Turn off read receipts in Instagram settings on any device
Read receipts on Instagram show the other person when you have opened and read their direct message. To turn them off, open Instagram, tap your profile icon in the bottom right, then tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines). Go to Settings and privacy, then Messages and story replies. Toggle off Read receipts. The change takes effect when ready — people sending you messages will no longer see when you have read them.
On a computer, the process is similar. Log into Instagram.com, click your profile icon in the bottom left, select Settings, then Messages and story replies, and uncheck Read receipts.
Once you turn off read receipts, you will still see when other people have read your messages — the setting only hides your own read status. If someone else has also turned off their read receipts, you will see a single checkmark (message sent) instead of two checkmarks (message read).
Key Takeaways
- Read receipts show other people when you have opened and read their messages, and you can disable this in Settings and privacy under Messages and story replies.
- Turning off read receipts only hides when you read messages — you will still see when others read yours unless they have also disabled the feature.
- The setting works the same way on phones and computers and takes effect right away.
- You can turn read receipts back on at any time by returning to the same menu and toggling the setting back on.
What read receipts actually show
A read receipt is a small signal that tells the sender you have opened their message. On Instagram, this appears as two blue checkmarks next to the message — one checkmark means the message was sent, two checkmarks mean you have read it. Some messaging apps also show the exact time you read the message, though Instagram does not display that detail.
Read receipts exist because people often want to know whether someone has seen their message or is straightforward ignoring them. Without read receipts, a sender cannot tell the difference between a message that arrived but was not opened and one that was opened but not answered. This uncertainty is why some people find read receipts useful and others find them stressful.
Why you might want to turn them off
The main reason people disable read receipts is to avoid the pressure of appearing available. If someone knows you have read their message, they may expect a quick reply. Turning off read receipts gives you the freedom to read messages on your own schedule without signaling that you are actively online.
Another reason is privacy. Some people prefer not to broadcast their activity or availability to others. Disabling read receipts is one way to keep your online behavior less visible. This is especially useful if you receive messages from people you do not want to seem responsive to, such as work contacts or acquaintances.
A third reason is to reduce social friction. If you read a message but do not want to reply right away, the sender might feel hurt or ignored when they see the read receipt. Turning off read receipts prevents that awkward moment.
What happens when you turn them back on
If you change your mind and want to turn read receipts back on, the process is identical to turning them off. Go to Settings and privacy > Messages and story replies and toggle Read receipts back on. From that moment forward, people will see when you read their messages again.
Turning read receipts back on does not retroactively show people when you read their old messages. It only applies to messages you read after you re-enable the setting. Messages you read while read receipts were off will still show only a single checkmark to the sender.
Read receipts and story replies
The same read receipt setting controls both direct messages and story replies. When you turn off read receipts, you hide your read status for both. If you reply to someone's Instagram story with a direct message, they will not see when you have read their response if read receipts are disabled.
Story replies work differently from direct messages in one way: when you reply to a story, the person who posted the story can see your reply as a message in their inbox, but they cannot see your story in return unless you posted one. The read receipt setting applies to the message exchange that follows, not to the story itself.
Read receipts on group chats
If you are part of an Instagram group chat, turning off read receipts affects that conversation too. The other people in the group will not see when you have read the group messages. However, they will still see when each other have read messages if their read receipts are turned on.
This can create an uneven situation where some people in the group show read receipts and others do not. There is no way to turn off read receipts for individual conversations — the setting applies to all your messages at once.
Frequently Asked Questions
If I turn off read receipts, can people tell I am ignoring them?
No. Without read receipts, people cannot tell whether you have read their message or not. They will see only one checkmark (message sent) instead of two. They may assume you have not seen it yet, or they may not think about it at all.
Does turning off read receipts hide when I am online?
No. Read receipts only show whether you have read a specific message. Instagram has a separate "active status" feature that shows when you are currently using the app. To hide that, go to Settings and privacy > Messages and story replies and toggle off Active status.
Can I turn off read receipts for just one person?
No. The read receipt setting applies to all your conversations at once. You cannot disable it for one person and keep it on for another. If you want to hide your read status from a specific person, you would need to turn off read receipts for everyone.
What if someone screenshots my message before I turn off read receipts?
Instagram does not notify you when someone takes a screenshot of a regular direct message, so you will not know it happened. Read receipts are separate from screenshot notifications — they only show whether a message was read, not whether it was saved or shared.
Do read receipts work the same way on Instagram and Facebook Messenger?
Facebook Messenger has its own read receipt settings, separate from Instagram. If you use both apps, you need to turn off read receipts in each one individually. The settings do not sync between the two platforms.