You can disable comments on individual posts, Reels, and Stories through your Instagram settings
Instagram lets you turn off comments in three ways: on a single post after you publish it, on a Reel, or on a Story. The most common reason to do this is to prevent unwanted messages, spam, or harassment on content you've shared. You control this through your post's menu — there's no blanket setting that disables comments on everything you post going forward, so you'll make the choice each time you share something.
The steps differ slightly depending on whether you're using the mobile app or a computer, and whether the content is a photo, Reel, or Story. All three methods take less than a minute once you know where to look.
Key Takeaways
- You can disable comments on a post, Reel, or Story after you've already published it by opening the post menu and selecting the comments option.
- On mobile, tap the three dots above or below your post to find the "Turn off commenting" option.
- On a computer, click the three dots in the top right corner of your post to access the same menu.
- Disabling comments on a post doesn't affect comments on your other posts — you choose for each one individually.
- If you turn comments back on later, any comments that were hidden will not reappear.
How to disable comments on a photo or carousel post using mobile
Open Instagram and go to the post where you want to turn off comments. This can be a post you just published or an older one. Tap the three dots in the top right corner of the post (if the dots are at the bottom, tap those instead — the location varies depending on your phone's screen size and Instagram's current layout).
A menu will appear with several options. Look for "Turn off commenting" and tap it. Instagram will confirm that comments are now off. Any existing comments will be hidden from view, and new comments cannot be added. The post will remain visible to your followers, but the comment section will be empty.
How to disable comments on a Reel using mobile
Navigate to the Reel you've posted. Tap the three dots in the bottom right corner of the Reel itself (not the three dots next to your username). A menu will pop up with options specific to that Reel.
Select "Turn off commenting." The Reel stays live and visible, but the comment section closes when ready. If you posted the Reel recently and want to prevent early spam or harassment, this is the fastest way to stop it before comments pile up.
How to disable comments on a Story
Stories work differently from posts and Reels because comments on Stories arrive as direct messages rather than appearing publicly on the Story itself. To prevent people from messaging you about a specific Story, open the Story after you've posted it and tap the three dots in the top right corner.
Select "Hide story from" or look for an option related to who can reply. You can choose to hide the Story from specific people or turn off replies entirely. This prevents direct messages about that Story from reaching your inbox, though the Story remains visible to your other followers.
How to disable comments on a post using a computer
Go to your profile on Instagram's website and find the post you want to modify. Hover over the post and click the three dots that appear in the top right corner. A dropdown menu will show several options.
Click "Turn off commenting." The comments section will close, and the post will no longer accept new comments. This method works the same way as the mobile version — existing comments are hidden, and the post itself remains visible to your followers.
What happens when you turn comments back on
If you change your mind and want to allow comments again, open the same post menu and select "Turn on commenting." Comments will be enabled again, but any comments that existed before you turned them off will not reappear. Instagram removes them permanently when you disable comments, so turning the feature back on starts with a blank comment section.
This is worth knowing if you're temporarily disabling comments to manage a specific situation — you won't be able to recover old comments later. If you want to keep certain comments visible, consider deleting only the ones you don't want instead of disabling comments entirely.
Why you might want to disable comments
The most common reasons are to prevent spam, block harassment, or avoid unwanted contact on sensitive posts. If you've shared something personal and don't want to deal with negative feedback or unsolicited information, turning off comments gives you control over the conversation.
Some people also disable comments on posts they're not actively monitoring, or on content that tends to attract bots and spam accounts. You can always turn comments back on later if the situation changes or if you want to re-engage with your audience on that specific post.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I disable comments on all my posts at once?
No. Instagram requires you to disable comments on each post individually. There's no setting that turns off comments on everything you post going forward. You'll need to choose for each post, Reel, or Story separately.
Will people know that I've disabled comments on my post?
Yes. When someone tries to comment, they'll see a message saying "Comments are turned off for this post." They'll know the feature is disabled, but they won't receive a notification that you specifically turned it off.
Can I hide comments from only certain people instead of turning them off completely?
Instagram doesn't have a feature to hide comments from specific people on a single post. You can block or restrict individual accounts, which prevents them from seeing your posts and Stories, but that's different from disabling comments. Your other option is to delete individual comments you don't want visible.
If I delete a post and repost it, will the comments be gone?
Yes. When you delete a post, all its comments are deleted too. If you repost the same photo or video, it will be treated as a new post with no comment history.
Does disabling comments affect direct messages about my post?
No. People can still send you direct messages about your post even if comments are turned off. Disabling comments only closes the public comment section on the post itself.