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How to dm on instagram from computer


How to Send and Receive DMs on Instagram From a Computer

  • You can DM on Instagram from your computer using any internet browser.
  • To send direct messages from your computer, head to the Instagram website and click the paper plane icon in the top-right.
  • This story is part of Business Insider's Guide to Instagram.

In April 2020, Instagram added the ability to send direct messages to its desktop website. 

This means that Instagram users can now send direct messages, photos, gifs, and other kinds of media, as well as start group chats, unsend messages, and reply to chats using reactions, right from their desktop. 

However, some direct message features — like video chats — only remain available In the mobile app version. 

Here's how to use the direct message feature on Instagram using your desktop computer. 

How to send a direct message on Instagram from a computer 

1. Using your preferred internet browser, go to the Instagram desktop website and log in.

2. Once you've logged in, select the paper plane icon in the top-right corner to access Direct Messages. 

You can access your direct messages from any page. Meira Gebel/Business Insider

3. You'll be shown all of your active conversations. Click one to open it, or start a new one by clicking "Send Message" or the pencil-and-paper icon.

There are two ways to start a new conversation. Meira Gebel/Business Insider

4. When starting a new conversation, begin typing in the name or username of the person you want to message, or select an account from the list of "Suggested" users. 

5. Type your message into the text box at the bottom, and then select "Send."

You can also press Enter or Return to send it. Meira Gebel/Business Insider

Once you've sent a message, you can click the three dots next to it and then click "Unsend" to take the message back.  

Once you unsend a message, the message will be removed from the chat, no matter if the recipient has seen it or not. There's no time limit for unsending messages on Instagram. 

You can "Unsend" a message at any time. Meira Gebel/Business Insider

You can also delete an entire chat conversation by clicking the "i" icon in the top-right, and then selecting "Delete chat." Note, however, that this only deletes the chat on your end — the recipient will still be able to see it.

This will delete every message in the conversation — on your end. Meira Gebel/Business Insider

  • How to clear the Instagram cache on your iPhone to free up storage space


  • How to add Story Highlights on your Instagram profile in 7 simple steps

  • How to disable comments on Instagram on a post-by-post basis

  • How to add a location on your Instagram story to share it with your followers

  • How to add a GIF to your Instagram Story using GIPHY

William Antonelli and Kerry Wan contributed to a previous version of this article.

Meira Gebel

Meira Gebel is a freelance reporter based in Portland, Oregon. She writes about business, culture, and technology for Insider. Her work has been featured in Digital Trends, Willamette Week, USA Today, and more. She is a graduate of Columbia Journalism School and San Francisco State University.  Feel free to reach out to her on Twitter, where she can be found most of the time, @MeiraGebel.

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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.

Get Started

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

Try it free

Direct on Instagram* on a computer - 4 ways

Direct messages on Instagram* make it easy to communicate privately with other users, but by default, this is only possible in the app on your phone or tablet. Although sometimes it would be more convenient to write in direct on Instagram * on a computer - this can be done.

This manual describes in detail three ways to open and write to direct Instagram * on a computer or laptop - either simply through a browser without installing anything, or using additional utilities for these purposes. You may also find it helpful: How to post a photo to Instagram* from a computer. nine0003

  • The official Instagram app* for Windows 10
  • How to open and write to direct Instagram* on a computer using a browser
  • Direct Message for Instagram* extension for Google Chrome
  • Program to write direct Instagram* from computer
  • Video instruction

Official Instagram app* for Windows 10 with support for direct messages

If you have Windows 10 installed on your computer, you can use the official Instagram* app from the Microsoft Store that supports direct messaging:

  1. Open the app store (usually the icon is located in the taskbar), search for Instagram* and install the free official app.
  2. After launching, at the bottom, click "Login" and log in with your username and password.
  3. When the application is running, you will see a Direct icon to access your messages.
  4. If you need to direct Instagram* to another person, find him in your subscriptions or simply through the search, open his profile and click the "Write" button (only if you follow him). nine0008
  5. If you are not subscribed to a person, then to write to him in direct, open his profile, click on the menu button and select "Send message".

As you can see, everything is very simple - the Instagram direct* is in the usual place, and its use should not present any difficulties, in this part the application works properly.

By the way, in Windows 10, pressing the Windows key + period (in the bottom row on the right) will open the panel for quickly entering emoji, it can come in handy. nine0003

How to direct write Instagram* from a computer using a browser

This method allows you to open a direct on Instagram* on a computer or laptop with any version of Windows and other OS and use it without any additional programs: a browser on your computer is enough, it is completely safe, but perhaps not always convenient.

  1. In your browser (I'm demonstrating in Google Chrome, but you can do it in other browsers too), go to https://www.instagram.com/*. If you are prompted to sign in, enter your username and password. nine0008
  2. The Instagram* site will open with your account and photos, but without a directive. Next step: Right-click anywhere on the page and select View Code. In other browsers, this item may have a different name, for example, in Yandex Browser - "Explore element".
  3. The developer panel will open (it can open both on the right and at the bottom of the page), in it click on the emulation of mobile devices icon (first arrow), then select any mobile device, if you are not satisfied with the scale, change it, and then update page. nine0008
  4. The appearance of the page will change and now the Instagram direct icon* will be available on it, where you can see your correspondence.
  5. To start a direct chat with another person (who is not in direct chat), find him, go to his profile and click "Send message" (for the button to appear, you need to subscribe to him).

