Creators rarely talk about how hard it is to come up with content. Sometimes, you’re an absolute genius, producing beautiful, new, engaging posts. Other times, you have nothing, searching for inspiration wherever you can find it. Suddenly, you remember a few great posts you had in the past — now you need to know how to find memories on Instagram.
Is that even possible? Did Instagram save those for you? You’re in luck! Re-sharing posts from your stories archive that performed well in the past could be a great way to deliver content. Keep reading to learn how to do this.
How to Look at Memories on Instagram When You’re Feeling Nostalgic
The growth journey can be long and difficult. Some days you’re on the upward swing, making huge progress. Other days, you’re losing followers unexpectedly. Sometimes, you just need a little boost to keep going.
One of the best boosts you can get is a blast from the past — memories on Instagram that remind you how far you’ve come. You might not know exactly how to view these memories, but the process, while not entirely straightforward, is not difficult either.
Currently, there is no dedicated section called “Memories.” Still, you’ve probably seen other users posting these throwbacks — especially on Throwback Thursday or Flashback Friday. They just had to take a few extra steps to find them, and soon you’ll know how to do it too.
How to See Your Story Memories on Instagram: Finding Content from Years Ago
When posting stories, we usually don’t think too much about them. Unlike the main feed, where aesthetics matter and posts are more permanent, stories allow us to show our personality.
Stories often reflect what the brand really represents, and followers love them for that. The downside? They disappear after 24 hours. Sometimes you want to relive those moments — or share them with new followers who never saw them.
Instagram allows you to revisit your old stories, so let’s look at some important details.
Go Back as Far as You Want
Instagram keeps excellent records. You can revisit stories from years ago. The further back you go, the more cringeworthy they might feel — but they’re also a great reminder of your growth.
This can even build credibility with your followers. For example, if you’re a fitness influencer, showing old stories can highlight your progress without forcing followers to scroll endlessly through your feed.
Note: Stories were introduced on Instagram in 2016, so for anything before that, you’ll need to check your regular posts.
Instagram Archives Your Stories
Even if you’ve forgotten about a story you posted three years ago, Instagram hasn’t. All your stories are saved in an archive.
You can view them, share them again, and even check whether they were shared with close friends or all followers. Stories that have lived for 24 hours are eligible to be revived later.
Instagram organizes these by date, making it easy to see what you posted exactly one year ago or more.
Steps to find your archived stories:
- Open Instagram on your phone.
- Go to your profile by tapping the profile icon in the bottom right corner.
- Tap the three horizontal lines in the top right corner.
- Select Archive from the menu.
- View all your previous stories, organized by date. Selecting a date will show all stories from that day.
How to See Multiple Memories on Instagram: Two Types to Choose From
Sometimes creators post content they regret — maybe it doesn’t match their brand or feed aesthetic. Instead of deleting it, they may choose to remove it temporarily and bring it back later. Archiving is the best option in this case.
How to Archive a Post
Posts in your feed aren’t saved automatically like stories, so you’ll need to archive them manually.
Steps to archive a post:
- Go to your profile.
- Find the post you want to archive.
- Tap the three dots in the top right corner of the post.
- Select Archive (with the clock icon).
- The post will disappear from your feed but will remain saved in the archive.
To restore an archived post:
- From your profile, tap the three horizontal lines in the top right corner.
- Select Archive.
- Find the post you want to restore and tap it.
- Tap the three dots in the top right corner.
- Select Show on Profile — the post will reappear in its original position in your feed.
How to Save Memories on Instagram
Every post you make is important, but some hold special value. They may not have had the most likes, but they represent a key moment or milestone for your brand.
These special posts can be saved as memories:
Steps to save a post as a memory:
- Open the Instagram app and log into your account.
- Go to your profile.
- Find the post you want to save.
- Tap the three dots in the top right corner of the post.
- Tap the bookmark icon to save it.
If you don’t organize saved posts into collections, they will all appear together. Creating a dedicated collection for your favorite posts makes them easy to find later.
