How to delete comments on Instagram (and hide, restrict or limit them)

How to delete a comment on Instagram

You can delete any comment on your own posts, and your own comments anywhere. You cannot delete someone else's comment on someone else's post; you can only report it. If you delete your comment on a Reel that was also shared to Facebook, it is removed from both apps.

1. Open your post or Reel and tap the speech bubble to see the comments.
2. Press and hold the comment you want to remove (on iPhone you can also swipe left on it).
3. Tap Delete (the bin icon). The comment is gone for everyone.
4. On a computer, open the post on instagram.com, hover over the comment, click the three dots and choose Delete.

How to delete several comments at once

1. Open the comments on your post and tap one comment.
2. Tap the three dots in the top right, then Manage comments.
3. Select the comments you want to remove (Instagram allows up to 25 at a time).
4. Tap Delete. From the same screen you can also restrict or block the accounts behind them.

How to hide comments on Instagram

• Hide one comment: tap Hide under the comment on your own post. Other people can no longer see it; you and the person who wrote it still can, and they are not told it was hidden.
• See hidden comments: scroll to the bottom of the comments and tap View hidden comments. Tap Unhide to bring one back.
• Hide unwanted comments automatically: go to Settings, then Hidden Words. Hide unwanted comments is on by default and hides comments with common insults and offensive words.
• Add your own words: in Hidden Words, tap Manage custom words and phrases and add words, phrases, numbers or emojis (separated by commas). Spammers' favourites like 'promote', 'collab' or 'DM to claim' are a good start.
• Hidden comments still count towards your post's comment total.

What does Restrict mean on Instagram?

Restrict is a quiet way to deal with someone without blocking them. They are not told, and they can still see and like your posts. It is useful for a troll or a serial complainer you do not want to provoke by blocking.

• Their new comments on your posts are only visible to them. You can tap See comment to read it, then Approve it so everyone can see it, delete it or ignore it.
• You no longer get notifications for their comments.
• Their messages move to Message requests, and they cannot see when you are online or whether you have read their messages.
• Comments they made before you restricted them stay as they are, so delete or hide those separately.

How to restrict someone on Instagram

1. From a comment: open the comments, press and hold their comment and tap Restrict account.
2. From their profile: go to their profile, tap the three dots in the top right and tap Restrict.
3. From settings: go to your profile, tap the menu, then under How others can interact with you tap Restricted, and search for the account.
4. From a chat: open the chat, tap their name, tap Options, then Restrict.
5. To undo it, follow the same steps and tap Unrestrict.

How to limit comments on Instagram

Limits are for a wave of unwanted comments, for example when a post goes viral or a giveaway attracts bots. They hide new comments and chats from whole groups of accounts, without those people knowing.

• Limited accounts can still comment, but their comments stay hidden unless you approve them, and stay hidden even after you turn Limits off.
• Their new chats go to Hidden requests in Message requests.
• Careful for a shop: limiting accounts that don't follow you also hides questions from new customers who found you through an ad. Use it for short bursts only.

1. Go to your profile and tap the menu in the top right.
2. Under How others can interact with you, tap Limit interactions.
3. Choose what will be limited (some or most interactions) and who: accounts that don't follow you, recent followers (followed you in the last week) or everyone but your Close Friends.
4. Choose when Instagram should remind you to turn it off, then tap Turn on. Limits last up to four weeks at a time and you can extend them.

How to turn off comments on Instagram

• On a post you've shared: tap the three dots above the post and choose Turn off commenting. Existing comments are hidden, and come back if you turn commenting on again.
• Before you post: on the caption screen, tap Advanced settings, then Turn off commenting.
• On a Live: tap Options at the bottom of the screen, then Turn off commenting. Your Hidden Words filters also apply to Live comments.
• Choose who can comment on everything: go to Settings, then Comments under How others can interact with you, and allow comments from people you follow, your followers, or both.
• Block one person from commenting: in the same Comments settings, next to Block comments from, tap People and add them. Their new comments are only visible to them, but their old comments stay.

Delete, hide, restrict, limit or turn off: which to use

Comments on Instagram ads

Ads are where most of the spam and most of the buying questions end up, and their comments do not always appear in your normal notifications. You can hide or delete ad comments from the post itself or from Meta Business Suite's inbox. Turning ad comments off is not simple and throws away the social proof, so most shops hide spam, add Hidden Words and answer the rest quickly. For a full spam plan, see how to stop spam comments on Instagram.

Keep the spam out without missing sales

The hard part for a busy shop is not knowing where the delete button is; it is finding the scam comment under last week's ad before a customer falls for it, while answering the 'do you ship to NZ?' comment before that buyer moves on. Paperflower reads every comment on your Instagram and Facebook posts and ads, hides spam and scam comments automatically on paid plans (you can switch that off and review what was hidden), and puts buying questions at the top with a reply ready. Paperflower never posts public replies for you: press Send and it copies the reply and opens the comment so you paste and post it yourself. See how comments work.

How Paperflower is different

Frequently asked questions