Seeing Who Views Your Instagram Story

As a new or regular user of Instagram’s social media platform, you may be wondering if you can see who views your Instagram Story as well as other common Story questions. In this article, we’ll discuss whether you can see who views your Instagram Story, whose views you can and cannot see, and how you can control Instagram Story viewing for increased security and anonymity.

Can I See Who Watched My Instagram Story?

“Can I see who watched my Instagram Story?” This is a common question for new and regular Instagram users. As a new Instagram user, you may be unfamiliar with a lot of the key features and aspects of the platform and want more information about the top things Instagram has to offer, what it is and isn’t capable of, and the levels of security and anonymity possible. Regular users may be equally curious due to increased use of the platform for content creation, exposure, and possibly revenue. On Instagram, you can see who watches your Instagram Stories. This is true whether or not they follow you and on both in the desktop version and mobile version.

can you see who views your Instagram story

How Do You See Who Looks at Your Instagram Story?

There are small differences in how you can see who looks at your Instagram Story depending on whether you are using the desktop or mobile version and whether or not you are viewing a current Story that is live 24 hours after posting. The mobile version is the full version with all the available features. The desktop version does not have all the same features and capabilities. In the desktop version, you cannot post an update or Story and you cannot share an update or Story to Facebook. You can, however, share Stories and messages with friends on both the desktop and mobile versions of Instagram.

How to See Story Views – Desktop Version

You can see who views your Instagram Story in the desktop version within 24 hours of its posting. After this period, the Story will no longer be available for viewers. To view, go to Instagram’s website and log in. At the top is the row of Stories from all the accounts you follow. On this page, there will be a “Your Story” icon with your profile picture. Click this image to see your current Story. There will be a “Seen By #” phrase in the bottom left corner. Click this and you can see who views your Instagram Story. You can see both the number of viewers and which accounts viewed the Story for every photo and video in the Story. Lack of any account icons simply means no one has seen your Story yet. Accounts at the top of your views are simply those you interact with most regularly.

How to See Story Views – Mobile Version

To see Story views on a mobile device within 24 hours of posting it, go to the Instagram application on your device and log in. At the top is the same row of Stories from all the accounts you follow. Click on “Your Story” and you can see who views your Instagram Story at the bottom. There will be a number indicating the number of times other accounts viewed the Story. Click the number to reveal the different accounts that viewed it.

Can You See Who Views Your Instagram Story After 24 Hours?

You can see a Story’s views after 24 hours, but it does require an Instagram business account or that you change your existing account to a business account. A business account can also provide higher exposure and revenue potential. To do so, click the three lines in the upper right-hand corner of Instagram’s homepage. Go to “Settings”, “Account”, and “Switch to Business Account.” You must also connect one Facebook page to your business account. Once you have a business account, you will have access to “Insights”, which has the desired information. You can see who views a Story of yours after 24 hours on both the desktop and mobile versions.

see who looks at your instagram

How to See Story Views After 24 Hours – Desktop

You can see who views your Instagram Story after 24 hours on a desktop by gaining “Insights” through Facebook’s Creator Studio. To have access to “Insights” on a desktop, sign in to your Facebook account, go to “Settings”, “Instagram”, then “Connect Account”. Log in to Instagram and go to Facebook’s Creator Studio. Select the Instagram icon at the top. Click “Connect Your Account”, log in to Instagram, and click “Insights” from the left-hand bar. You can also access “Insights” for individual posts by clicking on one and clicking “View Insights” to the right, once you have a business account.

How to See Story Views After 24 Hours – Mobile

After 24 hours, you can see who views your Instagram Story on a mobile device by clicking your profile picture located at the bottom right of Instagram’s homepage. Click “Insights” and choose the period you would like information from; 7 days, 14 days, 30 days, the previous month, or a custom timeframe. Scroll down to “Content You Shared” and click “Stories.” Choose your metric and period for more detailed analytics. You will only be able to see analytics for Stories posted since having a business account. You can also access “Insights” for individual posts by clicking on a post and clicking “View Insights,” just as with the desktop version.

Story Views Security and Anonymity

In regard to Instagram Story security and anonymity, it is worth noting that you cannot see who or how many people view another person’s Story. You can only see who and how many people view a Story of your own. However, this also serves to keep your Story more secure from others.

You also cannot see how many times a particular person views a Story of yours. However, if an individual views a Story more than once, each view counts in your Story view count. This means you can still see if someone in your view count views a Story more than once as the view count will be higher than the number of viewer accounts shown, you just won’t know who the repeat viewer is specifically. 

who watched my instagram

Adding Instagram Story Security

Content creation such as through Instagram Stories builds valuable exposure but you want to be able to control how exposed you are. There are a few ways you can add protection and security to your account. Setting your account to private is one option for higher security. It ensures that no one can see your Story unless you approve them. New, unapproved users will only see your name and profile image before requesting to follow you and you accept them. To set this, click your profile image in the bottom right corner of the homepage, click the three-line symbol in the top right, go to “Settings,” “Privacy.” Under “Account privacy,” you can slide the bar to make your account private instead of public.

You can also add security to your Story by hiding it from specific individuals. Click your profile image, the three-line symbol, “Settings,” “Privacy,” “Story,” and “Hide Story From.” You’ll see a list of your followers and you can slide the bar beside a given follower to restrict their access to your Story. To prevent people from sharing your Story, click your profile image, the three-line symbol, “Settings,” “Privacy,” “Story,” and scroll down to “Sharing.” There are bars you can swipe to restrict whether others can share your posts in their Stories or messages and whether Instagram can automatically share your Story as your Facebook story.

Adding Instagram Story Anonymity

Anyone on Instagram can see your posts unless you set certain restrictions. This also means you can see the posts of anyone on Instagram unless they set added restrictions. It is, however, possible to see another person’s Story without their knowledge by setting your device to airplane mode before you click their Story. If there are multiple Stories, however, the app may not preload them, potentially making some unviewable on airplane mode. You can also use one of a few third-party apps and websites that allow anonymous Story viewing without the need to log in. However, some are less secure and functional so use with discretion. You cannot see if someone views your Story anonymously.

instagram story viewers

Controlling Views and Viewing of Instagram Stories

Instagram Stories can make for highly engaging social media content, but you want to be able to control viewership and access to make the most of it. With these methods, you can see who views your Instagram Story on any device, even after the Story has been live for 24 hours and is no longer available for regular viewing. You can set your Instagram account to control who can view your Stories and remain anonymous to control who can see your views. SEO Design Chicago is here to answer these and more of your latest Instagram Story questions for added clarity and security to better ensure your social media viewing and goals.

FAQ:

  • How can I look at someone’s Instagram Story without them knowing?
  • Can you see who views your Instagram Story?
  • Can you see how many times someone viewed your Instagram Story?
  • How can I see who viewed my Instagram Story on desktop?
  • Can you see if someone viewed your Instagram Story anonymously?

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