Delete a comment you wrote yourself

To remove a comment you posted on someone else's photo or video, open Instagram and find the post where you left the comment. Tap or click the comment to see it highlighted. On mobile, press and hold the comment until a menu appears with the option to delete. On a computer, hover your mouse over the comment and click the trash icon that shows up on the right side.

Instagram removes the comment when ready. The person who posted the photo will no longer see your comment, and it will not appear in their notifications. If you commented on a public post, anyone who saw your comment before you deleted it may remember it, but the text itself is gone from the platform.

Delete a comment someone else left on your post

When someone comments on your own photo or video, you have the power to remove their comment. Open the post, find the comment you want to delete, and press and hold it on mobile or hover over it on a computer. A menu will appear with a delete option — click or tap it to remove the comment.

The commenter will not receive a notification that you deleted their comment. They can still see their own comment in their profile activity, but it will no longer appear under your post. If the same person keeps leaving comments you do not want, you can also block them or restrict their account so their comments go to a hidden folder.

Key Takeaways

  • Press and hold a comment on mobile or hover over it on a computer to see the delete option for comments you wrote.
  • You can delete any comment left on your own posts, and the commenter will not be notified.
  • Deleting a comment removes it from the post but does not erase it from the commenter's own profile activity.
  • If someone repeatedly leaves unwanted comments, blocking or restricting their account gives you more control than deleting one comment at a time.

Bulk delete comments on your posts

Instagram does not have a built-in tool to delete multiple comments at once. If you want to clean up many comments on a single post, you will need to delete them one by one using the method above. This takes longer but gives you control over which comments stay and which go.

If you are trying to remove comments from an old post quickly, consider whether you want to delete the entire post instead. Removing the post takes seconds and removes all comments at once, whereas deleting comments individually can take several minutes depending on how many there are.

Comments that Instagram removes automatically

Instagram's automated systems delete some comments without your action. Comments that contain hate speech, threats, spam, or links to suspicious websites are often caught and removed by Instagram's filters. You may see a notification that a comment was removed, or you may straightforward notice it is gone.

If you reported a comment for breaking Instagram's rules, Instagram's team reviews it and may delete it. You will not always get a notification about whether the report led to removal, especially if the comment was already deleted by automated systems. Repeated violations by the same account can lead to that account being suspended or removed entirely.

Hiding comments instead of deleting them

Instagram also offers the option to hide a comment rather than delete it. When you hide a comment on your post, only the person who wrote it and people you have approved to see hidden comments can view it. Everyone else sees a message saying the comment is hidden, but they cannot read what it says.

Hiding is useful when you want to keep a comment from being visible to most people but do not want to permanently remove it. The commenter can still see their own comment and may not realize it is hidden. You can unhide a comment later if you change your mind.

What happens when you delete a comment

Deleting a comment removes it from the post when ready, but it does not erase the fact that a conversation happened. If someone took a screenshot of the comment before you deleted it, that screenshot still exists on their device. The comment also may have been seen by many people before deletion, so some may remember what it said.

If you are trying to remove a comment because it contains personal information, deleting it is the right step, but understand that anyone who saw it before deletion may have already noted or saved that information. For sensitive situations, you may also want to report the comment to Instagram or contact the person who posted it directly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I delete a comment someone left on my post if I did not write it?

Yes. You can delete any comment on your own posts, regardless of who wrote it. The commenter will not be notified that you deleted it, though they can still see it in their own profile activity if they look for it.

Will the person know if I delete their comment?

No. Instagram does not send a notification when a comment is deleted. The person may notice their comment is missing if they go back to look at the post, but they will not receive an alert from Instagram telling them you deleted it.

Can I delete comments on someone else's post if I did not write them?

No. You can only delete comments you wrote yourself or comments on your own posts. If someone leaves a comment on another person's post, only that person or Instagram's automated systems can remove it.

What is the difference between deleting and hiding a comment?

Deleting removes the comment entirely so most people cannot see it. Hiding keeps the comment in place but hides it from public view — only the commenter and approved accounts see it. You can unhide a comment later, but you cannot recover a deleted one.

If I delete a comment, can the person who wrote it see it again?

No. Once deleted, the comment is gone for everyone, including the person who wrote it. They may see it in their own activity history as a draft or unsent comment, but it will not appear on the post itself.