How to hide photos on Instagram without deleting them
There are times when I look at a photo and think, "Huh, that one's actually not bad...I'm gonna post it."
Then I'll see that photo a few weeks or months down the line and say to myself, "This is terrible. WHY did I post this?"
So I move to delete it, but right before I hit that button, I think, "...what if I miraculously end up liking this again later on? What if, some day, I stop caring that this photo is terrible and wish I had posted it anyway because it has sentimental value.
You May Also Like
SEE ALSO: How to see who viewed your LinkedIn profile
It could be a photo of a half-eaten chicken sandwich. Maybe I wanna commemorate the time I ate that chicken sandwich. Maybe it was a really really good chicken sandwich! Or maybe it was an aggressively mediocre chicken sandwich but even eating aggressively mediocre chicken sandwiches are highlight-worthy moments in my life.
For anybody with similar anxieties about such things, you'll be thrilled to know Instagram gives you an option to remove photos from your timeline without permanently deleting them. Here's how it's done.
1. Find the photo you want to remove on your Instagram profile.
2. Tap the three dots in the upper right corner of the photo.
Yes, I tried to carve a Star Wars Porg pumpkin for Halloween. Please be kind.
3. In the menu that pops up, select "Archive."
4. Boom. Your photo has vanished from your profile and can no longer be seen by others. It's not permanently gone — just hidden.
But wait...what if you want to get it back?
1. Go to your profile menu and select "Archive."
This will pull up all your archived posts and stories.
2. At the top of the screen, select "Post Archive" to see photos that you have archived on your grid.
3. To make an archived post visible again, simply select the post and tap the three dots in the upper right corner again.
3. When you're prompted to either "Delete" or "Show on Profile," select "Show on Profile."
Your post will now reappear on your profile just as it did before.
Topics Instagram Social Media
Andy is a fellow on Mashable's Culture team. He graduated with a B.S. from the University of North Florida in 2018 and moved to New York to pursue journalism in culture and entertainment. He can (and will) talk for too long about Star Wars and movies in general. His fear of stinging insects and 80+ degree weather will keep him inside forever. He wishes he were shorter.
