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 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 Meta Verified, the help centre says, the badge also required the person or brand to be notable and unique; 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.
Read next
- Next in Social media icons and badgesTikTok symbolsOn the right of a TikTok video, the heart likes it, the comments icon opens the comments, the Favorites icon saves it, and the arrow shares it. A blue check mark next to a name means TikTok has verified the account, and an “AI-generated” label marks content made or edited with AI.
- In AI labels and icons"AI info" labelAI info. On Instagram, Facebook and Threads, Meta’s AI info label means Meta detected industry-standard signs that AI was used to make or edit the post, or the person who posted it said so. Tapping it shows more.
More social media icons and badges
The same shape elsewhere
Browse symbols drawn with circles, curves and waves or triangles.
Sources
- Verified badges on Instagram, Instagram Help Center (read September 2026), Meta, whole article (checked against the Wayback Machine copy of 20 June 2024; the same passages are in the copy of 20 August 2026)
- 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
Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed October 3, 2026. How we research
Added . Last updated .