You can delete your own comments in seconds, and remove comments others leave on your posts

Instagram lets you delete any comment you wrote yourself, and it also lets you delete comments that other people leave on your own posts. Your own comments disappear instantly. Comments from others take a few taps to remove, and the person who wrote them gets no notification — they'll only notice if they go back to look.

The steps differ slightly depending on whether you're using the Instagram app on your phone or the web version on a computer. Both methods work the same way: find the comment, tap or click the options menu, and select delete.

Key Takeaways

  • You can delete any comment you wrote by holding down on it (phone) or right-clicking it (web), then selecting delete from the menu that appears.
  • You can delete comments others wrote on your posts by tapping the three dots next to their comment and choosing delete.
  • Deleting a comment removes it from view for everyone, but Instagram keeps a record of it in your activity log for 90 days.
  • The person whose comment you delete won't receive a notification, but they may notice the comment is gone if they return to the post.

How to delete your own comments on the Instagram app

Open Instagram and find the post where you left the comment. Scroll down to your comment in the comments section. Press and hold on your comment — don't tap it once, hold your finger on it for a moment until a menu appears.

The menu will show several options. Look for the word "Delete" and tap it. Your comment disappears immediately. No one will see it anymore, and the person who posted the photo or video won't get a notification that you removed it.

How to delete your own comments on Instagram.com

Go to Instagram.com in your web browser and find the post with your comment. Hover your mouse over your comment — you'll see a three-dot menu icon appear to the right of it. Click those three dots.

A dropdown menu opens. Click "Delete" at the bottom of the menu. Your comment is removed instantly, just as it is on the app.

How to delete comments from others on your posts

Open the post where you want to remove a comment. Find the comment you want to delete. On the app, tap the three dots that appear to the right of that comment. On the web, hover over the comment and click the three dots.

Select "Delete" from the menu. The comment vanishes from your post. The person who wrote it won't get a notification that you deleted it, though they may see it's gone if they look back at the post later.

What happens to deleted comments in your activity log

When you delete a comment, it disappears from the public view immediately. However, Instagram stores a record of deleted comments in your Activity Log for 90 days. This is a private record that only you can see — it's not visible to other users.

To view your Activity Log, go to your profile, tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines), and select "Your Activity." From there you can see a history of your actions on Instagram, including deleted comments. After 90 days, Instagram removes the record entirely.

When you might want to delete comments

You might delete your own comments if you made a typo, shared information you didn't mean to share, or changed your mind about what you said. Deleting a comment is faster than editing it if you want the comment gone entirely rather than corrected.

You might delete comments from others on your posts if they're spam, offensive, or off-topic. Instagram also lets you hide comments instead of deleting them — hidden comments stay on the post but only the person who wrote them can see it. To hide a comment, tap the three dots next to it and select "Hide" instead of "Delete."

Differences between deleting and hiding comments

Deleting a comment removes it completely from your post. No one can see it anymore, including the person who wrote it. Hiding a comment keeps it on your post, but only the person who wrote the comment can see it — everyone else, including you, sees a message saying the comment is hidden.

Use delete when you want the comment gone for everyone. Use hide when you want to discourage the behavior without completely removing the comment from view. Some people hide comments as a gentler way to manage their posts without making it obvious that they're removing content.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the person know when I delete their comment?

No, Instagram doesn't send a notification when you delete someone's comment. They'll only know if they go back to your post and notice it's missing. If they have a screenshot or remember exactly what they wrote, they might figure it out, but Instagram doesn't alert them.

Can I undo a deleted comment?

No, once you delete a comment, it's gone. Instagram doesn't have an undo feature for comments. If you deleted something by accident, you'll need to write it again.

What's the difference between deleting my comment and deleting someone else's comment?

You can delete any comment you wrote on any post. You can only delete comments that other people wrote on your own posts — you can't delete someone else's comment on their own post or on someone else's post. If you see a comment you want removed on someone else's post, you can report it to Instagram instead.

Can I delete comments on someone else's post?

No, you can only delete comments on posts you created. If you want to remove a comment you wrote on someone else's post, you can delete your own comment. If you want to report a comment on someone else's post that violates Instagram's rules, use the report feature instead.

Will deleting a comment affect my like count or engagement?

Deleting a comment doesn't change the like count on the post itself. If your comment had likes, those likes disappear when you delete the comment. Deleting comments won't hurt your account or change how Instagram shows your posts to others.