To repost on Instagram, tap Repost on a public reel or post, add an optional note and tap Save. The repost credits the creator, can appear in your followers' feeds and sits in a Reposts tab on your profile. You can also share a post or story to your own story, or remix it into a new reel. Creators can turn each of these off, you cannot repost a repost, and downloading and re-uploading someone's content is a copyright question that credit alone does not answer.
To repost on Instagram, open a public reel or post, tap the Repost icon, add a note in the bubble if you want one and tap Save. The repost is credited to the original creator, may appear in your followers' feeds and is kept in a Reposts tab on your profile.
Every rule on this page was read on 13 October 2026 in the Instagram Help Center, starting with Repost a reel or a post on Instagram, and in Instagram's announcement of reposts dated 7 August 2025. Words in double quotes are Instagram's own. The earlier version of this page gave a wrong launch year, a "three strikes" rule and growth claims for repost accounts that had no source, and they have been removed.
Quick answer
- Tap Repost on any public reel or post. Add a note in the bubble and tap Save.
- Reposts go to a Reposts tab on your profile and may show in followers' feeds.
- You cannot repost a repost, a private account's content, or content with reposts turned off.
- To put a post in your story, tap Share, then Add to story.
- To add your own take, use Remix. It makes a new reel that links to the original.
- Downloading and re-uploading is not reposting. It needs the owner's permission.
Five ways to reshare on Instagram, compared
People use "repost" for five different actions. Four are Instagram features that keep the creator's name attached. The fifth is a copy.
| Method | What it does | Where it shows | What it needs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Repost | Shares a public reel or post under your name with credit to the creator | Followers' feeds and the Reposts tab on your profile | Public content, and reposts allowed by the creator |
| Share a post to your story | Adds the post to your story and shows who originally posted it | Your story, for 24 hours | A public account that allows resharing of posts |
| Share a story to your story | Adds someone else's story to yours | Your story, for 24 hours | A public account that allows story resharing |
| Remix | Records a new reel that includes the original video or photo | Your reels, labeled Remix with the creator's username | A public account with remixing on, and not already a remix |
| Download and re-upload | Posts a copy as if it were yours | Your grid, with no link to the creator | Permission from the copyright owner. Instagram treats copies as unoriginal content. |
Sources: Help Center pages on reposts, sharing a post to your story, sharing a story to your story, remix and original content, read 13 October 2026.
How to repost a reel or a post
Instagram announced reposts in a post dated 7 August 2025. It says "you can repost public reels and feed posts" and that "reposts are credited to the original poster". The steps come from the Help Center.
- 1Open the reel or post
It has to be public. Open the Instagram app and find the content you want to share.
- 2Tap Repost
The Repost icon sits with the other actions on the reel or post.
- 3Add a note if you want one
Tap the bubble by your profile picture at the bottom left, type your text and tap Save.
- 4Find it on your profile
The repost is now in the Reposts section of your profile, and followers may see it when they come across that content.
- 5Undo it any time
Tap Repost again on the same reel or post to remove your repost.
Three details in the Help Center are easy to miss. "Only content posted by the original creator can be reposted. You cannot repost a repost." Comments that other people leave on your repost "will appear as direct messages to you". And the page opens with a caveat: "This feature may not be available to everyone."
Where do reposts go, and how do you delete them?
Instagram describes a separate place for reposts, apart from your main grid. It says reposts "will be recommended to your friends' and followers' feeds, and they'll also be in a separate tab on your profile". To see them, open your profile and tap the dedicated tab.
To clear several at once, tap the menu at the top right of your profile, then Your activity, then Reposts. Select each reel or post and tap Delete. Deleting a repost removes your share only. The original stays where it was.
For the creator, a repost is extra distribution. The announcement says that when your content is reposted, "it may be recommended to that person's followers, even if those people don't follow you". That is the documented benefit, and Instagram attaches no number to it. Whether a share from you counts as a strong signal is covered in our guide to the Instagram algorithm.
How to repost a post to your Instagram story
- Tap Share below the photo or video in Feed.
- Tap Add to story.
- Tap Next in the bottom right.
- Tap Share.
Instagram's rule is that you "can only share someone's post from Feed to your story if their account is public and they've allowed resharing of their posts". It adds that sharing posts to Stories "isn't available to everyone". When you do share, "anyone who views it can see who originally posted it and can view the original account". The story lasts 24 hours unless you add it to a highlight.
Sharing someone else's story to your own story works the same way: tap Share at the bottom right of their story, then Add to story, Next and Share. The account has to be public. Public accounts allow this by default, and Instagram says Teen Accounts have story to story sharing turned off by default. Ideas for what to add around a shared post are in our Instagram story ideas.
When to remix in place of reposting
A repost passes content along unchanged. A remix makes something new: Instagram describes it as creating "a reel that includes someone else's video or photo". Tap the icon at the bottom of the reel, or at the top of a post, tap Remix and record your part. The result shows your username and "Remix with" the original creator's username, which anyone can tap to watch the original.
Remix has its own limits. You "can't remix a video that's already a remix or videos that the creator doesn't allow remixes on", and a remixed feed video becomes a reel. Use it when you have a reaction, a correction or a demonstration to add, because that is the kind of contribution Instagram's originality rules reward.
Why can't I repost on Instagram?
If the content is public, reposts are allowed and the button is still missing, the remaining cause Instagram documents is availability: the feature "may not be available to everyone". Update the app and check again later. For a story share, the equivalent causes are a private account or a creator who turned off resharing to stories.
