How to Archive a Collab Post on Instagram

Ever need to tidy up your Instagram grid but don't want to delete a valuable collaboration post you’ve worked hard on? Archiving is the perfect solution, letting you hide a post without losing its likes, comments, or data. This guide walks you through exactly how to archive a collab post, what it means for your collaborator, and the best practices for managing your shared content like a pro.

First Things First: Why Archive an Instagram Collab Post?

Before jumping into the "how," let's quickly cover the "why." You work hard on your content, and collaborations are serious business. Simply deleting a post means waving goodbye to its performance data and the comment history for good. Archiving, however, is a non-destructive way to curate your profile.

Most creators and brands archive collab posts for a few common reasons:

• Curating Your Feed's Vibe: Your Instagram grid is your digital storefront. Over time, your brand aesthetic might evolve. You may want to hide older posts that no longer match your current look and feel without permanently deleting them.
• Concluding a Limited-Time Campaign: Did you run a joint giveaway, a contest, or a seasonal promotion? Once the campaign is over, leaving the post up can confuse your audience. Archiving it cleans up the experience for new visitors while preserving the post for your records.
• Tidying Up Your Grid: Sometimes a post performs its duty - getting the word out about a launch or event - and you're ready to move on. Archiving lets you declutter your primary feed, making space for new, evergreen content to shine.
• Hiding Underperforming Content: Let's be honest, not every post is a home run. If a collab post didn't resonate as you'd hoped, you might want to remove it from your grid. Archiving allows you to do this quietly while still keeping access to the post's analytics for future learnings.

The Big Question: Who Can Actually Archive a Collab Post?

This is the most important distinction when it comes to collaborative content on Instagram, and it’s where a lot of confusion comes from.

Here’s the straightforward answer: Only the original creator - the person who uploaded photos/videos, wrote the caption, and initiated the collaboration request - can archive the post.

The invited collaborator does not have permission to archive or delete the post. Their control is limited to accepting the collaboration request or removing themselves from the post entirely (which also removes it from their grid). The original author holds the keys to the content's visibility.

This structure makes sense intuitively. The original uploader is the "owner" of the media, so they retain ultimate control. But as we'll see, the actions they take have a direct and immediate impact on the collaborator.

A Step-by-Step Guide: How to Archive a Collab Post

Ready to hide a collab post from your feed? The process is exactly the same as archiving any other regular post on your account. It takes just a few seconds.

Here are the steps:

1. Navigate to your Instagram profile.
2. Find the collaborative post you wish to archive and tap on it to open it in full view.
3. Tap the three-dot menu (⋮,) in the top-right corner of the post.
4. From the pop-up menu, select the "Archive" option.

That's it! The post will instantly vanish from your public grid. You haven’t deleted it, you've just moved it into your private archive folder, which only you can access.

What Happens Next? The A-to-Z Breakdown After You Archive

Hitting "Archive" sets off a chain of events. Understanding what happens for you, for your collaboration partner, and for the post’s engagement is essential for managing your professional relationships.

For the Original Poster (You!)

• The post is gone from your public grid. Visitors to your profile will no longer see it.
• It's safely stored in your private Archive. You can access it anytime by going to your Profile >, three-line menu (☰,) >, Archive >, Posts Archive.
• All data is preserved. Your likes, comments, shares, saves, and analytics remain attached to the post within your archive. You don’t lose any historical performance data.

For the Collaborator

This is the part that requires care and communication. When the original author archives a collab post, it doesn't just disappear from their grid - it also disappears from the collaborator's grid simultaneously.

Your collaborator will not receive a specific notification from Instagram that you have archived the post. One moment it will be on their profile, and the next it will be gone. This can be jarring and confusing if they aren't expecting it, which is why communication is so important (more on that below).

For Your Likes, Comments, and Engagement

Nothing is lost. The post, along with all its social proof and comment history, is kept perfectly intact inside the original author's archive. If you decide to un-archive the post later, all the original likes and comments will reappear right along with it.

Bringing it Back: How to Un-Archive a Collab Post

Changed your mind or want to bring a seasonal post back for another run? Restoring an archived collab post is just as easy as hiding it.

1. Go to your Instagram profile and tap the three-line menu (☰,) in the top-right corner.
2. Select "Archive."
3. If you don't see your posts, tap the dropdown menu at the top of the screen and select "Posts archive."
4. Find the collab post you want to restore and tap on it.
5. Tap the three-dot menu (⋮,) in the top-right corner of the post.
6. Select "Show on Profile."

Just like that, the post is instantly restored. It will reappear on both your grid and your collaborator's grid. Critically, it will slot back into its original chronological position on your feeds, based on the date it was first published, not the date you restored it.

Best Practices for Archiving Collaborative Content

While the technical steps are simple, managing collaborations requires professionalism and clear communication to maintain strong relationships with your partners. Simply making a shared post vanish without warning is not a good look.

1. Communicate with Your Partner (Always!)

This is the golden rule. Before you hit that archive button, send your collaborator a quick, courteous message letting them know your plan. A simple heads-up prevents confusion and shows respect for their contribution to the shared content. You could say something like:

"Hey [Partner Name]! Hope you're having a great week. I'm doing a quick refresh of my Instagram feed aesthetics and will be archiving our collab post from [Date] tomorrow. Just wanted to give you a heads-up! It was a great campaign and I’ve got all the performance data saved on my end."

This small step takes less than a minute but can make a huge difference in maintaining a positive professional relationship for future collaborations.

2. Review Your Collaboration Agreement

If your collaboration was part of a formal, paid brand deal, double-check your contract or agreement. Some agreements specify a minimum amount of time that a sponsored post must remain live on your feed (e.g., 30 days, 90 days, or even indefinitely). Archiving the post before this period is up could violate your terms and impact your payment or relationship with the brand.

3. Plan Your Content Lifecycle in Advance

When you're planning a collaboration, especially for a short-term campaign like a contest or event promotion, discuss the post's lifecycle upfront. Decide together when the content makes the most sense to be live and when it might be archived. Setting these expectations from the beginning ensures everyone is on the same page and avoids any surprises down the line.

Final Thoughts

Archiving an Instagram collab post is a simple, effective way for the original creator to manage their feed's content without permanently deleting data or engagement. Remember that this action removes the post from both your profile and your collaborator’s, making clear communication an essential piece of the puzzle.

This is exactly why having a proactive content strategy is so valuable. At Postbase, we believe great social media management isn’t just about posting, it’s about thoughtful planning. Our visual calendar is designed to help you see your entire content plan at a glance, allowing you to map out campaign start and end dates ahead of time so decisions like when to archive a post are part of a clear plan, not a surprise afterthought.