Snapchat Memories: How to Find, View, and Use Them

Besides letting you connect with friends through Snaps and Stories, Snapchat also gives you a private in-app gallery called Memories. Launched in 2016, Snapchat Memories allows you to save and revisit your favorite Snaps and Stories—so you never lose a meaningful moment.

This guide explains everything about Snapchat Memories: what it is, how it works, and how to make the most of its features.

What Are Snapchat Memories?

Snapchat Memories is your private gallery within the app where you can save Snaps and Stories to view, relive, and reuse later. Unlike regular Snaps and Stories that disappear after being viewed or within 24 hours, content saved to Memories stays there until you delete it.

But it’s more than just storage. Snapchat Memories is like a digital time capsule. It automatically creates:

• Monthly Recaps: Highlights from the past month.
• This Day/Week in History: Throwback Snaps from the same date or week in previous years.
• Highlight Reels: Curated collections of your most viewed or saved Snaps.
• Random Throwbacks: Rediscovered moments you may have forgotten.

These flashbacks appear at the top of the Memories gallery in a story-style format, making it easy to relive your favorite memories.

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Key Features of Snapchat Memories

Here are some standout features that make Memories such a powerful tool:

1. Automatic Backup: Everything you save to Memories is backed up to Snapchat’s servers. Even if you lose your phone, your Memories are safe and synced to your Snapchat account.
2. Guaranteed Privacy: Snapchat encrypts all Memories. Not even Snapchat’s team can access them, ensuring full user privacy.
3. My Eyes Only: A hidden section within Memories, protected by a passcode. Use this to store sensitive Snaps privately—accessible only to you.
4. Stories & Camera Roll Integration: You can import photos and videos from your device’s gallery into Memories or save Memories to your camera roll. Reposting them as new Stories or Snaps is quick and seamless.

Why Save Snaps and Stories to Snapchat Memories?

Snapchat is always evolving—AR lenses, AI stickers, and filters come and go. But Memories offers a consistent space for saving your favorite content.

Here’s why it’s useful:

• Creators can repurpose older content for newer audiences.
• Users can create nostalgic stories or highlight reels.
• Friends can share memories that strengthen personal connections.

How to Save Snaps to Memories Automatically

You can set Snapchat to automatically save your Stories to Memories. Here’s how:

1. Open Snapchat and tap your Bitmoji icon in the top left corner.
2. Tap the Settings icon in the top right corner.
3. Locate and tap on Memories.
   
4. Tap Auto-Save My Story Snaps.
5. Finally, select Auto-Save to Memories.
   

To save already posted Stories:

1. Open the Story you want to save.
2. Tap the downward arrow (Save) button at the bottom right corner.

Manually Saving Snaps to Memories

To manually save Snaps or unposted Stories:

1. Open the Snapchat app and capture a Snap.
2. Next, tap the downward arrow (Save) button at the bottom left corner to save the Snap to your Memories.
   

How to View Your Saved Snapchat Memories

Accessing Memories is just as easy:

1. In the Snapchat app, head to the Camera tab.
2. Here, tap the Photo Library icon next to the Capture button to open your Memories section.
3. Alternatively, you can swipe up on the camera screen at any time to open Memories.
4. Now, simply tap the saved Snap to view it.
5. Use the search bar at the top to find a specific saved Snap if scrolling manually feels like a hassle.
   

The Home tab shows all your saved Snaps and Stories in a single scrollable view. To view saved Stories separately, swipe right on the Home tab until you arrive at the Stories tab.

Moreover, you can also view your monthly recaps, “This Day in History” flashbacks, random throwback snaps, and more in the form of a highlight reel at the top of the Memories section.

Editing and Resharing a Snap from Memories

Snapchat lets you edit and repost saved Snaps:

1. In the Memories section, open the saved Snap you want to edit and reshare.
2. Now, swipe right or left to add a filter or lens to the Snap, just as you usually do.
3. You can also use Snapchat’s creative tools — add text, stickers, filters, music, or even crop the image to make changes to the saved Snap.
4. Next, tap the Send To button, select the audience and hit Send.
   

You can also save the edited version to your camera roll or create a new Memory from it.

Note: Snaps reshared from Memories count as chats, not toward Snapstreaks.

How to Create Stories from Multiple Snaps

Want to compile a story from saved Snaps? Here’s how:

1. Select the saved Snaps you want to include in your Story.
2. Tap the Create Story button at the bottom left corner.
3. Tap the Save Story button to save your newly created Story to Memories.
   
4. Alternatively, tap the three-dot button, then select the Send Story option to share it with your friends and followers.
   

Exporting Snaps from Memories

To share a saved Snap outside Snapchat:

1. Head to your Snapchat Memories and open the saved Snap you want to export.
2. Tap the Send To button.
3. Now, instead of hitting the Send button, select one of the available options under the Share Elsewhere section to save the Snap to Camera Roll, send it via message, or share it with another app.
   

How to Delete a Memory Snap

To delete saved Snaps or Stories:

1. Tap and hold a saved Snap or Story in Snapchat Memories.
2. Now, tap the Recycle Bin (Delete) button at the bottom.
3. Next, tap the Delete Snap button to confirm.
   

Once deleted, it’s gone permanently and can’t be recovered.

How to Protect Your Memories with Privacy Controls

While Memories are private, anyone who opens your app can view them—unless you use My Eyes Only.

To move a Snap to My Eyes Only:

1. In the Memories section, long-press the saved Snap you want to move to My Eyes Only.
2. Now, tap the three-dot (More Options) button at the bottom.
3. Next, select My Eyes Only in the pop-up menu.
4. Enter your passcode, then tap the Move button to confirm.
   

Alternatively, you can enable Snapchat to automatically save all your Snaps and Stories to My Eyes Only by default. Here’s how:

1. Open Snapchat → Profile → Settings.
2. Tap Memories.
3. Toggle on Save to My Eyes Only by default.
   

Now, every time you hit the save button on a Snap or Story, it will be directly saved to My Eyes Only.

Troubleshooting Snapchat Memories Issues

Here’s how to fix common problems:

Issue	Solution
Memories Not Loading	Memories require Wi-Fi or mobile data to sync with Snapchat’s servers. So check whether your phone has an active internet connection.
Snaps Not Saving to Memories	Revisit Memory settings and ensure “Auto-Save” is toggled on. Also, check whether your phone has enough free storage.
Memories Missing After Phone Change	Make sure you’re logged into the same Snapchat account used on your old phone. Also, Check your backup status in Settings → Memories → Backup Progress — it should say “Complete.”
App Crashing When Accessing Memories	Update Snapchat from the App Store or Play Store.

Snap, Save, and Revisit

Snapchat Memories turns your Snaps into a curated archive of life’s moments—easily accessible, creatively editable, and completely private. Whether you’re saving travel memories, editing a throwback Snap, or reliving a Story from last year, Memories gives you the tools to do it effortlessly.

Feel free to reach out to us via comments if you need further help.

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