What Do the Symbols and Icons Mean on Instagram?

Instagram is packed with tiny icons that guide everything you do on the app. Some are obvious, like the heart for likes, while others can leave you guessing until you tap them. And since Instagram frequently updates its interface, even familiar icons can appear in new locations. This guide breaks down every symbol you’ll see, what it means, where to find it, and exactly what happens when you use it.

Navigation Icons (Bottom Bar)

Think of these as Instagram’s main control panel. They sit at the bottom of almost every screen and give you quick, one-tap access to navigate the entire app. 

1. Home (house): Opens your main feed with posts from people you follow and recommended content. If you’re already on the feed, tapping it again scrolls instantly to the top. 
2. Search (Magnifying glass): Opens the Explore page with trending posts, topic-based recommendations, and personalized suggestions. The search bar at the top lets you look up profiles, hashtags, locations, posts, or Reels.
3. + (plus): Opens the content creation menu where you can make a post, upload a Story, record a Reel, or start a Live broadcast.
4. Reels (clapperboard/play): Takes you directly to the Reels feed of short-form videos. Swipe up to watch more. 
5. Profile picture: Opens your profile page showing your bio, highlights, and posts. Long‑press to switch between accounts. A red dot means another account you manage has new notifications.

Home Page Icons (Top Bar)

These are the controls you’ll see right at the top of your home feed. They’re like quick-access tools for managing what appears in your feed, checking your latest activity, and jumping straight into your messages.

1. Arrow at the top (beside the Instagram logo): Switch between “Following” (posts from accounts you follow) and “Favorites” (only posts from accounts you’ve marked as favorites).
2. Heart with/without red dot: Opens your notifications for likes, comments, follows, mentions, and more. The red dot signals unread updates.
3. Inbox (zap inside chat bubble): Opens your Direct Messages inbox. A red circle with a number tells you how many unread messages you have.

The icons for stories and posts are included below. 

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Post Icons

Whenever you come across a post, whether it’s a photo, video, or carousel, you’ll see a set of icons placed above and below it. These are your quick-action tools for interacting with that content in different ways. 

Icons above the post: 

1. Checkmark icon: This blue or white checkmark badge means Instagram has confirmed the account’s authenticity. It’s used by public figures, brands, and creators to prove the account is official.
2. Three dots: Opens a menu with extra options for the post. You can save the post, report it, hide it from your feed, remix it if allowed, check details about the account, unfollow the account, or access other tools depending on the post type. (All options have text beside them, making them self‑explanatory) 
3. Music icon (🎵 or music note): Tap this to go to the music page for the song or audio currently playing in the post. There you can check the track’s details, see other posts or Reels that use it, and, if available, save the audio or apply it to your own Stories or posts.

• Arrow facing top-right: Sometimes, you will see an arrow icon instead of the Music icon in the same place. This means that music is currently trending. 

Icons on the post: 

1. Person icon: Appears when people are tagged in the post. Tap it to see the list of tagged accounts and visit their profiles.
2. Speaker/muted speaker: Shows whether the video has sound enabled. A speaker without a slash means audio is on. A slash through it means muted. Tap to turn the sound on or off instantly.
3. Numbers on posts: Displays at the top of a multi-image or video post (carousel) in a format like 1/8 or 2/6. It tells you exactly which slide you’re viewing out of the total. For example, “1/8” means you’re on the first slide out of eight, and the number updates as you swipe through.

Icons below the post: 

1. Heart: Tapping this likes the post, and the icon turns red to confirm the action. Double-tapping the post itself also works. Next to the heart, you’ll see the total number of likes the post has received. 
2. Chat bubble: Opens the comments section so you can read what others have said or leave your own comment. The number shown next to this icon tells you exactly how many comments have been made on that post. 
3. Two arrows in a square shape: This is a repost icon that lets you repost any public post to your account, and it will get recommended to your friends.
4. Paper plane: Lets you share the post with someone via Direct Message, third-party apps like WhatsApp or Snapchat, copy the post link or add it to your Story for others to see.
5. Bookmark flag: Saves the post to your private collection. You can organize saved posts into folders for easy access later.

