How to delete instagram messages on computer


How to Send Instagram DMs from Your Computer (PC or Mac)

Staring at your phone’s tiny screen and typing on its tiny keys to reply to each Instagram DM you receive is not the most efficient way to interact with your customers.

But those days are over.

As of 2020, any Instagram user in the world can send an Instagram DM online, from their PC or Mac, as well as from their phone.

*Sliding into your DMs*

Now you can get and send Instagram Direct messages on desktop, no matter where you are in the world 👍 pic.twitter.com/CT2SwuxHTv

— Instagram (@instagram) April 10, 2020

Now, your brand now has more options when replying to Instagram DMs. And considering more than 200 million users visit at least one business profile each day, there’s a good chance some Instagram users will reach out to your brand directly via DM.

What does “DM” mean on Instagram?

How to send Instagram DMs on your computer (PC or Mac)

How to send Instagram DMs from the Instagram app

How to send Instagram DMs using Hootsuite (on desktop and mobile)

How to delete Instagram DMs

8 best practices for sending and responding to Instagram DMs

Bonus: Save time and download 20 free, customizable Instagram DM templates for your brand, including greetings, partnership requests, FAQ responses, replies to complaints, and more.

What does “DM” mean on Instagram?

DM means direct messaging.

On Instagram, DMs are private messages between one Instagram user and another user, or group of users.

Instagram DMs don’t show up in your brand’s feed, profile or in search. And they won’t for your followers, either. Only you and those you are communicating with can see the direct messages.

On Instagram, DMs are sent by Instagram Direct. Think of this as an email inbox where private messages are collected.

On both desktop and mobile, access Instagram Direct to see your Instagram DMs by clicking on the paper airplane icon.

When you see a red numbered notification over the paper airplane icon, you’ll know there’s an unread DM to be read.

How to send Instagram DMs on your computer (PC or Mac)

Anyone with an Instagram account can create or reply to Instagram DMs from the browser version of the app, from a desktop computer, without any special downloads or features. This makes it easier for your brand to respond to an influx or high volume of DMs.

(If that high volume of DMs is coming from more than one Instagram account or several profiles across different social media platforms, you’re better off using a social media management tool like Hootsuite to handle DMs — more on that in the next section!)

Whether you’re replying to an Instagram DM on a PC or creating an Instagram DM on a Mac, the process is the same:

1. Log into your brand’s Instagram account

Log in to instagram.com using whichever web browser you prefer. There is no specific Instagram DM browser to use.

2. Click on the paper airplane icon

To navigate to Instagram Direct, click on the paper airplane icon in the web page’s top right hand corner.

3. See all your Instagram DMs

All your brand’s direct messages and interactions show here. Unread direct messages will show first in the list.

You’ll also see the option to create a new DM. Click on the blue Send Message button to begin a new interaction.

Type in a user’s handle to begin a new one-on-one interaction. You can message any brand or user that you follow.

Or create a group for an Instagram DM. On Instagram Direct, you can send DMs to up to 32 people.

From your desktop, you can also like, copy or report a DM by clicking on the three buttons next to the Instagram DM.

4. Send other users’ content

As well as written messages, Instagram DMs can include photos, polls, GIFs, Instagram Stories and IGTV clips. Your brand might want to interact with users by sharing other users’ content in a DM.

Navigate to the photo, video or IGTV you want to share privately. Click on the paper airplane icon under that post.

Then, select how you want to share that content.

By clicking on Share to Direct, you can type in the Instagram user you want to send the content to directly via Instagram DM.

How to send Instagram DMs from the Instagram app

Sending Instagram DMs from the Instagram app is just as easy:

1.

Open the app on your phone

Download the Instagram app from the App Store or Google Play.

2. Click on the paper airplane icon

This will open all your Instagram DMs.

3. Engage with your users

Reply to customers’ queries by tapping on the unread message and writing a response in the Message bar.

And just like on desktop, you can choose one-on-one DMs or send to a group of up to 32.

