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How do you send a private message on instagram


How to Message Someone on Instagram and Chat Privately

  • You can message someone on Instagram through the platform's direct messaging feature, which lets you reach out to anyone with an Instagram account. 
  • Users don't need to follow you, nor do you need to follow them to message each other on Instagram.  
  • You can message someone by swiping left on the Home screen and then creating a new message or tapping "Message" on someone's profile page.  
  • Instagram messages allow you to add multiple recipients to send a message to several people at once. 
  • This story is part of Business Insider's Guide to Instagram.

Instagram allows you to communicate publicly and privately with followers, mutuals, and other Instagram users. That includes sending private messages to anyone. 

You don't need to follow or be followed by that user to use the app's private messaging feature, and no one can see these messages except the recipients. 

Not only can you send text and images to someone, but you can send a message to multiple people at once.  

Here's how to message someone privately on Instagram.

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How to message someone on Instagram from the app home screen

1. Start the Instagram app on your mobile device and then swipe to the left from the Home screen or tap the paper airplane icon in the top-right corner.

2. Tap the New Message icon at the top right of the screen. 

The New Message icon is in the top right next to the Video Chat icon. Dave Johnson/Business Insider

3. Add each person you want to send the message to. You can select one Instagram user or add multiple recipients. 

You can also add someone by searching for them using the Search field. Dave Johnson/Business Insider

4. Tap "Chat" at the top right of the screen. 

5. Enter the message, add an image, audio, video, or Giphy.

Write your message, add media, and then tap "Send." Dave Johnson/Business Insider

6. When you're done, tap "Send."

How to message someone from their Instagram profile page

1. In the Instagram app, find and open the profile page of the person you want to message. 

2. Tap "Message."

Use the "Message" button on a user's profile page to communicate with them. Dave Johnson/Business Insider

3. Enter the message and add an image, video, audio, or Giphy if you want. 

4. When you're ready to send it, tap "Send."

 

  • How to delete Instagram private messages, by deleting a conversation or unsending a message

  • How to make your Instagram private and hide your account from everyone except the followers you approve

  • How to delete a comment on Instagram from your computer or mobile device

  • How to tag someone in an Instagram post, story, or comment

  • How to post on Instagram from your phone or a computer, using the official app or an internet browser

Dave Johnson

Freelance Writer

Dave Johnson is a technology journalist who writes about consumer tech and how the industry is transforming the speculative world of science fiction into modern-day real life. Dave grew up in New Jersey before entering the Air Force to operate satellites, teach space operations, and do space launch planning. He then spent eight years as a content lead on the Windows team at Microsoft. As a photographer, Dave has photographed wolves in their natural environment; he's also a scuba instructor and co-host of several podcasts. Dave is the author of more than two dozen books and has contributed to many sites and publications including CNET, Forbes, PC World, How To Geek, and Insider.

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How to Send a Direct Message on Instagram

By: Jenn Herman and Corey Walker and Eric Butow and

Updated: 12-12-2019

From The Book: Instagram For Dummies

Instagram For Dummies

Explore Book Buy On Amazon

Instagram offers so many options for interacting with others. One way you can do with is with direct messaging. Sending direct messages on Instagram lets you engage with others without laying out everything for public eyes. Keep reading to discover how to send a direct message on Instagram.

If you want to start your conversation with a text message, Instagram makes it easy for you. Follow these steps:

  1. If the Direct screen isn’t open, tap or click the Instagram Direct icon (it looks like a paper airplane) in the upper-right corner of your home screen.

    The Instagram Direct icon is located at the top right of your home screen.

    This is also where you receive new messages. A red circle with the number of messages waiting for you is shown on top of the Direct icon. Your new messages are revealed when you tap the number.

  2. Tap or click the pencil in a square icon.

    Create a new message by tapping the + at the upper right of your screen.

    The New Message screen appears.

  3. Search for a name in the Search box or scroll in the Suggested list to find the recipients, and then tap or click their usernames.

    The New Message page allows you to select message recipients.

    A blue check mark appears to the right of each recipient name after you tap or click it. You can also search for one or more recipients.

  4. On iPhone, tap or click Next. On Android, the message box appears at the bottom of the screen after you select one or more recipients.
  5. Start typing in the message box at the bottom of the page, and tap Send when you have completed your message.

    Type a new message in the Message screen at the bottom of the page.

  6. Return to the Direct screen by tapping or clicking the < icon.

    The message you just sent appears at the top of the list. Each message entry in the list shows you the recipient’s or group’s name, followed by whether the recipient is active now, or when they were last active.

    View your message on the screen by tapping the message entry.

