Over the last few years, Instagram has emerged as one of the most effective platforms for growing your personal and professional influence. Today, the platform boasts 2 billion monthly active users, and this number is only expected to grow with time. Within the platform, though posts and reels are popular tools, Instagram stories have raced ahead as a great vehicle to share experiences, showcase activities, and spotlight issues you care about. This is where it gets important to repost a story on Instagram!
Tagging your followers is one of the best ways to leverage Instagram Stories and create virality. You can inspire FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) all around you, especially in your friends! When your friends see the tag, they will be nudged to repost your stories instantly. As your friends repost your stories, this action translates to greater reach and engagement for your story.
If you’ve ever wondered why your friends can’t repost your Instagram story or how to repost a story on Instagram, you’ve come to the perfect place. Here, we’ve covered nine issues and outlined why your friends are unable to share, as well as the potential solutions.
How to Repost A Story On Instagram?
If you or your friends are tagged in an Instagram story, you can easily repost it on your story. There are 4 methods to do this. All are very simple to follow, with minimal steps:

1. How to Repost an Instagram Story from Notifications?
If someone tags you in their story, you’ll get a notification. Here’s how you can repost it:
- Step 1: Open the Instagram app on your smartphone.
- Step 2: Tap on the “Heart” icon at the top right corner of the screen. This will open the “Notifications” menu.

- Step 3: Here, you can see if you’ve been mentioned (tagged) in a story. Tap on it.

- Step 4: Once the story opens, tap on the “Add to Your Story” option at the bottom of the screen to share it on your story. You can also make edits and choose the option to share the story only with your close friends.

2. How to Repost Story on Instagram from DM’s?
If you missed the notification, don’t worry! Instagram also sends a direct message (DM) when someone tags you in their story. Follow these steps to repost from your messages:
- Step 1: Open the Instagram app on your smartphone.
- Step 2: Tap on the “Messenger” icon at the top right corner of the screen. This will open your DMs.

- Step 3: Open your chats with the person who has tagged you in their story.

- Step 4: Click on the “Add to Your Story” option at the bottom of the screen to share it on your story.

In case you are looking for story backgrounds, check out our aesthetic story inspirations.
3. How to Repost a Post on Instagram Story?
If you want to share a regular post (image or video) from someone’s feed to your story, follow these steps:
- Step 1: Find the post you want to share on Instagram story.
- Step 2: Tap on the paper plane icon below the post.

- Step 3: Select “Add to Story.”

- Step 4: Adjust the post’s placement and add stickers, text, or GIFs.
- Step 5: Tap “Share” to publish the story.

Note: You can only repost from public accounts or private accounts that follow you and allow sharing.
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4. How to Repost Someone’s Instagram Story You Are Not Tagged In?
At times, users forget to tag people in their stories. This makes it challenging to repost a story directly. However, there are workarounds. Yes, even if you’re not tagged in a story, you can still share it with your friends and followers.
Here are a few tricks you and your friends can use to amplify stories even if you are not tagged in them:
- Take a screenshot: If you’re not tagged in a story yet and want to repost it, one of the easiest workarounds is taking a screenshot. Once done, save it to your gallery and upload it from there as a fresh story. If it’s a video story, take a screen recording instead of a static screenshot.
- Share in DMs: To share a story with your friends that you’re not tagged in, simply DM it to them. You can do so by opening the story and tapping on the “Share” icon at the bottom right corner of the screen. You can also DM your story to multiple friends at once to expedite reposts.
- Copy Story Link: Open the Instagram story to share it with your friends outside of the app. Once you’ve done this, tap on the “Share” icon at the bottom right corner of the screen and choose the “Copy Link” option. Now, you can paste the link and share it with your friends on messaging apps.
By using these methods, you can easily repost Instagram stories and posts while keeping your followers engaged. Up next, let’s explore how you can use story reposts to boost engagement and grow your audience!

