How to Manage Comments on Instagram

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Instagram is one of the most popular social networks. The app quickly rose to prominence by focusing on allowing its users to easily share images as well as videos. Of course, writing comments is a big part of the whole experience. This tutorial takes a look at all the ways you can use comments on Instagram to get the most out of the app.

Content

Also read: How to Delete One Photo from a Carousel Post or Stories on Instagram

Commenting on Posts

Commenting on posts is the oldest form of interaction on Instagram. Whether you’re browsing via the mobile app or a PC, here’s all you need to know about commenting on Instagram posts.

1. How to Comment on an Instagram Post

Writing a comment on Instagram is easy. On mobile, just find the chat bubble under a post and tap it. Alternatively, you can scroll down toward the bottom of the post and tap on the “Add a comment” prompt next to your profile picture.

Notice that every comment on a post has a tiny “Reply” button underneath. Hit it if you want to respond directly to something that someone has said. The replies will form a sub-thread that will be displayed underneath the main comment.

You have the same options on desktop as described above.

Also read: How to Add Photos to Your Instagram Reels

2. How to Delete Post Comments on Instagram

It happens: you’ve changed your mind about posting a particular comment. This can happen for various reasons. Perhaps you’ve inadvertently managed to offend someone with your opinion or decided to simply retreat from a heated conversation. Here’s how to delete your own comments on Instagram. In addition, note the you can also delete other people’s comments on your OWN posts by following the same steps.

Mobile

  1. Find the comment you wish to get rid of in the mobile app.
  2. Long-press on the comment and tap on the Trash icon at the top.

  1. The comment will be deleted.
  2. You’ll be given a brief window to undo your action and bring the comment back by pressing on the “Undo” button that appears at the bottom next to the “Comment deleted” message.

Desktop

  1. If you want to delete your Instagram comment from PC, go to the post in question and find the comment.
  2. Hover your mouse over the comment to bring up the three dots next to the “Reply” button mentioned above and click on it.

  1. Select “Delete” from the pop-up window that appears.

  1. Be careful when deleting comments on your computer, as there is no option to “Undo.”

Also read: How to Turn Off Suggested Posts on Instagram

3. How to Hide Comments on Instagram

It’s possible to hide someone’s comments on Instagram by restricting them. If you decide to use this tool on a certain account, they will still be able to comment on your posts, but their impressions won’t be public for the world to see. What’s more, they won’t know they’ve been restricted, so if you don’t want to confront someone about their comments on your posts, restricting them is the way to go. Restricting someone directly from the comment section can only be done on mobile.

Mobile

  1. Find the comment you wish to get rid of in the mobile app.
  2. Long press on it and tap on the message icon (with an exclamation point in the middle) at the top.

  1. Select “Restrict X.”

  1. Instagram will alert you that you’re about to restrict someone and will also give you the option to delete the comment. You may want to take that option, as the comment they have already posted on your profile won’t be affected by the “Restrict” option.

  1. The next comment they leave, however, will be hidden from your view on your profile. You will have to tap on “See comment” under the text to see it.

  1. Tap “Approve” to allow everyone who visits your profile to view it. Alternatively, you can just delete it. But if you don’t want the other person to realize their comments are being prevented from showing up on your posts (they can check your posts), you can just keep them hidden.
  2. If you wish to unrestrict someone, go back to their hidden comment and tap on it.
  3. Select the message icon again and select the “Unrestrict X” option from the menu that pops up from the bottom.

While it’s not possible to restrict someone from your PC, you can view restricted comments while browsing Instagram on your computer. You’ll get the same “See comment” and “Approve” or “Delete” options to manage them from there.

Also read: 8 Tips to Win at Instagram Search and Get Discovered

4. How to Restrict Someone Before They Comment

You don’t have to wait for someone to comment on your posts to restrict them. If you want to avoid someone sharing their thoughts on your images publicly, you can put them on your restricted list. You have various methods of doing so.

From Settings

  1. On your Instagram profile in the app, tap on the hamburger menu in the upper-right corner.

  1. Tap on “Settings.”

  1. Select “Privacy.”

  1. Scroll down until you reach the “Connections” section and tap on “Restricted accounts.”

  1. Use the search bar at the top to find the contact in question. It can be someone you don’t even follow. If you know their Instagram username, you can easily find them.

  1. Once you’ve identified them, press “Restrict.”

  1. They’ve now been added to your Restricted list. From here you can easily unrestrict them by pressing the “Unrestrict” button next to their name.

Directly from Their Profile

You can also restrict someone directly from their profile on both mobile and desktop.