How to stop people reposting your content
Every reshare feature has a switch, and almost all of them are in one place: your profile, the menu at the top right, then Sharing and reuse under How others can interact with you.
| What to control | Where the setting is | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Reposts | Sharing and reuse, then the toggle next to Reposts on posts and reels | Stops others reposting your reels and posts |
| Shares to stories | Sharing and reuse, then the toggle next to Posts and reels to stories | Stops future shares of your posts to other people's stories |
| Story reshares | Sharing and reuse, then Stories to stories | Choose Everyone, Followers you follow back, or Off |
| Remixes | Sharing and reuse, then the Posts or Reels toggles, or per post | Stops new remixes. Existing ones stay unless you delete the original. |
| Reel downloads | More options when you share a reel, or in account privacy settings | Stops others downloading your reels |
Sources: Help Center pages on reposts, stopping shares of your posts, story sharing, who can remix, reuse of media and reel downloads. A private account blocks all of it. Instagram says that if your account is private, "no one can reuse any part of your reels, feed videos, and photos".
If someone reposts your content in a way you object to, long-press the profile picture on the repost at the bottom left of the reel or post, tap Report and follow the steps. If someone re-uploads your work as their own, that is a copyright report, covered below.
Reposting or re-uploading: what Instagram treats differently
This is the part that decides whether an account built on other people's content can grow. Instagram's original content page says content is unoriginal "when it is re-shared without a material edit, or if the account that posted it had no role in creating it". On 30 April 2026 it extended the rule from reels to photos and carousels: accounts "that primarily post unoriginal content" are no longer shown where Instagram recommends content.
- Counts as unoriginal content unless you make a material edit
- Borders, watermarks, subtitles and a credit line do not count as edits
- Instagram may add an Original by label that links to the creator
- An account that mostly does this loses recommendations
- Needs permission from the copyright owner
- The method Instagram recommends for curating
- The creator gets the credit and the reach
- The creator controls it with their own settings
- Your account stays within the originality rules
- The original post stays the source
Instagram is direct about the alternative: "If you want to curate reels and posts from other accounts to your audience without making material edits, we recommend reposting to your followers or sharing the content to your stories." An account that lost recommendations can regain them "when most of their recently posted photos, carousels, and reels are considered original in a 30-day period". If your reach fell after a run of re-uploads, check Account Status and then run the free Instagram Reach Drop Diagnoser.
The same logic answers a common question about your own posts. Deleting a post and uploading it again is a duplicate. The ranking explainer lists reels "that have already been posted on Instagram" among those Instagram aims to make less visible, and the trial reels page warns that a reel "may get limited reach if Instagram detects that you've previously shared the same content". If a post underperformed, our guide on why reels are not getting views is a better next step than posting it twice.
Copyright: credit is not permission
Instagram keeps its originality rules and its copyright rules separate, and the copyright rules are stricter. Its page on avoiding copyright violations says it is possible to infringe someone's copyright even if you:
- "Gave credit to the copyright owner"
- "Included a disclaimer that you didn't intend to infringe copyright"
- "Didn't intend to profit from it"
- "Modified the work or added your own original material to it"
- "Saw that others posted the same content as well"
Repeated reports have consequences. Under Instagram's repeat infringer policy, "your account may be disabled", your ability to post may be limited and you may lose features. Instagram does not publish a number of strikes. Fair use exists, and Instagram's page on fair use lists the factors a court weighs, but it also notes that it is often difficult to know whether a use qualifies. None of this is legal advice.
Brands that reshare customer posts are in the same position as everyone else: use Repost or a story share, or ask first. If the customer was paid or given a product, Instagram's branded content rules apply and the post needs the paid partnership label. Our guide to brand deals on Instagram covers that side, and a collab post is the cleaner route when both accounts made the content.
Reposting is a way to share what you like, and it does not replace making your own posts. Instagram Ignited, our Instagram program, teaches the original formats. Related reading: 50 Instagram content ideas, the glossary entry on content strategy and the Instagram growth library.
Reposting on Instagram: FAQ
How do you repost on Instagram?
Open a public reel or post in the Instagram app and tap Repost. To add a note, tap the bubble by your profile picture at the bottom left, type it and tap Save. The repost is credited to the original creator and saved in the Reposts section of your profile. Tap Repost again on the same content to remove it.
Where do reposts show up on Instagram?
In two places. Instagram says reposts "will be recommended to your friends' and followers' feeds", and they are kept in a dedicated repost tab on your profile. You can also manage or bulk delete them from your profile menu under Your activity and then Reposts. Instagram describes this tab as separate from your main grid.
Why can't I repost on Instagram?
Instagram documents four reasons. The content is from a private account, the creator has turned reposts off under Sharing and reuse, the item is already a repost (you cannot repost a repost), or the feature has not reached your account, since Instagram says it "may not be available to everyone". Updating the app is the only step you control.
How do I repost a post to my Instagram story?
Tap Share below the photo or video in Feed, tap Add to story, tap Next and then Share. It works only if the account is public and allows resharing of its posts. Anyone who views your story can see who originally posted it and tap through to the original account.
Does the creator know when I repost their post?
Instagram's Help Center does not say a notification is sent for a repost. It does say two related things: a creator cannot see who reshared their reel to a story or where it was shared, and a creator is notified when a public account remixes their content. A repost shows the creator's name, so treat it as visible.
Is it legal to repost someone else's Instagram content?
Using Instagram's Repost, share to story and remix tools keeps the content under the creator's own settings, and they can switch those off. Downloading and re-uploading is different. Instagram says you can infringe copyright even if you gave credit, and recommends written permission. This is general information, not legal advice.
Does deleting and reposting on Instagram affect engagement?
Instagram publishes no figure, but it does say duplicates are treated differently. Its ranking explainer lists reels "that have already been posted on Instagram" among those it aims to make less visible, and its trial reels page warns of limited reach when it detects content you previously shared. A deleted post also loses its likes and comments.