How to Use Story Reposts to Get More People to Engage?
Reposting Instagram stories isn’t just a way to share content; it’s also a great way to get more people to interact with your posts, reach more people, and build stronger relationships with your audience. Smart story reposting can help you connect with fans and get more interactions, no matter if you’re a brand, a creator, or just a regular user. Here’s how to get the most out of it:
- Give Shoutouts: Repost stories that mention you to show your followers, customers, or coworkers how much you value them. People will trust you more, which will lead to more tags.
- Take part in user-generated content (UGC): If someone shares your product, service, or content, reposting it shows that you believe in what they said and gives you more confidence. You could also copy what the UGC stars do.
- Question and Poll Stickers: To get people to participate with your reshared stories, use question and answer stickers, polls, or quizzes. Tag the person who wrote the story if you share it, and give them credit. They are more likely to share your post again, which will bring it more hits.
- Add “Calls to Action” (CTAs): There are many ways to get people to connect. Some examples are “Swipe Up,” “DM me,” and “Tap to Learn More.” When people are most busy is the best time to share your stories to get the most attention and interaction.
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Why Can’t I Repost a Story on Instagram?
Now, let’s see what the reasons are and possible solutions to why your friends are unable to repost your Instagram story:
1. Private Instagram Profile: A Possible Reason for Reposting Issues
One common reason is that Instagram profiles are often set to private, which is why your friends can’t share your story with their stories or feed posts on Instagram. Users of Instagram have the option of making their profiles public or private. To understand what is Public and Private accounts, refer to the following:
- Private Account: The only people you approve can see the content you post, including any images or videos you post to the hashtag or location page, as well as a list of your followers and followers.
- Public Account: Anyone, whether they have an Instagram account or not, can view your profile and posts.
To change the private account to Public, go through with the following procedure:
- Tap on or on your profile image in the lower right to access your profile.
- Select Settings by tapping the 3 lines icon in the top right.
- Click on Privacy
- If your account is currently private, you can make it public by disabling the toggle.

If your Instagram profile is private and you haven’t tagged anyone, they can’t publish your feed posts and stories in their own story unless they follow you and view your content.
2. Disabled Sharing: Why Friends Might Not Repost Your Instagram Story
The second reason you might not be able to share a post to your Story is that you have disabled sharing. Instagram account owners can stop their followers from sharing their content, so the Add Post to Story button won’t be visible if this is the situation.
To address this, the steps listed below can be used to stop instagram posts from being shared, and you can follow the same to permit sharing.
- Open the Instagram app, then click on your profile icon
- You have to click on the three lines there in the top right corner and then select Setting.
- Then you need to select Privacy, then Story under Interactions.
- Turn off the Allow sharing to Story setting.

3. Instagram Glitches: Potential Barriers to Reposting Your Story on Instagram App
The third reason could be that your account might not display the Add Posts to Story button if your Instagram app is not up to date. It’s also possible that the platform itself is experiencing some issues. Instagram releases different features for various regions. Therefore, it’s possible that the Add Post to Story feature isn’t available on your account. You can fix it by, app updates.
- Updating the app to its latest version from an outdated app version: Visit the Apple App Store or Google Play Store to check for updates and update your app to the latest version.
- Uninstalling and then reinstalling the app: Uninstalling and reinstalling Instagram may resolve your issue when attempting to share Instagram posts on the platform.
Be sure to also encourage your friends to update their Instagram apps so they can repost stories properly.
4. Missing Tags: Affecting Your Friends’ Ability to Repost Your Instagram Story
The fourth reason that your friends are unable to share your story is maybe that you haven’t tagged them in it. If you haven’t tagged your friend in the story, they won’t be able to share it directly with their story.