4. Share others’ content

Any time you see the paper airplane icon, click on it to send that content privately.

Bonus: Save time and download 20 free, customizable Instagram DM templates for your brand, including greetings, partnership requests, FAQ responses, replies to complaints, and more.

Download now

How to send Instagram DMs using Hootsuite (on desktop and mobile)

If you manage more than one Instagram account or your brand receives DMs on more than one social media platform, a social media management tool like Hootsuite can save you a lot of time.  

With Hootsuite, you can answer messages and comments from all of your Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts in one social inbox. No more clicking through countless browser tabs to check for new DMs, or accidentally forgetting to respond until customers get fed up.

To start answering Instagram DMs using Hootsuite, follow these simple steps:

1. Connect (or re-connect) your Instagram profiles

If you’re new to Hootsuite, follow this guide to add an Instagram account to your dashboard.

If you’ve previously used Hootsuite for Instagram analytics or scheduling, but you haven’t connected Instagram with the Hootsuite Inbox yet, follow these steps to re-connect your account. 

In both cases, you will be prompted to follow a few simple steps to authenticate your account. 

Once you’re done, make sure that your Instagram profile settings allow sharing messages with your Hootsuite account:

  1. Go to Settings and tap Privacy.
  2. Tap Messages.
  3. In Connected Tools, use the Allow Access to Messages switch to enable sharing.

Note: Hootsuite Inbox is compatible with Instagram Business accounts.

2. Go to your Hootsuite Inbox

In your Hootsuite dashboard, navigate to the Inbox. 

Here, you can see interactions from your connected Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts. 

The Inbox collects 4 types of Instagram messages: 

  • Direct messages
  • Replies to your Instagram Stories
  • Quick reactions to your Stories
  • Mentions of your account in other users’ Stories

3. Reply to Instagram DMs

All that’s left is to engage with your followers. 

Follow these social media customer service best practices to make sure your message responses are always on fleek. (Does anyone say on fleek anymore? Asking for a Millennial friend.) 

If you’re part of a team managing social media DMs, you can easily assign messages to other team members (who will be notified by email) and sort your inbox by assignment, social network, message type and date. 

How to delete Instagram DMs

Depending on your brand’s social media policy, you may want to delete Instagram DMs.

To delete Instagram DMs from your PC or Mac:

1. Navigate to Instagram Direct

Click on the paper airplane icon in the top navigation bar.

2. Click on the communication you want to delete

Then click on the information icon by the user’s profile picture.

3. Click Delete Chat

That will bring up this screen:

Then, you can choose to Delete Chat. This will only delete the conversation for you. It will still be visible for the others included in the conversation.

Also under the “Details” section, there is also the option to Block, Report or Mute Messages. Muting simply means you won’t get notifications for new incoming DMs for this conversation.

To delete Instagram DMs using the mobile app:

1. Navigate to Instagram Direct

Click on the paper airplane icon in the navigation bar.

2. Swipe or hold the communication thread you want to delete

If you’re using iOS, swipe left on the message you want to delete. If you’re using Android, press and hold the thread you want to delete.

This brings up two options. Mute the message to stop seeing new notifications for this thread. Or delete the message.

3. Click Delete

This action will only delete the conversation for you.

8 best practices for sending and responding to Instagram DMs

Engaging with your customers and responding to Instagram DMs is just one way to effectively use Instagram for business and gain more Instagram followers.

Here are some essential tips to keep in mind.

Set up notifications for Instagram DMs

Make sure your brand sees all the new, incoming Instagram DMs that it receives.

On both desktop and mobile, navigate to Settings. Choose Notifications (or Push Notifications if you’re on desktop).

Then under Direct Messages, make sure the From Everyone (if you’re working on desktop) options are selected.

And make sure all the On (if you’re working on mobile) options are selected. This will ensure your brand sees all its new incoming DMs.

Use Instagram Quick Replies

Chances are, your brand is going to get a lot of similar questions over Instagram Direct. Instead of typing out the same reply, save time by making the most of the Instagram Quick Replies feature.

