How Instagram Sorts Story Views: Everything You Need to Know

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Debunking the “stalker” myths and dissecting the Instagram algorithms

Written by Anyah Le Gilmore-Jones | Edited by Cory Stillman

Last Updated: April 6, 2024 Fact Checked

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• The First 50 Views
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• After 50 Views
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• Who appears at the top of story views?
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• The Bottom of the List
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• Video
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• Tips

|Show more |Show less

We are all curious about who is looking at our stories on Instagram. Does the order of viewers on your Instagram story mean anything? There is a lot of speculation as to how Instagram sorts your Instagram story's viewers, but few definitive answers. This wikiHow article offers a deep dive into the order of our Instagram story viewers, helping you understand why some users top the list, and others are at the very bottom.

Things You Should Know

• The first 50 views on your story are sorted chronologically, with users atop the list having viewed your story most recently.
• After 50 views, users are sorted by engagement (who you interact with most).
• The people at the top of your viewer list are not your Instagram stalkers—just those you engage with most.
• Accounts you do not follow back appear at the bottom of the story viewer list.

Steps

Section 1 of 4:

The First 50 Views

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1. The first 50 views on your story are listed chronologically. Although Instagram does not confirm any detail about story viewer order, most users report that the first 50 views on their stories are listed chronologically. Those listed first viewed your story most recently, and so on and so forth.

   • Although the chronology rumor seems to be true, some users report small differences in how their story viewers are ordered when checking views on different devices.
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Section 2 of 4:

After 50 Views

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1. After 50 views on your Instagram story, the algorithm takes over. Instagram's algorithms are shrouded in mystery, so there is no definitive way to determine how your story viewers are ordered from this point forward. We can, however, make some educated guesses.

Section 3 of 4:

Who appears at the top of story views?

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1. 1
   You interact the most with the accounts listed first. One possible explanation is that you engage with those users very often. Engagement could refer to liking, commenting, or reposting someone else's content. It could also include communicating with someone via direct message.

   • If you see a name that you know you do not interact with often, there may be another explanation for being high on your list.
2. 2
   The accounts listed first interact with you most often. This is similar to the previous possibility, but can instead refer to users who are consistently liking and commenting on your content.
3. 3
   The accounts listed first may also be your friends on Facebook. Because Meta owns both Facebook and Instagram, many users have both accounts connected. If you have a friend on Facebook who also follows you on Instagram, they may be placed higher on your list of story viewers.
4. 4
   People who like your story will automatically be placed at the top. Anyone who likes your Instagram story will automatically shoot to the top of the list. Their placement here is independent of any of the aforementioned explanations. Instagram simply does this so you can quickly and conveniently see everyone who has liked your story.
5. 5
   Accounts listed first are NOT your stalkers. There is a long-held rumor that the people placed first on your list of story viewers are your Instagram stalkers (i.e., people that often visit your account without interacting). While users can interact with an account often and then appear high on the viewer list, stalking an account will not land a user high on the list.

   • This wikiHow article offers some alternative methods for finding your Instagram stalkers.
   • There is another common rumor which contends that viewing a story several times will land a user high on the list of story viewers. The algorithm does not order viewers according to how many times they have interacted with a single story, but rather their overall engagement with an account over a longer period of time.
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Section 4 of 4:

The Bottom of the List

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1. Accounts you do not follow back appear at the bottom of your story viewers. Even as the Instagram algorithm remains a mystery, the overall theme is that Instagram wants to prioritize people you are likely to engage with on the platform. Therefore, people you don't follow are last on the list.

   • If a user frequently engages with your content despite you not following them back, they may slowly move up the algorithm's list of story viewers.
   • If you see a name on your story viewer list and are unsure if they follow you or not, this wikiHow article can help you find out!

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Tips

• You may see a higher number of story views than usernames in your viewer list if people have viewed your story multiple times.
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