Regardless of whether you’ve tagged them or not, if your account is public, anyone may easily publish your Instagram feed updates to their story. With Instagram stories, however, this is not the case; you must tag your friend in order for them to be able to share it on their story.
To add your friend to the story,
- Choose a picture or a video to add to your story.
- Tap @, then instantly type your friend’s username.
- Choose the person you want to mention next.
- Click on Done.
5. Low Internet Connectivity: How It Can Impact Instagram Story Reposts
- This is indeed one of the common reasons for the Instagram app’s features working weirdly. Maybe you or your friend are in a location where the cellular connectivity is low; maybe the Wi-Fi has limited internet connectivity.
- If you are using a cellular data connection, you can try switching on airplane mode and switching it off in a minute. Click on the paper airplane icon. This will restore your internet connectivity. On the other hand, if you are connected to a Wi-Fi network, it’s a good idea to check your router’s connection. You can attempt to reboot the router to restore the internet connection.
6. Instagram Server Downtime: How It Affects Your Friends’ Story Reposts
- The next reason could be if the Instagram servers are having a problem or are experiencing downtime; users may have various issues, such as being unable to post, share Instagram stories or posts, and so on.
- So, it’s always a good idea to know whether the problem is on your end or the app itself.
- That being stated, we highly recommend visiting Instagram’s down detector website to check the status of its servers.
- Take a look at user reports and comments; if there is a significant volume of complaints, it indicates that Instagram’s servers are indeed experiencing difficulties.
In this instance, you and your friend should postpone sharing stories and postings until the servers return to normal.
7. Device Compatibility: Ensuring Smooth Instagram Story Reposting
Compatibility issues may arise on certain devices, hindering access to specific features on Instagram, such as reposting stories.
- If your friends are using older devices, they may not be able to utilize the reposting feature. This can be frustrating when you want your friends to share your story with their followers.
- To solve this issue, simply encourage your friends to update their Instagram app to the latest version. By doing so, they will have access to all the newest features and compatibility enhancements, allowing them to fully enjoy Instagram’s functionality, including the ability to repost stories.
- You can also recommend alternative methods for reposting, such as using third party apps or manually sharing the story to their own account. By informing your friends about the significance of updating their app, they can fully experience Instagram and easily repost your stories.
8. Copyrighted Content: Reposting Challenges and Copyright Issues
- One reason why your friends might not be able to repost your Instagram story is because it contains copyrighted content. In order to adhere to copyright laws, Instagram has implemented strict regulations. If your story includes copyrighted material like music or images, Instagram may block others from sharing it in order to avoid potential legal issues.
- To avoid any issues, it is important to only use content in your stories that you have the appropriate rights to share. Consider utilizing royalty-free music or images, or obtain permission from the copyright owner if you wish to include copyrighted material. By taking these precautions, you can prevent any restrictions on reposting and enable your friends to share your stories easily.
- Respecting intellectual property rights is crucial when utilizing social media platforms. By being mindful of copyrighted material, you can prevent any possible infringement issues. This ensures that your friends are able to repost your Instagram stories without restrictions freely.
9. Restricted Accounts: How They Affect Story Reposting
- Your friends may also be unable to repost your Instagram story if their accounts have been flagged or reported for violating Instagram’s community guidelines. In these situations, their ability to repost stories can be restricted either temporarily or permanently. This means they won’t be able to repost any stories, including yours.
- To tackle this issue, it’s important to recommend that your friends review and abide by Instagram’s community guidelines.
- Furthermore, they should ensure their accounts align with the platform’s rules and regulations to avoid restrictions. If their accounts have already been restricted, encourage them to appeal or address any violations and follow the necessary steps to regain normal access.
- To help your friends maintain active and unrestricted access to repost your Instagram stories, it’s important to be mindful of the community guidelines and encourage them to do the same. This way, their accounts can stay in good standing without any limitations or restrictions.
Conclusion
In this blog, we have addressed the possible causes of not having the Re-share option on Instagram, as well as how to resolve the issues listed above by contacting the Instagram team or simply adjusting the settings. You’ve also seen what difficulties you might face. Most likely, it is one of the issues discussed; if your issue seems to persist, you should wait and try again after some time.
Instagram stories are a powerful tool for growing your digital footprint, account engagement, and follower count. However, it can be challenging to continually come up with new ideas and keep your Story feed fresh. This is where AI-powered tech can make an impact.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
To repost a story, you must be tagged in it. If you are tagged, go to your notifications or DMs, tap on the story, and select “Add to Your Story.” Customize it with stickers or text before sharing.
If you are not tagged, you can take a screenshot for images or use screen recording for videos. Then, upload it as a new story and mention the original creator. You can also ask the user to tag you so you can repost it directly.
You might not be able to repost a story for several reasons: the account could be private, the user may have turned off story sharing, you might not be tagged, Instagram could be experiencing a glitch, or your app might just need an update.
To share a post to your Instagram story, just open the post, tap the paper airplane icon, choose “Add post to your story,” customize it as you like, and then tap “Your Story” to share it.
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