Set up a Creator Account with Instagram. Not only will this enable the Quick Replies feature, it will provide more options for organizing and managing your Instagram DMs, like the two-tab inbox.

Find Quick Replies as an option under Settings. To create a Quick Reply:

  • Click on the “+” button in the top right hand corner.
  • Type out a reply to a commonly asked question.
  • Choose a one-word keyboard shortcut for that message.

When replying to an Instagram DM, type the one word into Instagram Direct. Click the blue “Insert a quick reply” button” and the full response you’ve saved will autofill.

Acknowledge when a new message has been received

That way, even if your team isn’t able to respond to the direct message immediately, your customer isn’t met with silence.

You might:

  • Thank the customer for getting in touch.
  • Let them know their message has been received.
  • Set an expectation for how long it will take the team to get to their query.

This helps foster a relationship between the user and your brand. It also boosts customer service, setting expectations for when that customer can expect a conversation with your brand.

Then follow up promptly

Don’t leave your customers hanging!

And the faster your brand can reply, the better. According to the analysis and advisory firm Convince & Convert, 42% of customers who complain to a company over social media expect a response within 60 minutes.

Waiting too long to reply to a customer could result in them losing trust in your brand.

Write in your brand voice

Whatever your brand’s tone, be sure to use that same voice in your Instagram DMs.

Remember to:

  • Be authentic and personable. Show your customer they’re interacting with a real person who cares about their experience with your brand.
  • Don’t use jargon. Avoid using these words and phrases.
  • Make sure communication is easy to understand. Irony, sarcasm and jokes might be misinterpreted by the reader or cause offence. Leave no room for misinterpretation.

Make sure there are no spelling mistakes

Make sure your writing reflects your brand in a professional way.

Check for typos, spelling mistakes and grammar errors. Read over your DM for flow. And if your company manages multiple brands and has multiple Instagram accounts, make sure you’re working with the right account.

Keep your writing short and sweet

If someone is reaching out to your brand directly, they want an answer quickly. So avoid the chit-chat. Get right to it.

Address your customers’ DM right away. Write in a way that is easy to read. Write short sentences.

And don’t fear short paragraphs.

Doing all this makes it easier for customers to find the answer to their query.

Don’t forget to sign off

Finally, bring closure to the conversation by:

  • Asking the customer if there’s anything else they need help with.
  • Thanking them for their business or loyalty to your company.
  • Wishing them a great day.

Closing off is a personable way to communicate, but also ensures your customer doesn’t feel snubbed or shut down before the conversation is over.

Improve your response time and efficiently engage with followers by responding to Instagram direct messages alongside all your other social messages in Hootsuite Inbox. Try it free today.

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Improve your response times by managing Instagram direct messages with Hootsuite Inbox.

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How To Delete Messages on Instagram From Both Sides

If you’re using Instagram and want to delete messages from both sides of a conversation, you can do so by following a few simple steps. Here’s how.

ByDony Prasetiyo

Hours

Instagram has many unique features, one of which is the Direct Message (DM) feature. This feature allows all Instagram users around the world to send messages to each other privately.

However, some users may not know how to delete messages on Instagram. There are two different options that let you delete messages: unsending the message (which deletes the message from both sides) or permanently deleting the message.

You can delete Instagram chats from both sides. The message will be gone from both your DM and the other person’s DM. However, once the other person is online, they may be able to see that you’ve sent a message and then deleted it.

Here’s how it works:

Table of Contents

1

How deleting messages works on Instagram

There are two methods of deleting messages on Instagram: unsending messages and permanently deleting messages. Unsending a message works by deleting the message from both sides so there’s a chance that someone you’re sending a message can’t see the message you have deleted.

However, if the other person has read the message, or is online on Instagram opening the conversation while you’re deleting the message, that other person will still know the message you send even after you delete it.

That means if you want to delete a message from both sides on an Instagram direct message while protecting more of your privacy, you have to do it when the person hasn’t read the message and at the time when the other person isn’t potentially online.

