Does Instagram Notify You of Screenshots Taken by Someone Else?

Now you can snoop freely... with caution

By
Elise Moreau
Elise Moreau
Elise Moreau
Freelance Contributor
  • University of Ontario
  • George Brown College
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.
lifewire's editorial guidelines
Updated on November 27, 2021
Reviewed by
Jessica Kormos
Jessica Kormos
Reviewed by Jessica Kormos
  • Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College
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.
lifewire's editorial guidelines

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 one 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 when you get on the Instagram Explore page 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 Instagram photos. This feature 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 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 via Instagram Direct 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.

Person using a smartphone to take a screenshot of an Instagram post
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 Instagram account 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 a free Android antivirus app.

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