I think for everyone who is familiar with using Instagram* everything will be simple: direct from a computer works almost the same as from a phone. nine0003

The method is good for everyone, except that the steps to enable emulation of a mobile device on a computer will have to be done again each time. If you want to avoid this, there are other methods.

Direct Message for Instagram* extension for Google Chrome

A free extension is available in the Google Chrome extension store for using direct on Instagram* from a computer, which is called Direct Message for Instagram*.

nine0022
  • Install the extension from the official Chrome extension store.
  • After installation, a direct icon will appear to the right of the address bar of the browser, click on it: a separate window will open (you may need to enter data to log in to Instagram*) with your account.
  • All actions for writing to direct from the extension are similar to steps 4-5 from the previous method.

    • In fact, all this extension does is launch a browser window with an open Instagram* website with the necessary parameters and emulation of a mobile device, convenient, fast and available at any time. nine0003

    IG:dm program for using direct on Instagram* from a computer

    There is a separate free program for Windows, Mac OS and Linux called IG:dm (Instagram* Desktop Messenger) and is specially designed for messaging in direct Instagram* from a computer or laptop. The official website of the program is https://igdm.me (keep in mind that some antiviruses can block its download, but judging by VirusTotal everything is completely clean).

    After installing the program, you will need to log in with your Instagram* data, as a result you will see a kind of instant messenger for direct correspondence. nine0003

    You can search for users (not only among those who are subscribed or who are subscribed to you) and write messages to them in the program window, reply, all this in a convenient way.

    In my test, the program works fine, but it sometimes feels too slow. However, if you text a lot on Instagram*, IG:dm might be the fastest way to DM from your computer or laptop.

    Direct Instagram* on a computer or laptop - video

    I think one of the proposed methods of using direct messages will suit your use case and you will be satisfied.

    * Belongs to Meta Platforms, recognized as an extremist organization, its activities are banned in Russia

    remontka.pro in Telegram | Other ways to subscribe

    How to write a message on Instagram on a computer: 3 ways

    Users of the popular Instagram network often face the problem of how to write a message on Instagram on a computer. It came as a surprise to some that this feature is not available in the Web version. Is it possible to do this from a computer? nine0003

    Instagram was originally designed for smartphones. But in the world of modern technology, nothing is impossible. There are several options to write a direct message to Instagram on a PC.

    The spelling depends on what you are planning to do. This is a letter to a private chat or a comment from another user's post.

    How to comment on Instagram from a computer

    In order to write a comment on a post from a computer, it is best to use the incomplete version of Instagram. It still exists and is available for various browsers. Difficulties with the addition will not arise. nine0003

    To achieve your goal, you need to follow a few simple steps:

    • Open the browser you are using and find the Instagram website. If you have not yet entered the site, you will first have to go through authorization by entering your login and password for a personal account.
    • Find the post you want to add your comment to and click on it. You will see a picture or video on the screen, and on the right there will be a feed with other user comments.

    • At the bottom of the ribbon there is a field, "Add a comment." Click on this area and write the required text.
    • After that, press Enter and you're done.

    Correspondence can be conducted in the comments, sharing information. This is one way to write a message on Instagram through a desktop computer.

    How to write to Instagram in Direct on a computer

    Sending messages is more complicated if you want to do it directly through Direct. The official version of Instagram does not provide for personal chat conversations for computers. Therefore, before writing to someone in direct, you need to install a special add-on in the browser. It won't work without a plugin. nine0003

    There are at least two ways to bypass Instagram and send a direct message. The first option is suitable for Windows 10 users. The official Instagram app is suitable for this. Follow these steps:

    • Open the Instagram website with whatever browser you use.
    • The main page with news reports is displayed on the screen. Find the airplane icon for Direct in the top right corner. Click on it to go to a private message. nine0008

    • If you have a chat with someone you want to write to, just open this dialog.

    • To create a new conversation, click on the "new message" button
    • Select the desired person in the list of friends or enter a nickname or name in the search field

    • Write text and send using the send button

    The second option is if your Windows system is younger than 8. To do this, download an emulator for Android. The free emulator for BlueStacks smartphones is best. With it, we write the text directly in direct through a computer. nine0003

    • Find the BlueStacks emulator and download it to your computer
    • Install application on PC
    • When the installer completes, you will be prompted to select a language and enter your email address
    • Next, install the Instagram application through the emulator
    • We open access to files for the application

    Instagram will be displayed in the mobile version on the computer screen. All functions available on the phone can be used on the computer. nine0003

    Other ways

    There is another option that will help you write messages on Instagram on a PC. But this one is not entirely convenient, since it is temporary. Use services to promote Instagram accounts. They provide temporary access to the user's private messages.

    These tools have a number of drawbacks that are important to pay attention to before writing messages on Instagram on a PC.

    • Your personal data may fall into the hands of fraudsters, as the program requires access to the login and password of page
    • Applications for promotion are paid, so you will have several days to use it for free
    • You cannot write text in a new dialog; only existing conversations can be used

    Tip: after using the service, you need to log out and change your account login password.

    Among these services, you can use the Okogram.ru program. the client will receive 7 free days to use.

    Learn more