Another method of message deletion on Instagram is permanently deleting messages, which works by deleting the messages only from your DM, and the other users can still see the messages you have deleted. This means your messages only get deleted from your side.

If you accidentally sent a message and you want to delete just that one and not the entire conversation, you can unsend the message instead. This also works if you have sent an unwanted reply to a specific message.

Can the other person still see messages that I have deleted?

Generally, the other person will still be able to see that you have deleted or unsend messages that you have sent, but they won’t be able to know the content of the messages. If they’re online on the DM while you delete them, chances are they know what message you have just deleted.

Another way for the other person to figure out what messages you have deleted is by seeing their DM notification. When they get the notification that you’re sending a message, they can read the message from the notification. But, when you delete/unsend it, the notification will change to “This message has been unsent”.

In conclusion, just feel free to unsend whenever you want to delete the messages so there won’t be any uncomfortable conversation in the future resulting from being indecisive on whether you have to delete the message or not.

The better advice is this: just delete it as fast as possible.

How to delete Instagram messages from both sides

If you want to delete a message on Instagram, you can do so by long-tapping on the message and choosing the Unsend message option. This will delete the message from both sides.

Here are the detailed steps, and you can apply them to Instagram on Android and iPhone:

  1. Open your Instagram app.
  2. Login to your account.
  3. Tap the DM button at the top.
  4. Open the conversation where you want to delete the Instagram message.
  5. Now, long-tap the message you want to delete/unsend. You will get options: Unsend, Reply, and more.
  6. Choose Unsend to delete the message from both sides.
  7. Instagram will then show you a confirmation message box. Tap Unsend to confirm the deletion of the message.
  8. You will see a message pops up saying “Message unsent”. That means the message has been deleted from both sides.
  9. The deletion will be permanent and you can’t recover the message or undo the unsending process on Instagram. The message will then be gone automatically.

ALSO READ: How to Unlink Instagram from Facebook

Delete all messages on Instagram at once

To delete all Instagram messages at once, you will first need to long-tap any chat you want to delete. After doing so, a confirmation message will appear asking if you wish to delete the conversation. Tap Delete to confirm and the messages will be deleted.

Keep in mind that you can’t recover it or undo the deletion process.

Here are the detailed steps:

  1. Open your Instagram app.
  2. Log into your account.
  3. Tap the DM button at the top. Your DM will then appear.
  4. Long-tap any chat you want to delete.
  5. Then, you have some options: DeleteMute Messages, and a few other options. To delete Instagram messages all at once for one conversation, just tap Delete.
  6. Instagram will ask for confirmation. Tap Delete to confirm.

How to unsend messages and delete chats on Instagram PC (web)

If you want to unsend a message on Instagram PC, just click the meatball menu button at the message you want to unsend. Click Unsend to delete the Instagram message from both sides. Or, click on the Delete Chat button at the bottom to delete the entire chat.

To delete Instagram messages on PC from both sides:

  1. Open the Instagram website.
  2. Login to your account.
  3. Then, click the DM button at the top.
  4. To unsend a message, just click the meatball menu button at the message you want to unsend.
  5. Click Unsend to delete the Instagram message from both sides.
  6. Now, Instagram will ask for confirmation. Click Unsend to confirm the deletion.
  7. The message is now gone and has been deleted.

Here’s how to delete the entire chat on Instagram on PC (web):

  1. Open the DM and the chat you want to remove.
  2. Tap the information icon button on the right side of the username to which person you talk to.
  3. Now, click Delete chat which is located at the bottom.
  4. Now, click Delete to confirm the deletion of the chat on Instagram PC.

Instagram has some features that let you delete messages faster. You can delete messages from both sides (you and the one you talk to), or just delete the chat which will remove all messages inside that chat/conversation. You can do this on Android or iPhone, Mac, and Windows 11 with a browser.

ALSO READ: How to Unarchive on Instagram

Post Tags: ##iphone#android#browser#chrome#delete#direct message#dm#instagram#mac#unsend#windows 10

Dony Prasetiyo

Dony Prasetiyo has been writing on monkeymanifesto. com for about two years. The website was built to help solve computer and smartphone problems with easy-to-understand posts.

