What is the purpose of reposting on Instagram and how do you do it?

Curate your own corner of Instagram with a single tap.

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If you spend any amount of time on Instagram, then you've likely seen the small icon under each post and reel looking like two curved arrows. Coming in right after the heart for likes and the comments bubble, that third icon is for reposting. It's one of simplest ways to share content from other creators without copying it into your Stories or sending it in a DM to each and every friend you have.

Unlike some older sharing workarounds, reposting keeps a direct line back to whoever made the original post. That's a win for creators because they get credited for their work and their content may reach a bigger audience. For you, the best part is that you get to curate a little corner of your profile with content that isn't your own. Reposts show up in your followers' feed and land in the Friends tab within Reels. They also pile up in their own dedicated tab on your profile so they're easy to browse whenever you want.

Let's dive into what exactly reposting does, how to turn on the feature so others can repost your content and how to repost content step-by-step. Also quite importantly, we'll also learn how to undo any accidental repost.

What does reposting on Instagram actually do?

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On Insta, the repost feature lets you reshare a public post or reel from another account directly to your own followers. All of this reposted content shows up in a dedicated tab on your profile. You can check it out by tapping on your Profile pic and then on the repost icon (two circling arrows). It's the same for any profile you visit.

A repost isn't exactly the same as a regular post because this isn't new content you've created. It is, however, existing public content that you're amplifying. It will always stay tied to the original creator rather than showing up as if it's your own work. Plus, unlike when you put it up in your Stories, this one will be available for more than 24 hours. One important thing to know is that you can only repost content if the original creator has allowed it. The reverse is also valid and you have to give permission for your content to be reposted.

But thanks to where the repost button is placed, it's pretty easy to accidentally press it, causing unintentional reposts. If you want to delete any of the reposts you made, you have a few options. First, go back to the post and simply tap the repost button again to undo the action. You can also long-press on the post itself and choose Delete repost from the options there. Or, go back to the video, to tap on the bubble with your profile pic and then opt for Delete. 

For a more comprehensive cleanup operation, you can head to your Profile > Your activity > Reposts and tap on Select in the corner before going through each post you want to remove. When you're done, just tap Delete at the bottom. The process is pretty much the same on the browser as it is on the mobile app.

How do you enable and use the repost feature?

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There's an easy way to control whether others can repost your content. You just have to head to your profile, tap the menu button up top, then go to Sharing and reuse. Under Allow people to share your posts and reels, you have to flip the toggle on for Reposts on posts and reels.

Reposting itself is a lot simpler than that. Simply find a public post or reel you want to share and tap on the repost icon with the two curved arrows. You can add a short note if you want by using the thought-bubble icon that appears. Tap Save and you're done. It's a nice way to save up a collection of reels and posts you enjoy. Just remember the posts are visible to all your followers.