Does Instagram Notify You of Screenshots Taken by Someone Else?

With so much great content being shared on Instagram, it's tempting to want to take screenshots (or screen recordings) of what you see. But will that user know that you captured a screenshot of their post? And will you know if someone took a screenshot of yours?

In most situations, the other person won't know that you've taken a screenshot of an image, message, or anything else that they've shared. There is on scenario in which users will get a screenshot notification, though, which we explain below.

Regular photo and video posts seen in the home feed, on user profiles, or on the Explore tab are safe from screenshot notifications. The same is true for screen recordings — if you decide to record your device's screen while someone else's video post is playing.

Instagram spent a few months testing a feature where users could see who was taking screenshots of their stories, but that feature has since been retired. The feature was noticed in February of 2018. By June, it was gone. Since then, Instagram users have been able to freely screenshot or screen grab other users' stories without them being notified of it.

A disappearing photo or video message is one that you take using the camera through the Instagram app and then send as a direct message to a group or individual. According to Instagram's Help section, screenshot notifications are displayed if any of your recipients decide to take a screenshot of it.

You're safe if you send anything else via direct message. Screenshots of other types of non-disappearing content that have been sent in direct messages (such as posts from feeds, text or hashtags) won't result in a notification.

Much like individual photo and video posts, you're safe to screenshot someone else's profile without them ever knowing about it. This might be helpful particularly if you want to quickly save their website or contact information shown in their bio without having to follow them.

Any third-party apps that claim to send you screenshot notifications are probably extremely outdated or a total scam. Instagram puts strict limitations on what third-party apps do via the Instagram API for privacy and security reasons, meaning that no app you install can successfully tell you who's taking screenshots of your content.

If you come across an app claiming to be able to tell you who's taking screenshots of your content, refrain from installing it. If it's a malicious app, you could end up compromising your Instagram account or infecting your device with viruses.