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What Does the Lock Mean on Snapchat? Download Article Learn what this Snapchat icon means Written by Hannah Dillon
Last Updated: April 21, 2025 Fact Checked
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Snapchat Lock 🔒 Meaning
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Are locked stories visible?
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Why Some Stories are Private
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How to Make a Private Story
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This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Hannah Dillon. Hannah Dillon is a Technology Writer and Editor at wikiHow. She graduated with a B.A. in Journalism from North Dakota State University in 2013 and has since worked in the video game industry as well as a few newspapers. From a young age Hannah has cultivated a love for writing and technology, and hopes to use these passions in tandem to help others in the articles she writes for wikiHow. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 164,588 times. Learn more...
Wondering if you’re locked out of someone’s story? Is it possible somebody got banned? The Snapchat lock symbol may have you scratching your head, but don’t fret; we’ve got you covered! In this article, we’ll break down what the 🔒 means, how it got there, and how you can put a lock on your own stories. Read on to learn everything you need to know about "locking it down" on Snapchat.
What the Lock Symbol Means on Snapchat
A lock on someone's profile pic means that they've created a private story. If you can see the lock, that means that person has shared their private story with you. The lock will be purple if there's something new in the private story, or gray if you've already viewed it.
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Section 1 of 4:
Why does the lock appear on Snapchat stories?
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The lock appears on Snapchat stories that are private. Typically, Snapchat stories are public for anyone on your friends list to see. However, you can create custom Snapchat stories for specific audiences. But how do you know if a story is private? It has a 🔒 on it![1]XResearch source
When a story is private, unapproved friends won’t see a story in their feed.
The lock only appears on stories. Regular snaps are sent individually, so you’ll only see a normal snap if it was meant for you in the first place.
The lock will be purple if you haven’t watched a private story yet, or gray if you’ve viewed it. It’s also gray in your profile if you want to make your own custom story.
If you’re brand new to Snapchat, a story refers to snaps that you post for people to open at their leisure. Unlike normal snaps you send individually, a story won’t pop up in someone’s inbox.
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Can I see stories with the 🔒 on them?
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Yes, the fact that you can see the story means it’s meant for you. The story wouldn’t pop up in your feed if you weren’t able to view it. This means that your friend went out of their way to select your name so that you could see the story.[2]XResearch source You should feel honored!
The lock simply means that other people may not be able to view the story.
Section 3 of 4:
Why would someone make a story private?
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1 People make private stories because it’s faster than sending snaps. If you know that you want to send a single snap to a large number of people, crafting a private story is a tad bit faster than shooting a regular snap and sending it out to a bunch of people individually. Sending the individual snaps isn’t a massive time sink, but making a private story is just a lot more streamlined.
You can select who views your story from an alphabetized contact list. In contrast, when you send a normal snap, your friends list is sorted based on streaks (how often you send them snaps), which can be kind of clunky to sift through.
2 A user might make a story private to keep certain people from seeing it. Private stories are a great way to invite specific people to a party or share personal news without letting everyone see it. If you’re only trying to share something with a specific group of people (like close friends, coworkers, or family members), a private story will prevent folks you only talk to occasionally from seeing it.
If you accept random friend requests, making a story private is a good idea if you’re revealing any personal info on the app. It’s better to be safe than sorry!
You may also want to hide a story if you’re doing something in a snap that certain people may not approve of. If you’ve got a sibling who hates people who drink, you may want to block them from seeing footage of you at a party, for example.
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How do you make a Snapchat story private?
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1 Tap your profile icon in the Snapchat app. Open the Snapchat app and log in, if necessary. Then, press the profile icon in the top left of your screen to open your home screen.[3]XResearch source
You can also get to this screen by pressing your Bitmoji or the story thumbnail when you open the app.
2 Press New Private Story and select the friends you want to see it. The New Private Story button is under the Add to My Story button, which is under the "My Stories" heading. Tap that button. Now, tap on every user in your friends list who you’d like to see your story.[4]XResearch source
This is a key difference between posting a private story and sending individual snaps. When you send a normal snap, you select who to send it to after you shoot the video or take a photo.
If you've already created a private story, you can access it by tapping Add to [name]'s Private Story. You can create a new private story by tapping the yellow + New Story button and choosing New Private Story.
