You can delete Instagram messages one at a time, or delete entire conversations
Instagram lets you remove messages in two ways: delete individual messages from a conversation, or delete the entire chat thread. When you delete a message, it disappears from your inbox but the other person can still see it on their end — Instagram does not offer a way to unsend or retract messages after they have been sent. If you want to remove a conversation entirely, deleting the thread removes it from your inbox only; the other person's inbox is not affected.
The steps differ slightly depending on whether you use Instagram on a phone or computer, and whether you want to remove one message or a whole conversation.
Key Takeaways
- Deleting a message removes it from your inbox but not from the recipient's inbox — they will still see what you wrote.
- You can delete individual messages by long-pressing (on phone) or right-clicking (on computer) and selecting delete.
- To delete an entire conversation, swipe left on the chat thread (iPhone) or long-press it (Android), then select delete.
- Deleted messages cannot be recovered, so make sure you want to remove them before confirming.
- Instagram does not notify the other person when you delete a message or conversation from your side.
How to delete a single message on your phone
Open Instagram and go to your Direct Messages by tapping the paper airplane icon at the top right of your feed. Find the conversation containing the message you want to remove and tap it to open the chat.
Locate the message you want to delete. On iPhone, press and hold the message until a menu appears, then tap Unsend — this removes it from your inbox. On Android, long-press the message and tap the trash icon or delete option that appears. The message will disappear from your inbox immediately.
If you accidentally delete a message you wanted to keep, there is no undo option — you cannot recover deleted messages. Make sure the message is one you actually want to remove before confirming the deletion.
How to delete a single message on a computer
Go to Instagram.com and log in. Click the Direct Messages icon (the paper airplane) in the top right corner, or click the speech bubble icon in the left sidebar if you are using the newer layout.
Open the conversation that contains the message. Hover your mouse over the message you want to delete until a three-dot menu appears to the right of it. Click the three dots and select Delete or Unsend from the dropdown menu. The message will be removed from your inbox.
How to delete an entire conversation on iPhone
Open Instagram and tap the Direct Messages icon. Find the conversation you want to remove and swipe left across it with your finger. A red delete button will appear on the right side of the chat thread.
Tap the red delete button. Instagram will ask you to confirm — tap Delete again to remove the entire conversation from your inbox. The other person will still have the conversation in their inbox and can still see all the messages you exchanged.
How to delete an entire conversation on Android
Open Instagram and tap the Direct Messages icon. Long-press (press and hold) the conversation you want to delete until it is highlighted. A menu will appear at the bottom or top of the screen with options including delete.
Tap the delete or trash icon to remove the conversation. Instagram will ask you to confirm the deletion. Tap Delete to remove the entire chat thread from your inbox. As with iPhone, the other person will still see the conversation on their end.
How to delete an entire conversation on a computer
Go to Instagram.com and open your Direct Messages. Find the conversation you want to remove and hover your mouse over it. A three-dot menu icon will appear on the right side of the chat thread.
Click the three dots and select Delete from the menu. Instagram will ask you to confirm. Click Delete again to remove the conversation from your inbox. The recipient will not be affected — they will still see the conversation and all messages in their own inbox.
What happens when you delete messages or conversations
When you delete a message or conversation, it only disappears from your side of the chat. The other person continues to see everything exactly as it was. Instagram does not send them a notification that you deleted something, and they have no way of knowing unless you tell them.
Deleted messages and conversations cannot be recovered. Once you confirm the deletion, Instagram does not store them anywhere you can access. If you need to keep a record of something you wrote, take a screenshot before deleting it.
If you delete a conversation and the other person sends you another message later, a new conversation thread will start in your inbox. You can then delete that one separately if you want.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the other person see that I deleted a message?
No. When you delete a message from your inbox, it stays in the other person's inbox exactly as you wrote it. They will not receive a notification that you deleted it, and there is no indicator on their end that the message was removed from your side.
Can I delete messages from a group chat?
Yes. The process is the same as deleting messages from a one-on-one conversation. Long-press or right-click the message and select delete. Everyone else in the group will still see the message in their copy of the chat.
What if I want to delete all my direct messages at once?
Instagram does not have a bulk delete feature for all messages at once. You have to delete conversations one at a time. If you have many conversations to remove, deleting entire chat threads is faster than deleting individual messages within each one.
Can I delete a message after a long time has passed?
Yes. There is no time limit on deleting messages. You can delete a message from a conversation that happened weeks or months ago the same way you would delete a recent one.
Does Instagram keep a record of deleted messages?
No. Once you delete a message, it is gone from your account. Instagram does not store deleted messages in an archive or backup that you can view later.