How to Unmute Someone's Story on Instagram (2026)
Part of the Instagram guide →
How to unmute someone's story on Instagram: the short answer
Go to the person's profile, tap their profile picture to open their story, tap Options (•••) in the top right, and tap Unmute story. Or tap Following on their profile, then Mute, and switch off the Stories toggle. That's it. Their stories go back to the bar at the top of your feed straight away, and Instagram doesn't tell people when you mute or unmute them, so nobody gets a notification and nothing about your follow changes.
Steps checked against Instagram's Help Center on October 20, 2026 (iPhone app; Android is the same apart from small label differences).
What muting a story does
Muting someone's story takes their story out of the bar at the top of your feed. Nothing more. You still follow them. You still see their posts in feed, and you still see their notes, because Instagram treats story muting, post muting and unfollowing as three separate things.
They aren't told. And you can still watch their stories any time by tapping their profile picture on their profile, which is handy, because that same screen is where the Unmute story option lives when you decide you want them back in your bar.
Method 1: Unmute someone's story from their story
Instagram's help center lists this one first. It's quick.
- Go to their profile: tap their username on one of their posts, or tap Search and search for them.
- Tap their profile picture in the top left to open their stories.
- Tap Options (•••) in the top right.
- Tap Unmute story.
Method 2: Unmute from their profile (stories and posts)
Not sure what you muted? Use this one. It shows the Posts and Stories toggles side by side, so you can see at a glance which of the two you switched off, months ago, in a moment of mild irritation, and fix both.
- Open their profile.
- Tap Following below their profile info.
- Tap Mute.
- Switch off the toggle next to Stories (and Posts, if that's on too).
Unmuting posts, stories and notes in one short video, from TechSimplify.
Method 3: Find everyone you've muted in Settings
Muted a lot of people and lost track? Many app versions keep a list under Settings and activity > Muted accounts, in the "What you see" section, with an Unmute button next to each name. Instagram's help center doesn't document this list, so if your app doesn't show it, use Method 1 or 2.
Method 4: From the story bar
Or try the story bar. Muted accounts can still show up at the far end. Look for a faded circle. Long-press the circle and tap Unmute. Instagram's help only documents the reverse (long-press to mute), so if the circle isn't there, go back to Method 1.
How to unmute someone's posts or messages
There are other mutes. For posts, use Method 2 and switch off the Posts toggle. For messages, open the chat, tap their name at the top, tap Mute, and switch off Mute messages or Mute calls. Notes have their own setting; muting someone's stories or posts doesn't hide their notes, and our guide on how to hide notes on Instagram covers that.
And if you're thinking about the reverse, hiding your own story from someone, that's a different setting: it lives in your story's privacy options, not in mute.
How to mute someone's story on Instagram
Need the opposite? At the top of your feed, tap and hold the person's profile picture, select Mute, then tap Mute stories. You can also mute from their profile (Following > Mute) or from one of their posts (Options > Hide > Mute).
Running an Instagram account yourself? quso.ai's social media scheduler lets you plan and auto-publish Instagram and Facebook posts from one calendar, and the Instagram post scheduler page explains how scheduling works on the Essential and Growth plans.
Unmute Instagram story FAQ
How do I unmute someone's story on Instagram?
Go to their profile, tap their profile picture to open their story, tap Options (•••) in the top right, and tap Unmute story. Or tap Following on their profile, tap Mute, and switch off the Stories toggle.
How do you see your muted stories on Instagram?
Muted stories still exist; they just leave the bar at the top of your feed. To watch one, go to the person's profile and tap their profile picture. Some app versions also list everyone you've muted under Settings and activity, Muted accounts.
How do I undo a mute on stories?
Unmuting is the undo. Use Options (•••), Unmute story from their story, or Following, Mute, and turn off the Stories toggle on their profile. The change is instant, and they aren't notified.
Why can't I mute someone on Instagram?
The Mute option sits under the Following button, so it only shows for accounts you follow. For someone you don't follow, use Restrict or Block instead. If you follow them and still don't see Mute, update the app.
Does someone know if you unmute or mute their story?
No. Instagram's help center says Instagram won't let them know you muted them, and unmuting doesn't send a notification either.
Does muting someone's story also mute their notes?
No. Muting someone's messages, posts or stories doesn't apply to their notes. Notes have a separate mute option.
Steps come from Instagram Help Center articles Mute or unmute someone's Instagram story and Mute or unmute someone on Instagram, checked October 20, 2026. Instagram's own help pages now redirect logged-out visitors to a login screen, so the links go to the same articles on Meta's public help center.