3 Tap Create Story. You'll be prompted to give your story a name. Tap Done to finalize the name. This will create your private story for the people you selected.
4 Tap Add to [name]'s Private Story. The [name] will be replaced with your display name on Snapchat.
5 Choose a Snap or photo, or record something new. Shoot your video or take your photo. Add whatever widgets or filters you’d like and press the send button (it’s that little paper airplane in the bottom right).[5]XResearch source Your story will now appear—with the lock symbol on it—in the feed of anyone approved to view it!
There are three ways you can add content to your private story:
The Snaps tab allows you to pick from Snaps you've already created. Tap on one to add it to your private story.
The Camera Roll tab allows you to pick from photos on your phone to add to your private story. Tap it to add it to your private story.
The camera icon in the upper-right corner allows you to record a new Snap to add to your private story. Simply record a Snap like you would normally, then add it to your private story.
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Written by: Hannah Dillon wikiHow Technology Writer This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Hannah Dillon. Hannah Dillon is a Technology Writer and Editor at wikiHow. She graduated with a B.A. in Journalism from North Dakota State University in 2013 and has since worked in the video game industry as well as a few newspapers. From a young age Hannah has cultivated a love for writing and technology, and hopes to use these passions in tandem to help others in the articles she writes for wikiHow. This article has been viewed 164,588 times. How helpful is this? Co-authors: 5Updated: April 21, 2025 Views: 164,588 Categories: Snapchat In other languages Dutch Indonesian Portuguese Italian Vietnamese Spanish Japanese
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Download Article Learn what this Snapchat icon means Written by Hannah Dillon 
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Written by: Hannah Dillon wikiHow Technology Writer This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Hannah Dillon. Hannah Dillon is a Technology Writer and Editor at wikiHow. She graduated with a B.A. in Journalism from North Dakota State University in 2013 and has since worked in the video game industry as well as a few newspapers. From a young age Hannah has cultivated a love for writing and technology, and hopes to use these passions in tandem to help others in the articles she writes for wikiHow. This article has been viewed 164,588 times. How helpful is this? Co-authors: 5 Updated: April 21, 2025 Views: 164,588 Categories: Snapchat In other languages Dutch Indonesian Portuguese Italian Vietnamese Spanish Japanese 
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The lock appears on Snapchat stories that are private. Typically, Snapchat stories are public for anyone on your friends list to see. However, you can create custom Snapchat stories for specific audiences. But how do you know if a story is private? It has a 🔒 on it![1] 
Yes, the fact that you can see the story means it’s meant for you. The story wouldn’t pop up in your feed if you weren’t able to view it. This means that your friend went out of their way to select your name so that you could see the story.[2] You should feel honored! 
1 People make private stories because it’s faster than sending snaps. If you know that you want to send a single snap to a large number of people, crafting a private story is a tad bit faster than shooting a regular snap and sending it out to a bunch of people individually. Sending the individual snaps isn’t a massive time sink, but making a private story is just a lot more streamlined. 
2 A user might make a story private to keep certain people from seeing it. Private stories are a great way to invite specific people to a party or share personal news without letting everyone see it. If you’re only trying to share something with a specific group of people (like close friends, coworkers, or family members), a private story will prevent folks you only talk to occasionally from seeing it. 
1 Tap your profile icon in the Snapchat app. Open the Snapchat app and log in, if necessary. Then, press the profile icon in the top left of your screen to open your home screen.[3] 
2 Press New Private Story and select the friends you want to see it. The New Private Story button is under the Add to My Story button, which is under the "My Stories" heading. Tap that button. Now, tap on every user in your friends list who you’d like to see your story.[4] 
3 Tap Create Story. You'll be prompted to give your story a name. Tap Done to finalize the name. This will create your private story for the people you selected. ![Step 4 Tap Add to [name]'s Private Story.](https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/e/eb/What-Does-the-Lock-Mean-on-Snapchat-Step-8.jpg/v4-460px-What-Does-the-Lock-Mean-on-Snapchat-Step-8.jpg)
4 Tap Add to [name]'s Private Story. The [name] will be replaced with your display name on Snapchat. 
5 Choose a Snap or photo, or record something new. Shoot your video or take your photo. Add whatever widgets or filters you’d like and press the send button (it’s that little paper airplane in the bottom right).[5] Your story will now appear—with the lock symbol on it—in the feed of anyone approved to view it!