How to Use Instagram Archive to Hide Old Photos

Mark Zuckerberg really doesn’t want you to delete your precious data. Instead, Facebook-owned Instagram rolled out a new archival feature to hide any photo you no longer want on your profile—without deleting it. The company is gradually rolling out Instagram Archive. Here’s how to Archive photos on Instagram.

Instagram Archive to Hide Photos

Instagram Archive is in testing mode and will expand over the new few months. If you have access to the feature,  start by opening the Instagram app.

Screenshots of what Instagram Archive looks like.

1. Scroll to a photo you want to Archive and hide.


2. Tap the three dots on the top right and choose Archive.


3. Go to your profile and look in the top right corner for a clock icon. It should look familiar because Apple uses a similar icon for Time Machine and viewing the version history of documents.


4. Tap on the clock, and this will bring you to Instagram Archive. Photos you’ve hidden are now private, and no one else can see them. You can choose to restore them at any time. Hearts and comments are still available to view—by you when it’s Archives and by anyone if you un-Archive it.

This feature works for video posts as well. You can choose to archive and hide photos and videos that didn’t get enough likes (although desperately craving Likes/Hearts/Shares may reveal low self-esteem).

In any case, Instagram Archive is a handy feature for those who want it, while other people can continue to delete old posts if they so choose.

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