How To See Memories on Instagram for a Blast From the Past

Instagram is an awesome platform for sharing about your present life. However, it’s also an incredible way to look back on the past with fondness. That’s why Throwback Thursday was a huge trend and why people make cute Year in Review videos every year. Today, we’re teaching you a new way to walk down memory lane and reflect on special moments from the past. In this guide, we’ll give you the lowdown on how to see Memories on Instagram. Keep reading to learn how to see these posts and reshare them on your profile for all to see.

What Are “Memories” on Instagram?

According to a 2023 study, seeing autobiographical memories (aka happy photos from your past) can uplift the mood. The research suggests that the nostalgia from seeing these positive memories can repair negative moods and feelings. That’s why you feel such a rush of warmth and happiness when you go through old photo albums with family.

But that lovely feeling of poignant nostalgia doesn’t stop at photo albums. In the modern world, it works on social media, too. It especially happens on Instagram, where people share photos of their favorite memories all the time.

What’s awesome about Instagram is that everything you post is stored in the platform’s records. Most of the time, when you want to pull up old posts from years back, you’ll likely see them somewhere. That’s where Instagram Memories come in.

Instagram Memories is an in-app feature that allows users to see their old posts and reminisce about those cherished moments. People sometimes refer to it as the “On This Day” feature. That’s because the feature shows people posts they published on the same day in past years.

You’ll find your stored Memories in your Instagram archive, aka the place that houses temporarily hidden posts and old Stories. Though Memories are typically just feed posts, you’ll also see previous Instagram Stories in this section of the app. The archive feature is where you’ll see all your content from bygone eras.

The Memories feature doesn’t just evoke nostalgia and sentimentality about your life’s most significant, monumental events. It also encourages engagement on the platform, as the feature urges users to share their Memories on Instagram Stories. Sharing these moments allows you to connect with your followers and show your more personal side.

How To Find Instagram Memories: Where Is the “On This Day” Feature?

Are you excited to get a blast from the past but unsure how to see your old posts? Here’s how to find Instagram Memories or the “On This Day” section in your post archive.

1. Open Instagram and head to your profile.

2. Click on the menu with three vertical lines at the top-left corner to see your Settings and privacy.

3. Select Archive. If you have temporarily hidden feed posts, this will automatically lead you to your Stories archive or archived posts section.

4. If you published a post on this day in previous years, you’ll see the “On This Day” feature. It should sit at the bottom of the screen. If not, the Instagram Memories feature won’t come up at all.

If the platform shares your old Memories in the archive, feel free to share the post on your Instagram Stories. Simply click the “Share” button and publish it with a cute caption. You can also share it directly with friends and family through DM.

How To See Your Story Memories on Instagram

Some people post way more on Instagram Stories than on their feeds. For these people, waiting for the “On This Day” feature to come up might not be practical. It makes more sense to want to go through old Stories to walk down memory lane.

Luckily, the archive doesn’t just house hidden posts. It’s also where you’ll see all your Story memories. All the Story posts that have expired past their 24-hour shelf life on your profile become archived Stories. And you can access all of them to look back on your past life.

Here’s how to see your Story Memories on Instagram, step by step.

1. Open your profile settings and hit Archive.

2. Click on the filter at the top of the archive screen and select Stories archive.

3. On the next page, you’ll see all the Stories you’ve posted, starting from the most recent ones.

4. Scroll through your Story memories and click on the ones you’d like to watch in full screen.

5. Hit the Share button to repost it to your current Story as a throwback post. Alternatively, you can add it to your Highlights or create a new post or Reel with that memory.

How To See Multiple Memories on Instagram via the Archive

How do you see multiple memories on Instagram if you published multiple posts on a specific day in previous years? Unfortunately, there’s currently no way to see all your memories for a specific day. The “On This Day” will only show you one post at a time. There’s also no clarity on how they select which post to show you if there are many options.

Luckily, it’s super easy to see multiple Story memories if you’re interested in that. As soon as you go to your Instagram archive, you’ll see those old Stories instantly and can scroll through them.

Another way to view multiple Story memories in one go is by clicking the calendar icon on top. This lets you see a literal calendar and check which days you have archived Stories. This is a terrific way to see which months you uploaded tons of Stories. Explore these dates and allow the Memories to take you back to the past.

Memories That Would Be Great for Reposting on Instagram Stories

Reposting your Instagram Memories on Stories is a terrific way to reflect on your past and share it with others. It gives you space to tell more personal stories from more innocent days and see how much you’ve grown since. Plus, it allows your followers to see you in a more authentic, relatable, humanized light. This is awesome for building camaraderie and rapport online.

