How to Put a Link in a Story Highlight on Instagram

Quick answer: A link in story highlight is a Story with a Link sticker that you save to a Highlight, so it stays on your profile after the Story itself disappears. Post a Story, add the Link sticker with your URL, share it, then add that Story to a new or existing Highlight from your profile. It works best as a backup to your bio link, not a replacement for it.

Why put a link in a Highlight at all

Your profile links are the first place people look. A Highlight gives you a second, visual spot on the same screen, right under your bio. Instagram's help center says Stories disappear from Feed, your profile and Direct after 24 hours unless you add them as a highlight, and that highlights stay visible until you remove them.

That makes a Highlight a good shelf for links you want people to find for weeks, not hours:

Your shop or booking page
A sign-up page for your newsletter
A long video or podcast episode
Your link-in-bio page, so every link is one tap away

One thing to keep in mind from the same help page: the people you've allowed to see your story can also see your highlights. Your Story audience settings shape who finds the link.

Step 1: Post a Story with a Link sticker

Instagram's steps for the Link sticker come from its announcement opening the sticker to all accounts and its help page on stickers:

Capture or upload a photo or video to your Story.
Tap Stickers at the top and choose Link.
Enter the URL you want the sticker to open.
Tap See Preview below the link to check what people will see when they open it.
Tap Done, place the sticker, and tap it to cycle through color options.
Share the Story.

Make the Story itself say what the link is. A plain sticker on a random photo does not give anyone a reason to tap. A short line of text such as "My shop" or "All my links" above the sticker does.

Step 2: Save the Story to a new Highlight

Instagram's help center gives these steps for the app on iPhone, iPad and Android:

Tap Profile or your profile picture in the bottom right to go to your profile.
Tap New. If you don't see New, tap Story highlight.
Select the Story with your Link sticker, then tap Next in the top right.
Tap Edit cover to pick a cover and enter a name for the Highlight, then tap Add.

Instagram also saves the Stories you share to your Stories Archive, which you can turn off in Settings. Leave it on if you want to find an older link Story later.

Pick a name that tells people what is inside. "Links", "Shop" or "Start here" all work. A clear cover helps too, since the Highlight shows up as a small circle.

Or add it to a Highlight you already have

If you already keep a Highlight for links, add the new Story to it. In the app, Instagram's steps are:

Go to your profile and tap your profile picture in the top left to see your story.
Tap More in the bottom right of the story you want to add.
Tap Highlight and select the Highlight to add it to.

You can also tap and hold a Highlight, then tap Edit highlight. On a computer, Instagram says to open your profile, click the Highlight, click More in the top right, click Edit, then choose the stories to add and click Done.

Step 3: Test the link from another account

Instagram's help pages say Highlights keep a Story visible and that anyone who can see your Story can tap the Link sticker. They do not spell out how the sticker behaves once the Story is inside a Highlight. So check it yourself:

Open your profile from a second account or ask a friend.
Tap the Highlight and find the Story with the sticker.
Tap the sticker and make sure the right page opens.

Do this again any time you change the page the link points to.

If you don't see the Link sticker

Not every account can use it. When Instagram opened the Link sticker to everyone, it said new accounts and accounts that repeatedly share content that breaks its Community Guidelines would not have access. Its sticker help page adds that some stickers are not available to everyone, that you should update the app if a sticker is missing, and that the feature may be unavailable in Japan and for countries in Europe.

If you cannot add the sticker, your profile links still work. Put your most useful link there and use Highlights for photos that tell people to tap your profile link.

A Highlight is a backup, not your main link

A Highlight takes more taps than a profile link. Someone has to notice the circle, open it and find the right Story. Your profile links stay the first place people look, and Instagram lets you add up to 5 of them. Our guide on how to put a link in your Instagram bio covers that setup step by step.

Where the Highlight earns its place is as a second path. If someone misses your bio link, or you want to show what is behind a link with a photo or short video, the Highlight does that job.

Keep one Highlight that never goes stale

The catch with sticker links is upkeep. Each Story holds the URL you typed in. When a sale ends or a page moves, that Story still points to the old address until you replace it.

The easy fix is to point at least one Story in your Links Highlight to your link-in-bio page. Then you update the page, not the Story, and the Highlight stays correct. Our guides on organizing your link in bio and how often to update your link in bio help you keep that page tidy.

The page also needs to load without warnings. ItsMyLinks has been online since 2005, so your page sits on a domain with a long, clean history that is less likely to be flagged. You get one free page, unlimited links, social buttons and no ads, as covered in our post on a free link in bio with no ads and no credit card. Setup at itsmylinks.com/join takes about a minute, with no card.

Quick checklist

Story has a Link sticker and a short line saying what it opens.
Story is saved to a Highlight with a clear name and cover.
Link tested from another account.
Your profile links still hold your main link.
Old Stories with dead links are removed from the Highlight.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I add a link directly to a Highlight?

Instagram's help center does not describe a link setting on the Highlight itself. The way to do it is to add a Link sticker to a Story, then save that Story to a Highlight.

Does a Story Highlight expire?

No. Instagram says stories you add as highlights stay visible until you remove them, even after the original story has disappeared.

Who can see the link in my Highlight?

Instagram says the people you've allowed to see your story can also see your highlights. Check your Story audience settings if someone tells you they can't find it.

How do I change a link in a Highlight?

Post a new Story with the updated Link sticker and add it to the Highlight. Then open the Highlight, find the old Story, tap More in the bottom right, tap Remove from Highlight and confirm.

Should I use a Highlight instead of a bio link?

No. Use both. Your profile links are the main home for your link, and a Highlight gives a second path for anyone who misses them.