Story Icons

Stories are one of Instagram’s most popular features, and each stage, whether you’re watching someone’s update, making your own, or adding finishing touches, comes with its own set of icons. These are the tools you’ll see in each of those moments: 

On Homepage: 

1. Your profile picture with the Plus icon: Appears on your home screen at the top of the Stories row. Tapping it opens the Story creation screen, where you can take a new photo or video or choose one from your gallery to share to your Story for 24 hours. 
2. Profile pic with green circle: Signals the user has shared a Story exclusively with their Close Friends list, and you’re one of them. Only people in that list can see it.
3. Profile pic with grey circle: Means the user has an Instagram Story, but you’ve already seen it. The grey ring shows there’s nothing new since your last view.
4. Profile pic with pink/yellow circle: Indicates the user has uploaded a new Instagram Story you haven’t viewed yet. This colorful ring is Instagram’s way of prompting you to tap and watch.

When viewing:

1. Heart: Sends a like to the Story without opening a chat or sending a direct message to the creator.
2. Paper plane: Opens the share menu so you can forward the Story to friends in Direct Messages or post it to your own Story (if the account’s privacy settings allow it).
3. Three dots: Brings up additional Story options like muting future Stories from the account, reporting inappropriate content, or copying the Story link.
4. Cross icon: Closes the story and goes back to the previous page.

1. Two arrows in a square shape: Indicates that the Story has been reposted from another account’s original Story. 
2. Star in a green bubble: It’s a story from a user has shared exclusively with their close friends. You are one of them if you are seeing this icon.

Reels Icons

When you’re scrolling through Instagram’s short-form videos, you’ll notice a set of icons along the right or bottom side of the screen.

1. White heart: Tapping this likes the Reel and turns the heart red. Alternatively, you can also double-tap to show that you love the reel. The number below it shows how many likes that reel got. 
2. Chat bubble: On Reels, this opens the comments section so you can read what others have said or add your own thoughts. The number below it shows how many comments Reel has.
3. Two arrows in a square shape: This is a repost icon that lets you repost any public reel to your account, and it will get recommended to your friends.
4. Paper plane: Lets you share the Reel via Direct Message, send it to apps like WhatsApp or Snapchat, copy its link, or add it to your Story for others to watch. You can also check how many people shared that reel below this icon. 
5. Three dots: Brings up a menu with extra options like remixing the Reel, sharing it, reporting it, or saving it for later.

1. Profiles with pink heart: Displays profile pictures of friends who have liked the same Reel, helping you see who’s enjoying similar content.
2. Friends option: This option is at the top of the Reels page, and you can check all the content your friends reposted.

1. Music icon (🎵 or music note): Tap this while watching a Reel to open the audio page for that Reel’s soundtrack. You can view track details, explore other Reels using the same audio, save it, or use it in your own content. 
2. Music album icon: You will visit the same page as the Music icon. 

1. Arrow facing top‑right: Replaces the music note when the audio is currently trending. Tapping it takes you to the audio page so you can see and use what’s popular right now.
2. Play icon: Lets you resume a paused Reel. This icon appears only when the Reel is paused, and tapping it restarts playback instantly. 
3. Speaker with/without slash: Appears when you tap on a Reel and lets you instantly mute or unmute its audio.

Direct Messages (DMs)

Your inbox and chats are packed with icons to say what’s happening with each chat. You can find icons on the chat list page or even inside the chat:

In the chat list:

1. Pencil: Opens a new chat window where you can select one or more people to message. Great for starting fresh conversations.
2. smiley in star: Accesses a list of custom AIs created by users. Each AI can have its own personality. You can chat with these bots or make your own.
3. Down-arrow beside username: Allows you to quickly switch to other accounts your manage. 

1. Red dot: Appears beside your Instagram username at the top when another account you manage has unread messages.
   
2. Green dot on profile pic: This indicates that the person is currently active on Instagram. 

1. Blue dot: Marks a conversation with new or unread messages so you can spot it quickly.
2. Camera icon: Sends a disappearing photo or video instantly from the chat list without opening the full conversation.
3. Pin: Keeps an important chat at the top of your list for quick access. You can access these settings by long-pressing any chat or swiping left. 
4. bell with slash: Disables notifications for that chat while keeping the conversation accessible. You can access these settings by long-pressing any chat or swiping left. 

