When you unsend a message on Instagram, it disappears from the chat for you and the recipient. However, the other person may already have read, copied or captured it in a screenshot. First check that you have the right message in the right chat. Only deleting the conversation from your own inbox does not remove your message for the other person.
Below, you can read what the recipient may still see and what you can do if you sent something by mistake.
How do you choose the right Instagram message to unsend?
You can unsend an individual message that you sent yourself. Open the right chat and find the message you want to remove. Do not only look at the name above the conversation, but also check the content.
For example, did you send several photos one after another? Check which photo you want to unsend so that you do not choose the wrong one.
Can’t find the feature? Follow Instagram’s guide to unsending a sent chat message. Deleting the entire conversation is not a substitute for this step.
Can the other person still see an unsent Instagram message?
No longer in the chat, but possibly still in a copy. The recipient may have taken a screenshot or copied the content before you unsent it. They may also have already read the message while the chat was open.
Suppose you send an address to the wrong person. Unsending the message does not remove a copy that was made earlier. Ask the recipient not to save or share the address.
Does the other person get a notification when you unsend the message?
It is not certain whether Instagram shows a separate notification about unsending. So do not assume that the other person will not notice.
The notification for the original message is different. The recipient may already have seen part of the content in it. So even if you unsend the message, you cannot be certain that it remained unread.
Is it a sensitive photo? Meta also explains, in protecting sensitive images in private messages that you can unsend images you have sent. This does not guarantee that the other person has not already seen them.
What is the difference between unsending an Instagram message and deleting a chat?
Do you want to remove a message sent by mistake from the other person’s chat? Then you need the unsend feature. Do you only want to remove an old chat from your own overview? Then you can delete the conversation.
| What do you do? | What happens? |
|---|---|
| Unsend a message | That sent message disappears from the chat for you and the recipient. |
| Delete a conversation | The conversation disappears from your own inbox, but remains in the other person’s inbox. |
Removing the app from your phone is something else again. For that, read what happens when you delete the Instagram app.
Can you recover an unsent Instagram message?
Do not count on a restore button that brings back the old message. If you still have the text or photo and want to share it after all, you can send it again. That is a new message, not a restoration of the old one.
Was important information only in that message? Check whether you have it somewhere else, such as in your notes. You can also ask the recipient whether they still remember the content. Do not assume that they have a copy.
What do you do if you sent an Instagram message to the wrong person?
- Check who you sent the message to and what it contains. Is it a typo, the wrong photo or personal information?
- Choose what you want to do. For a small typo, a short correction may be clearer. Did you send something to the wrong person? Then you can unsend the message.
- Give a brief explanation if necessary. For example: “That message was intended for someone else.”
- Check your new message before sending it. Take one more look at the recipient’s name and at the text or photo.
Do you instead want to give a post on your profile a permanent position, rather than remove a chat message? Read more about pinning an Instagram post. If you also publish your own content, our Instagram services includes packages for followers and likes. The product pages show the available quantities and prices.
