Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms, with over 800 million users worldwide. Over the years, new features—some original, others borrowed—have significantly increased the app’s value and appeal. What started as a place to share photos and your location has evolved into a full-featured platform, where you can send private messages, post 24-hour Stories, upload to IGTV, and much more.
One of the most widely used features is the ability to send direct messages (DMs). This function has become an essential part of how people communicate on the app. And while it’s a convenient tool for staying in touch with friends, brands, or like-minded profiles, it can also become risky—especially if you don’t know the person on the other end, or depending on the kind of messages you’re exchanging.
As the saying goes, you never truly know someone. You can’t always be sure of another person’s intentions—or how harmful or manipulative they might be.
If at this time you are feeling threatened by someone or if someone is trying to harm your reputation, it’s important to know that you can remove your personal information from the Internet to restore both your image and, why not, your mental health. It’s a tough experience to go through firsthand, but you’re not alone. So let’s skip the negativity and focus on solutions. Here are some simple steps to help you delete Instagram messages, with no side effects.

How to delete Instagram messages?
If you ever need to delete a message thread on Instagram, whatever the reason, here’s how to do it step by step, quickly and easily.
On Android
- Open Instagram and log in to your account.
- Tap the messages icon in the top right corner.
- Find the message thread you want to delete and press and hold it.
- A menu will pop up with options like Delete, Mute messages, and Mute video chats.
- Tap Delete, and the conversation will be removed from your device.
On iPhone
- Open Instagram and log in to your account.
- Tap the paper airplane icon in the top right corner to open your DMs.
- Find the conversation you want to delete and swipe it to the left.
- Tap More when the options appear and select Delete.
- A warning will pop up telling you the conversation will be deleted from your iPhone only, not from the other person’s. If you’re okay with that, confirm by selecting the option Remove.
If I delete a message on Instagram, does it get deleted for the other person, too?
No. When you delete a message or conversation on your phone, it only disappears from your device. The full chat will still be visible on the other person’s account. This is similar to what happens on WhatsApp: even though there’s a “Delete for Everyone” option, you only have a short time window to use it—after that, it’s no longer available.
That’s why it’s so important to be mindful of who you’re messaging and what information you’re sharing. Deleting a message from your device doesn’t guarantee it’s gone from the recipient’s.
If you want to delete a specific message, you can use the “Unsend” feature. But keep in mind—it won’t help much if the other person has already read it. They’ll still know what you said. Besides, they could have taken a screenshot, which would allow them to keep a copy of the message even after it’s deleted. While that may not always happen, it’s something you should always consider before sending anything sensitive or potentially compromising.
Whether you want to clean up old threads, remove messages that no longer interest you, or just tidy up your inbox, deleting Instagram messages is simple.