Yes — if you hide your story from someone , then add that story to Highlights, they typically still won’t be able to see it while that hide setting is in place. If you add the person back later, they may regain access to that Highlight, because Instagram treats Highlights as tied to story visibility settings.

What usually happens

  • Hidden from story: they cannot view the story, and in many cases the related Highlight is also hidden from them.
  • Added back later: they may be able to see the Highlight again once the restriction is removed.
  • Some users report glitches where a Highlight icon appears but opens as “story unavailable”.

Practical takeaway

If your goal is to keep that person from seeing the content, don’t rely on Highlights alone. The safer move is to keep them hidden from your story or remove that Highlight from anything you want fully private.

TL;DR: hidden now means likely hidden in Highlights too; if you add them back later, they may be able to see it again.