You can delete Instagram DMs one at a time, or delete an entire conversation at once
Instagram lets you remove direct messages in two ways: delete individual messages within a conversation, or delete the whole conversation. When you delete a message, it disappears from your inbox but the other person still sees it on their end — unless you unsend it instead, which removes it from both sides. Unsending is permanent and cannot be undone, so Instagram shows a notification to the other person that you unsent something, even though they cannot see what it was.
The steps differ slightly depending on whether you use Instagram on your phone or computer, and whether you want to keep the conversation but remove specific messages, or remove the entire thread.
Key Takeaways
- Deleting a message removes it only from your own inbox; unsending removes it from both your inbox and the other person's, with a notification they will see.
- On your phone, long-press a message to unsend it, or swipe left on a conversation to delete the entire thread.
- On a computer, hover over a message and click the trash icon to delete it from your inbox only.
- Unsending a message is permanent — Instagram does not let you undo it or retrieve the message later.
- The other person will see a notification that you unsent a message, but they cannot see what the message said.
How to unsend 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 home feed. Find the conversation containing the message you want to remove. Long-press (press and hold) the message until a menu appears with options including "Unsend". Tap "Unsend" and the message will disappear from both your inbox and the other person's inbox when ready.
The other person will see a notification in that conversation saying you unsent a message, but they will not be able to see what the message contained. This works the same way on both iPhone and Android.
How to delete a message from your inbox only on your phone
If you want to remove a message from your own inbox without the other person knowing, long-press the message and look for a "Delete" option instead of "Unsend". This removes it only from your view. The other person's copy of the message stays in their inbox unchanged, and they receive no notification.
Not all versions of Instagram show both options in the same way. If you see only "Unsend", that is the only removal option available in your current version of the app.
How to delete an entire conversation on your phone
Open your Direct Messages and find the conversation you want to remove. Swipe left on the conversation thread (on iPhone) or long-press the conversation (on Android) until a trash or delete icon appears. Tap it to delete the entire conversation from your inbox. The other person will still have the conversation in their inbox — deleting it from your end does not affect theirs.
If you delete a conversation by mistake, you can still message that person again and the conversation will reappear in your inbox with only new messages visible. The old messages will not come back.
How to delete messages on Instagram's desktop website
Go to Instagram.com and log in. Click the Direct Messages icon (the paper airplane) in the top right corner. Find the conversation you want to edit. Hover your mouse over the message you want to remove — a trash icon will appear on the right side of the message. Click the trash icon to delete that message from your inbox only.
On the desktop version, you cannot unsend messages the way you can on the app. The trash icon removes the message from your inbox but leaves it in the other person's inbox. To delete an entire conversation on desktop, right-click the conversation name in the left sidebar and select "Delete Chat".
What happens to deleted messages and conversations
When you delete a message or conversation from your inbox, Instagram removes it from your view but keeps a record of it on their servers. This means Instagram can still see the deleted message if they need to review your account for violations of their terms of service. Deleting something from your inbox does not mean Instagram has erased it from their systems.
If you unsend a message, it is removed from both inboxes, but Instagram's servers still retain a record that the message existed and was unsent. The other person cannot retrieve an unsent message, and neither can you.
Why you might want to unsend instead of delete
Unsend is useful when you send a message by mistake, send something to the wrong person, or change your mind about what you said. Because unsend removes the message from both sides, the other person cannot read it — they only see that you unsent something. Delete is useful when you want to clean up your own inbox but do not mind if the other person still has the message.
Keep in mind that unsending does not erase the fact that you sent something — the other person will know you unsent a message, even if they cannot see what it was. If you are trying to hide that you sent a message at all, unsending is not a perfect solution.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the other person see what I unsent?
No. They will see a notification that you unsent a message, but the message itself will be gone from their inbox and they cannot read it. They will not know what the message said.
If I delete a conversation, can I get the messages back?
No. Once you delete a conversation from your inbox, those messages are gone from your view. The other person still has them. You cannot retrieve deleted messages, though you can message the person again and start a new conversation thread.
Does unsending a message notify the other person?
Yes. They will see a notification in the conversation saying you unsent a message. They will not see the content of the message, but they will know you sent and then removed something.
Can I delete messages on Instagram if the other person has already seen them?
Yes. You can unsend or delete a message at any time, whether the other person has seen it or not. Unsending removes it from both inboxes; deleting removes it from yours only.
What is the difference between Instagram Direct Messages and Instagram Stories?
Direct Messages are private one-on-one or group conversations. Stories are posts that disappear after 24 hours and are visible to your followers. Deleting a DM is different from deleting a Story — Stories have their own deletion process in the Stories menu.