Instagram is rolling out Instants, a new way to share spontaneous, everyday photos with friends. Designed for casual, in-the-moment sharing, Instants vanish after your friends view them but remain archived for up to a year, ready to be reshared as a recap in Stories. Friends can react and reply, with replies sent directly to DMs.

The feature lives in the bottom-right corner of your Instagram inbox. Tap the mini stack of photos to snap a quick pic, add a caption, and share with Close Friends or followers you follow back. No edits, no pressure—just life as it happens. An undo button gives a brief window to retract an instant before friends see it.

How to get to Instagram Instants

Here are the steps provided by Instagram:

• Go to your Instagram inbox and tap the mini stack of photos in the bottom right corner.
• You can add a caption (unlike Stories, you add the caption first!) but cannot further edit Instants.
• Choose who to share your Instants with Close Friends or followers you follow back. Your friends can react, reply, and share Instants as well.
• Tap the white button below the camera to share as many times as you want. An undo button will automatically appear the moment you share an Instant in case you want to quickly take it back before it gets shared with friends.
• Instants you share will show up as a stack of photos in the bottom right corner of your friends’ inboxes and disappear after being viewed.

There is also an Instants companion app for quicker camera access, according to Instagram.

Turn off Instants on Instagram

You’ll need to visit Instagram’s in-app controls, which include block, mute, and restrict – all of which apply to Instants.

To turn off Instants completely, follow these steps from The Tab:

1. Open Instagram
2. Go to your profile
3. Click on the three lines in the top right-hand corner to open Settings
4. Press Notifications
5. Click on Instants
6. Select the Off box

Safety & Privacy Built-In
Instants comes with all Instagram protections, including block, mute, and restrict. Teens enjoy integrated safety features: shared time limits, Sleep Mode, parental supervision, no screenshots, and notifications for parents when the Instants app is first downloaded. Community Standards and reporting tools apply across the board.

Instants is available globally on Instagram, with the standalone app in select regions.