  1. Access the commenter’s profile on mobile or PC.
  2. Tap on the three dots in the upper-right corner.

  1. Select the “Restrict” option from the menu that appears (at the bottom on mobile).

From Direct Messages

You can also restrict a person via direct messages on mobile. Find the conversation in question and tap on their profile picture at the top to bring up the details regarding their account. Select the “Restrict” option from there.

Also read: Use Instagram Collab to Create a Collaborative Post or Reel

5. How to Automatically Hide Offensive Comments

Do you want to make sure your followers won’t leave offensive comments on your profile? Instagram offers you the option to hide offensive comments from “Settings.”

Mobile

  1. On your mobile device, access “Settings” as shown above.
  2. Go to “Privacy.”
  3. Select “Hidden Words.”

  1. Here you have various options for filtering comments, starting with “Hide comments.” This option hides comments that may be offensive in a separate section of your posts, reels, lives, etc.

  1. “Advanced comment filtering” hides additional comments that may contain offensive words and phrases.
  2. In the lower part of the display, you can set up a custom list containing certain words and phrases that will be blacklisted.

  1. You can then opt to “Hide comments” containing any of these words and phrases.

Desktop

  1. On desktop, you also have a few options to hide offensive words. Go to Settings by tapping on your profile image in the upper-right corner.

  1. Select “Privacy and Security.”

  1. Scroll down and click on “Edit Comment Settings.”
  2. From this screen you can create your own custom list of keywords to be banned from your profile.

  1. In addition, there’s also the “Use Default Keywords” option, which you can use to hide comments that contain commonly reported keywords from your posts.

Also read: How to Unlink or Link Your Instagram Account From Facebook

6. How to Prevent Certain People from Commenting on Your Posts

If you really don’t want to see someone comment on your posts on Instagram but are also skittish about blocking them for good, know that it’s possible to only block their comments.

Mobile

  1. Go back to “Settings” in your Instagram app on your smartphone.
  2. Go to “Privacy.”
  3. Select “Comments.”

  1. Select the “Block Comments From” option.

  1. Input the name of the accounts you wish to prevent from commenting on your posts by using the search bar. Once you do this, the comments submitted by these particular accounts will only be visible to them.

  1. All blocked commenters will be shown here as part of a list. You can easily unblock them by pressing the “Unblock” button next to their name.

If the person in question comments on your posts, you might view the “1 Comment” message below your post, but if you press on it, you won’t be able to see the comment. Note that if you block someone from commenting on your posts, that doesn’t mean they won’t be able to view your profile or send you direct messages. As stated above, this is a lighter alternative to actually blocking someone on Instagram.

The other option you have at your disposal in the Comments section in Settings is “Allow Comments From.” Your choices include “People You Follow,” “Your Followers” and others. This lets you be a bit more specific about which people are allowed to leave you comments, hopefully weeding out the unwanted voices.

Desktop

  1. You can only take advantage of the “Allow Comments From” feature on desktop. Do so by opening Settings again.
  2. Select “Privacy & Security” from the right.

  1. Click on “Comments Controls.”
  2. Select “Allow Comments From” and pick your desired option.

Also read: How to Download Instagram Stories to Your PC

7. How to Turn Off Comments Altogether

Don’t want to deal with comments AT ALL? It can be done. From your mobile device you can disable comments for individual posts so that you won’t receive unsolicited feedback anymore.

Mobile

  1. Navigate to one of your posts on Instagram and open it.
  2. Tap on the three dots in the upper-right corner of the display.

  1. Select “Turn off commenting.”
  2. If you look at your post, it will say “Comments are off” underneath it.

  1. At the same time, you can also tap on “Review controls” to easily tweak these settings.

  1. For instance, you can opt to “Allow comments from” or change the “Privacy Settings.”
  2. Alternatively, you can “Turn on commenting” again, if you have a change of heart.
  3. It’s also possible to turn off comments for a new post while you’re creating it. On your Instagram feed, tap on the “+” button in the top right corner and select “Post.”

  1. Upload your content and proceed to the posting screen. Select “Advanced Settings” at the bottom.

  1. In the next window, toggle off “Turn off commenting” for this post.

Desktop

  1. On PC, it’s only possible to disable commenting when creating a new post. The other option is limited to mobile. Start by clicking on the “+” button in the top-right corner to upload your content.

  1. Once on the posting screen, tap on “Advanced Settings” on the right and toggle it off “Turn off commenting.”

Unfortunately, Instagram does not offer an option to disable commenting altogether, so you’ll need to do so manually for each post. Note that you can turn off commenting for YOUR posts only and not for other people’s posts.

Also read: Instagram Not Working? Here Are 14 Ways to Fix it

Commenting via Direct Messages

Direct messages are a different way to comment on Instagram. Let’s say you’ve noticed a particular post on Instagram. You can easily send a private direct message to the poster to let them know your opinion. Comments don’t necessarily have to be public, so remember that next time you want to make a statement on the social app.

