Delete an Instagram chat on iPhone and Android
- Open the Instagram app.
- Click the message icon in the upper left corner of the screen to view your Instagram direct messages.
- Find the conversation you’d like to delete.
- Hold down on the conversation and slide your finger to the left. An option to delete the chat will appear in red. You’ll also see the option to mute the chat. If you simply want a break from this conversation but don’t want to lose all your previous messages, you can select the mute option. But if you want to completely eliminate the chat, choose Delete.
- A pop-up will appear asking if you want to delete the chat permanently. Tap Delete.
Delete an Instagram chat on the web
- Log into your Instagram account on your web browser of choice.
- Navigate to your DM inbox.
- Find the chat you want to delete.
- Tap on the “i” symbol in the top right of your chat.
- Choose Delete.
FAQs
If you’re desperately trying to delete some messages, chances are you have some last-minute questions. You want to ensure you’re covering all your bases, which is smart. The following are some common FAQs about deleting messages on the ’gram to get you up to speed on how this function within the app works.
Does Instagram allow you to unsend multiple DMs at once?
You can only delete messages one by one on Instagram, so you’ll have to delete each photo of your cat you sent to that hiring manager on its own.
Can I delete Instagram messages from both sides?
Yes. Individually deleted Instagram messages disappear for anyone in the conversation, but if you delete an entire conversation, this change only affects you.
How can I delete a message someone else has sent me?
There’s no easy way to unsend messages someone else has sent you unless you ask the sender to follow the steps described above. That said, if you’re getting unwanted contact or being harassed, you can flag messages by following the same steps you would delete a message. However, in this case, you’ll tap on Report. You could even delete the entire chat to keep your inbox clean.
Is the other person notified when I delete an Instagram message or chat?
You’re in the clear if you’ve accidentally sent a message and later deleted it. The other user won’t receive a notification that you’ve deleted the message, nor will they be able to see that the message was ever there. If they’ve already read the message, however, it’s too late. As for entire chats, the other user won’t know if you deleted them because the conversation only disappears from the deleter’s inbox.
Wrapping up
It was easy, wasn’t it?
Although we’re usually all about sharing best practices to up your engagement, drive traffic to your e-commerce site or write a banging bio, we thought we’d drop some knowledge that’ll save you a dose of embarrassment.
Remember, most social media platforms like Snapchat and Facebook Messenger follow a different approach to deleting single messages and whole conversations, but Instagram’s pretty straightforward. So the next time you get a mini panic attack after inadvertently sending the wrong message to a stranger on Instagram, you know what to do.
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