• Dustbin icon: Swipe left on a chat, and you’ll see options like pin, mute, and this dustbin icon. Tapping it deletes the chat from your inbox, but it won’t remove it from the other person’s side. 

You can check pink, green and gray circles from this page too, which indicate the stories as mentioned before. 

Inside a chat:

1. Video camera: Begins a video call with live video and audio from inside the conversation.
2. Phone: Starts an audio call with the selected person or group directly from the chat, letting you talk in real time.
3. smiley and plus blended together icon: This is Instagram’s “Blend” feature. When both you and the other person enable it, Instagram creates a shared Reels feed showing videos that match both of your interests. 
4. Paper plane: Forwards the chosen message, photo, or video to another chat without needing to save it first.
5. Bookmark: Saves a post, Reel, or media shared in the chat to your collections so you can easily find it later.

1. Camera: Opens Instagram’s built‑in camera to quickly take and send a new photo or video without leaving the chat.
2. smiley with +: Gives you the option to react with emojis to shared posts, reels and media.
3. Microphone: Records a short voice note and sends it instantly to the conversation.
4. Gallery icon: Lets you browse through your device’s photos and videos to send media from your library.
5. Smiley icon: Opens a menu for sending stickers, GIFs, and custom avatars to make chats more fun and expressive.
6. Plus in circle: Adds extra tools to the chat, like sharing your current location, generating an AI‑created image, or starting a Meta AI interaction.

Profile Page Icons

When you visit a profile, whether it’s yours or someone else’s, you’ll notice a set of icons that give you different actions. On your own profile, they help you post, manage content, and adjust settings. On someone else’s profile, it’s more about how you follow, interact, or get updates from them.

On your profile:

1. Profile pic with plus icon: Opens the Story creation tool so you can share a photo, video, or text update with your followers for 24 hours.
2. Arrow next to username: Shows a list of all Instagram accounts you manage, allowing you to switch between them without logging out.
3. @ icon: Opens the profile on the Threads app if installed, or takes you to its download page if not.
4. + in a box: Opens the content creation menu for making a new post, Story, Reel, or starting a Live session.
5. Three bars: Opens the menu with access to settings, saved posts, and other account management tools. All those settings have labels next to them, making them self-explanatory. 
6. Person with + icon: Displays account suggestions so you can find and follow new people.

There are other icons on this page, but they’re the same as the ones you’ll find on other profiles. We’ve already explained those in the sections below. 

On someone else’s profile:

1. Bell: Opens notification settings for that profile. You can choose how to get alerts whenever they post a new photo, Story, Reel, or go Live, so you never miss their updates.
2. Three dots: Opens a profile options menu with actions like blocking the account, restricting their interactions, hiding their Story from your view, or copying their profile link.
3. Person with + icon: Shows a curated list of similar accounts you might be interested in following, based on the current profile.
4. Chat bubbles icon in bio: Lets you join their broadcast channel to receive updates, announcements, or behind‑the‑scenes content they share directly with members.
5. @ icon: Opens the profile on the Threads app if installed, or takes you to its download page if not.
6. Arrow next to Following: Opens a menu to manage how you interact with that account. You can mute their posts or Stories, restrict them, unfollow them, or add them to your Close Friends list for more personal sharing.

1. 9‑grid: Shows all your posts in a grid layout, letting you scroll through your feed history.
2. Reel icon: Displays a grid of all the Reels that the account has published so far.
3. Two arrows in square shape: You can see all the posts, either images of videos that person reposted in this tab. Others can check from your page as well.
4. Person icon: Shows posts where other users have tagged you, allowing you to review and manage them.

1. Pin icon: can check the posts or reels pinned by the user so they stay at the top of the page. 
2. Square icon on posts: Indicates the post contains multiple photos or videos (a carousel) instead of a single image. 

• Gibbous moon like icon with line over it: Shows the total number of times the Reel has been viewed, including repeat views.

Live Video Icons

When someone is streaming live on Instagram, you’ll see a different set of icons appear on the screen. These Live Video icons help you interact in real time, whether that’s seeing how many people are watching, joining the conversation, or even requesting to go live alongside them.

