What Does the Green Circle Instagram Mean in 2025?

Instagram is the second-largest social media platform in the world.

Over 1 billion people around the world actively use Instagram to share content and connect with friends.

The Instagram application offers a plethora of features to give users an eccentric experience.

You can post photos, videos in various formats, share stories, go live, make reels and more.

The possibilities are endless.

But often people get confused on the Instagram Platform.

One situation where this happens is people login to their account and see a green circle on a person’s story.

They don’t understand what the green ring signifies?

Now, there are rumors about this.

Some people say this is a new feature of Instagram which gets activated occasionally. Others say the ring appears when you share a particular type of content.

Well, if you wonder the same, keep reading this article.

Today, we’ll discuss all about what does the green circle Instagram mean.

You’ll also know how to use it on your account.

What’s the Deal with Instagram Stories?

Before jumping into the topic, it’s critical to understand the concept of Instagram stories.

So, what are Instagram Stories?

It’s an in-app feature of Instagram that allows users to share photos and videos that disappear within 24 hours.

You can create a story using stickers, gifs, text and more.

Instagram stories apply a colorful ring around your profile picture when you post them. This tells people they can tap into your profile to see the stories you have shared.

All stories appear in a vertical format and are one of the best ways to experiment and share content quickly.

Millions of users and businesses around the world use Instagram stories to generate brand awareness, interact with followers, and advertise products/content on the platform.

What Does the Green Circle Instagram Mean?

Instagram lets you create a list of close friends with whom you want to share exclusive content. In simple words, when you create a close-friends list, you can share content visible to them only.

For instance, if you intend to post a photo of your latest game collection with some people from your followers’ list. You can do this by creating a close friends list and sharing the story with it.

When you share a story with your close friends list, a green circle appears on your profile picture.

Unique Colors on Instagram Stories

There are many unique coloured rings that appear on Instagram stories.

Let’s look at some of them.

• Magenta Ring: A magenta coloured ring appears on the profile picture when you share a story. There’s nothing special about this ring. You can share a simple photo or video to get this ring activated.
• Rainbow Ring: A rainbow coloured ring appears on the profile picture when you share content related to Pride of the Month or its related topics. For example, a story with stickers supporting the LGBTQ Community.
• Gray Ring: A gray ring on someone’s story means you have already viewed/ opened the story. If they create a new story, the magenta ring will replace the gray ring until you view the story again.

How to Get the Green Ring on Your Instagram Stories?

You can make the green ring appear on your Instagram stories by sharing the stories with your close friends list.

Off-course, you must create a list to achieve this.

How can you create a close friend’s list on Instagram?

Well, it’s simple to create the list.

All you have to do is tap on your profile in the bottom-right corner of the Instagram screen.

Then tap on the hamburger icon and click on Close Friends List from the menu bar that appears.
Now, search for people and add them to create a list.

The next thing you need to do is create a story and share it with your close friend’s list only.

This’ll create a green ring around your profile picture, and only the people in the list will see the story.

They will see the green ring and understand you have added them to your list and want them to see the story.

Getting Rid of The Green Ring

If someone has added you to their close friend’s list, then you will see a green ring around their profile when they share a story with the list.

Well, if you want to get rid of the ring/situation, you have a few options at hand.

You can mute their stories, block them from following you, or simply unfollow them from your profile.

Conclusion

There you have it. Now, you know all about what does the green circle on Instagram mean. You also know how to create a close friends list and activate the green ring around your profile picture.

I hope this article helps.