Instagram stories not working or not loading? Don’t worry! Try this

Instagram Stories may not work due to an issue with the app’s installation or because of certain device configurations. Try reinstalling the application, as this will fetch new application files from the servers and resolve potential issues.

Before you begin troubleshooting, if the problem is solely with images, check whether moving the images to the device’s internal memory or reducing their size resolves the issue.

1. Relaunch Instagram after Clearing its Cache

Stories will not work on Instagram if the app’s core modules are in a malfunctioning loop and need to be reinitialized. To do this, relaunch the Instagram app after force-closing it and clearing its cache.

For iOS devices, swipe up the Instagram app from the recent apps and restart the phone.

For Android, follow these steps:

1. Exit Instagram > press on the Recent Apps >Close All.

   

2. Navigate to Settings > Application Manager > Instagram.

   

3. Force Stop the app and open Storage & Cache. 

   

4. Clear the Cache of the app and see if Instagram Stories are working correctly. 

   

2. Toggle the Airplane Mode 

If Instagram Stories aren’t working, it could be due to a glitch in your phone’s communication systems that is preventing the application from connecting to its servers.

A simple fix for this is to turn your device’s Airplane mode on and then off again. This process can refresh your phone’s communication systems and will help to get Instagram Stories working properly again.

1. Exit the Instagram app and launch the iPhone Settings.
2. Enable Airplane Mode and wait for a minute. 
3. Disable Airplane Mode and check if the IG app is working properly. 

   

If you’re encountering problems while uploading a story, you can try this solution:

First, switch your phone to airplane mode and check if a delete icon appears on the problematic stories. If the delete icon is visible, proceed to remove these stories while still in airplane mode.

Once you’ve done this, switch off airplane mode and see if the upload problem has been resolved.

3. Perform a Force Restart (iPhone only)

If Instagram Stories aren’t functioning correctly, it could be due to an error with some internal modules that manage these stories. These modules may need to be forcefully refreshed, which can be achieved by force restarting your iPhone.

1. Press the volume up and volume down buttons successively.
2. Press and hold the side button.
3. Keep the side button pressed while the power slider screen is shown and only release the button when the Apple logo appears.

   

4. Launch the Instagram app and check if its stories are working properly.

4. Re-login to Instagram

To log out of the Instagram app:

1. Launch the Instagram app. 
2. Navigate to Profile > Menu (3 vertical bars) > Settings. 
3. Scroll down to the bottom and Sign Out.

   

4. Restart your device and launch Instagram.

   

5. Log in to the app and check if the Stories feature is working correctly.

   

6. If this didn’t work, log out of Instagram and launch a web browser on the same device.
7. Head to the Instagram website and log in. Check if stories are working in the browser.

5. Update the OS of the Problematic Device to the Latest Build

If Instagram Stories aren’t working properly, it could be because your device’s operating system (OS) is out of date. This can lead to compatibility issues when your device tries to fetch stories from Instagram’s servers. To fix this, you should update your device’s OS to the latest version.

Before you start, ensure that your device is connected to a Wi-Fi network, the battery is fully charged, and you have backed up all your phone’s data for safety.

1. Go to Settings > General > Software Update.
2. Check for an iOS update and if available, install it.

   

3. Once done, restart your phone and then make sure the Instagram app is also updated.
4. Launch Instagram and check if the Stories problem is solved.

   

6. Clear the Cache Partition of the Phone (Android Only)

Instagram on Android utilizes the phone’s cache partition to store temporary data that is frequently used to enhance the performance of the application.

However, if the cached data related to stories becomes invalid or corrupt, it could prevent the app from displaying or uploading stories. One way to fix this issue is by clearing your phone’s cache partition.

1. Switch off the Android phone and hold the following buttons simultaneously:

   Volume UP
   
   Home
   
   Power

2. Wait until the manufacturer’s logo (such as the Samsung logo) is displayed, then release the power button while continuing to hold the home and volume up buttons.
3. Wait till the Android logo is shown, and on the Android logo screen, release the buttons.
4. In the Android Recovery, use the volume down or up button to highlight the Wipe Cache Partition option.

   

5. Press the power button to confirm to initiate the wiping process of the cache partition and wait till the process completes.
6. Once done, select Restart, and once in normal mode, clear the cache of the Instagram app.
7. Launch Instagram and check if its Stories feature is working normally.

7. Adjust the Display’s Zoom 

The issue might arise if the display zoom is enabled on your device. When in a zoomed state, the app will fail to properly display stories or related buttons, such as the button to post a story. To fix this, adjust the display zoom of your device to reset it to the default setting.

To adjust Display Zoom on an iPad:

1. Navigate to Settings > Display & Brightness > Display Zoom.

   

2. Select Larger Text and adjust the setting as per your requirement.
3. Launch Instagram and check if its Stories are operating normally.

9. Edit the Date and Time Settings of Your Device

Instagram Stories is a date and time-based feature, and a story will disappear after a certain amount of time. If the device’s date and time settings are incorrect, Stories will not work because the timestamp on the data packets will be wrong. In such a case, editing the date and time settings of your device will resolve the issue.

To do so on an Android phone:

1. Exit and force close the Instagram app.
2. Steer to Settings > System > Date and Time.

   

3. Disable Automatic Date and Time.
4. Set the correct date and time.
5. Disable Automatic Time Zone and make sure the correct Time Zone is selected.
6. Launch Instagram and check if its stories are working correctly.
7. If this does not work, restart the phone, and enable automatic Date, time, and time zone.
8. Launch Instagram and check if its stories issue is resolved.

