How to use Archive on Instagram to hide posts

Instagram released its Archive feature in June, but you might not know what it’s for or how to use it.

Archive lets you hide photos and videos from your profile without completely deleting them. That way, you can bring them back later if you want to do so. Instagram phrases it as giving you the flexibility to represent how you evolve over time, but Archive is really just a way to hide embarrassing selfies or videos that didn’t get enough likes. Because we’ve all seen the classic “felt cute, might delete later” post.

Here’s everything you need to know about actually using Archive.

Archiving a photo is pretty simple. Just click on the post you want to archive. Go to the “…” menu in the upper righthand corner of the photo.

When you’re in the menu, one of the options will be “Archive.” Choose this to hide the selected post from your feed.

Clicking “Archive” will send your selected posts into the Archive folder that isn’t shown on your profile. You’re the only one that can see anything living in this folder.

But don’t worry, your archived photos and videos are super easy to find. Hit the little clock icon that sits in the upper righthand corner of your profile and all of your Archived photos will appear there.

If you feel like bringing those posts back to your profile at any point, there’s a way to do it. Click on the photo you want to repost in the Archive folder. Once again, hit the “…” menu above the photo. This time you’ll want to choose “Show on Profile.”

And just like that, your post is back to the chronological place in your profile! Archiving a photo won’t take away any of the likes of comments it originally garnered, so it’ll look as good as new if you choose to put it back on your feed.

There you have it. Archiving on Instagram sounds a little complicated, but it’s actually quite simple. So, if you’re feeling a little self-conscious about that selfie you posted earlier, take two seconds to hide it for a while if that’s the best move.