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How to Unarchive on Instagram (Posts and Stories)

ByDony Prasetiyo

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Instagram has a feature to archive your posts and stories. If you want to get back, here’s how to unarchive Instagram photos, videos, and stories easily.

How to delete a message on Instagram - all ways to clear the correspondence

Content of the article:

  1. Deleting messages for yourself and the other party
    • How to delete a message from direct on phone
    • Deleting a message from direct on a computer
  2. Delete entire dialog
    • On a mobile device for IOS and Android
    • On PC
  3. Deleting all or several dialogs
  4. Sending disappearing messages
    • Sending disappearing photos and videos
    • Sending disappearing text
  5. How to recover deleted correspondence
    • Restoring correspondence without backups
    • Data storage applications

Is it possible to delete a message on Instagram

Of course, you can delete a message from an Instagram conversation, but there are a few nuances. And before deleting messages from public or private dialogs, you need to weigh all the pros and cons and only then start cleaning.

First, when you delete an individual message from a chat, it is deleted from all other participants in the conversation. That is, you can delete the message immediately for everyone who participated in the conversation, and not just for a specific user.

Secondly, when you delete the dialogue completely, and not individually for each message, the messages will remain unchanged for all other chat participants or an individual interlocutor if the communication was face to face. That is, you can delete the entire chat only from your own list of dialogues in direct, but nothing will change for your interlocutor (s).

Thirdly, deleted correspondence cannot be restored if there are no complaints about it from other participants in the correspondence. Direct does not have an archive like stories and it will not be possible to restore it as memories.

Fourth, it is possible to cancel sending a message (delete), but it is better to think several times before sending information that you will have to regret later. After all, the interlocutor can see it before you have time to cancel the send.

Next, we will analyze each case separately, when you need to delete individual messages in a dialog, when you need to delete the entire dialog and delete all or several dialogs in your account.

Related articles:

  • How to find out who unsubscribed on Instagram

Deleting messages for yourself and the other person

Please note that when you delete a phrase from a conversation, it disappears both for you and for another user. However, if the correspondence is complained about, the data can be restored for verification.

We recommend that you do not send confidential information in private messages, send photos that are too personal, and save your login information.

Even if the correspondence can be deleted, there is always a chance that another user managed to take a screenshot of the screen and the data will be saved forever.

How to delete a message from direct on your phone

To share a single message from direct to Instagram from your phone, do the following:

  1. Open the list of conversations in direct. To do this, click on the icon in the upper right corner.
  2. Open the chat you want to edit.
  3. Find the message you want to get rid of. Hold the text with a long press.
  4. Click on the "More" option in the lower right corner. From the pop-up menu, select the "Cancel Send" option.
Deleting a single message in direct correspondence

This method of cleaning correspondence is useful for those who want their messages to disappear not only for the sender, but also for the interlocutor (addressee).

Deleting a message from direct on a computer

The process of deleting individual messages in an Instagram conversation from a computer has some peculiarities.

To delete a conversation from Direct, do the following:

  1. Log in to your account from a computer and open the list of dialogs.
  2. Select the chat where you want to delete the message.
  3. Find the message and move your mouse over it. Three icons will appear on the left side of the phrase.
  4. Select the icon with three dots to the left of the message. After clicking, you will see several actions that you can perform - "Share", "Copy", "Forward" and "Undo Send". If you want to delete the selected phrase, select the "Cancel Send" option.
Deleting a message on the computer

Deleting the entire conversation

Sometimes deleting one or more phrases is not enough. In this case, getting rid of the chat completely will help. We remind you once again that in this case, the correspondence will remain unchanged with your interlocutor, it will disappear only with you.

On a mobile device for IOS and Android

Instructions for deleting a direct dialogue from your phone will be different depending on the type of your device.

