Yes, you can turn off read receipts on Instagram, but the setting works differently than you might expect
Instagram lets you hide the fact that you have read someone's direct message, but you cannot turn off read receipts completely and selectively. When you disable read receipts in your settings, nobody can see when you have read their messages — but you also cannot see when others have read yours. It is an all-or-nothing choice that applies to every conversation you have.
The setting lives in your privacy controls, not in individual chats. Once you turn it off, the blue checkmarks and "seen" timestamps disappear for everyone messaging you, and they disappear for you too when you look at other people's conversations.
Key Takeaways
- Instagram's read receipt setting is global — turning it off hides your read status in all conversations, not just specific ones.
- When you disable read receipts, you also lose the ability to see when others have read your messages.
- The setting is found under Settings, then Privacy, then Messages.
- You can turn read receipts back on at any time, and the change takes effect immediately.
- Instagram does not notify people when you turn read receipts off, so existing conversations will not show a change notification.
How to turn off read receipts on Instagram
On your phone, open Instagram and tap your profile icon in the bottom right corner. Tap the three horizontal lines (the menu) in the top right, then tap Settings and privacy. Tap Privacy, then scroll down and tap Messages. Look for the toggle next to "Read receipts" and tap it to turn it off. The toggle will turn gray when it is disabled.
The process is the same whether you use iPhone or Android. Once you complete it, read receipts are off across your entire account. You do not need to do anything in individual chats.
On a computer, the option is harder to find. Go to instagram.com, click your profile icon in the top right, click Settings, click Privacy in the left sidebar, then click Messages. You will see the same read receipts toggle. Click it to turn read receipts off.
What happens when you turn read receipts off
When read receipts are off, people who message you will not see a blue checkmark or the word "Seen" next to their messages, even if you have read them. They will not know whether you have opened their message or ignored it. From your end, you will also stop seeing when other people have read your messages — all the blue checkmarks in your sent messages will disappear.
This change applies retroactively to past conversations. If someone sent you a message yesterday and you read it, turning off read receipts today will not show them that you read it then. But going forward, they will not see your read status on new messages.
Instagram does not send a notification to your contacts when you turn read receipts off. They will simply notice over time that they no longer see "Seen" on your messages.
The tradeoff: you cannot see read receipts either
The biggest limitation is that disabling read receipts is not selective. You cannot turn them off for one person and keep them on for another. You also cannot turn them off for incoming messages only — the setting controls both directions at once.
This means if you turn off read receipts to avoid showing your friends when you have read their messages, you will also stop seeing when they have read yours. Some people find this tradeoff worth it for the privacy; others prefer to keep read receipts on so they know whether their messages are being ignored.
How to turn read receipts back on
If you change your mind, the process is identical to turning them off. Go back to Settings, Privacy, Messages, and tap the read receipts toggle again. It will turn blue, meaning read receipts are now active. The change takes effect immediately, and people will start seeing "Seen" on your messages again.
You can toggle read receipts on and off as many times as you want. There is no limit to how often you can change this setting.
Why Instagram does not let you turn off read receipts per conversation
Many messaging apps like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger let you disable read receipts for specific people or chats. Instagram does not offer this level of control, likely because the platform treats read receipts as a privacy setting rather than a per-conversation preference. The company groups it with other privacy controls that apply account-wide.
If you need finer control — such as hiding your read status from one person but not others — your only option is to turn read receipts off entirely and accept that you will not see when others read your messages either.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will people know I turned off read receipts?
No. Instagram does not notify people when you change this setting. They will simply notice over time that they no longer see "Seen" on your messages. There is no announcement or alert sent to your contacts.
Can I turn off read receipts for just one person?
No. Instagram's read receipt setting applies to all your conversations at once. If you need to hide your read status from one specific person, you would have to turn off read receipts for everyone, which also hides when others have read your messages.
What if I turn off read receipts and then turn them back on?
People will start seeing "Seen" on your new messages again. The change takes effect immediately. Instagram does not show a history of when you had read receipts on or off, so people will not know you disabled them temporarily.
Do read receipts work the same way in Instagram group chats?
Yes. When read receipts are off, group members cannot see when you have read messages in group conversations either. The setting applies everywhere on Instagram Direct Messages.
If I turn off read receipts, can people still see if I am online?
Read receipts and online status are separate settings. Turning off read receipts does not hide your active status. If you want to hide that too, you need to go to Settings, Privacy, and toggle off "Show activity status" separately.