How Can I Delete a Comment on Instagram?
Who owns the post decides what you can remove. The same comment screen also lets you delete in bulk, switch comments off and pin the ones you want seen first.
How can I delete a comment on Instagram? Open the comments, then swipe left on the comment on iPhone, or tap and hold it on Android, and tap the trash icon. On your own posts you can delete anyone's comment. On someone else's post you can delete only the comments you wrote yourself.
That ownership rule is the whole system. The account that published a post moderates everything under it, and everyone else controls only their own words. Everything below, from deleting in bulk to switching comments off and pinning, is a tool that belongs to the post's owner.
Deleting a comment on Instagram removes it from the post for everyone, and the comment count drops by one. It isn't the same as hiding or restricting, which leave the comment in place for some people; why you can't see comments on Instagram covers those cases.
Most people looking for this fall into one of two groups. Some wrote something they regret on another account's post and want it gone. Others run an account and want to clean spam, insults or off-topic replies from their own posts. The steps are almost identical, but the reach of each group's power is very different.
For accounts that manage comments seriously, the comment section is also part of what a visitor reads. A thread of thoughtful replies makes a post look discussed; an empty one or a wall of spam does the opposite. Instagram comments is the service for adding to that thread with lines you write yourself: you give the public post link and your own list of comments, and they appear as written.
How do you delete a comment on your own Instagram post?
On the app, as of October 2026:
1. Open the post and tap the speech-bubble icon to see comments.
2. On iPhone, swipe left on the comment. On Android, tap and hold it.
3. Tap the trash icon. The comment disappears immediately.
On a computer, open the post, hover over the comment, click the three dots that appear beside it and choose Delete.
The same steps work on replies inside a thread. Deleting a top comment also removes the replies under it, so if one reply in a long thread is the problem, delete the reply rather than the comment it answered.
If you delete something by mistake, an Undo option may appear briefly at the top of the screen. Once that's gone, the comment can't be restored.
Can you delete comments on someone else's Instagram post?
Only your own. On another account's post, the swipe or long press shows the trash icon on comments you wrote, and only report options on everyone else's. There's no way to remove another person's comment from a post you don't own.
If a comment on someone else's post is about you, there are three things you can do:
- Report it, if it breaks Instagram's rules. Reported comments are reviewed, and the person isn't told who reported them.
- Ask the post's owner to delete it. They have the power you don't.
- Block or restrict the commenter, which changes what they can do on your own posts, not on others'. How to know if someone restricted you explains how Restrict works from both sides.
Does the person know when you delete their comment?
No. Instagram doesn't send a notification when a comment is deleted, whether you delete your own or the post's owner deletes someone else's.
The writer can still notice. If they go back to the post, their comment is simply gone, and the reply they were expecting never appears. People who comment often on the same accounts tend to spot it.
If you want a comment gone without the writer knowing it's gone, deletion isn't the right tool. Restricting the commenter keeps their comments visible to them but hidden from everyone else until you approve them, which is often the quieter option for persistent problem commenters.
How do you delete multiple Instagram comments at once?
Use Manage comments, on the mobile app only. Instagram added it in May 2020, and as of October 2026 it still lets you select up to 25 comments at a time:
1. Open the comments on your post.
2. On iPhone, tap the three dots at the top right and choose Manage comments. On Android, tap and hold the first comment to start selecting.
3. Tick up to 25 comments.
4. Tap Delete, then confirm.
The same screen offers Restrict or Block for the accounts behind the selected comments, which helps when one person is responsible for most of the clean-up. For spam that keeps coming back, the hidden words filters in Settings, under Hidden words, are better than deleting the same comments every day.
How do you turn off comments on an Instagram post?
Before posting: on the final screen before you share, tap More options or Advanced settings and switch on Turn off commenting.
After posting: open the post, tap the three dots at the top right and tap Turn off commenting. Existing comments are hidden from view while commenting is off, and come back if you turn it on again.
You can also limit rather than switch off. In Settings, under how others can interact with you, Comments lets you choose who can comment on your posts, such as only people you follow or your followers, and the Limits tool can temporarily restrict comments from recent followers and accounts that don't follow you.
Turning comments off is useful for announcements and sensitive posts. On ordinary posts it removes one of the main signals that a post is being discussed.
How do you pin a comment on Instagram?
Swipe left on the comment on iPhone, or tap and hold on Android, and tap the pin icon. You can pin up to three comments per post, and they stay at the top of the thread for everyone. To unpin, repeat the same gesture and tap the pin again.
Pinning is the opposite of deleting: instead of removing what you don't want seen, you put what you do want seen first. Accounts use it for answers to the question everybody asks, a link instruction, or the best reply in the thread. How to find an exact comment on an Instagram post shows why long threads bury everything that isn't pinned.
Does deleting comments hurt engagement on Instagram?
It lowers the post's comment count by the number you delete, and that's the visible effect. Instagram doesn't publish a penalty for deleting comments, and removing spam or abuse is exactly what its moderation tools are for.
The cost is indirect. Comments are part of how engagement is measured, and part of what a visitor reads on a post. Deleting a few spam comments doesn't change much; deleting most of a thread leaves a post that looks quiet. How to calculate Instagram engagement rate shows how comments feed that figure.
So clean what harms the conversation and leave the rest. If a post's thread is thinner than the post deserves, buy Instagram comments adds comments in your own wording to a public post. It changes what the thread shows, and you remain the moderator of everything under it. Every Instagram guide and service is on the Instagram page.
Questions people ask about deleting Instagram comments
How can I delete a comment on Instagram?
Open the comments, swipe left on the comment on iPhone or tap and hold it on Android, and tap the trash icon. On a computer, hover over the comment, click the three dots and choose Delete.
Can I delete someone else's comment on Instagram?
Only on your own posts. On someone else's post you can delete only the comments you wrote; for anyone else's you can report it or ask the post's owner to remove it.
Does Instagram notify someone when their comment is deleted?
No. No notification is sent. The writer only finds out if they return to the post and notice their comment is missing.
Can I delete all comments on an Instagram post at once?
Not all at once, but up to 25 at a time with Manage comments in the mobile app. Repeat it for longer threads, or turn off commenting to hide every comment on the post.
How many comments can you pin on Instagram?
Up to three per post. Swipe left or tap and hold a comment and tap the pin icon; pinned comments stay at the top of the thread for everyone.
Can you recover a deleted Instagram comment?
Only through the brief Undo prompt that can appear right after deleting. Once it's gone, the comment can't be restored by you or by the writer.
Keep reading
- Instagram comments — Instagram comments add lines you write yourself to a public post; you stay its moderator.
- Why can't I see comments on Instagram? — Hidden, limited and restricted comments, which aren't the same as deleted.
- How to find an exact comment on an Instagram post — Finding one comment in a long thread.
- How to know if someone restricted you on Instagram — The quieter alternative to deleting and blocking.