Guide

How to Go Live on Instagram: Steps, Audience and Replays

You can go live on Instagram with a few taps, but a Live goes better with a title, a plan and a quiet room. This guide covers the steps, who can watch, how to see viewers and what happens after you end the broadcast.

Go live on Instagram, step by step

Open Instagram, tap the plus button and choose Live. Add a title, pick who can watch and tap the button to start. Your followers may get a notification when the Live begins.

Menus move, so if you do not see Live, check Instagram's Help Center for the current steps.

Who can watch your Live

A public account can be watched by people who open it, and a private account's Live is seen by its followers. You can choose to hide it from specific people in the Live settings. Viewers can comment, and you can turn comments off or pin one.

Instagram Live viewers and what you can see

During your own Live you can see who is watching, and the list changes as people join and leave. Sites that promise an Instagram Live viewer for watching anonymously are not Instagram's, so do not give them your login.

End the Live, and use the replay

Tap End when you are done. Instagram offers to share a replay or save it, and the available options change by account and country. Add a note to your next post telling people when you will be live again.

Plan the Live around a post

Announce the time in a post a few days ahead, and remind followers on the day. Dripost schedules those announcement posts for you. It does not start a Live, which you do in the Instagram app.

Sources

Questions

Can I go live on Instagram from a computer?

Instagram's Live is started from the app on your phone. Some streaming tools can connect from a computer, so check Instagram's Help Center for what your account supports.

Can I go live without followers?

You can start a Live with any account. A small audience is fine, and the people who join are the ones who matter.

Can I schedule a Live on Instagram?

Instagram has a way to schedule a Live for eligible accounts, in the Live setup screen. Check whether it appears for yours.

What is an Instagram live stream, and who sees it?

Instagram Live is a live stream from your account. Followers may get a notification when it starts, and who can watch depends on whether your account is public or private.

Try it on your own post.

Start free

Every account starts with 14 days of Pro. No card.