1. How to Comment Privately

Whether you’re browsing Instagram on mobile or desktop, under each post you’ll notice a paper plane icon. Tap on it to send the poster a direct message with your thoughts.

2. How to Delete Direct Messages

If you’ve received an unwanted direct message, know that Instagram does not allow you to delete individual messages in a conversation. What you can do is delete the entire thread.

Mobile

  1. From your Instagram feed, go to Direct messages by pressing the paper plane icon in the upper-right corner of the display.

  1. Find the thread in question and long press on it if you’re on mobile.

  1. Select “Delete” from the options that appear at the bottom. Alternatively, you can select to “Mute messages” and stop receiving notifications about any new ones that might have arrived in your inbox.
  2. If we’re talking about your own direct messages in a conversation, you can delete them by long-pressing on one and selecting “Unsend.”

Desktop

  1. From your Instagram feed, go to Direct messages by pressing the paper plane icon in the upper-right corner of the display.

  1. Find the thread in question and click on it to open it on the right side of the display. Click on the “i” in the upper-right corner.
  2. Select “Delete Chat.”

  1. As for your own messages, you can remove them from the chat by hovering the mouse over one of your comments until three dots become visible.

  1. Click on the dots and select “Unsend.”

Also read: Best Sites to Find Free Online Books for Kids

Commenting on Instagram Stories

Stories are one of Instagram’s most popular feature that allows users to upload pictures or videos that get automatically deleted after 24 hours. Naturally, it’s possible to comment on them as well.

1. How to Comment on Stories

Commenting on posts isn’t the only way you can interact on Instagram. For instance, you can also comment on Stories. Doing so is pretty simple.

  1. On mobile or desktop, open up a Story and use the comment section at the bottom to share your thoughts using text, emoji or even GIFs.

  1. The poster will receive a direct message from you with your comment showing up as a reply to their Story.

2. How to Delete Comments to Stories

If you commented on someone’s Story but wish to take it back, you can. Since Story comments show up in the poster’s direct messages, open Direct, then proceed to follow the steps detailed above to unsend the message.

3. How to Disable Commenting on Stories

If you don’t want to receive comments on your Stories, know you can disable this feature from the mobile app.

It’s possible to do it from the Story directly or by going through Settings. We’ll look at the first option here.

  1. Open up the Story in question in your mobile Instagram app.
  2. Tap on the three dots that appear in the lower-right corner.

  1. Select “Story Settings,” which will take you to the Stories section in the app’s Settings.

  1. Go to the “Replying” section and select the people you want to receive you message replies. Tick the “Off” option if you don’t want to be bothered.

Commenting on Instagram Reels

Reels are a more recent addition to Instagram. Influenced by TikTok’s big success with the younger audience, the Meta-owned app has tried to offer a similar feature.

1. How to Comment on Reels

Reels are short clips on Instagram, and you can comment on them as well. You’ll need the mobile app to do that.

  1. Tap on the Reel bottom in the mobile app to start browsing Reels.
  2. When you’re ready to start commenting, press on the Comment bubble on the right.

  1. Alternatively, you can use the paper plane icon to send a direct message.

2. How to Delete on Comment on a Reel

Deleting your comments and those made by others on a Reel can be done the same way you would delete comments on posts. Just long press on them and select the Trash icon when it appears in the upper right.

3. How to Disable Commenting on Reels

Disabling comments on Reels is done in the same manner as you would disable comments on posts. Check the section above for the detailed steps.

Also read: 6 Best Ways to Download Instagram Reels

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Will the person get notified when you delete their comment?

No, they won’t. However, they may check back in and take a look at your post again and find that the comment is now missing, so they will know that you’ve removed their comment.

2. Can I edit my comments on other people’s posts?

Unfortunately, Instagram does not allow you to edit your comments. If you feel unhappy with your comment, you’ll have to delete it, re-write it again, then post it one more time.

3. Can I delete other people’s comments on Instagram posts that aren’t my own?

You can’t. If you’re bothered by a certain comment on Instagram, your options include reporting that comment or blocking that person so that you can’t see anything more from them. To report a comment, long-press on the comment, then select the message icon at the top and select “Report this comment.”

4. Can I use a photo or GIF to comment on an Instagram post?

Instagram does not offer this option at this point. For now, you can only comment on posts using text and emoji. However, it’s possible to comment on Stories using a GIF, as well as in direct messages.

Image credits: Freepik

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Alexandra Arici –
Staff Writer

Alexandra is passionate about mobile tech and can be often found fiddling with a smartphone from some obscure company. She kick-started her career in tech journalism in 2013, after working a few years as a middle-school teacher. Constantly driven by curiosity, Alexandra likes to know how things work and to share that knowledge with everyone.

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