How to turn off Instagram stories notifications

Since its inception in 2010, Instagram has become the go-to platform for people who want to share their lives with friends, family, and the general public. One of the features that has struck a chord among users is Instagram Stories.

To make sure you don't miss the best stories from the people you follow, Instagram automatically sends you a notification whenever someone updates their stories. But those same notifications can also be a distraction for some, and can keep you glued to your device even when you should be focusing on other important tasks.

Can you JUST turn off Instagram story notifications?

Instagram Stories offer a raw insight into the world of those you follow. It's like having the opportunity to watch someone else go about their life, even if it's only for a minute or two a day.

Story notifications are great when you want to always be in the know, but they can also be annoying when you're trying to avoid social media, perhaps to focus on another task.

Also, Story notifications are more common than other notification types because most people use Stories to keep their followers hooked on their profiles. As such, Story notifications can be more disruptive than other, less frequent alert types.

But we have good news: you can turn off Instagram Stories-only notifications and still get other types of notifications that might be important. If you want to grow your brand, for example, you might still want to be notified whenever there's a new follow request to respond to.

Instagram goes even further. You have the option to mute everyone's Instagram Stories or just mute alerts for a specific user.

Let's see how each of these options works.

How to turn off all Instagram stories notifications

Instagram comes with settings that allow you to customize your alerts and choose the types of notifications you receive. But you can also choose to turn off all Story notifications if you want to take a "sabbatical" from the platform or just avoid social media for a while.

Here's how to turn off all Instagram Story notifications on a mobile device:

1. Open the Instagram app.
   
2. Tap your avatar in the lower right corner of your screen.
   
3. Tap the hamburger icon (the three horizontal lines) in the upper right corner. This should open your account management section.
   
4. Select "Settings" from the resulting drop-down menu.
   
5. Tap "Notifications".
   
6. Select "Posts, Stories & Comments" from the notification's submenu.
   
7. Scroll to the bottom of the page and toggle the "Disabled" switch on under "Early Posts and Stories."
   

And with that, you won't have to deal with pesky Story notifications on your device.

You can also turn off all Instagram Story notifications when using a web browser such as Internet Explorer or Chrome. Here's how:

1. Log into your Instagram account.
   
2. Tap your profile picture in the lower right corner of your screen.
   
3. Select "Settings" from the pop-up menu.
   
4. Click on “Push notifications”. This should open a new page where you can manage all types of notifications, including likes, comments, new follow requests, and Stories.
   
5. To turn off all story notifications, simply toggle the "Turn off" button next to "Stories".
   

How to turn off Instagram stories notifications for a specific user

Whenever someone you follow updates their stories, Instagram will send you a real-time notification. This can be extremely useful if you follow someone for work or want to keep tabs on your friends' lives.

However, there may come a time when you no longer wish to receive notifications from a specific user. Maybe they have a habit of posting things that rub you the wrong way, or their Instagram activity is too frequent to track. Too many updates from one user can hijack your feed and make it difficult to show new stories from other users.

Whatever the reason, you can easily disable alerts and keep your notification area quiet and clean.

Here's how to turn off Story alerts for a specific user when using a mobile device:

1. Open the user's profile.
2. Tap the bell-shaped notification icon in the upper right corner.
   
3. Disable the switch next to "Stories".
   

Alternatively:

1. Open one of their Story Updates.
   
2. Tap the message ellipsis (three horizontal lines) in the upper right corner.
   
3. Tap "Turn off story notifications".
   

If you're using Instagram through the Instagram TV app for Android or iOS, here's how to turn off Story notifications for a specific user:

1. Open the user's profile. You can do this by tapping on their username in the feed or by searching for their username.
   
2. Press "Next".
   
3. Disable the switch next to "Stories".
   

And that's all. After following these steps, you will not receive a push notification every time the user shares a photo or video.

Declutter your notification area

Instagram Stories are great, but they can also be boring. For one thing, you don't want to miss important notifications from friends and family. On the other hand, you want to avoid very active profiles that update their stories multiple times a day with content that may not add value to your brand or business. It's also possible that you just want to avoid spending too much time on Instagram.

If you've found yourself in any of these situations, the best thing to do is to turn off alerts from the specific people who are flooding you with messages. Alternatively, you can turn off all Story alerts and declutter your notification area for as long as you want.

Are you an Instagram enthusiast? Have you tried turning off all Story notifications?

Feel free to share your experience in the comments section below.