Instagram has historically allowed users to share content in different ways depending on how visible they wanted that content to be. One such option was “Share to profile only”, which let users post photos or videos to their profile without pushing them to their followers’ main feeds. This feature gave users control over whether a post appeared in the main feed or only on their profile.

The Share to profile only option was useful for many reasons. Users could add context, updates or older content to their profiles without overwhelming followers or repeatedly resurfacing posts in the feed. It supported a more flexible and intentional approach to sharing, where a profile could function as a personal archive or portfolio without requiring every post to be pushed to followers’ feeds.

Since the removal of this option, users have been left with limited alternatives. The only way to avoid feed exposure is to post content and then archive it, or to unarchive posts later, which often results in them appearing in feeds anyway. This workaround is unintuitive and does not replicate the original functionality.

The absence of sharing to profile only forces users into unnecessary trade offs: either share everything publicly in the feed, or hide content entirely. This limits how users can manage their profiles and what content they choose to add.

Reintroducing the Share to profile only option would restore a simple and effective posting choice that benefited a wide range of users. It would improve content management, reduce reliance on awkward workarounds and give people more control over how their posts are shared.

We urge Instagram to bring back the Share to profile only feature to support different posting styles and use cases. Doing so would enhance user experience and acknowledge that not every post needs to appear in the main feed to have value.