Social Media Instagram 426 426 people found this article helpful Does Instagram Notify You of Screenshots Taken by Someone Else? Now you can snoop freely... with caution by Elise Moreau Freelance Contributor Elise Moreau is a writer that has covered social media, texting, messaging, and streaming for Lifewire. Her work has appeared on Techvibes, SlashGear, Lifehack and others. our editorial process Facebook Twitter Elise Moreau Updated on August 01, 2020 reviewed by Jessica Kormos Lifewire Tech Review Board Member Jessica Kormos is a writer and editor with 15 years' experience writing articles, copy, and UX content for Tecca.com, Rosenfeld Media, and many others. our review board Article reviewed on May 31, 2020 Jessica Kormos The Ultimate Guide to Instagram The Ultimate Guide to Instagram Introduction Instagram Basics How to Use Instagram Instagram Tips for Beginners Check Messages on Instagram Add or Change an Instagram Background Search Instagram for Tags and Users Add Music to Instagram Video Use Instagram Video Chat Try Instagram Shopping Get Verified on Instagram Clear Search History on Instagram Posting on Instagram The Best Time to Post Save a Draft of a Post Repost an Instagram Story See Previously Liked Posts Post a GIF to Instagram Add Multiple Photos to Stories Save Instagram Videos How to Quickly Repost Photos Saving Photos Deleting Photos and Videos View Saved Posts With Instagram Collections Working With Followers Mute Someone on Instagram See Who Unfollowed You on Instagram Block Someone On Instagram Unblock Someone on Instagram See Who Viewed You Great Tools to Track Comments Remove Followers on Instagram Tips to Get a Shoutout on Instagram Attract More Instagram Followers Delete 'Suggestions for You' IG Tips & Tricks Instagram Tips and Tricks to Try Add Highlights on Instagram Learn About Instagram Direct Use Instagram's Close Friends Feature How to Delete or Deactivate Your Account Reactivate Your Account Reset Your Password Get Started With Location Tagging How to Repost Shoot Videos with Instagram Video Understanding IG Privacy & Security Hide Your Story on Instagram Does IG Send Screenshot Notifications? 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View Instagram on the Web Online Connect Instagram to Facebook Tools for Posting From the Desktop Tweet Share Email 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. Does Instagram Send Notifications for Screenshots of Photo or Video Posts? 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. One alternative to taking a screenshot of posts is to use Instagram's built-in bookmarking feature to save images. It lets you collect posts individual posts and revisit them later (without the original poster ever being notified). Just tap the bookmark icon beneath any post to save it. You can see all your saved posts by navigating to your profile, tapping the menu icon in the top right and tapping Saved. If the original image gets deleted, however, your bookmark will fail. Does Instagram Send Notifications for Screenshots of Stories? 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. There's no guarantee that Instagram is done with story screenshot notifications for good. There is always the possibility that the testing could resume at any time without you even knowing it. Does Instagram Send Notifications for Screenshots of Direct Messages? 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. Lifewire Does Instagram Send Notifications for Screenshots of User Profiles? 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. If you're worried about people taking screenshots of your Instagram content, you may want to consider making your profile private. Your existing followers and any follow requests you approve could still take screenshots, but non-followers won't be able to see anything except your profile picture and name, preventing them from accessing and thus screenshotting any of your posts, stories or bio information. Beware of Third-Party Apps That Claim to Notify You of Instagram Screenshots 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. If you already installed a third-party app that claimed to give you Instagram screenshot notifications and gave your account details to it, uninstall the app immediately from your iOS or Android device. Next, change your Instagram password just to be safe. If you have an Android, you may also want to consider installing an antivirus app. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Email Address Sign up There was an error. Please try again. You're in! Thanks for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. Thank you for signing up. Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit