How to Easily Delete Archived Stories on Instagram
Instagram's Stories feature has become incredibly popular, offering a wide range of effects and stickers to create compelling content. Instagram automatically saves every story you post, but what if you want to delete archived or expired stories? In this article, we'll show you how to easily delete your archived stories on Instagram.
Delete Archived Stories on Instagram
By default, Instagram keeps your stories visible for 24 hours, allowing you to save them to your phone storage or share them on other social media platforms. However, some users may want to delete specific stories or prevent Instagram from storing certain stories altogether. Here's how you can do it:
Use Instagram Mobile Apps
Instagram allows you to delete archived stories using its mobile apps, whether you're using an iPhone or Android device. Follow these steps:
- Open the Instagram app on your device.
- Tap on the account menu at the bottom right corner of the screen.
- Tap on the hamburger menu at the top.
- Go to the Archive menu.
- You will see all your past and current stories in the Stories archive menu.
- Tap on the story you want to delete to open it in full screen.
- Tap on the More menu at the bottom.
- Select Delete from the pop-up menu and confirm your decision.
If you have a large number of stories to delete, you can use Instagram's calendar and location tools to make the process easier. The Calendar menu allows you to view your uploaded stories by month, while the Location tab displays stories based on their location.
Explore Recently Deleted Menu
However, deleting archived stories from the app doesn't completely remove them. Instagram keeps deleted stories for 30 days and allows you to restore them if you change your mind. To ensure they are permanently deleted, follow these steps:
- Open the Instagram app on your device.
- Tap on the hamburger menu and go to Settings.
- Navigate to Account > Recently deleted menu.
- Tap on the story you permanently deleted.
- Select More and delete it completely from your Instagram account.
Unfortunately, the Recently Deleted menu does not offer the same calendar and maps integration as the Archive menu.
Can I Delete Archived Stories from Instagram Web?
No, you cannot delete archived stories using the desktop version of Instagram. The web version does not have an Archive menu. To prevent stories from being archived, it's best to delete them before they expire.
Wrapping Up: Delete Archived Stories from Instagram
Whether you want to remove painful memories or keep your stories menu clean, deleting archived stories from Instagram is simple and can be done directly from the mobile apps. However, it would be great if Instagram offered the same flexibility on the web. If you're looking to take a break from social media, you can also deactivate your Instagram account temporarily.
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