Tech Reference

How to make a private Snapchat story and restrict who can watch it

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It's possible to make your Snapchat private, so that only approved followers can see your content. 

You can even create private Snapchat stories to control which friends can view them. 

This is a particularly helpful feature if you want to share content with a specific group and not all of your followers. 

Here's how to make a private story on Snapchat. 

How to make a private story on Snapchat

1. Open the Snapchat app.

2. Tap your profile icon at the top-left corner of the screen.

Snapchat camera screen with profile icon highlighted with a box and arrow.
If you've created a bitmoji, you'll see it here instead of the generic profile icon.  Abigail Abesamis Demarest

3. To create a new private story, tap the New Story button in My Stories section.

Snapchat profile screen with New Story button highlighted with a box and arrow.
Once created, private Snapchat stories will be listed in the My Stories section.  Abigail Abesamis Demarest

4. Tap New Private Story in the pop-up menu.

Story Type menu with New Private Story option highlighted with a box and arrow.
You need to create a private Snapchat story before you can add to it.  Abigail Abesamis Demarest

5. Name your new private story by tapping the box at the top, select one or more friends to share the private story with.

6. Tap Create Story.

Private Story menu with Create Story highlighted with a box and arrow.
You'll automatically be prompted to choose a private story name in order to save it.  Abigail Abesamis Demarest

7. Tap on the private story (located under My Stories) to add to it.

How to rename a private Snapchat story 

1. Tap the three dots icon next to the private story you want to rename.

2. Tap Rename Story.

Private Story edit menu with Rename Story highlighted with a box and arrow.
Here, you can also delete the private story and edit who can see it.  Abigail Abesamis Demarest

3. Edit the story name, then tap Done when you're finished.

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Abigail Abesamis Demarest is a contributing writer for Insider based in New York. She loves a good glazed donut and nerdy deep dives into the science of food and how it's made.