  7. Return to the Instagram home screen by tapping or clicking the < icon.

    You can unsend a message by holding down on the message. Then tap Unsend (iPhone) or Unsend Message (Android) to unsend it. The message has now been erased from the conversation (but it may have been seen if the contact is quick to read messages!).

Sharing photos and videos via direct message on Instagram

If sending a text message is too boring for you, you can take a photo or video (or use one from your camera roll) and send it to the other person. You can even customize the photo with text, filters, GIFs, and more.
  1. In the main Direct screen, tap or click the blue Camera link.

    The Camera link is at the bottom of the main Instagram Direct page.

    If you need to get to the Direct screen, first tap or click the Direct icon from the Instagram home screen or window.

  2. Take a photo by tapping or clicking the white button or hold the white button down to film a video. Alternatively, you can choose a photo or video from your camera roll by tapping the small square at the lower left of the camera screen and choosing the photo/video by tapping it.

    Tap (for photos) or hold (for videos) the white button to take a photo or video.

    The switch cameras icon appears to the right of the white button so you can switch between the front and rear cameras, if necessary. If you’re unhappy with what you shot, tap the X to delete the photo or video and try again.

  3. If you want to layer text on top of your photo or video, tap or click the text (Aa) icon. Type your message and then tap Done.

    Add text to your photo by tapping the Aa.

    Photos and videos here have all the same custom capabilities as they do in Instagram stories.

  4. Tap Send To > at the lower right.
  5. Select your recipients by scrolling through the recipient list and then tapping Send next to one or more usernames.

    The photo is sent right away and a blue bar that says Done appears at the bottom of the screen. You can also send your photo to be shown on your Instagram story or to your Close Friends Only list.

    Choose your message recipients by tapping Send or share on your story or with close friends by tapping Share.

    You can search for a recipient by tapping the Search box above the list and typing your search terms. As you type, the usernames that most closely match your terms appear in the results list. When you find the name of the recipients you’re looking for, tap or click their names in the list.

  6. Tap Done.

    The Direct screen appears and contains the message you sent to the recipient at the top of the conversation list.

Direct messages are private, and Instagram means it — you can’t do several things with a direct message that you can do with a public message:
  • You can’t share photos or videos sent with Instagram Direct to other social networking websites.
  • Any hashtags or locations you add to your private message aren’t searchable in Instagram.
  • Your messages won’t appear in the feed screen or in your profile. You can, however, send a photo or video filmed within Instagram Direct to your Instagram Story.
Do photos and videos last forever or do they disappear? The answer is: It depends. If you send a photo or video using the method outlined earlier, the photo or video remains viewable in the recipient’s message indefinitely. However, if you would like to send a disappearing photo or video, follow these instructions:
  1. Tap or click the Instagram Direct icon, which appears in the upper-right corner of your home screen.
  2. Type in the Search feature to locate the contact you want and tap their name once you find the correct person, or scroll through your existing messages to find the person.

    If you had a previous conversation with the contact, the old message thread appears. Otherwise, you’ll see a blank screen with the contact’s name at the top and a message bar at the bottom.

  3. Tap the blue camera icon at the bottom of the screen to go to the camera.
  4. Take a photo by tapping or clicking the white button, or hold the white button down to film a video.

    The switch cameras icon appears to the right of the white button so you can switch between the front and rear cameras, if necessary. If you’re unhappy with what you shot, tap the X to delete the photo or video and try again.

    If you’d rather use a photo or video you took previously, you can choose one from your camera roll by tapping the small square at the lower left of the camera screen and choosing the photo/video by tapping it. You can also choose multiple photos/videos at once by tapping Select Multiple, tapping each thumbnail you want, and tapping Next at the bottom of the screen.

    Choose photos or videos you’ve taken previously by tapping the small square at the lower left of the Camera screen.

  5. If you want to layer text on top of your photo or video, tap or click the text (Aa) icon. Type your message, and then tap Done.

    Photos and videos here have all the same custom capabilities as they do in Instagram stories.

  6. After any customizing is complete, you can decide how you want the photo to be viewed by scrolling left or right directly over the words to choose View Once, Allow Replay, or Keep in Chat.

    hoose how you would like your message to be viewed.

    View Once allows one view and then it disappears. Allow Replay allows one view and one replay, then it disappears. Keep In Chat keeps the photo or video in the message thread indefinitely.

  7. After a method of viewing is selected, tap the Send button.

    You can also choose the Send to Others button if you want to send to your Instagram story, close friends only, or other contacts.

About This Article

This article is from the book:

  • Instagram For Dummies ,

About the book authors:

Jenn Herman, a social media consultant and world-renowned Instagram expert, pens a top-rated social media blog, Jenn's Trends.

Corey Walker offers social media strategy, content, ad management, and analytics focused on Instagram and Facebook.

