While Instagram is mainly a platform for posting photos, it also offers its own private messaging system.
Instagram did not always have a delete feature for messages, but it started in 2018.
And like most messaging services, you have full control over which messages get saved and which get deleted.
You can both delete entire conversations and delete individual messages you’ve sent, but this action only removes the conversation from your account.
The conversation will still be visible to the other person or people involved in the conversation.
If you want to delete individual messages within a conversation, you will need to use the “unsend” feature. This allows you to delete specific messages that you have sent.
However, you cannot delete individual messages that were sent by someone else.
The only way to delete messages from someone else is to delete the entire conversation.
Key Takeaway
- Deleting a message removes it for all parties in the conversation, but deleting an entire conversation only affects your inbox.
- To delete a message sent by someone else, ask the sender to delete it or flag it as inappropriate.
- The other user will not be notified if you delete a message or chat unless they have already read it.
Deleting entire conversations
If you want to delete a conversation and choose the delete option, it will only be removed from your account.
There’s no option to delete your own messages one by one without using the unsend feature.
Also, you can’t delete the other person’s messages individually without wiping out the entire conversation.
- 1. Open Instagram and tap the messages icon in the top-right corner, which looks like a paper airplane.
- 2. On the messages page, tap the icon in the top-right that looks like a bulleted list.
- 3. Tap all the conversations that you want to delete, then tap Delete in the bottom-right corner.
- 4. Confirm that you want to delete the conversations. Remember that the other person (or people) in the conversation will still be able to see the messages unless they delete it themselves.
Delete your own individual messages
If you’ve sent a message that you later decide you want to take back, you can delete it using the “Unsend” option. This will delete it for everyone in the conversation.
- 1. Open Instagram again and find the message that you want to delete.
- 2. Press and hold your finger on the message that you want to unsend.
- 3. When a pop-up menu appears, select the Unsend option and confirm that you want to delete it.
Note that while unsending a message will delete it for everyone, sending a message might still notify everyone else in the conversation.
FAQ
1. How do I delete a single Instagram message?
Open Instagram and go to the conversation containing the message you want to delete. Tap and hold the message until a menu appears. Select “Unsend Message” and confirm by tapping “Unsend” again.
2. Can I delete an entire Instagram conversation?
Yes, you can – go to your inbox and tap the conversation you want to delete. Tap the three dots in the top-right corner of the screen. Select “Delete Conversation” and confirm by tapping “Delete” again.
3. Will the other person be notified if I delete a message or conversation?
No, the other person will not be notified if you delete a message or conversation.
4. Can I delete a message or conversation on someone else’s account?
No, you can only delete messages and conversations from your own account.
5. Can I recover a deleted message or conversation on Instagram?
No, once a message or conversation is deleted, it cannot be recovered.
6. Can I delete multiple messages at once on Instagram?
No, you can only delete messages one at a time on Instagram.
7. Can I delete a message or conversation from the Instagram website?
Yes, you can delete messages and conversations from the Instagram website by following the same steps as on the app.
Summary
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.