You can delete correspondence from the iPhone as follows:

  1. Log in to your account and go to the section with private messages.
  2. Select the chat you want to get rid of. You can do this by scrolling down the feed, or use the search at the top of the screen.
  3. Swipe the dialogue to the left or hold it down until the menu appears Click on the "More" button.
  4. In the context menu that opens, click "Delete".
  5. Pay attention to the warning that will appear on the screen. The chat with the user will be permanently deleted.
  6. Press the option again to confirm the action.
Deleting the entire dialogue

The principle of deleting a dialogue from Instagram from Android is very similar, but has some differences.

  1. Sign in to your account, go to direct.
  2. Select the chat you want to get rid of. You can do this by scrolling down the feed, or use the search at the top of the screen.
  3. Press and hold the dialog until the context menu appears.
  4. Select "Delete".
  5. Pay attention to the warning that will appear on the screen. The chat with the user will be permanently deleted.

On a PC

It is not possible to completely delete a direct dialogue from a computer. There is currently no such feature, but you can share one or more messages from the dialog itself.

Delete all or several dialogs

Instagram has provided such a function as deleting all or several correspondence in a few touches. For those people who often and in large numbers receive direct messages from different profiles and conduct active correspondence, this functionality will be extremely useful.

Important! Deleting the entire conversation thread only clears the owner's account, but does not make changes to the accounts of the interlocutors. If you need to delete a message from the interlocutor too, then clean the messages one by one in each chat.

To delete several chats at once, follow the following algorithm:

  1. Log in to instagram direct;
  2. Click on the list icon;
  3. Mark those chats that need to be cleared, a menu will appear below;
  4. Click on the corresponding function;
  5. Confirm action.
Deleting several dialogs

Sending disappearing messages

In order not to create unnecessary hassle for erasing correspondence, you can insure yourself in advance and send a disappearing message.

The disappearing message can be a photo, video or text. Information disappears immediately after viewing, and it is impossible to see it again.

Sending disappearing photos and videos

To send such a message, do the following:

  1. Open direct and select correspondence with the user or group chat.
  2. Click on the camera icon. The camera mode will open in front of you. Take a photo, apply an effect if necessary.
  3. Drag the bar below the photo to change the view mode to "Single view", "Allow re-view" or "Keep in chat".
Disappearing photos

Sending disappearing text

If you want to send a text message in such a way that after viewing it disappears, you need to switch to the corresponding mode. For this you need:

  1. Open a dialog with the user
  2. Swipe up to enable disappearing messages;
  3. Write text;
  4. Send a message;
Disappearing messages

After the text is read by the addressee, it will disappear from the dialog

Please note that it is impossible to see the disappearing message from the computer. This feature is only present in the mobile app.

How to restore deleted correspondence

It is impossible to restore deleted correspondence using standard means of a mobile application and without having certain skills, as well as a set of certain programs.

This is why the Instagram system warns the user that the chat is permanently deleted.

Restoring a conversation without backups

If you deleted the whole conversation, and not just a single message, then you can ask the other person to take a screenshot and send the image to you.

You can try recovering deleted data via Facebook if your two accounts are linked.

  1. Log in to your Facebook account, go to the business page to which your Instagram profile is linked;
  2. Select the menu item "Inbox";
  3. Click on the Instagram Direct option in the left pane.
Restoring correspondence via Facebook

If the dialogs are saved, you will see them in this section.

This method of restoring correspondence is available only for business accounts and for those profiles whose Instagram is linked to a Facebook account.

Another way to restore correspondence is to use the data download function from Instagram.

This can only be done when using Instagram from a computer.

Keep in mind that in this case you will receive not only the restored text of the correspondence, but also all the rest of your account data.

Do the following:

  1. Log in to your account from a PC, click on the profile icon;
  2. Click on the "Settings" item from the drop-down menu;
  3. On the left side of the screen, select the "Privacy and Security" tab;
  4. Scroll down to the Download Data section;
  5. Select the "Request File" function. A new page will open in front of you, where you can select the type of downloaded file and enter the email address to which you want to send the data.
Backup download

Applications for saving data

There is a special application for recovering deleted data from Instagram - Instagram Message Recovery.

