How to Repost an Instagram Story Without a Frame

Ever wondered how top creators and brands share user-generated content to their Stories without that clunky, obvious frame? Achieving that clean, native look is simpler than you think and makes a huge difference in your brand's aesthetic. This guide will walk you through two foolproof methods for reposting an Instagram Story without a frame, elevating your content from a simple reshare to a seamless part of your own narrative.

Why Go Frameless? The Impact on Your Brand Aesthetic

On Instagram, every detail matters. While the default “Add to your story” feature is convenient, it puts your shared content in a dated, slightly shrunken box with a clear border. This instantly signals to your audience, “This is just a repost.” While it's functional, it can disrupt the visual flow you've carefully curated for your Stories.

Reposting without that frame offers several key advantages:

• Brand Consistency: A frameless repost integrates seamlessly with your other Stories. It looks like native content you created yourself, maintaining a consistent and professional look.
• Higher-Quality Appearance: Cleanly reposted content feels more intentional and polished. It shows you put extra effort into how you present content, which reflects positively on your brand.
• Better Showcase for UGC: When you share User-Generated Content (UGC), a frameless repost makes the customer's photo or video the star of the show. It feels less like a simple share and more like a genuine feature, which makes your customers feel truly appreciated.
• Increased Visual Appeal: Let’s be honest - it just looks better. A full-screen video or photo is more immersive and engaging than a boxed-in version.

By learning how to remove the frame, you're not just learning a cool trick, you're taking control of your brand's visual identity and making every single Story count.

Method 1: The Quick and Simple "Pinch-to-Zoom" Technique

This is the fastest, most straightforward way to ditch the frame when someone tags you in their Story. It doesn’t require any third-party apps or leaving the Instagram interface. It’s perfect for on-the-fly reposting when you want a cleaner look without spending too much time on it.

When Does This Method Work Best?

The pinch-to-zoom method only works when someone has mentioned your @username in their Story, and you've received that notification in your DMs. When you tap the "Add to your story" button from the message, Instagram automatically generates the repost with the frame. This is the starting point for the trick.

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Find the Mention in Your DMs: Head to your Instagram Direct Messages. You will see a message from the person who tagged you, which includes a preview of their Story and a prominent “Add to your story” button.
2. Open the Story Editor: Tap “Add to your story.” This will take you directly to the Instagram Story editor, with their Story appearing as a sticker in the middle of your screen, complete with the default frame.
3. Select and Zoom: Tap on the Story sticker to select it. Now, using two fingers, place them on the Story and spread them apart, just like you would zoom in on a photo on your phone.
4. Expand to Full Screen: Continue to zoom and drag the Story sticker until it completely fills the screen. You’ll have to adjust and reposition it until all four edges of the frame are pushed off-screen. The once-boxed content now serves as the full background of your new Story.
5. Add Your Enhancements: Now that the content is full-screen, you can interact with it like any other Story. Add new text boxes, GIFs, polls, or question stickers.
6. Give Proper Credit (Again!): This is a big one. As you zoom in, the original creator's clickable tag often gets pushed off-screen. It's excellent etiquette and a best practice to re-add their tag. Tap the screen to add text, type "@" followed by their username, and place it somewhere visible. This ensures they still get the credit they deserve.

Pros and Cons of the Pinch-to-Zoom Method

• Pros:
  • Incredibly fast and efficient.
  • No need for external tools or apps.
  • Works perfectly for both photo and video Stories.
• Cons:
  • Only works when you have been directly tagged in a Story.
  • Zooming can slightly crop the edges of the original content.
  • It can sometimes be a bit tricky to line up perfectly without a sliver of the background showing.
  • Video quality might see a minor reduction, though it's usually negligible.

Method 2: The Screenshot & Screen Record Method for a Perfect Repost

If you're aiming for a pixel-perfect, completely clean repost, or if you want to share a Story you weren't tagged in, this is the go-to method. It gives you full control over the final product, ensuring the highest possible quality and perfect framing every single time. This approach has two variations: one for images and one for videos.

A quick note on etiquette: If you are reposting someone’s content - especially when you haven't been tagged - it’s always best to ask for permission first. The creator might prefer their content isn't reshared, particularly from a private account. Always give credit.

For Photo Stories: The Screenshot Approach

This method gives you a clean image file that you can upload as if it were your own original content.

Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Remove UI During Viewing: Open the Story you want to share. Tap and hold your finger anywhere on the screen. This action makes all of the Instagram UI - the username at the top, the message bar at the bottom - temporarily disappear, leaving only the image itself.
2. Take the Screenshot: While you are still holding your finger on the screen, use your other hand to take a screenshot. (On most iPhones, this is the side button + volume up button. On Android phones, it's typically the power button + volume down button).
3. Crop Perfectly: Go to your phone’s camera roll and find the screenshot. Use the editing tools to crop any lingering UI elements, like your phone's status bar (with the time and battery icon) at the very top. Make sure the image is cropped clean to its edges.
4. Upload to Your Story: Head back to Instagram, swipe to open the Story camera, and then swipe up to access your photo gallery. Select the freshly cropped screenshot you just edited.
5. Give Clear Credit: This is the most important step. Since you are uploading this as new content, there’s no automatic attribution. Use the text tool or a sticker to add a prominent “@mention” of the original creator. For example: “Incredibly captured by @creator.username!” or a simple "📸: @creator.username".

For Video Stories: The Screen Recording Approach

Similar to the screenshot method, screen recording lets you capture video content cleanly to be re-uploaded natively.

Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Get Your Screen Recorder Ready: On either an iPhone or Android, ensure the screen recording function has been added to your control center for quick access.
2. Navigate to the Story: Go to the video Story you want to repost.
3. Start Recording: Swipe to open your control center and tap the screen record button. After a three-second countdown, your phone will start recording whatever is on your screen.
4. Capture the Video Cleanly: Return to the Story. Similar to the screenshot method, tap and hold on the screen to hide the Instagram UI. Let the entire video play through while you hold your finger down.
5. Stop Recording: Once the video clip is done, you can release your finger. Swipe back to your control center and stop the screen recording. The video will be saved to your camera roll.
6. Trim and Crop the Recording: This is a critical editing step. Open the new video in your phone’s photo app.
   • Trim: Cut the beginning and end of the clip to remove the parts where you were starting and stopping the recording.
   • Crop: Use the crop tool to physically cut out your phone’s status bar from the top of the video and resize it to align with the 9:16 Story format. This makes it look like a native video, not a recording.
7. Upload as a New Story: Back in Instagram, open the Story editor, swipe up to your gallery, and select your edited video.
8. Champion the Original Creator: And once more, for emphasis: use a text box or sticker to add a visible and clickable @mention tagging the original video creator. Without this, you're essentially plagiarizing their work.

Creative Tips for Making Your Frameless Reposts Stand Out

Now that you know the technical hacks, here are a few creative ways to make your frameless reposts even more engaging and on-brand.

1. Create a Consistent Background

Before using the pinch-to-zoom method, create a branded background. Tap the "Draw" tool, select one of your brand colors from the palette, then tap and hold anywhere on the screen for about two seconds. The screen will fill with that solid color. Now, tap "Add to your story" from your DMs, and that repost sticker will appear on top of your new colored background. When you zoom it to fill the screen, it creates a much more cohesive vibe.

2. Use the Eyedropper Tool for a Seamless Look

For an even more professional touch, use the eyedropper tool in the color selection menu (found in the Draw or Text tool). Drag it over the shared photo to pull a color directly from the image. Use this color as your background. This creates an incredibly smooth, aesthetically pleasing Story where everything feels like it belongs together.

3. Add Your Commentary and Context

Don’t just repost - add value. Use text or a poll sticker to tell your audience why you’re sharing this content. A simple overlay that says “Loving this customer photo!” or “Here’s a great tip from our friend at @creator” adds context and shows engagement goes both ways.

Final Thoughts

Knowing how to repost an Instagram Story without a frame is a small skill that makes a big difference. Whether you use the quick pinch-to-zoom method or the more detailed screenshot/screen-record approach, ditching the default frame allows you to maintain brand consistency, celebrate UGC beautifully, and create a more professional-looking Story feed. Just never, ever forget to give clear and proper credit to the original creator.

Creating clean, visually consistent content is a core part of building a strong brand on social media, and that includes the way you handle Stories. At Postbase, we built our platform because we believe managing your social media doesn't have to be a struggle against messy, outdated tools. We designed it for the modern, visual-first world of Stories, Reels, and short-form video. Our visual calendar helps you plan all your content in one cohesive view, so you can maintain that polished, on-brand aesthetic without the constant hassle.