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Instagram Highlights are like your personal “best of” playlist. They let you keep Stories on your profile long after they’ve expired. But sometimes, you outgrow old content. Maybe that summer trip highlight no longer fits your brand vibe, or that campaign ended ages ago. So, how do you delete a Highlight on Instagram without making a mess of your profile?
Let’s break it down step by step – short, simple, and drama-free.
What are Instagram Highlights?
Before we dive into deleting, a quick refresher:
Highlights are collections of your past Stories that live permanently on your Instagram profile, right below your bio. They’re perfect for:
- Showcasing evergreen content (think: product launches, BTS footage, events).
- Telling your brand story in a structured way.
- Q&A for your business.
- Saving your best moments so they don’t disappear after 24 hours.
But sometimes, you need a clean slate – and that’s where deleting comes in.
How to delete a Highlight on Instagram
Deleting a Highlight takes just a few taps. Here’s the simplest way to do it:
- Go to your Instagram profile. Tap and hold the Highlight you want to remove.
- Choose “Delete Highlight.”
A confirmation pop-up will appear. Tap “Delete” again to confirm.
And that’s it. The Highlight is gone from your profile instantly. No notifications are sent to anyone, and the stories inside that Highlight aren’t deleted from your Archive – just the Highlight itself, like a folder.
Use Instagram Highlights strategically
Now … Highlights aren’t just decoration. For brands and creators, they’re prime real estate. If you’re constantly reshuffling your Highlights, it might be time to give them a strategy makeover. Think of categories like:
- New here? → Intro Stories for new followers.
- Products / Services → Evergreen info that’s always relevant.
- Events → Past campaigns, webinars, or launches.
- Behind the scenes → Adds personality to your brand.
If a Highlight doesn’t serve a purpose anymore, deleting it actually keeps your profile cleaner and more intentional – which your audience will notice.
What happens after you delete a highlight?
Don’t panic – deleting a Highlight doesn’t erase the original Stories. As long as Story Archive is enabled in your Instagram settings, you can always go back and create a new Highlight with the same content later.
To check:
Settings → Privacy → Story → Save story to archive (make sure it’s toggled on).
Can someone tell if you delete a Highlight?
Nope. Instagram doesn’t notify anyone when you delete or edit Highlights. It’s completely private.
Does deleting a Highlight affect Story views?
No, the views remain tied to the original Story. Deleting a Highlight doesn’t impact analytics retroactively.
Can I restore a deleted Highlight?
No direct “undo” button exists. But if your stories were archived, you can recreate the Highlight manually anytime.
If you’re regularly organizing, posting, or cleaning up your Instagram, doing it manually can get… messy. That’s why smart social media managers use tools like Kontentino to plan, schedule, and manage content efficiently. Think of it as your personal assistant for staying productive and creative on social media.
