When Instagram introduced the archive, it didn't get much fanfare and was missed by many users. If you missed it, here's everything you need to know.
Rather than deleting content and losing potential business revenue, Instagram offers a way to save it for later. Rather than completely deleting the post, you can now archive it to hide it from public view. You will still be able to view the post privately for later use, but no one else will.
Using Instagram Archive
The Instagram archive has a section for stories, live streams, and posts. Stories and live streams are saved automatically, while saving posts is an opt-in feature that you have to use manually. Older posts are not automatically archived like other systems.
To archive a post on Instagram:
- Select an item you want to store.
- Select the three-dot menu icon at the top of the page.
- Select the Archive option.
How to Access Instagram Archive
When you archive a message, it will stay there until you manually delete it or unarchive it. Instagram Archive is split between Posts, Stories, and Lives.
To access Instagram archives:
- Open Instagram on your profile page and select the menu icon (three bars) in the top right.
- Select Archive to view your archived posts on the Archive page.
- Archive will first display your archived stories automatically by default. To view lives or posts, tap the down-facing arrow next to "Stories Archive" at the top and select either option.
As mentioned above, the archive is for you only and is not publicly viewable.
Unarchive Instagram posts
If you want to take a post out of hibernation and reintegrate it into your profile, it's very simple. Just go to your Instagram archive and select the option to show again on your profile.
- Open Instagram on your profile page. Select the menu icon (three bars) in the top right.
- Select Archive.
- Tap the down arrow next to "Stories Archive" at the top and select "Posts Archive."
- Select the post you want to unarchive and select the three-dot menu icon.
- Select Show on profile at the top of the pop-up window.
The post will again be livestreamed and publicly viewable.
If you'd rather delete your archived post than make it public again, you can. Simply select Remove instead of Show on profile and confirm your choice in step 5 above. Your message will then be permanently deleted and will not be recoverable. Sometimes that's a good thing!
pack
The Instagram archive is an interesting idea that removes some of the temporary content from social media. As we gradually adapt to the temporal nature of online life, some things are worth keeping for the longer term. If you don't keep those memories handy, you can at least keep them on Instagram.
For social media savvy businesses, this is a way to use posts and media multiple times or for seasonal offerings that repeat annually or on a regular basis. Why create a Christmas offer every year if you can just archive it and edit it, then make it public again?
Do you like the Instagram archive option? Have you used it? Tell us about your experience below!