Eric Butow provides website design, online marketing, and technical documentation services to businesses.

Jenn Herman, a social media consultant and world-renowned Instagram expert, pens a top-rated social media blog, Jenn's Trends.

Corey Walker offers social media strategy, content, ad management, and analytics focused on Instagram and Facebook.

Eric Butow provides website design, online marketing, and technical documentation services to businesses.

John Sonmez is a software developer and the author of two best-selling books, The Complete Software Developer's Career Guide and Soft Skills: The Software Developer's Life Manual. He is also the founder of the Simple Programmer blog and YouTube channel. Eric Butow is the owner of Butow Communications Group (BCG), which offers website design, online marketing, and technical documentation services for businesses. He is the author of 32 computer and user experience books.

This article can be found in the category:

  • Instagram ,

How to send a message to a person on Instagram?

Help Center

Instagram features

Direct messaging

In Instagram Direct, you can send messages, photos, and videos to one person or a group of people. These messages do not appear in the feed, search results, or your profile.

Send chat messages

Instagram app for Android and iPhone

Tap the or icon in the top right corner of the feed.

Click on the top right corner of the screen.

Select the people you want to send a message to and click Send in chat.

Enter a message. You can also tap to capture and share a disappearing photo or video, or to select a photo or video from your library.

Click Submit.

instagram.com in a browser on a mobile device

instagram.com in a browser on a computer

Instagram Lite app for Android

You can also send a message to the person you follow by going to their profile and clicking Send.

Links you send in a message are shown in the conversation along with an image preview. When sending an address or phone number, you can click on them in a conversation to open a map or make a call.

Note. The Instagram accounts you message to may use third-party apps or automated services to send messages to chats.

If you're having trouble sending a message to Instagram, try these steps.

Sending messages using commands

Commands allow you to use chat features when writing a message. Below is how to use them.

Instagram app for Android and iPhone

Tap Write message… at the bottom of the screen.

Here you can:

Enter the symbol / to open the list of function commands. For example, the /silent command will allow you to send a message without sending a notification.

Enter the @ symbol to open a list of people who will receive the notification. For example, using the @[username] command, you can tag a chat participant in a message.

Select a team and write a message.

Click Submit.

Note. The mentions feature is only available in chats with at least 3 participants.

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How to send a Direct message on Instagram

The Instagram service, back in 2013, gave its users the opportunity to exchange messages. This feature is available as part of the Instagram Direct innovation.

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Unfortunately, this feature is currently only available on the mobile app. Please note that for direct, you need to install a program version of at least 5.0 on your device.

In this article we will cover the following topics:

  • What is direct?
  • How can I use it to send messages to my subscribers and other users?

Instagram Direct - what is it?

2013 was marked for service fans by the appearance of private communication with their friends (subscribers). Interestingly, this feature allows you to send a private message, both to one specific user and to a group of subscribers (up to 15 people at the same time). As you may have guessed, we are talking about the "Direct" function.

It has already been noted above that you can use this opportunity if you install the fifth version of the Instagram application on your mobile device.

Direct allows you to both exchange quick messages and send media files (short videos, pictures and photos) to your subscribers.

Now that you understand what this function is, let's learn how to use it to expand the capabilities of your favorite service.

How to write a private message?

Now, in the newest version of the Instagram application, the direct function is placed in a separate block. In this connection, you should not have problems using this feature. But, if an old version is installed on your mobile device, then problems may arise.

The first thing we will do is check which version of Instagram is currently installed on your device and, if possible, update the application.

First, open the Play Market (or App Store for Apple product owners):

Open the Play Market application

Click on the “my apps and games” tab

Open the “My apps and games” section

Find “Instagram” from the list of installed applications

Check the version of the installed Instagram

Now look carefully at the inscriptions next to the name of the program. If it says “installed” (as in the screenshot above), then you have the latest version, if there is an active “update” button, then click on it and wait until the program is updated to the latest version.

Now that you've made sure you have a new version of the application, we can learn how to use Direct.

  1. Open the Instagram program and enter your account:

    Opening the Instagram app

  2. Click on the image of the airplane in the upper right corner

    Open Instagram Direct

  3. You have a new message button on your screen. Click on it:
  4. Now select a friend(s) to send them media files or a text message:

    Select any user from the list to send a message

  5. After you have selected a subscriber (subscribers), a window for adding text (files) appears below. Click on "write a message":

    After selecting a subscriber, click on "write a message"

To write text, click on "write text" and enter your message.

To send photo or video files, click on the picture image in the lower left corner:

To send a media file, click on the picture image

If you want to send a new photo, then click on the camera image in the lower right corner (the function will be available when you go to the gallery).

Learn more