Are messages on Instagram driving you crazy? Thinking about turning off messages entirely? Don’t worry, while Instagram doesn’t have a direct off switch, you can disable DMs for people you don’t know. Plus, we’ve got some handy tricks to further limit messaging overall. Here’s how to turn off direct messages on Instagram.
Before we start, here’s a quick rundown of how to control who DMs you on Instagram:
| If you want to | Do this |
|---|---|
| Only get messages from people you follow | Set Message Controls to “Don’t receive requests.” Others can no longer message you unless you follow them. |
| Mute messages from someone | Use the “Mute messages” option. You won’t get a notification but still receive the message. |
| Limit messages from a user without blocking them | Restrict their profile. Future messages from the user go to requests and they cannot see your activity status. |
| Avoid unwanted group chats | Set “Who can add you to groups” to “People you follow.” Only people you follow can add you to groups. |
| Prevent replies to your stories | Disable story replies. Nobody can reply to your stories with messages. |
| Cut off all direct message notifications | Turn off notifications for messages in Instagram app or Android settings. You’ll continue receiving messages but won’t get alerts on your phone. |
| Permanently stop messages from a user | Block their account. The user cannot message you or see your content. They may know you’ve blocked them. |
Table of Contents
1. Stop Direct Messages from Strangers
By default, messages from strangers (folks you don’t follow) show up as requests, but those notification pop-ups can still be, well, notifying. Thankfully, you can stop people you do not follow from messaging you.
Open Instagram app and go to your profile section. Tap the hamburger menu > Settings & privacy > Messages and story replies. Here, select Message controls. You’ll find two options:
- Your followers on Instagram: If you want to stop direct messages from your followers, change it to “Don’t receive requests.”
- Others on Instagram: To stop direct messages from strangers, change it to “Don’t receive requests.”
2. Mute Direct Messages from an Instagram User
Do your friends keep sharing memes and reels all day with you on Instagram? Well, for situations where you can’t block the user but don’t want the disturbance from irrelevant messages, you can simply mute them for a while.
To mute a user, open their chat and tap on their name at the top. Tap on Mute and toggle on Mute Messages > choose Until I change it or the duration of your choice. You can also mute calls. The other person won’t know you have muted them.
3. Restrict a User to Avoid Their DMs
Sometimes you follow someone awesome, but their messages feel a bit much. Instead of blocking them entirely, you can restrict their account. Any message they send hereafter will show up in Requests section. The other person will not know that you have restricted them, and they will not be able to see your online status.
To restrict someone, open their chat and tap on their name. Tap on Options > Restrict. You can later manage restricted accounts in Settings and privacy > Restricted accounts.
4. Stop People From Adding You to Group Chats
Annoyed by group invites on Instagram? Don’t worry! You can control who adds you to groups.
On the same page where you manage message settings, you’ll find a section for Group Chats. Just tap on Who can add you to groups and choose Only people you follow on Instagram. This way, only people you already follow can add you to group chats.
5. Prevent Replies on Your Instagram Story
Instagram stories are a great way to share moments but sometimes you may want to control who can chat about them. By default, anyone who can see your story can reply to it with a message. But you can either disable these replies or limit them to people you follow.
Go to Instagram > Settings & privacy > Messages and story replies. Tap Story replies and change it to: Allow story replies only from people you follow or Don’t allow story replies.
The latter will completely remove the option to reply to your stories for others.
6. Turn Off Messages Notifications in Instagram app
On Instagram, you can manually pause push notifications of all sorts – including the ones for messages. Go to Settings and privacy > Notifications > Messages.
Here you can toggle notifications off for:
- Message requests
- Messages from individual and group chats
- Message reminders
- Group requests
- Broadcast channel invites
- Broadcast channel messages
- Broadcast channel reply likes
- Social channel messages
You can also enable Quiet mode and schedule it to automatically start during your working or bedtime hours. During this time, you won’t get any notifications from Instagram.
7. Turn Off Instagram Direct Notifications on Android
Unlike iOS, Android allows you to manage notifications category-wise. If you use Instagram on an Android device, you can simply disable all notifications for direct messages.
To do so, open Settings > Apps > See all apps and choose Instagram. Here, tap Notifications and toggle off the switch for Instagram Direct and Instagram Direct Requests. On Samsung Galaxy phones, you may have to tap on Notification Categories first.
You’ll still receive all messages – it’s just that there won’t be annoying alerts or pop-ups.
8. Block the User
Blocking is an option If someone constantly bombards you with direct messages making you uncomfortable. Tap their name at top of the chat and choose Block. Or go to their profile, tap three dots on the top right, and select Block.
Blocking someone on Instagram cuts them off completely. They won’t be able to message you or see your profile. Here’s a breakdown of what happens when you block someone.
Wrapping Up
Unfortunately, Instagram doesn’t currently let you hide read receipts for messages. While the “Restrict” feature offers some control, it’s not a perfect solution. Also, making your account private doesn’t stop others from sending you messages. Users can still send requests, which will appear in your inbox unless you set Message Controls to “Don’t receive requests” as mentioned earlier.
