If you’re not sure if Instagram lets you know when someone has taken a screenshot of your story or post, you’re not alone in your confusion. This particular Instagram feature has been under debate ever since Instagram first launched stories back in 2016, but we can definitively put your mind at ease and let you know what the facts are about this Instagram feature. Here’s what you need to know about the Instagram notification question—and the answer might surprise you!
Why people screenshot Instagram stories
We’ve all been there: someone posts something to their Instagram story and you’re just dying to know what they’re talking about, but alas, you can’t seem to get it. And the worst part is that now you have zero context for the ensuing conversation in your own story chat. What’s worse than being left out of the loop? Well, here’s the good news: if you can’t find any other way to get the answer to your question, taking a screenshot is often your best bet. And with so many screenshot notifications on social media these days, it should be fairly easy for them to figure out who was spying.
What notifications do and don’t show on mobile devices
An Instagram notification doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve been screenshotted, but it could. The purpose of the notification is to let you know that somebody has done something on your account. If someone comments on one of your posts, it will usually show up as an alert. And if they like one of your photos, you’ll receive a notification with the name and profile picture of the person who liked your photo. Screenshots are not typically accompanied by notifications-although there are certain circumstances in which they may be. For example, if you reply to a comment from somebody’s story (either on mobile or through desktop), it can show up in your account’s feed and their followers might notice and screenshot your response with the original story post that prompted it all.
What notifications do and don’t show on desktop devices
Notifications for text messages, photos, and comments show the usual Facebook-blue double chevron that appears at the top of your screen. If you scroll down on the screen, you’ll see your friend list appear. And then at the very bottom of your screen will be notifications from Facebook (texts and comments) and Instagram (stories). Tapping on one of these icons will take you to their respective page so you can reply/view as needed.
Different types of notifications do not all show up in desktop mode. Stories on both Snapchat and Instagram do not notify when you screenshot them or tap through to view their feed–so be careful if there are spoilers that can’t be avoided this way!
How to find out who screenshots your Stories without visiting their profile
You might be wondering how to find out who screenshots your Stories without visiting their profile. Well, it’s actually pretty easy! Just upload a new story and type the name of your acquaintance in the caption. Once you post your new story, if they’re following you on Instagram, you’ll see the little camera icon next to their name in the notification section of your direct messages! Or even if they were to screenshot it themselves from elsewhere on their account.
If this was an unintentional screenshot by them or if they made a habit of doing this for other people, you can always confront them about it and request that they stop with this behavior.
How to find out who screenshots your Stories on desktop devices
Click your username at the top of the screen to view your profile. From there, scroll down and click Stories Viewed (or Followers Viewed if you want to find out who’s looking at your Profile) in the right-hand column. As long as you are logged into Facebook on your desktop browser, these viewers will be shown by their full name, not just their first name as is usually shown on mobile devices. This will include people who have scrolled through your story and clicked that they want to keep watching without clicking anything else; they are being counted as having watched the story even though it may be a fleeting glance.
How to find out who screenshotted a private message
When you screenshot someone’s story post, there is an option to notify them when the post has been shared. This means if you took a screenshot of someone’s story and shared it without their permission, they will know it happened. However, if you screenshot someone’s post that was sent as a private message to another user, they will not know unless they log in and see the notification alerts. The only way for someone to find out you took a screenshot of their private message is if they log into their account and scroll through the people who were tagged in your screenshot.