On a more practical note, sharing Memories of your Story is a smart way to recycle content. It’s like getting more engagement today for photos and videos you took years back. You can also use old posts and Story memories as filler content when you don’t have anything new lined up. That way, there’s no lull or “dead air” in your posting cadence.

What kind of memories might be interesting to your audience? Here are some types of Memories worth sharing if they appear on your “On This Day” feature.

Personal Milestones To See How Far You’ve Come

An easy topic to most Memories about is personal milestones from years back. You can share content from birthday parties or other huge celebrations, like prom night or engagement day. It can also be small, impactful milestones, such as the day you first started driving or exercising.

You could post about your graduation and share a story about the joy of finding your first job afterward. Or you could post a throwback about moving into your first apartment alone. Then, tell your followers about that memory’s sharp contrast to living in your dream home with a family today.

Celebrations and milestones like these humanize you to your followers. It makes you seem more relatable and authentic. It also shows you and those around you how far you’ve come. Maybe you’ll even be an inspiration for success to those who see your post.

Travel Memories To Look Back on Old Adventures

You can also post Memories of your old travel photos from your adventures worldwide. From ancient temples to beach trips to flying first-class, post about your favorite travel memories when you can. This is a terrific way to get more eyeballs on those stunning photos, especially if it’s been years since posting.

When posting travel memories, be sure to add some value to the lives of those who see them. Don’t just repost your old content without adding anything new. Share something to add more context to the old post, like stories about your trip or recommendations in that city. This is excellent for travel influencers whose followers rely on them for travel advice and guides.

Old Outfits and Makeup Looks To See How Your Style Has Evolved

Engage in some self-deprecating humor by posting Memories showing how different your fashion sense was years back. Don’t be afraid of posting mid-2010s outfits and makeup looks from when you didn’t know how to apply eyeshadow. Not only will it get a reaction from people, but It’s also an excellent way to show people how much your style has evolved since then.

Fashion influencers can also use this to educate their followers about old fashion trends. Just post outfits from back in the day and tell your followers why those elements were so trendy!

Previous Collaborations With Brands

Influencers can also feature old Memories related to previous collaborations with brands they loved working with. It’s a fantastic way to celebrate and reminisce about a great partnership and show brand love after all these years.

It’s a great way to reflect on how far you’ve come as a content creator and brand influencer. You might even inspire other aspiring creators to work hard and find brand deals to start their careers. Share behind-the-scenes stories with your followers about your collabs and tips for creators who want to work with brands.

Posting about your old brand projects might reignite your relationship with former partner brands. Who knows, if you tag them in your post and rekindle your friendship, they might offer you another paid partnership.

Cute Moments With Your Pet in Their Younger Years

If you come across Memories with your pets when they were younger, consider sharing those, too. People delight in seeing pet content. Seeing cats, dogs, and other pets in their younger years is even more endearing through throwback memories posts!

Share any sweet, precious moments with your young fur babies. It can be as simple as giving them a cuddle in bed or playing catch with them at the park. It’s a cute way to show your followers how big they’ve gotten.

Fun, Festive Holidays From Yesteryear

During special holidays, check your archive to see if you have any Memories you can post from previous years. Bask in the nostalgia as you look through family holidays by the fireplace or New Year’s parties with the girls. You can post those Memories as a throwback and compare them to how you’re celebrating this year.

It’s an awesome way to see whether you’ve leveled up your holiday traditions with friends and family. It’s also fantastic for inspiring other people’s celebrations and getting them excited for the upcoming holidays.

Oh, and don’t forget to use holiday captions when you reshare these Memories on your Instagram Stories or posts! From Valentine’s Day quotes about love to festive Christmas captions, add a greeting for your followers on these special days.

And That’s All There Is to It on How To See Memories on Instagram

Going through your Instagram Memories and sharing them on your Story isn’t just easy. It’s also a nostalgic way to reflect on how far you’ve come. It’s amazing to reflect on your past, be grateful for your present, and look forward to adventures in the future.

And sharing your Memories isn’t just fun for you. It’s also something your followers will surely enjoy seeing. From your first collabs to silly outfits you used to wear, throwback content can drive tons of engagement and conversations.

Now that you know how to see Memories on Instagram, get out there and post your favorite ones. By growing your community, get more people to see your old content and listen to your favorite personal stories. You can do that with Path Social.

Our unique algorithm finds your target audience and organically promotes your page. Since this is the audience you’ve built your content for, they’ll love and engage with your posts. This leads to more authentic followers who can’t wait to see what you post next. Build a fanbase that lasts and genuinely enjoys your content today!