How to See Watch History on Instagram

How To See Watch History On Instagram: Visit Account Settings & Tap Your Activity!

Introduction

Instagram launched its “Watch History” feature in October 2025. The Instagram CEO, Adam Mosseri, has confirmed this by posting a video, telling users can now access their reels history if they had faced a distraction while scrolling and left the app. The feature keeps a record of your activities on Instagram – under the “Interactions” label. If you want to check it, this guide will equip you with how to see watch history on Instagram.

TL;DR

  • Instagram launched the Watch History feature in October 2025.
  • You can access past activities only for up to 30 days.
  • To watch history, visit the profile > tap menu > click “Your Activity” under the “how you can use Instagram” banner. 
  • You can download your activity record to check the previous history of your account.

Does Instagram Have a Watch History Feature?

Yes, Instagram has its dedicated “Watch History” feature added in October 2025, with the intention of keeping your watch history saved. If you watch a reel on IG and forget to save it in your collection, just find it in your profile. All of your activities, be it liking a post, commenting on a post or reels, reposting, tagging, reviewing, etc., are kept safe on your profile.

You can access your “Watch History” on Insta for as long as 30 days. Additionally, sorting of the list is possible through selecting a date, filtering by creator, etc.

How To See Watch History On Instagram Using Built-In Features

You can access your Instagram Watch History under the “Your Activity” tab on your profile. Based on your activities, you can easily find out previous reels; each interactive section will help you find that.

Check Reels You’ve Liked:

If you have liked a reel on Instagram, you can access it in the “Likes” section under the Interactions tab. All of the videos you liked using your Instagram profile will be visible here. You can also filter the list of videos by selecting a particular date, recency, content type, and author. This will give you a precise result then.

Check Saved Posts and Reels:

If you save a post on Instagram, you can access it in the dedicated “saved” option under the “how you use Instagram” tab. Instagram keeps a record of posts and reels. To access saved posts, simply visit the profile > tap the three-line icon or menu button from the top > and select “Saved.”

Use Your Instagram Activity Log

Choose Instagram’s “Watch History” option to get the entire profile activity. Whether you’ve liked a post or commented on a reel, tagged someone, or been tagged, all is under the “Your Activity” section.

Access it by:

  • Selecting the profile.
  • Tapping the menu icon from the top right.
  • And clicking the “Your Activity” option.
  • Here, select the activity (liked, commented, etc.)
  • Filter the date, recency, and content type.

How To Find Recently Watched Reels On Instagram

If distraction has shifted your attention to something else, you might lose Instagram reels and wonder if you can find them again. But that is now easily possible by Instagram’s new activity tracker: Watch History. Using this feature, you can see your Instagram viewing history. Here’s how:

  • Visit Instagram.
  • Tap profile from the bottom right.
  • Click menu icon.
  • Select the “Your Activity” option.
  • Now, find the watched reels easily.

How to Download Your Instagram Data to See Watch History

Although you can view Instagram activity without downloading, if you want the entire profile data to be downloaded to your device, here’s the guide for that.

Export Instagram Data to your device:

  • Visit the profile icon.
  • Select the menu icon or three-line icon.
  • Select “Accounts Center”
  • Now, tap the “Your information and permissions” option.
  • Click the “Export your information” option.
  • Select “create export”
  • Choose the profile to export information.
  • Select the location: export to device or external service.
  • Confirm the exportation by clicking the “Start export” option.
  • Now, enter the password to confirm you’re the legitimate owner of the profile.

After you download your Profile Data, you can filter it out to check your history.

Export Instagram Data to an external service:

  • Open the Instagram app.
  • Select your profile.
  • Tap the three-line or menu icon from the top.
  • Click “Account Center”
  • Tap “Your information and permissions”
  • Select “export your information”
  • Tap “create export”
  • Select a profile.
  • Choose where to export: tap “export to external service”
  • Select an external service.
  • Tap “next”
  • Select the frequency to export.
  • Enter email and password. And it’s done. 

Note: Downloading data is for “record keeping,” not for “re-watching” the videos easily.

Why Instagram Doesn’t Show Full Watch History

That’s not the case in 2026! After the launch of the “Watch History” feature, anyone can see the Instagram activity log. When you scroll reels, comment on or like them, they’re recorded as your activity, which you can see under the “Your Activity” tab.

Instagram, with its new feature for history finder, allows accessing it for the last 30 days.

Common Problems and Fixes

Here are the common issues around “Instagram Watch History.” Have a look and know how to fix them quickly:

Issue 1: Watch History is not visible:

Even though it was launched in October 2025, sometimes you can’t find the “Your Activity” feature in your current Instagram version. That happens because your app is outdated. 

Fix: Install the latest version of Instagram. Visit App Store > search Instagram > tap Update. Now, run the app and see the option.

Issue 2: Limited History Duration

You can access your history for up to 30 days on Instagram profile. Once exceeded, your history will be deleted entirely.

Fix: Keep checking your activities regularly; don’t wait for a longer duration.

Issue 3: Tracking Gap

Multiple users reported that their Instagram does not track each activity; some of the activities are left behind. Also, when users enable Quiet Mode or put similar restrictions, they can face tracking error on Instagram.

Fix: You can try closing/opening the app. If needed, reinstall the app and then try launching the feature. Most probably, it will fix the syncing problem.

Conclusion

Meta’s Instagram is a popular video and image-rich platform. The platform offers various kinds of features, Watch history is one such to keep a track of your past activity. To access your past activities, tap your profile. Then, select the menu icon. Click “Your Information”

Instagram keeps on releasing the latest features for its users, one of which is “Watch History,” launched in October 2025. The feature helps find recent reels records on your account. You can find it under the “Your Activity” section within your profile. Explore the guide to learn this feature in detail.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I see videos I watched yesterday?

Yes, watching videos that you were scrolling through in the past is possible through the Instagram settings option.

Does Instagram track watch time?

Yes, Instagram keeps a record of the time you spent on the reels. It’s a useful metric to determine popularity, engagement, and reach.

Is there a hidden watch history feature?

Yes, from 2025 onwards, you can see your reels history under the “Your Activity” tab within your account settings.

Do third-party apps work?

Generally, using third-party apps to track Instagram’s history is a violation of Meta’s policy. If you still use such apps, it’s likely a threat to your profile’s safety.

Can You See Someone Else’s Watch History on Instagram?

No, you cannot see others’ history on Instagram. It’s only possible when you have full control of their account.