How to Mark Messages as Unread on Instagram

Instagram DMs allow easy communication, but sometimes, you want to mark messages as unread to organize chats or avoid replying immediately.

If you’ve seen this option and wonder how it works, here’s a complete guide on marking messages unread on Instagram.

I. Can You Mark Messages as Unread on Instagram?

✅ Yes, but only for Business and Creator accounts.

Instagram lets professional accounts mark messages as unread, making it easier to manage conversations. However, personal accounts do not have this feature, but there are alternative tricks to achieve the same effect.

II. How to Mark Messages as Unread on Instagram (Business & Creator Accounts)

If you have a Business or Creator account, follow these steps:

✅ Steps to Mark Messages as Unread:

1. Open Instagram and go to your Direct Messages (DMs).
2. Find the chat you want to mark as unread.
3. Android users: Tap and hold the conversation.
4. iPhone users: Swipe left on the chat.
5. Select “Mark as Unread.”

🚀 What Happens Next?

• The message thread gets a blue dot to remind you to respond later.
• The sender still sees the message as “seen”, so this won’t remove read receipts.

✅ Best for: Organizing DMs when managing multiple conversations.

III. Alternative Methods for Personal Accounts

If you have a personal Instagram account, you can’t officially mark messages unread, but these methods work:

A. Use the Restrict Feature to Hide Read Receipts

Instagram’s Restrict feature moves a user’s messages to Message Requests, where they won’t know if you read them.

✅ Steps to Restrict Someone:

1. Open Instagram and go to the person’s profile.
2. Tap the three dots (⋮) in the top-right corner.
3. Select “Restrict”.

🚀 What Happens Next?

• Their messages move to Message Requests.
• You can read them without triggering the “Seen” receipt.

✅ Best for: Checking messages without replying immediately.

B. Read Messages from Notification Preview

A simple trick to see messages without marking them as read is using notification previews.

✅ How to Do It:

• When you get a DM, don’t open the chat.
• Read the message from your phone’s notification panel.

🚀 Why It Works:

• Instagram only marks messages as “Seen” when you open the chat.
• Works great for short messages.

✅ Best for: Quickly reading messages without using other tricks.

C. Turn on Airplane Mode Before Opening Messages

This classic trick allows you to read DMs without notifying the sender.

✅ Steps to Read Messages Without “Seen” Using Airplane Mode:

1. Turn on Airplane Mode before opening Instagram.
2. Open the DM and read the message.
3. Close Instagram and clear the app cache (Android only).
4. Disable Airplane Mode and reopen Instagram.

🚀 Why It Works:

• Since you were offline, Instagram won’t update the read receipt.

✅ Best for: Secretly reading messages before deciding to reply.

IV. Conclusion

• Business and Creator accounts can mark messages as unread officially.
• Personal accounts cannot, but workarounds like Restrict, Notification Preview, and Airplane Mode can help.
• These methods let you manage messages without pressure to reply instantly.

Now you can stay in control of your Instagram DMs without stressing about instant responses! 🚀