How to see someone's first post on Instagram
Instagram always shows a profile newest first. For your own account there is a hidden oldest-first view; for everyone else you either scroll to the bottom or sort the grid.
Your own first post
Instagram can sort your own posts oldest to newest. In the app, open your profile menu, go to Your activity, then the section with your posts, and use Sort & filter to choose oldest to newest. It only works for your account.
Someone else's: scroll to the bottom
On anyone else's profile the grid is newest first, and there is no setting to flip it. The only built-in way is to scroll until it ends. For an account with a few dozen posts that takes a minute. For one with two thousand, Instagram loads them a batch at a time and you can spend a long while getting there.
Someone else's: sort the grid oldest first
- Add Sortflare to Chrome.
- Open the profile on instagram.com.
- Press Alt+S, set the scan to cover everything the account has posted, and sort by Date with the oldest first.
The top row is the account's first post, with its date, views or likes, and a link straight to it. Scanning a whole profile is a Pro feature; on the free plan, signing in gives you one scan a day at Pro depth, which is enough to find one account's first post.
Oldest first on hashtags and saved posts
The same sort works on other grids Instagram never lets you reorder: a hashtag page, your saved posts, and each saved collection. Sort by date to put the newest or the oldest first. On a hashtag it covers the posts Instagram shows on that page, not every post ever tagged.
While you are there
A profile sorted by date is a timeline of how the account grew. Sort the same profile by outlier score and you see which posts broke out along the way, which is often more useful than the first one. See how to see someone's most viewed Reels.
Questions
Does Instagram have an oldest-first option?
Only for your own posts, under Your activity. Other profiles are always shown newest first.
Can I see someone's first post without scrolling?
Yes, with Sortflare on instagram.com: scan the whole profile and sort by date, oldest first. The first row is the first post.
Can I sort my Instagram saved posts by oldest?
Instagram cannot. Sortflare can: open your saved posts or a collection on instagram.com, press Alt+S and sort by date, oldest first.
Can I sort an Instagram hashtag by newest?
Yes, among the posts Instagram shows on that hashtag page. Open the hashtag on instagram.com and sort by date.
Will the person know?
No. Sortflare reads what your own signed-in tab loads and reorders it on your screen. It never likes, follows or comments.
Free to install. No account to start.
The free plan sorts the latest 25 posts or the last 7 days, exports everything and downloads without limits — and, signed in, runs one Pro scan a day. Pro is $29 once, for life.