Reposting Posts and Stories people create is a popular method of sharing content on Instagram. If you like sharing content others publish with your audience but are wondering “Why can’t I repost on Instagram?” we will explain exactly how you can.
Who Can Repost Stories?
On Instagram, anyone can repost anyone else’s Story. However, the catch is that you must be tagged in the Story. Additionally, the original content creator will have had to enable the ability to have their content reshared. If you are unable to repost someone else’s Story then one of these is likely to be the culprit.
If, however, you were tagged in a Story, you will know due to receiving a notification within your DM inbox. This notification will offer you the option for adding the Story as a Story on your IG account.
There are two primary ways a Story can be reposted:
- Tap on the notification received within a DM
- Go to the Story creator’s profile and tap on the option to add the Story to your Story
We will go over in greater depth how to repost shared content on your profile a little later.
Why Can’t I Repost on Instagram?
The most common reason for being unable to repost someone else’s Story is because you were not tagged in a Story you want to re-share. The probability of you being tagged in a Story someone else shares on Instagram is very low, unless you know the person.
Note: If you have been tagged in someone else’s Story, anyone viewing the Story can tap on your IG username to be taken to your profile.
Protip: If you were tagged in someone’s Story, there is no way to remove it. You can only potentially remove it by reporting the Story to Instagram. In the future, you can prevent your account being tagged entirely by changing who can tag you using IG’s privacy settings.
The second most common reason people can’t repost is because the Story creator has disabled sharing. Even if you are tagged in a Story, you can’t share it if sharing has been disabled.
How to Repost a Story
There are a few ways to repost a Story on Instagram, whether you were tagged in a Story or not. We will go over both scenarios, so that you can repost any Story you come across that you feel is worth sharing with your audience.
Repost a Story You’re Tagged In
To repost a Story you have been tagged in, take the following steps:
- Open the Instagram app
- Tap on the DM icon (lightning bolt in a talk bubble) in the top-right of the screen
- Locate the DM conversation with the person who tagged you, tap on it, and then tap on the Story to be taken to it
- Tap on “Add this to your story” to repost their Story as a Story on your account
Note: You can edit and enhance the Story by including additional text, changing the background’s color, and more.
Repost a Story You’re Not Tagged In
Now that you know how to repost a Story in which someone tagged you, it’s time to learn how to repost a Story if you were never tagged in it.
Here are three ways to share Stories you haven’t been tagged in:
Take a Screenshot or Video Capture
A quick and easy way to repost anyone’s Story is to simply take a screenshot or screen recording of it with your phone.
A screenshot is the easiest since it only involves pressing a button combination on your mobile device to do so. Taking a screen recording takes a little extra work but is also doable.
Once you have taken a screenshot or video capture of the Story you want to reshare, you can upload it as a Story on your IG account.
Protip: If making a screen recording, crop the video so that Instagram’s additional elements don’t appear in the video. This will help the video look cleaner.
Note: Since the original Story creator will not be notified if you use this method, it is the respectful thing to do to give credit to them.
Share via DM
You can also share a Story someone else posted through your DM inbox. Be it a friend or a group chat, reposting a Story in your DMs is another option you may want to consider.
To do this, simply do the following:
- Find the Story you want to share
- Tap on the paper airplane icon in the bottom-right corner of the screen
- Find and tap on the person you want to send the Story to
Send a Link
A third way to share an IG Story is to send a link. This method will share it with someone outside of the app, so it may not match your needs. However, it is an additional way to share a Story with others.
To do this, take the following steps:
- Find the Story you want to share outside of Instagram
- Tap on the paper airplane icon in the bottom-right corner of the screen
- Tap on Copy link
- Share the link to the Story by pasting it into an email, as a message on another social media app, or however else you would like to
How to Repost a Post as a Story
It is also possible to repost a regular Instagram Post or Reel as a Story as well. This provides another avenue for you to share content you enjoy from others on Instagram as a Story on your account.
To repost content from someone’s IG profile if it’s a Post or Reel, follow these steps:
- Find the Post or Reel you want to repost as a Story and tap on it
- Tap on the paper airplane icon at the bottom of the content page
- Scroll right through the options until you get to Add to story and tap on it
- Modify the Post or Reel within the Story if you desire before sharing it
- Tap the arrow, and then finish reposting the content by tapping on the Share button
Note: The account you are reposting a Post or Reel from must be set to public. Additionally, they must have sharing of their content enabled.
Conclusion
Now that we answered your question of ”Why can’t I repost on Instagram?” you are equipped with a few ways you can reshare content others have shared. If you came across a Story, Post, or Reel someone else created that you loved, you can now share it with your audience easily and effortlessly.
