You can disable comments on individual posts, Reels, and Stories, or turn them off for your entire account
Instagram gives you three ways to stop people from commenting. You can disable comments on a single post or Reel after you publish it, disable comments before you post something new, or disable comments on your entire account so nobody can comment on anything you share. The method you choose depends on whether you want to block comments everywhere or just on specific content.
Disabling comments is different from deleting them — when you turn off comments, new ones cannot be posted at all. If you want to remove comments that are already there, you delete them individually or in bulk instead.
Key Takeaways
- You can turn off comments on a single post by opening it, tapping the three dots, and selecting "Turn off commenting".
- Before you post, you can disable comments in the caption screen by tapping "Advanced Settings" and toggling off "Allow Commenting".
- To disable comments on your entire account, go to Settings, tap "Accounts and Center", then "Accounts", then "Restrictions", and toggle "Restrict Comments".
- Disabling comments on your account does not hide your posts — people can still see them, like them, and share them, but cannot leave comments.
- You can re-enable comments at any time using the same steps.
How to disable comments on a post you have already published
Open the post on your feed or profile. Tap the three dots in the top right corner of the post. A menu will appear with options including "Turn off commenting" — tap that option. Instagram will confirm that comments are now off. Anyone who tries to comment will see a message saying comments are turned off.
This method works on photos, carousel posts (multiple images), and regular video posts. You can turn comments back on the same way — open the post, tap the three dots, and select "Turn on commenting".
How to disable comments before you post
When you are writing a caption and about to share a post, look for "Advanced Settings" near the bottom of the screen. Tap it. You will see a toggle for "Allow Commenting" — turn it off. Then post as normal. The post will go live with comments disabled from the start.
This approach is useful if you know in advance that you do not want comments on a particular post. You avoid the step of disabling them after publishing. The same toggle appears whether you are posting a photo, video, or Reel.
How to disable comments on Reels
Reels follow the same process as regular posts. Before you publish, tap "Advanced Settings" in the caption screen and toggle off "Allow Commenting". After you publish, you can disable comments by opening the Reel, tapping the three dots, and selecting "Turn off commenting".
Disabling comments on a Reel does not affect comments on your other posts or Reels — each piece of content has its own comment setting.
How to disable comments on Stories
Stories work differently from posts and Reels. Before you post a Story, tap the smiley face icon at the bottom of the screen. This opens "Story Controls". Tap "Allow Replies" and toggle it off. Your Story will post without the ability for people to reply to it.
You cannot disable comments on a Story after it is already live — you have to set this before posting. Stories disappear after 24 hours anyway, so if you want to remove a Story with comments enabled, you can delete it and repost it with replies turned off.
How to disable comments on your entire account
Go to your profile and tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines). Tap "Settings and Privacy". Scroll down and tap "Accounts and Center". Tap "Accounts", then select your account name. Tap "Restrictions". You will see a toggle for "Restrict Comments" — turn it on.
When you restrict comments on your account, nobody can comment on any of your posts, Reels, or Stories going forward. People can still see your content, like it, and share it — they just cannot leave comments. This setting applies to all new content you post after you turn it on. Existing posts keep their individual comment settings.
If you turn on account-wide comment restrictions and then later post something with comments enabled in Advanced Settings, the account restriction overrides it — comments will still be off. To allow comments again, you have to turn off the account restriction first.
What happens when you disable comments
When comments are off, people see a message saying "Comments are turned off" instead of a comment box. They cannot post new comments, but comments that were already there before you disabled them remain visible. If you want to remove old comments, you have to delete them one by one or select multiple comments and delete them together.
Disabling comments does not notify people that you have done so — they only see the message when they try to comment. Your post remains visible on your profile and in people's feeds. Likes, shares, and saves still work normally.
Frequently Asked Questions
If I disable comments on my account, can people still message me?
Yes. Disabling comments only affects the comment section on posts, Reels, and Stories. Direct messages work the same way. If you want to restrict who can message you, that is a separate setting in your Privacy settings under "Messages".
Can I disable comments for only certain people?
Not directly. You can disable comments for everyone or no one. If you want to block comments from a specific person, you can restrict that account instead — they will not be able to see your posts or comment on them, but they will not know they are restricted.
Will people know I disabled comments on a post?
They will see that comments are off when they try to comment, but Instagram does not send a notification or announcement. If they have already seen your post before you disabled comments, they might notice the change if they go back to it.
What if I delete a comment instead of disabling comments?
Deleting a comment removes one specific comment that someone posted. Disabling comments prevents anyone from posting new comments at all. If you want to remove spam or offensive comments one at a time, delete them. If you want to stop all comments, disable them.
Can I disable comments on old posts all at once?
No. You have to disable comments on each post individually by opening it, tapping the three dots, and selecting "Turn off commenting". There is no bulk option for old posts. The account-wide restriction only applies to new posts you share after you turn it on.