1. Viewer count: Shows the live count of people currently watching the broadcast.
2. + in video camera: Lets you send a request to join the live video as a co-host or guest.
3. Question mark in chat bubble: Opens a panel to view audience questions or submit your own during the live.
4. Paper plane: Allows you to share the live broadcast with friends through Direct Messages while it’s still ongoing.
5. Heart: Sends a floating heart animation on the live video to show real-time appreciation to the host.

Creating Content Icons

Whether you’re creating a Story, Reel, post, or going live, these icons serve as your go‑to creative toolkit. Most appear and work the same across all these formats, so once you learn them, you can use them anywhere. 

When creating Content:

1. Flash: Toggles the camera flash on, off, or sets it to automatic mode depending on lighting conditions. Appears when you are shooting for a post, reel or story. 
2. (1x, 2x, 3x, 4x, 1/3, 1/2) icon: An icon that displays one of these numbers when creating Reels. They indicate the recording speed: 1x is normal speed, 2x records at double speed, and 1/2 records at half speed, with other options adjusting accordingly. 
3. Clock icon: Can set the timer for your reels. So you can decide how long the clip should be. 
4. Cross icon: This is a close icon that closes the content creation page. 

1. Gallery icon: Lets you select photos or videos from your device to add directly into your content. 
2. Flip camera: Switches between your phone’s front-facing and rear-facing cameras instantly.

1. Two Arrow Icon: Move the story tools to the right or left side of the screen.
2. Settings gear: Opens Camera settings where you can control privacy, reply options, and saving preferences. 

When creating Stories or Reels, you’ll see several icons along the left or right edge of the screen. Tap the down arrow at any time to reveal each tool’s name. For example, the Boomerang icon loops your video, the length icon lets you adjust the Reel’s duration, the green screen icon replaces the background, and the hand icon enables gesture‑based camera control. 

When editing Content:

1. Aa: Adds text overlays to your Story, with options to choose different fonts, alignments, and sizes. 
2. Smiley: Opens the sticker menu, allowing you to add emojis, polls, GIFs, location tags, and other interactive elements.
3. Music: Lets you browse Instagram’s music library to add a background track to your story or reel. 
4. Paint brush with a star: Lets you use Meta AI’s editing tools to add, remove, or change objects in an image. (But it only appears for images, not videos.)
5. Three stars: Applies special visual effects, filters, or augmented reality (AR) overlays to your Story.
6. Squiggly line: lets you draw on the photos
7. Three-dot menu: It opens options to save the photo or video, label the post as AI-generated or even draw on top of your story. 

When editing Reels, you might come across additional icons not covered in this list. Simply swipe up to open the Reel editor, where each icon is clearly labeled with its specific function 

When editing text: 

1. Text Size (Gray Slider with White Dot) Icon: Drag the white dot along the slider to make your text bigger or smaller, giving you precise control over how it appears.
2. Eyedropper Tool (Dropper Inside White Circle) Icon: Pick any color directly from your photo or video and apply it to your text.
3. Text Font (“Aa”) Icon: Switch between different font styles to match the mood or theme of your Story or Reel.
4. Color Palette Icon: Open a palette to choose a solid color or gradient for your text.
5. Animation Text Styles (Two Slashes with “A”) Icon: Add dynamic movement or effects to your text so it catches the viewer’s attention.
6. Text Effects (Dots Around “A”) Icon: Apply extra visual styles like shadows, outlines, or highlights to make the text stand out.
7. Align Text (Three Horizontal Lines) Icon: Position your text to the left, center, or right of the screen for better composition.
8. Add Background (“A” Inside Square Box) Icon: Place a solid or translucent background behind your text to make it more readable over busy images.

Once you know what each one does, the app becomes much easier to navigate and a lot more fun to use. Whether you’re scrolling through Reels, chatting with friends, or posting your own content, these symbols are your shortcuts to getting things done faster. Now that you can decode them all, you can focus less on guessing and more on creating, connecting, and exploring.

Updated for the Instagram app version 393.0.0 on iOS and version 392.2.0.58.78 on Android.