You can remove tags from your own posts, but only the person tagged can remove themselves

Instagram lets you delete tags in two directions. If you posted the photo or video, you can remove any tag from it — including tags of other people. If someone else posted a photo and tagged you in it, you can only remove your own tag from that post, not anyone else's.

The process takes about 30 seconds either way. You do it from the post itself, not from a settings menu, so the tag you want to remove has to be visible on the image.

Key Takeaways

  • You can remove any tag from a post you created, but only remove your own tag from posts other people created.
  • Tags appear as clickable names overlaid on the photo or video — tap the tag itself to open the option to remove it.
  • Removing a tag from your own post takes it off the image and removes the notification to the person who was tagged.
  • If you remove your own tag from someone else's post, you stop being tagged but the post stays on their account.

How to remove a tag from a post you created

Open the post on your profile. Look at the photo or video and find the tag you want to remove — it appears as a name or username written directly on the image. Tap that tag name.

A menu appears with the option to remove the tag. Tap Remove Tag or the trash icon, depending on which version of Instagram you have. The tag disappears from the image when ready, and the person who was tagged no longer sees a notification about being in that post.

You can remove multiple tags from the same post by repeating this step for each one. If a post has no tags, you won't see any clickable names on the image.

How to remove your own tag from someone else's post

Find the post on the other person's profile or in your feed. Tap the tag with your name on it. A menu appears with options — select Remove Me or the option to untag yourself.

Once you remove yourself, your name no longer appears on that post, and you stop getting notifications about it. The post itself stays on the other person's account — you're only removing your tag, not the entire photo.

If you can't see a tag menu when you tap your name, the other person may have turned off tagging permissions. In that case, you can report the post or message them directly to ask them to remove the tag.

What happens when you delete a tag

When you remove a tag from your own post, the person who was tagged gets no notification about it. They won't see that they were tagged, and if they already saw the notification, it disappears from their activity feed.

If you remove your own tag from someone else's post, that person can still see the post — your removal only affects your own profile and notifications. They may notice you're no longer tagged if they look at the post again, but Instagram doesn't send them a notification that you untagged yourself.

Preventing unwanted tags before they happen

You can set Instagram to review tags before they appear on your posts. Go to your profile, tap the menu icon, select Settings and Privacy, then Tagging. Turn on Review Tags (or Review Posts You're Tagged In, depending on your version).

With this setting on, when someone tags you in a post, you get a notification asking you to approve the tag before it shows on your profile. You can approve it, decline it, or ignore the notification. Declining removes the tag entirely.

You can also restrict who can tag you at all. In the same Tagging settings, you can choose to allow tags from everyone, only people you follow, or no one except yourself.

Removing tags from old posts and archived photos

Tags work the same way on old posts as they do on new ones. Open the post from your profile or from your archive, find the tag, tap it, and remove it. There's no time limit — you can remove tags from posts you made years ago.

If you've archived a post, you can still remove tags from it. The archived post won't show on your profile, but the tag removal process is identical. Open the post from your archive, tap the tag, and remove it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I remove someone else's tag from my post?

Yes. If you created the post, you can remove any tag from it, including tags of other people. The person who was tagged won't be notified that you removed their tag — it straightforward disappears from the image.

What if I can't see the tag I want to remove?

Tags only appear as clickable text on the image itself. If you don't see a name on the photo, there may be no tags on that post, or the tags may be hidden. Try zooming in on the image or checking if the post has captions that mention names but aren't actual tags.

Does the other person know when I remove my tag from their post?

No. Instagram doesn't send a notification when you remove yourself from someone else's post. The person can still see the post, but your name no longer appears on it.

Can I remove tags from a post I'm tagged in but didn't create?

You can only remove your own tag from posts other people created. You cannot remove tags of other people from someone else's post — only the person who created the post can do that.