How to Enable Share Post to Instagram Story

Ever tried to share a great Instagram post to your Story only to find the "Add post to your story" button is completely missing? It’s a common frustration, and there are a few simple reasons why it happens. This guide will walk you through exactly why that share option disappears, how to make sure your own posts are shareable, and what you can do when you want to share content that hasn't been enabled.

First, Let's Figure Out Why You Can't Share a Post to Your Story

When the option to share a post to your Story is gone, it almost always comes down to the settings of the original poster's account. Instagram puts control in the hands of the creator, so they get the final say on where their content ends up. Here are the most common reasons the feature is blocked.

1. The Account is Private

This is the most straightforward reason. If an account is set to private, Instagram automatically disables the ability for anyone who isn't an approved follower to reshare their feed posts to Stories. It’s a core privacy feature. Think of it like a locked diary, the contents aren't meant for public consumption or redistribution. If you can see the post because you follow the private account, you still won't be able to share it to your public Story, as that would override the user's privacy choices.

• How to check: Go to the user's profile. You'll see "This account is private" if you don't follow them, or a lock icon next to their username if you do.
• The fix: There isn't one. The person chose to be private for a reason, and respecting that is part of being a good digital citizen.

2. The User Manually Disabled Resharing

Public accounts have the choice to turn this feature on or off. Many creators, photographers, and brands disable resharing to maintain more control over their content's presentation and aesthetic. They might prefer that their carefully crafted feed posts aren't shared with cluttered stickers, GIFs, and scribbles all over them. It's a strategic decision to keep their work confined to their own feed.

• How it works: In the privacy settings, there's a simple toggle that allows users to prevent others from adding their feed posts to their Stories.
• The takeaway: If a public account’s post isn't shareable, they’ve likely made a conscious choice to turn it off.

3. It's an Outdated Business Account Setting (Mostly Fixed)

A few years ago, some types of Business accounts on Instagram couldn't be shared to Stories. This was a platform limitation that caused a lot of confusion. Instagram has since unified most of its account features, and this is far less common today. However, if you run into a rare edge case where a popular brand's post isn't shareable, it could be tied to an older, non-updated account type or a temporary glitch. For the most part, this issue has been resolved, and the blame now usually falls on one of the first two reasons.

How to Enable Sharing for Your Own Instagram Posts

Now, let's flip the script. You want to make it easy for your followers to share your amazing content to their Stories. Why? Because it's free marketing! When a user shares your post, you get exposed to their entire audience, driving traffic back to your profile. It's one of the easiest ways to grow organically. Luckily, turning this feature on is simple.

Just make sure your account is set to Public first. A Private account cannot enable resharing to a wider audience.

Step-by-Step Guide to Enable Resharing:

1. Go to Your Profile: Open the Instagram app and tap your profile picture in the bottom-right corner.
2. Open the Main Menu: Tap the three horizontal lines (the "hamburger menu") in the top-right corner to open the main menu.
3. Select "Settings and Privacy": This will likely be the first option on the list. Tap it to open your account settings.
4. Find "Sharing and Remixes": Scroll down until you see this option under the "How others can interact with you" section. Tap it.
5. Toggle on Story Sharing: You'll see a few options here. Look for "Allow post sharing to story" or a similar phrase. Make sure the toggle next to it is turned on (it should be blue). If it's grey, sharing is currently off.

That's it! Once you enable this, the "Add post to your story" option will appear for anyone who taps the paper airplane icon on your feed posts. Now you're encouraging user-generated content and making your posts work harder for you.

The Right Way to Share When the Option Is Available

When everything is working as it should, sharing someone else's post is a seamless process. It's a fantastic way to highlight creators you admire, share valuable information, or engage with your community.

Here's the quick breakdown:

• Find the Post: Navigate to the feed post you want to share.
• Tap the Share Icon: Hit the paper airplane icon located just below the post, next to the comment bubble.
• Add to Story: In the menu that pops up, tap the "Add post to your story" option. This will pull the post directly into the Story editor.
• Get Creative: This is where you add your personal touch. By default, the Story background will have a color gradient pulled from the post, but you can change it. Tap the post itself to switch between two formats: one with the original caption visible and one that's cleaner and just shows the image. You can also:
  • Resize and move the post around with your fingers.
  • Tap the background to select a new solid color.
  • Add text, GIFs, stickers, or polls to provide context or ask a question.
• Publish: Once you’re happy with how it looks, tap "Your Story" to share it with your followers. The shared post automatically links back to the original and clearly displays the original creator's username.

The Ultimate Workaround: When Sharing is Disabled

So, what do you do when you really want to share a post but the feature is disabled? You use the screenshot method. But there's a right way and a wrong way to do this. Doing it right shows respect for the creator, doing it wrong can come off as content theft.

How to Share via Screenshot... Professionally

Simply screenshotting and posting without credit is a huge social media faux pas. Here's how to do it in a way that builds community and credits the original source properly.

Step 1: Get a Clean Screenshot

Open the post on your phone and take a screenshot. Try to capture the most important part of the visual without too much clutter from the Instagram user interface.

Step 2: Crop It Nicely

Immediately go to your phone’s photo editor and crop the screenshot. Cut out the parts you don't need - like the time, battery percentage, and the bottom navigation bar. Focus on just the post itself: the image and maybe the username at the top.

Step 3: Post to Your Story

Open the Story creation screen in Instagram, swipe up to access your camera roll, and select your clean, cropped screenshot.

Step 4: Tag and Credit (This is Non-Negotiable)

• Use the text tool to add a clear and visible tag of their username (e.g., "Via @username" or "Great post from @username"). The "@" mention functionality is a must, as it creates a clickable link to their profile.
• Emphasize the mention. Don’t hide the tag by making it tiny or blending it into the background. Your goal is to drive attention to them, not just use their content. Make the tag a prominent part of your Story.

Following this process turns a simple workaround into a positive community-building action. You're still able to share content you love while giving full props to the person who made it.

Why This Matters: The Strategy Behind Sharing

Knowing how to share posts to your Story isn't just about technical know-how, it's a core component of a modern social media strategy. Whether you're a brand, creator, or just a passionate user, sharing and encouraging sharing pays off in several ways.

• Builds Community: Sharing someone's content is a compliment. It shows you value their work and helps foster relationships with other accounts in your niche.
• Provides Social Proof: When others share your posts, it acts as a testimonial. People trust recommendations from peers, and a Story share is a powerful vote of confidence.
• Increases Reach &, Engagement: Every share exposes your content to a new audience, leading to more profile visits, followers, and engagement on the original post.
• Curates Value for Your Audience: You don't have to create every single piece of content yourself. Sharing helpful, entertaining, or beautiful posts from others provides value to your followers and establishes you as a go-to resource.
• Fuels Your Content Calendar: You can fill gaps in your posting schedule with user-generated content (UGC) or highlights from collaborators, taking some of the creation pressure off your shoulders.

Final Thoughts

Mastering the ability to share Instagram posts to your Story - and enabling others to share yours - is a simple yet powerful skill for growing your presence and building connections. Whether it’s enabling the feature in your settings or using the professional screenshot method as a workaround, you now have the tools to share content thoughtfully and effectively. What seems like a small feature is actually a cornerstone of Instagram's collaborative ecosystem.

Juggling all these moving parts, from planning content that's worth sharing to engaging with your community, can feel like a full-time job. That's actually why we built Postbase. In our experience running marketing teams, we realized that we needed one central hub to see our entire content calendar, schedule posts reliably across Instagram and other platforms, and manage all our comments and DMs without losing our minds. We help you stay organized and consistent, giving you more time to create content people can’t wait to share.