Instagram Rolls Out Dedicated Tab for Story Highlights
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Update - September 22, 2025: Instagram’s Highlights redesign is still rolling out. Most accounts now see a heart‑icon “Highlights” tab and, for many, the option to show selected Highlights in the main profile grid. If you don’t see it yet, you’re likely not in the current wave of the rollout.
Instagram is updating profiles by relocating Story Highlights to a dedicated “Highlights” tab (heart icon) and allowing creators to optionally surface Highlights in the main profile grid. The change began rolling out in late 2024 and is still phased/uneven as of September 2025.
According to Adam Mosseri, this change reflects the platform's focus on simplifying profile design while maintaining functionality.
Key Changes to Instagram Story Highlights
- Separate location: Highlights now live in their own tab on profile (heart icon). Social Media Today
- Vertical thumbnails: Highlights display as vertically aligned thumbnails inside the tab. Social Media Today
- Grid integration (clarified): You can choose which Highlights also appear in your main profile grid (placement/sorting may vary; Instagram hasn’t specified final rules).
Is Instagram Removing Highlights?
No—Highlights are not going away. Instagram has moved them into a dedicated “Highlights” tab, marked by a heart-shaped icon, and now lets many users choose which Highlights also appear in the main profile grid.
This change is part of Instagram’s effort to simplify profiles. Instead of sitting above the grid, Highlights now live in their own tab with a vertical layout, while selected ones can still be shown on your main profile grid.
Rollout status (as of September 2025): The update is still phased. Many accounts have it, but some users are just starting to see the change. If you don’t see the new tab yet, you’re not alone—it hasn’t reached everyone worldwide.
Why this change? Instagram has been testing other profile redesigns—like a vertical/rectangular grid—to better showcase today’s vertical content. The new Highlights layout is one piece of this broader profile refresh.
Why Is Instagram Changing Story Highlights Placement?
Instagram head Adam Mosseri explained the reasoning behind the update:
"We’re trying to figure out a way to improve the profile and get more of the content above the fold, and simplify it. You will still have control, you can still pin things, there’ll be a dedicated Highlights tab, but we don’t need to have pogs and squares and have it be all complicated and pushing everything down."
(Note: While Mosseri mentions “pinning,” the current behavior for Highlights is the ability to show or hide them in your main profile grid, rather than pinning in the traditional sense used for posts.)
This change aligns with Instagram's goal of creating a cleaner, less cluttered profile design while maintaining functionality for Instagram Story Highlights.
How Will This Instagram Update Affect Users?
- Streamlined Profiles: By moving highlights to a separate tab, profiles will appear less crowded and more organized.
- Reduced Visibility for Highlights: Highlights in a dedicated tab might see fewer clicks compared to their previous placement above the grid. Instagram seems to be prioritizing a cleaner design over heavy interaction with highlights.
- Focus on Stories as Ephemeral Content: The change may reflect a belief that archived Stories lose relevance over time, and this update better aligns with Instagram's evolving content strategy.
What You Need to Know About Instagram's New Layout
This update, first tested in August 2024, is now being rolled out to users in phases. Key details include:
- Users will receive notifications about the change and instructions on accessing their Story Highlights in the new tab.
- Story Highlights remain editable, and you can show or hide specific Highlights in the main profile grid.
How to find & manage Highlights now
How to access Highlights now
- Go to any profile (including your own).
- Tap the heart‑icon “Highlights” tab to browse all Highlights. Social Media Today
How to show/hide Highlights in your grid (available on many accounts during rollout)
• Open a Highlight ▸ Edit ▸ toggle the option to show on profile to include/exclude it from your main grid. (Label may vary during testing.) Nerd's Chalk
Metrics to Track After the Update
- Profile views → Highlights tab taps
- Measure how often profile visitors actually click through to the new Highlights tab.
- Grid impressions for Highlights vs. standard posts
- Compare visibility between Highlights shown in the grid and your regular feed posts.
- Highlight exits, forwards, and taps per Highlight
- Use these to understand engagement and drop-off patterns inside each Highlight.
- Link clicks from profiles with Highlights shown in the grid
- Track whether grid placement of Highlights influences traffic to your links.
How This Change Impacts Instagram Engagement
- For Creators and Businesses: Moving highlights to a tab could reduce engagement, as fewer users may explore this section. Creators might need to rely more on other profile elements to drive interaction.
- For Casual Users: The simplified design makes personal profiles cleaner, focusing attention on the grid rather than archived Stories.
Instagram's Cleaner Profile Design
Instagram's decision to relocate Story Highlights to a dedicated tab reflects its commitment to simplifying profiles and prioritizing current content. While the update may reduce engagement with highlights, it aligns with the platform's ongoing evolution toward a more user-friendly design.
