You usually can’t see Instagram Stories because of a few common glitches, settings, or account issues, not because something is “wrong” with you or your phone forever.

Why you can’t see stories on Instagram

1. Normal reasons (not a bug)

These are the quiet, everyday reasons you might not see someone’s Story at all:

  • You don’t follow them (and their account is private), so their Stories are invisible to you.
  • They hid their Stories from you using “Hide story” or are sharing only with “Close Friends,” so you’re excluded from that audience.
  • You muted their Stories earlier (maybe by accident), so their circle gets pushed out of your view.
  • They deleted the Story, deactivated their account, or blocked you, so the Story either disappears or shows as “unavailable.”

A common real-world example from forums: users report that on one account they see no Stories at all, but on an alternate account everything works fine, which often points to account-specific restrictions or someone limiting visibility.

2. Technical issues (Stories not loading or all missing)

Sometimes the Stories exist, but Instagram just fails to show or load them properly:

  • Weak or unstable internet: the Stories bar at the top doesn’t refresh, or tapping a Story shows an error or endless loading.
  • Outdated app version: older app builds can bug out and fail to show Stories or certain options like “Add post to your story.”
  • App glitches and cache errors: temporary bugs in the app can make Stories show as “Story unavailable” or stop new Stories from appearing.
  • Server issues at Instagram: when Instagram’s servers misbehave, your feed and Stories can go quiet or randomly error out until the outage is fixed.

Forum posts in late 2024–2025 show people suddenly losing access to all Stories on one account while other accounts work, which often turns out to be a bug or a temporary server/account-side issue.

3. Quick fixes you can try

If you’re thinking “why can’t I see stories on Instagram” right now, work through these in order.

  1. Check whose Story you’re trying to see
    • Make sure you actually follow them if they’re private.
 * Open their profile and check if they have a colored ring around their profile photo; if not, they may simply not have an active Story.
  1. Look for mute or hidden settings
    • On their profile, tap “Following” → “Mute” and see if “Stories” is toggled on; if so, unmute it.
 * In your own settings, go to “Hide Story and Live” to see if you’ve limited who sees your Stories (if your problem is others not seeing you).
  1. Fix basic connection and app issues
    • Turn airplane mode on and off, restart your phone, and try switching between Wi‑Fi and mobile data.
 * Make sure Instagram has permission to use mobile data and that any “Data Saver” mode in the app or system is disabled.

 * Update the Instagram app to the latest version from the Play Store or App Store.
  1. Refresh the app itself
    • Force-close Instagram from your recent apps or via system settings, then reopen it.
 * Log out of your account, wait a minute, then log back in.

 * If things are really broken, clear the app cache (on Android) or reinstall the app so it pulls a fresh setup.
  1. Consider account-specific problems
    • If Stories work on another account or device but not on your main account, it may be an account-level glitch or restriction.
 * In rare cases, mass-reporting or unusual activity can cause visibility issues, so using the in-app “Report a problem” option can help flag it.

4. If others can’t see your stories

Sometimes the question really is “why can’t people see my stories on Instagram?”

  • Check that you’re posting to “Your story,” not just “Close friends.”
  • Make sure you haven’t accidentally hidden your Story from many people in “Hide story and live.”
  • Avoid posting at times when almost all your followers are offline; your Story can get buried behind newer ones.
  • If engagement suddenly drops to zero while your posts look normal, it could be an algorithm or visibility issue, but it’s usually temporary and corrects itself as you keep using the app normally.

5. Latest chatter and forum discussion

Recent guides (as of early 2026) treat “Instagram Stories not showing” as a pretty common, mostly fixable problem tied to app glitches, outdated versions, and privacy settings rather than permanent bans. Public forums and Reddit threads show a steady stream of users frustrated that Stories show as “unavailable” or vanish on one account but not another, reinforcing that you’re far from alone.

“Can not view ANY stories on my main account… alternate account works perfectly” – a typical complaint that usually resolves after updates, cache resets, or waiting out a backend issue.

Mini FAQ

Is it possible someone hid their stories from me specifically?
Yes. They can exclude you via “Hide story” or only post to “Close Friends,” and there’s no official way to see a list of people who’ve hidden stories from you.

Why does it say “This story is unavailable”?
The Story might be deleted, expired, restricted to a smaller audience, or you might be blocked, but it can also be a temporary Instagram bug.

What if none of these steps work?
Document the issue (screenshots, devices tried), then use in-app support to report the problem and wait; many users report these issues resolving after Instagram rolls out fixes or updates.

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