How to Reorder Photos on Instagram Story

You’ve got the perfect set of photos ready for your Instagram Story, but when you select them, they show up in a completely jumbled order. It’s a common and incredibly frustrating part of creating Stories. This guide will show you exactly how to reorder your photos before you post and share some strategies to make sure your narrative always flows perfectly.

Why Instagram Mixes Up Your Story Photos

Before we get into the fix, it’s helpful to understand why this happens in the first place. When you use Instagram’s multi-select feature to upload several photos to your Story at once, the app doesn't organize them by the time they were taken or by filename. Instead, it arranges them based on the order you tap on them.

The first image you select becomes the first slide in your Story. The second one you tap becomes the second slide, and so on. This simple detail is the entire reason your carefully curated series of event photos or step-by-step tutorial shots can end up looking like they went through a blender. Understanding this puts you back in the driver's seat.

Method 1: The 'Tap-in-Sequence' Technique (The Official Fix)

This is the most direct way to get your photos in the right order within the Instagram app itself. It requires a bit of focus, but once you get the hang of it, it becomes second nature. All you need to do is be intentional about the order you tap your images.

Here’s how it works, step-by-step:

• Start a new Story: Open Instagram and tap your profile picture in the top-left corner or simply swipe right from your feed to open the Story camera.
• Access your Gallery: Tap the square gallery icon in the bottom-left corner to open your phone’s camera roll.
• Activate Multi-Select Mode: Look for the “Select” button or the stacked squares icon (the design can vary slightly between iOS and Android). Tap it to enable multi-photo selection.
• Tap Your Photos in Order: This is the most important step. Look through your gallery and choose your images in the exact sequence you want them to appear in your Story. As you tap each photo, a small numbered circle will appear on its thumbnail. The photo you tap first will have a “1,” the second will have a “2,” and so on.
• Verify the Order: Before moving on, take a moment to scan the numbered circles on your selected photos. This is your chance to catch any mistakes. If you’ve tapped one out of order, you can simply un-tap it to remove it from the selection and then tap it again at the right time. For example, if you've already selected four photos and realize the fifth should have been third, you'll need to de-select the third and fourth choices, tap your real third choice, then re-tap the fourth and fifth.
• Proceed to the Editor: Once you're happy with the sequence, tap “Next.” You’ll be taken to the Story editor, where you can now see all your selected photos as individual slides at the bottom. Swipe between them to add text, stickers, music, or any other elements to each slide before you post.

This method puts you in complete control, as long as you pay attention to the order of your taps. For best results, it's a good idea to have your photos prepped and organized beforehand so you’re not scrolling endlessly to find the next image in your sequence.

Method 2: Upload One Photo at a Time (For Maximum Precision)

If you find the multi-select feature a bit fiddly or you want to meticulously design each slide with different creative elements, the one-by-one method might be a better fit. It’s more time-consuming, but it’s completely foolproof when it comes to ordering.

When to use this method:

This approach works best for highly designed Stories where each slide has unique GIFs, interactive stickers (like polls or quizzes), or different background music. When you load multiple photos at once, Instagram applies music across all the slides, which you might not want. Uploading individually gives you total creative freedom on a per-slide basis.

How to do it:

1. Open the Story camera and select your very first photo from your gallery.
2. Edit that single slide exactly how you want it - add your text, mention an account, place a location tag, etc.
3. Tap the “Your Story” button to post it live.
4. Immediately swipe right again to open the Story camera.
5. Select your second photo, edit it, and post it to your Story.
6. Rinse and repeat for every photo in your sequence.

While this is obviously slower, it guarantees your narrative is told in the precise order you intended, with no room for error. It breaks down the task into smaller, manageable chunks and prevents you from feeling overwhelmed in the multi-slide editor.

Can You Reorder Story Photos After Posting?

This is the question many of us ask after accidentally publishing a jumbled mess. Unfortunately, the answer is a straightforward no. Once an Instagram Story slide is live, its position in the sequence is locked in. You cannot drag and drop or reorder existing slides.

Your only option is to correct the mistake manually by deleting the misplaced slides and re-uploading them in the correct order. It’s not ideal, but it’s better than leaving a confusing narrative up for your followers to see.

How to Delete and Repost an Instagram Story Slide:

• Open your active Story by tapping on your profile picture.
• Navigate to the specific slide you want to remove.
• Tap the “More” option (the three dots icon) in the bottom-right corner.
• Select “Delete” from the menu and confirm.
• After deleting all the out-of-order slides, start a new Story and upload the photos again, this time using one of the methods above to get the order right.

Go Pro: Planning Is Better Than Fixing

The best way to avoid frantically deleting and reposting is to plan your Stories ahead of publishing. A little preparation significantly reduces the chance of errors and allows you to focus on an impactful delivery rather than damage control.

1. Create a Dedicated Photo Album

Before you even open Instagram, go to your phone’s photo app (Google Photos, Apple Photos, etc.) and create a new album for your upcoming Story. Add only the photos you intend to use and arrange them in the correct order within that album. When you open your gallery from the Instagram Story creator, you can navigate directly to this album. All your photos will already be lined up neatly, making the 'Tap-in-Sequence' method nearly effortless.

2. Think Like a Storyboard Artist

For more complex narratives, like a product tutorial, a day-in-the-life series, or telling a story about an event, a simple storyboard can make a world of difference. You don’t need special software, a notes app works perfectly. Just outline the sequence:

• Slide 1: Title image (provoke curiosity).
• Slide 2: Show the "before" state (introduce a problem or challenge).
• Slide 3-5: Detail the process (action shots, text explanations)
• Slide 6: Reveal the "after" (show the solution or result).
• Slide 7: End with a clear call-to-action (sticker or prompt for engagement).

Having this simple outline transforms your Story from a random collection of images into a coherent and engaging narrative that keeps people tapping through to the end.

3. Leverage Storytelling Principles for Better Engagement

The order of your photos isn’t just a logistical detail - it's the backbone of your story. Keeping a few storytelling basics in mind can dramatically improve your content’s impact.

Start with a Hook: Your very first slide is your most valuable real estate. Don't waste it. Use your most compelling image, ask a thought-provoking question, or use a bold text overlay to stop scrollers in their tracks.

Establish Your Pace: Good stories have a rhythm. Mix up your visuals. Follow a few detailed static images with a quick video or meme to keep the energy high. Changing the type and order of content creates momentum and prevents your followers from getting bored and swiping away.

End with Purpose: Think about what you want your audience to do after viewing your Story. Direct them! Your final slide is the perfect place for a question sticker, an interaction poll, or a reminder to visit the link in your bio. A definitive ending makes your content feel complete and gives your viewership a clear next step.

Final Thoughts

Mastering how to reorder photos on your Instagram Story ultimately comes down to being intentional during the upload process. Whether you go with the simple 'tap-in-sequence' method or upload each image individually, taking a moment to preview the order is all it takes to go from a jumbled assortment of images to a compelling visual narrative. And for best results, organize your photos in an album before you even open the app.

Building a great Story is all about telling a clean, linear narrative, and that often starts with planning your content before it ever goes live. At Postbase, we built our tool around this very idea. Using a visual calendar, you can lay out your posts and Stories for all your platforms in one clean view. This bird's-eye perspective helps you see the flow of your content ahead of time, ensuring everything from narrative-driven Stories to campaign launches progresses logically, without the last-minute stress of getting everything in the right order.