To use the application's features, do the following:

  1. Sign in to the app and enter your Instagram account login details.
  2. Click on the message you want to recover.
  3. Confirm your selection again.

We hope that in this article you have found answers to all your questions and now you know how to delete and restore messages in Instagram correspondence.

Write in the comments the topics that you would like to know more about, we will definitely study them in detail and write a great guide or guide for you.

How to delete a message on Instagram - all ways to clear the correspondence

Content of the article:

  1. Deleting messages for yourself and the other party
    • How to delete a message from direct on phone
    • Deleting a message from direct on a computer
  2. Delete entire dialog
    • On a mobile device for IOS and Android
    • To PC
  3. Deleting all or several dialogs
  4. Sending disappearing messages
    • Sending disappearing photos and videos
    • Sending disappearing text
  5. How to recover deleted correspondence
    • Restoring correspondence without backups
    • Data storage applications

Is it possible to delete a message on Instagram

Of course, you can delete a message from an Instagram conversation, but there are a few nuances. And before deleting messages from public or private dialogs, you need to weigh all the pros and cons and only then start cleaning.

First, when you delete an individual message from a chat, it is deleted from all other participants in the conversation. That is, you can delete the message immediately for everyone who participated in the conversation, and not just for a specific user.

Secondly, when you delete the dialogue completely, and not individually for each message, the messages will remain unchanged for all other chat participants or an individual interlocutor if the communication was face to face. That is, you can delete the entire chat only from your own list of dialogues in direct, but nothing will change for your interlocutor (s).

Thirdly, deleted correspondence cannot be restored if there are no complaints about it from other participants in the correspondence. Direct does not have an archive like stories and it will not be possible to restore it as memories.

Fourth, it is possible to cancel sending a message (delete), but it is better to think several times before sending information that you will have to regret later. After all, the interlocutor can see it before you have time to cancel the send.

Next, we will analyze each case separately, when you need to delete individual messages in a dialog, when you need to delete the entire dialog and delete all or several dialogs in your account.

Related articles:

  • How to find out who unsubscribed on Instagram

Deleting messages for yourself and the other person

Please note that when you delete a phrase from a conversation, it disappears both for you and for another user. However, if the correspondence is complained about, the data can be restored for verification.

We recommend that you do not send confidential information in private messages, send photos that are too personal, and save your login information.

Even if the correspondence can be deleted, there is always a chance that another user managed to take a screenshot of the screen and the data will be saved forever.

How to delete a message from direct on your phone

To share a single message from direct to Instagram from your phone, do the following:

  1. Open the list of conversations in direct. To do this, click on the icon in the upper right corner.
  2. Open the chat you want to edit.
  3. Find the message you want to get rid of. Hold the text with a long press.
  4. Click on the "More" option in the lower right corner. From the pop-up menu, select the "Cancel Send" option.
Deleting a single message in direct correspondence

This method of cleaning correspondence is useful for those who want their messages to disappear not only for the sender, but also for the interlocutor (addressee).

Deleting a message from direct on a computer

The process of deleting individual messages in an Instagram conversation from a computer has some peculiarities.

To delete a conversation from Direct, do the following:

  1. Log in to your account from a computer and open the list of dialogs.
  2. Select the chat where you want to delete the message.
  3. Find the message and move your mouse over it. Three icons will appear on the left side of the phrase.
  4. Select the icon with three dots to the left of the message. After clicking, you will see several actions that you can perform - "Share", "Copy", "Forward" and "Undo Send". If you want to delete the selected phrase, select the "Cancel Send" option.
Deleting a message on the computer

Deleting the entire conversation

Sometimes deleting one or more phrases is not enough. In this case, getting rid of the chat completely will help. We remind you once again that in this case, the correspondence will remain unchanged with your interlocutor, it will disappear only with you.

On a mobile device for IOS and Android

Instructions for deleting a direct dialogue from your phone will be different depending on the type of your device.

