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Instagram Archive Lets You Hide Photos Without Deleting

Hide any trace of your ex from your public profile without deleting any images or videos.

 & Angela Moscaritolo Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

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Good news for anyone who has recently broken up with their significant other.

Now you can erase all traces of your ex from your public Instagram profile without actually deleting the images and videos. A new feature called Archive lets you "move posts you've previously shared into a space that's visible only to you," the Facebook-owned company wrote in a blog post.

"Your profile is a representation of who you are and evolves with you over time," Instagram wrote. "With Archive, you now have more flexibility to shape your profile while still preserving moments that matter."

Instagram Archive Undo

To take advantage of this new feature, just tap the "…" at the top of any post you've previously shared and choose Archive. From then on, you'll only be able to see it when you tap the Archive icon in the top-right corner of your profile. "You can always revisit these posts and see previous likes and comments from friends," Instagram wrote.

Archiving a post doesn't have to be a forever thing. If you and the ex end up getting back together, just go back to your old post in the Archive, tap "Show on Profile" and the photo or video will show up in its original spot.

The Archive feature is available as part of Instagram version 10.21 and above for iOS and Android.

Late last year, Instagram also introduced the option to save photos from other users. Previously, Instagrammers resorted to screenshots, but with the saved post feature, you just tap the bookmark icon underneath a given photo, and it will be saved to a private tab on your profile, which is only visible to you. More recently, Instagram allowed for better organization of those posts with Collections.

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade. 

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes. 

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app. 

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth. 

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light. 

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

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