instagram doesn’t let them know. Other non-disappearing content (such as postings from feeds and text messages) will also not be notified to the user when screenshotted in DMs (as long as the content isn’t deleted).
Instagram DM Screenshot Notifications
When a user’s photographs in a DM are screenshotted, Instagram will send a popup notification to their phone. Additionally, the user who took the screenshot will be identified in the alert.

Those who have screenshotted the photo will notice a little indicator next to it in the chat. Any screenshots of the vanishing picture will have a small starburst icon next to them:

How to Avoid Screenshot Detection in DMs?
To stop Instagram from notifying you when you screenshot a photo in your DM chats, there are a few things you can do:
- Use airplane mode if you don’t want the user to know that you’ve taken a screenshot of their photo in a direct message. If you snap a screenshot when your phone is disconnected from the Internet, Instagram will not recognize it.
- You can also access Instagram through a web browser, navigate to the DM, and snap a screenshot there. Use Instagram on a web browser. Instagram can’t recognize screenshots taken from a computer’s browser.