How to mark messages as unread on Instagram for the best result
I need to mark hundreds of messages as unread on Instagram as part of my life as a travel blogger! This is one of the handiest little tips for any Instagram app user. If you’re anything like me, you spend part of your day on Instagram, scrolling away, looking for holiday ideas, inspo, outfits, whatever. But it’s hard to keep up with all the messages, and I need to go back to it!
As a blogger, I find there’s always something to do on the app, whether it’s watching reels, or messaging some of my friends, responding to Instagram chats (it can be addictive too, but we’ll address that later!). But with so much going on, I often miss a message or forget to reply to someone and I do get a lot of IG DMs (Instagram direct messages).
Sometimes I open a message when I’m out and it requires a longer reply than I initially thought, (for example, if it’s from someone super important like a PR person and need to draft a proper email), I may not have time to respond to it there and then, but I need to know to go back to it. That’s when I mark it as one of my unread dms. This is one of the most often asked questions – maybe you’re all having a little sneak peak on what messages you’re getting.
So keep on reading how to mark messages as unread on Instagram!
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So, without further ado, let’s talk about this new feature: how to mark messages as unread on Instagram. First up, make sure you have the latest version of the app to check if there are any new instagram updates, so you can read your ig messages and unread or unsee your instagram dms.
How to Mark Messages as Unread on Instagramn
Now, let’s get to it. Accidentally opened a message you didn’t mean to? Good news. There’s an easy way to fix it (using an in-app solution, there’s really no need to use a third-party app).
How to mark messages as unread on Instagram.
If you’re using a phone or tablet
How to mark messages as unread on Instagram:
Open up the official app for IG. You can find the message tab in the top right corner of the screen. Unread messages in your Instagram inbox will have a blue dot next to the sender’s name, and the message title will be in bold, a bit like emails.
The easiest way to mark a message as unread, simply slide the message to the left slightly. This will reveal a few options, including the “mark as unread” button. Tap that, and the message will be marked as unread ā easy as that!
It’s worth noting that the person who sent you the message might be able to see that you’ve read it, if they’re online when you open it, as there’s a read receipts notification (see the screenshot I took below).
For some Android phones
How to mark messages as unread on Instagram: you may need to tap and hold the message, wait for an icon to come up and select ‘unread’.
For Desktop Instagram Users
How to mark messages as unread on Instagram on a desktop? You can’t!
But what if you’re using Instagram on a desktop computer? No, you can’t do it from a desktop. Yes, it’s really annoying. The best way, or I should say, the only way is to use a mobile phone or a tablet – sorry! But Instagram was mostly made for app users, so it kinda makes sense.
What if I want to mark it as read again?
No problem. Just open up the message again, or follow the same steps as before, but this time, select “mark as read”.
āDoes it matter what type of account you have?
How to mark messages as unread on Instagram
Does it matter what type of account you have?
E.g. a creator account? It’s worth noting that this feature is available for your business profile, corporate accounts, commercial account, personal accounts, private accounts, professional account and creator accounts alike. So whether you’re using Instagram for personal reasons or to promote your business, you can take advantage of the mark as unread feature.n
Other ways to keep track of your unread messages on Instagram
I only found this out recently (and it’s mega handy), you can use the “unread” filter in your primary inbox to view only your unread messages.
Or, if you’re receiving a lot of messages from someone that’s bothering you, you can use the restrict option or just block them (I have done this many times !) to limit their interactions. If I don’t want to see their messages all the time, I sometimes chuck em straight into my ‘General’ inbox (it’s a bit like an ‘other’ inbox), so I don’t see their name flash up every time.
Airplane mode
IHow to mark messages as unread on Instagram: Airplane Mode
f you pop your phone into airplane mode, this will temporarily disable your internet connection, allowing you to read and respond to messages without triggering the seen receipt. Just remember to send the messages once you turn off airplane mode and switch wifi on again.
So there you go ā a relatively new function that can make a big difference in how you manage your Instagram messages. The ‘mark as unread feature’ is a simple and effective way to keep track of your unread messages, for using Instagram on a mobile device (sadly, this isn’t available on desktop computer… yet).
Can I mark multiple messages as unread at once?
How to mark messages as unread on Instagram: can you mart multiple messages unread at once?
Nope. Sad times. You can only mark messages as unread one at a time.
Will the sender know if I mark their message as unread?
How to mark messages as unread on Instagram:
No, they will not receive any notification that you’ve marked their message as unread.
Did you know you can use the unread feature on sent messages too?
It can be super handy to mark messages as unread for personal reasons or to keep track of important business chats.
Things to keep in mind when using the “unread” feature
If you mark a message as unread, it doesn’t mean that the other person won’t see the “seen” tag or viewed receipt. This is because the “unread” feature only affects the receiver’s end, and the sender of the messages will still be able to see that you have viewed their message.
Additionally, if you’re using Instagram’s “Restrict” feature, marking a message as unread won’t prevent the restricted user from sending you new messages.
Instagram has 3 main tabs for your inbox
The three main tabs are:
Primary tab
General tab
Requests tab
You can mark the ‘unread’ feature on all of the inboxes, but I wanted to talk a little bit about the message requests tab. The requests tab is where I get new Instagram messages from people you usually don’t know and is where a lot of my spam ends up), they wont be able to see whether you’ve read the message unless you actually respond to it. I
f you respond to their message, it moves their text messages into your main inbox. You can mark it as unread, but they will be able to message you going forwards, and their messages will come through to your main inbox.
Unsending a message on Instagram
Another handy feature on Instagram Direct is the ability to unsend messages. Have you accidentally sent a message to the wrong person (we’ve all done that once or twice, let’s be honest, haha)? Have you sent something that you totally regret? We all have, I’m sure. Whatever the reason, the unsend feature is an easy way to retract a message that you’ve already sent.
To unsend a message, hold and press the message you sent, until an icon comes up which says “Unsend” (see screenshot for reference). Click on this and the message will be deleted from both the sender’s and the receiver’s end. If the receiver has already viewed the message, the damage is already done! They will have seen it. Also, your original DM will still stored in Instagram’s database (I only know this because a creep messaged me once), so if its anything illegal that needs to be investigated, they’ll still be able to.
Just remember that it’s not a fool proof method of erasing all evidence of a message. If the receiver has already seen the message, they can always screenshot it or make a note of it. So, just bear that in mind.
Whether you’re an apple iOS user or android user, the steps are similar, and you can use this feature to manage your messages effectively. So the next time you receive a message that you can’t respond to pronto, just mark it as unread , simple as! It’s a mega easy way to stay on top of your messages.
I hope you found these simple steps helpful š It might be worth having a look at some of my other blog posts on Instagram:
About the Author
 | Hi, I’m Adriana! I’m constantly searching for the best places to travel to so you don’t have to! Think hidden gems but all over the world. That means I’m constantly on the road and exploring new places to visit and I have a love for photography, so it made sense to write travel guides on all the places I visit. I was born in Australia and lived in New Zealand, Poland, Dubai and England growing up and I decided to take my love of travel to the next level! Read more about me here and see my articles here. |
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