How to Delete a Story on Instagram and What to Do if You Can’t Delete It

Quick Tips

• To delete a story, tap on the More button on the story, and select Delete.
• To fully get rid of the story from your profile, delete it from the Archive(only visible to you) and any stories added to the Highlights.
• If you’re unable to delete the story from the app, you can try to use Instagram on a web browser and delete the story.

How to Delete a Live Story on IG

Once you upload a story on Instagram, it lasts for 24 hours. So, if you don’t want to keep an uploaded story visible on your account, here’s how you can delete the Instagram story.

Step 1: Open the Instagram app and tap on Your Story on your feed. Tap on More.

Step 2: Select Delete from the list of options. Tap on Delete again to confirm the deletion.

How to Remove an Instagram Story From the Archive

Once you upload a story on Instagram, it will be saved to Archive so that only you can view it later. Here’s how you can delete an Instagram story from the archive.

Step 1: Open Instagram and tap on your profile picture at the bottom right.

Step 2: Tap on the Menu button at the top right corner and select Archive from the options.

Step 3: You will now see a list of your uploaded stories. Select the IG story that you want to delete. Now, tap on Delete to get rid of the story from your Archive.

Step 4: Tap on Delete to confirm. Keep in mind that you will not be able to view it again in your archive.

How to Delete Past Instagram Stories From a Highlight

Instagram Story Highlights are a great way to showcase some of your best stories to your followers. But if you want to remove a saved Instagram story from the same, here’s how you can do it.

Step 1: Open your Profile and long-tap on the story highlight you want to edit. Tap on Edit Highlight.

Step 3: De-select the story you want to remove and tap on Done.

This will ensure that the story has been removed from the Highlight. However, it will remain in your Archives unless deleted.

Here’s What to Do if You Can’t Delete an Instagram Story

• Retry Deleting The Story: Yes, we’re sure that you would have tried deleting it again, but this is a gentle reminder to the ones who have given up on the first attempt.
• Use Instagram on a Browser: You can log in and use Instagram on your web browser. There is a good chance you can delete the story via the web version of Instagram.
• Restart Instagram: There is a good chance that once you shut down the app and restart it again, you will be able to use the app free from any issues.
• Sign Out and Sign In to Instagram: Signing out of Instagram shuts down the current active session. Once you log in again, a new session will start and there is a good chance that the issue will be fixed.
• Clear App Cache: The stored cache can cause a few issues and execute bugs responsible for not letting you delete a story on Instagram. Clearing it regularly is the way to go. You can also check our guide on what happens when you clear your cache on Instagram for a better understanding.
• Update Instagram: If a large group of users face an issue, Instagram will take note and release a fix via an update. So, install the latest version of the Instagram app on your iPhone and Android devices.
• Reinstall Instagram: Reinstalling Instagram essentially lets you run the app afresh, clearing all the bugs and glitches.