Update: June 13, 2017: Instagram's "Archive" is here to stay. Today, the app officially rolled out the new tool, which has been in beta testing since the end of May. It's the place to put those posts that you don't currently want appearing on your main profile.
This piece was originally published on May 23, 2017.
Unless you were born into this world an influencer, you probably have some posts you'd rather followers not find if they scroll to the depths of your Instagram profile. Maybe these are embarrassing photos of you that seemed worthy of posting during college or high school. Or perhaps it's a shot with an ex who you're on okay terms with, but rather your current love interest didn't have to see on your feed.
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In the past, you only had one option when it came to these photos: Delete them.
But maybe you don't want to delete that reminder of your school days. Or perhaps, you're thinking there's a chance you and that ex may someday get back together. Now, Instagram is testing a new feature that solves this dilemma.
The "Archive," first spotted by TechCrunch, lets you keep a photo off of your feed and safely stored for your eyes only. The tool appears in the upper right-hand corner of your Instagram profile, and looks like a clock with a counterclockwise arrow circling it. Tapping that takes you to a page with your archived posts.
To add photos to your Archive, you can choose any image on your feed and tap the three dots in the upper right-hand corner. Select the "Archive" option and the image will move there. If you change your mind, you can tap those three dots again and select "Show on Profile." The photo will still have all the likes and comments that it had previously. No harm, no foul. It just won't accumulate any new likes or comments. But if you're trying to hide it in the first place, that probably isn't a bad thing.
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