No, people generally cannot see when you screenshot their Instagram content — with one important exception.

Can people see when you screenshot their Inst…?

Quick Scoop

Here’s how screenshots work on Instagram as of 2025–2026:

  • Regular feed posts: No notification is sent.
  • Profile pages and grids: No notification is sent.
  • Stories (public, private, Close Friends): No notification is sent.
  • Reels: No notification is sent.
  • Comments, captions, and bios: No notification is sent.
  • Disappearing photos/videos in DMs (including Vanish Mode): The sender does get a screenshot notification.

So if you’re screenshotting a normal post or story, the other person has no built‑in way to know. The only time Instagram tells someone is when you screenshot a disappearing one‑time photo or video in direct messages or Vanish Mode.

Where screenshots are “safe”

You can screenshot freely here without triggering an in‑app alert:

  1. Feed posts
    • Single photos, carousels, and videos.
    • Public and private account posts, including branded content.
  1. Stories & Close Friends stories
    • Instagram tested story screenshot alerts years ago but removed them.
    • As of recent updates, creators cannot see who screenshotted their story.
  1. Reels & profiles
    • Reels behave like posts: no notification for screenshots.
    • Profile pages, follower lists, and grids can be captured silently.
  1. Analytics and insights
    • If you’re a creator/brand, you still won’t see “X people screenshotted this.” Instagram doesn’t expose that metric.

Where people can be notified

There is one main danger zone:

  • Disappearing photos/videos in DMs
    • One‑time “view once” or “allow replay” images and videos.
    • Screenshots here trigger a small in‑chat indicator for the sender.
  • Vanish Mode
    • When chats are in Vanish Mode, disappearing messages that you screenshot can also trigger a notification.

An example: if a friend sends you a one‑time selfie in DMs and you screenshot it, they may see an icon or note that a screenshot was taken.

Privacy angles & social norms

Even if the app doesn’t expose screenshots, there are still some things to keep in mind:

  • People can still guess if you saved something (for example, if it shows up elsewhere).
  • Sharing someone’s private content (like close‑friends stories) outside that context can break trust, even if they never get a notification.
  • Instagram doesn’t provide a setting to fully block screenshots; it only limits who can see the content in the first place.

A simple rule of thumb: if it would feel wrong to show the screenshot to the person who posted it, think twice before taking or sharing it.

Fast FAQ

Can people see when you screenshot their Instagram story?
No, story creators do not get notified when you screenshot their story.

Can you see if someone screenshots your post or story?
No, there is no feature that shows who screenshotted your posts or stories.

Does Instagram notify for screenshots in DMs?
Yes, but only for disappearing photos/videos and Vanish Mode messages, not regular text or permanent media.

TL;DR:
Screenshotting posts, stories, and reels is invisible to the other person; screenshotting disappearing DM photos/videos or Vanish Mode chats can alert them.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.