10. Try a VPN or Another Network/Network Type

Stories will not work if your network does not allow the Instagram app to access Stories on servers, or if the network is incompatible with the feature. This is particularly evident in public networks, such as those in corporations or universities. In these cases, trying a VPN or another network type will solve the problem.

1. Force close the Instagram app and launch a VPN on your device. You may need to install one.
2. Connect to a location (like Singapore or Australia) and launch Instagram.  Check if its Stories are working correctly.
3. If this does not work, exit Instagram and disable the problematic connection type (such as Wi-Fi).
4. Enable the other network type, such as Mobile Data, and launch Instagram. Check if the stories are working properly.
5. If this does not work as well, check whether connecting to another network resolves the Instagram issue. If no other network is possible, you may use a hotspot from another phone, but preferably on a different carrier.

   

11. Reinstall the Instagram App

Stories will not work on Instagram if the modules responsible for the feature were not correctly patched during the latest update of the app. To fix this, reinstall the Instagram app. To reinstall the Instagram app on an Android phone:

1. Navigate to Settings > Application Manager > Instagram.
2. Force stop the Instagram app and open Storage. 
3. Clear the Cache and Data of the app.
4. Hit Back and Uninstall the app.

   

5. Restart the phone and install Instagram.
6. Launch the app and grant all the required permissions.
7. Log in and check if the Instagram Stories has started to work.

If the Instagram app is a system app that cannot be uninstalled on your Android phone, head to Instagram in the phone’s Application Manager and uninstall updates to Instagram. Then, open Storage, clear Data, disable Instagram, and restart the phone. After that, enable Instagram and check if the problem is resolved. You may need to update the app afterward.

12. Reset the Problematic Device to the Factory Defaults

You will encounter the problem if the OS modules that manage the application’s stories become invalid and are unable to transmit the necessary data packets. In such a case, resetting the problematic device to its default state will solve the issue.

For illustrative purposes, let us discuss the process of resetting an iPhone. Before resetting, remember to fully charge the iPhone battery and back up the phone’s data. Additionally, make sure the problem is not caused by a service outage by visiting Instagram’s social media handles.

1. Go to Settings > General > Reset.
2. Tap on Erase All Content and Settings and confirm to start the reset process. 

   

3. Wait till the reset process finishes, and once done, set up the iPhone as a new device (without restoring).
4. Install Instagram and hopefully, this will make stories work.

If none of the above work, contact Instagram support. Until then, check if the Instagram stories function properly on another account or account type (such as a business). You can also use Instagram on another device until the problem is resolved.

Browser-Specific Solutions

he Instagram Stories feature will not work in a web browser due to issues with the browser’s cookies or preferences. If you are having issues with the feature on a browser, you can attempt other solutions discussed above (such as re-logging into the website, adjusting the date/time settings of your device, etc.), but the ones mentioned below are browser-specific.

Let’s discuss these in detail:

1. Clear the Instagram Cookies and Data in a Browser

You will fail to use Instagram Stories in a browser if its cookies are invalid or its data does not match your data on the servers. In this case, clearing Instagram’s cookies and data will resolve the issue.

To do so on Google Chrome:

1. Launch Chrome browser and expand its menu.
2. Select New Incognito Window and in the Incognito window, make sure no extension is allowed access in the Incognito mode.

   

3. Navigate to the Instagram website and log in using your credentials. Check if the problem is solved. 
4. If the website worked in incognito mode, close the Incognito window, and in the normal Chrome window, navigate to the Instagram website.
5. Log into the Instagram website and click on the padlock icon in the address bar.
6. Open Cookies and select a cookie > Remove.

   

7. Repeat the same to remove all the Instagram-related cookies and click on Done.

   

8. Again, click on the padlock icon and select Site Settings.

   

9. Click on Clear Data and select Reset Permissions.

   

10. Once done, relaunch Chrome and open the Instagram website.
11. Log into the website and check if the Stories functionality is back to normal. 
12. If this does not work, check if Instagram works fine on another browser (like Firefox) on your device.

2. Reset the Browser Preferences

Instagram Stories will not work in a browser if an adjustment to your browser settings prevents the feature from working. Additionally, if a browser setting becomes invalid, this can also cause problems. In either case, resetting your browser preferences to their default settings will allow you to view stories in the browser.

To reset Firefox preferences on a Windows PC:

1. Exit the Firefox browser and right-click Windows.

   

2. Select Run and navigate to the following path. If you have installed Firefox on a custom location, open that location.

   %APPDATA%\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\

   

3. Open the desired profile. In the case of a single profile, open the Default profile.

   

4. Find the Prefs.js file and delete it. If you fail to delete the file, restart the system and try to delete the file afterward.

   

5. Launch Firefox and navigate to the Instagram website.
6. Log in using your credentials and check if the Stories are operating.

3. Reinstall the Browser

Instagram Stories will not work in a browser if the essential browser components for the feature are no longer valid or are failing to perform the required operations. A poorly applied update to the browser might have caused the issue.

This issue can be resolved by reinstalling the browser. Before uninstalling, back up any essential information in the browser, such as website logins, bookmarks, etc.

To reinstall the Chrome browser on a Windows PC:

1. Navigate to Windows > Apps & Features > Chrome.
2. Expand Chrome Options and Uninstall Chrome.

   

3. Now follow the prompts to uninstall Chrome and once done, restart your PC.
4. Press the Windows + R keys to open the Run command box and head to the following location:

   %localappdata%\Google\Chrome

   

5. Delete the User Data folder. Ignore the folders or files that cannot be deleted.

   

6. Once done, reinstall Chrome and check if the Instagram Stories are working.