You can delete correspondence from the iPhone as follows:

  1. Log in to your account and go to the section with private messages.
  2. Select the chat you want to get rid of. You can do this by scrolling down the feed, or use the search at the top of the screen.
  3. Swipe the dialogue to the left or hold it down until the menu appears Click on the "More" button.
  4. In the context menu that opens, click "Delete".
  5. Pay attention to the warning that will appear on the screen. The chat with the user will be permanently deleted.
  6. Press the option again to confirm the action.
Deleting the entire dialogue

The principle of deleting a dialogue from Instagram from Android is very similar, but has some differences.

  1. Sign in to your account, go to direct.
  2. Select the chat you want to get rid of. You can do this by scrolling down the feed, or use the search at the top of the screen.
  3. Press and hold the dialog until the context menu appears.
  4. Select "Delete".
  5. Pay attention to the warning that will appear on the screen. The chat with the user will be permanently deleted.

On a PC

It is not possible to completely delete a direct dialogue from a computer. There is currently no such feature, but you can share one or more messages from the dialog itself.

Delete all or several dialogs

Instagram has provided such a function as deleting all or several correspondence in a few touches. For those people who often and in large numbers receive direct messages from different profiles and conduct active correspondence, this functionality will be extremely useful.

Important! Deleting the entire conversation thread only clears the owner's account, but does not make changes to the accounts of the interlocutors. If you need to delete a message from the interlocutor too, then clean the messages one by one in each chat.

To delete several chats at once, follow the following algorithm:

  1. Log in to instagram direct;
  2. Click on the list icon;
  3. Mark those chats that need to be cleared, a menu will appear below;
  4. Click on the corresponding function;
  5. Confirm action.
Deleting several dialogs

Sending disappearing messages

In order not to create unnecessary hassle for erasing correspondence, you can insure yourself in advance and send a disappearing message.

The disappearing message can be a photo, video or text. Information disappears immediately after viewing, and it is impossible to see it again.

Sending disappearing photos and videos

To send such a message, do the following:

  1. Open direct and select correspondence with the user or group chat.
  2. Click on the camera icon. The camera mode will open in front of you. Take a photo, apply an effect if necessary.
  3. Drag the bar below the photo to change the view mode to "Single view", "Allow re-view" or "Keep in chat".
Disappearing photos

Sending disappearing text

If you want to send a text message in such a way that after viewing it disappears, you need to switch to the corresponding mode. For this you need:

  1. Open a dialog with the user
  2. Swipe up to enable disappearing messages;
  3. Write text;
  4. Send a message;
Disappearing messages

After the text is read by the addressee, it will disappear from the dialog

Please note that it is impossible to see the disappearing message from the computer. This feature is only present in the mobile app.

How to restore deleted correspondence

It is impossible to restore deleted correspondence using standard means of a mobile application and without having certain skills, as well as a set of certain programs.

This is why the Instagram system warns the user that the chat is permanently deleted.

Restoring a conversation without backups

If you deleted the whole conversation, and not just a single message, then you can ask the other person to take a screenshot and send the image to you.

You can try recovering deleted data via Facebook if your two accounts are linked.

  1. Log in to your Facebook account, go to the business page to which your Instagram profile is linked;
  2. Select the menu item "Inbox";
  3. Click on the Instagram Direct option in the left pane.
Restoring correspondence via Facebook

If the dialogs are saved, you will see them in this section.

This method of restoring correspondence is available only for business accounts and for those profiles whose Instagram is linked to a Facebook account.

Another way to restore correspondence is to use the data download function from Instagram.

This can only be done when using Instagram from a computer.

Keep in mind that in this case you will receive not only the restored text of the correspondence, but also all the rest of your account data.

Do the following:

  1. Log in to your account from a PC, click on the profile icon;
  2. Click on the "Settings" item from the drop-down menu;
  3. On the left side of the screen, select the "Privacy and Security" tab;
  4. Scroll down to the Download Data section;
  5. Select the "Request File" function.

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