Instagram icons
On Instagram, the heart likes a post, the repost icon shares it to your followers, the bookmark saves it privately, and the paper plane is direct messages. A green ring around a story means it is for Close Friends only, and a blue check mark next to a name means the account is verified.
How to read it
Instagram’s help centre has no single page of icons; this page puts together what Instagram and Meta say about each one, September 2026. Instagram’s help centre says a verified badge means Instagram has confirmed the account is the authentic presence of that person or brand, and that the badge is not a symbol of importance, authority or expertise. Since February 2023 the badge has also come with Meta Verified, a paid subscription for which people confirm their identity with government ID. Reposts, added in August 2025, are credited to the original poster.
Also searched as: Instagram symbols.
What each icon means
| Icon | What it does |
|---|---|
| Heart | Likes the post; Instagram has used a heart for likes since before Twitter switched to one in 2015 |
| Paper plane | Direct messages; on the website it sits at the top right and opens the inbox |
| Repost icon | Reposts a public post or reel; reposts are recommended to your friends’ and followers’ feeds and credited to the original poster (added August 2025) |
| Bookmark | Saves the post to a private list on your profile (added December 2016) |
| Green ring around a story | The story was shared to Close Friends only; a green “Close Friends” label appears on the story itself |
| Blue check mark | A verified account |
| “AI info” label | Meta detected or was told the content was made or edited with AI; more on the AI info label |
The green story ring
A green ring around someone’s profile picture in the story tray means that story is for their Close Friends list only. Instagram launched Close Friends worldwide on 30 November 2018, after 17 months of testing. TechCrunch reported at the launch that nobody is notified when they are added to or removed from someone’s list, which only its owner can see.
A blue check mark: notable or subscribed
Both kinds of verified account show the same badge. Instagram’s help centre says some are owned by a notable person, brand or entity and others subscribe to Meta Verified. Before February 2023, TechCrunch reported, the blue check was reserved for public figures such as lawmakers, actors, musicians, athletes and journalists; Meta said accounts verified under the old requirements would keep their badge.
“AI info” and “Made with AI”
Instagram’s AI label was called “Made with AI” until July 2024, when Meta renamed it “AI info”. For content only edited with AI tools, the label moved into the post’s menu; content Meta detects was generated by AI still shows it on the post. The TikTok labels work differently.
More social media icons and badges
Browse symbols drawn with circles, curves and waves or triangles.
Sources
- Verified badges on Instagram, Instagram Help Center (read September 2026), Meta, whole article
- Testing Meta Verified to Help Creators Establish Their Presence, Meta Newsroom, 19 February 2023, with later updates, Meta, article
- Meta to sell blue badge on Instagram and Facebook, Manish Singh, 19 February 2023, TechCrunch, article
- New Instagram Features to Help You Connect, Meta Newsroom, 6 August 2025, Meta, Reposts
- Instagram now lets you bookmark posts for later viewing, Sarah Perez, 14 December 2016, TechCrunch, article
- Instagram now lets you share Stories to a Close Friends list, Josh Constine, 30 November 2018, TechCrunch, article
- You can now get at your Instagram DMs on the web, 11 April 2020, TechRadar, article
- Why Twitter’s ‘Favorite’ Star Button is Now a Heart-Shaped ‘Like’, Kia Kokalitcheva, 3 November 2015, Fortune, article
- Our Approach to Labeling AI-Generated Content and Manipulated Media, Monika Bickert, 5 April 2024, updated 10 May, 1 July and 12 September 2024, Meta Newsroom, updates of 1 July and 12 September 2024
Last reviewed September 30, 2026 by Rory Hansen. How we research