How to Repost on Instagram (5 Methods That Work)

September 1, 2026 · 5 min read · by Jan Oršula

To repost on Instagram in 2026 you've got five reliable methods: reshare a post or Reel to your Story with the paper-plane icon, use Instagram's native repost button (the two-arrow loop) to push a public post or Reel into your own feed, reshare a Story you're tagged in, use a repost app that keeps the original credit, or screenshot and re-share manually when nothing else fits. Which one you reach for depends on where you want the content to land and whether you were tagged. Below is each method, when to use it, and the one step that isn't optional: getting permission and crediting the creator, especially when you're resharing someone else's work.

Method 1: Reshare a post or Reel to your Story

The fastest way to amplify someone's content, and the one you'll use most. It puts their post in your Story for 24 hours with an automatic, tappable creator sticker linking back to them.

1. Open the feed post or Reel you want to share.
2. Tap the paper-plane (Send) icon under the post.
3. Choose Add to story.
4. Resize or reposition the sticker, add your own text or a sticker, and post.

Use this when you want to hype something for a day, react to it, or point followers at a creator, without it living permanently on your grid. Note that only public accounts' posts can be reshared to Stories this way; private accounts can't be.

Method 2: The native repost button (feed and Reels)

Instagram now has a built-in repost feature. Reposting a public post or Reel pushes it into your own feed and a dedicated Reposts tab on your profile, and it credits the original creator automatically.

1. Open the public feed post or Reel you want to repost.
2. Tap the repost icon (two arrows forming a loop, sitting between the comment bubble and the paper-plane).
3. Optionally add a comment or context.
4. Tap Repost to confirm.

Use this when you want the content to stay on your profile rather than vanish after 24 hours, and when you want the cleanest built-in attribution. It only works on public posts, and the repost lives in your Reposts tab so it doesn't clutter your main grid. If the icon isn't there yet, the feature is still rolling out region by region. The Story reshare in Method 1 is the reliable fallback.

Method 3: Reshare a Story you're tagged in

When someone mentions your account in their Story, Instagram hands you a one-tap reshare. This is the backbone of user-generated content: a customer tags you, you reshare their post to your own Story.

1. Open the DM notification that says someone mentioned you in their Story.
2. Tap Add to your story.
3. Style it and post. The original creator is credited automatically.

Use this constantly if you run a brand or creator account. Actively encourage your audience to tag you so the reshare prompt appears; it's the difference between UGC you can amplify in a tap and UGC you have to chase for permission.

Method 4: A repost app that preserves credit

If you want to repost someone's feed post to your own feed and the native button isn't available for that content, a dedicated repost app can help, but choose carefully. The only ones worth using are those that add a visible credit banner or caption attribution and don't ask for your Instagram password.

The rule: a repost app should format and attribute, not automate or scrape. Avoid anything that logs into your account for you, mass-reposts on a schedule, or pulls content from accounts in bulk. That behaviour breaks Instagram's terms and risks your account. A good repost tool just takes a link or a saved post and hands you back a properly credited version to post yourself. You stay in control; nothing acts as you.

Method 5: Screenshot and re-share manually

The universal fallback. When you can't reshare natively (the account is private, the native button hasn't reached you, or you want full control of the crop), screenshot or screen-record the content, crop it cleanly, and post it yourself with a clear @credit in the caption.

This is the only method that works in every situation, which is also why the permission-and-credit step matters most here: a manual repost strips Instagram's automatic attribution, so you're the one responsible for putting it back. Never do this with someone's content unless you've asked and they've said yes.

The step you can't skip: permission and credit

Every method above is a way to move someone else's work in front of your audience. That's a rights question, not just a technical one. Resharing without permission or credit is how brands end up in a mess. Creators are increasingly protective of their work, and "I found it on Instagram" is not a licence.

• Ask first for anything beyond a simple tagged reshare. A quick DM ("Love this, can we reshare it to our feed with credit?") takes seconds and covers you. When someone tags you, that's usually implicit permission to reshare to your Story, but a feed repost still deserves a check.
• Always credit visibly. Tag the creator in the caption and, where the format allows, on the image or Story. Automatic stickers handle this on native reshares; manual reposts need you to add it.
• Get it in writing for anything commercial. If you're reposting a customer's content into an ad, a paid campaign, or a permanent brand asset, a tap-reply "yes" isn't enough, so get explicit rights. Our user-generated content guide covers how to request and track UGC rights properly, and a creator brief sets usage terms up front so the permission conversation is already done.

Treating reposting as a permission workflow, not a screenshot habit, is what separates a brand people want to be featured by from one they report.

Which method should you use?

• Hype something for a day → reshare to your Story (Method 1).
• Keep a public post or Reel on your profile with clean credit → native repost button (Method 2).
• A customer or fan tagged you → reshare the tagged Story (Method 3).
• Repost to your feed and the native button isn't available → a credit-preserving repost app (Method 4).
• Nothing else fits, or you need full control → manual screenshot with visible credit and prior permission (Method 5).

Reposting is a core tactic: it fills your calendar with proof and community without new production. Fold it into how you plan and schedule your Instagram posts rather than doing it ad hoc: our content repurposing workflow shows how resharing and repackaging fit alongside your original posts so your feed stays varied. Instagram's own help page on resharing posts and Reels has the latest on where the native button is available.

Frequently asked questions