How to hide photos on Instagram without deleting them

There are times when I look at a photo and think, “Huh, that one’s actually not bad…I’m gonna post it.”

Then I’ll see that photo a few weeks or months down the line and say to myself, “This is terrible. WHY did I post this?”

So I move to delete it, but right before I hit that button, I think, “…what if I miraculously end up liking this again later on? What if, some day, I stop caring that this photo is terrible and wish I had posted it anyway because it has sentimental value.

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It could be a photo of a half-eaten chicken sandwich. Maybe I wanna commemorate the time I ate that chicken sandwich. Maybe it was a really really good chicken sandwich! Or maybe it was an aggressively mediocre chicken sandwich but even eating aggressively mediocre chicken sandwiches are highlight-worthy moments in my life.

For anybody with similar anxieties about such things, you’ll be thrilled to know Instagram gives you an option to remove photos from your timeline without permanently deleting them. Here’s how it’s done.

1. Find the photo you want to remove on your Instagram profile.

2. Tap the three dots in the upper right corner of the photo.

A masterful artistic creation. And also the icon you tap to view your photo options.
Credit: Instagram

Yes, I tried to carve a Star Wars Porg pumpkin for Halloween. Please be kind.

3. In the menu that pops up, select “Archive.”

Find your “Archive” in your profile menu
Credit: instagram

4. Boom. Your photo has vanished from your profile and can no longer be seen by others. It’s not permanently gone — just hidden.

But wait…what if you want to get it back?

1. Go to your profile menu and select “Archive.”

This will pull up all your archived posts and stories.

Find your “Archive” in your profile menu
Credit: instagram

2. At the top of the screen, select “Post Archive” to see photos that you have archived on your grid.

Credit: Instagram

3. To make an archived post visible again, simply select the post and tap the three dots in the upper right corner again.

3. When you’re prompted to either “Delete” or “Show on Profile,” select “Show on Profile.”

Credit: Instagram

Your post will now reappear on your profile just as it did before.