Have you ever accidentally opened an Instagram message when you didn’t have time to reply or didn’t want to see it? Well, we’ve also been there. You can easily mark a message as unread if you have a business account. However, you do not have this feature on a personal account, but you can do something similar using the Restrict mode.
Lucky for you, we will show you how to mark your Instagram messages as unread on both professional and personal Instagram accounts. So, if you’re curious about this handy trick and more, then simply continue reading our step-by-step guide until the very end!
Can You Mark Instagram Direct Messages as Unread?
Yes, you can mark your Instagram direct messages as unread. Sadly, this can only be done if you are using a professional business or creator account. If you do not want to switch over to a professional account, then there is still a way to mark your direct messages as unread using the restrict option.
Either this, or you can switch your personal account to a professional one. But remember that restricting an account will prevent you from replying to their messages again. Keep reading to learn more about how you can mark Instagram direct messages as unread.
What Happens When You Unread a Message on Instagram?
When you unread your Instagram direct message, the message will once again have a blue dot next to it in your message inbox. This blue dot is Instagram’s way of notifying users that they have unread messages in their inbox.
Note that even though the chat is technically marked as unread in your inbox, the message sender will still be able to see the ‘seen’ text when they open your chat. This means that your read receipts will still be turned on and visible to the sender despite marking the message as unread.
If you restrict an account, its messages will be categorized under message requests. Therefore, you can read those messages, and they will not be able to see that you have read the messages. However, this method also has a disadvantage because once you restrict that account, you will no longer be able to reply to those messages.
How to Mark Instagram Messages as Unread on Professional Account?
As we have mentioned before, only professional Instagram accounts can actually mark direct messages as unread. Here is how you can mark your Instagram messages as unread if you own a professional account.
Step 1: Open the Instagram app and go to your inbox, where you can see all your direct messages.
Step 2: You will see the 3 dots icon in the upper right corner. Click on it to open a popup menu.
Step 3: Click on Select Chats and press the messages that you want to mark as unread.
Step 4: At the bottom, you will notice an option called More. Tap it and then select the Mark as unread option. That message will now be marked as unread you will see a blue dot next to it.
How to Mark Instagram Messages as Unread on Personal and Private Accounts?
On personal and private accounts, you can either switch to a professional account or restrict the account that messaged you. In this section, let us look at how you can switch to a professional account.
Step 1: Open Instagram and click on your display picture.
Step 2: You will see the 3 horizontal lines icon in the top right corner, so tap on it.
Step 3: Click on Settings from the menu and go to Account.
Step 4: At the very bottom of the screen, you will find an option to Switch to a professional account. Press it and confirm your decision by hitting Continue.
Step 5: You will then come across a page that says What best describes you? Here, pick the category that you belong to and click on Done.
Step 6: You need to pick between a Creator or Business account and tap on the Next button.
Step 7: After this, it is up to you to set up the account immediately or later. And Voila! You have successfully switched to a professional account.
Step 8: Once you are done, you can follow the same steps from the section above to mark your direct messages as unread.
How to Unread Instagram Messages Without Recipient Knowing You’ve Seen Them?
If you do not want to switch over to a professional Instagram account, you can still technically mark your direct messages as unread if you restrict the account.
When you restrict an account, they will not be able to see your posts or stories anymore, and you can read the messages they have sent you without notifying them that you have read them.
However, keep in mind that you will not be able to reply to their messages. Check out how to restrict an account down below.
Step 1: Open Instagram and search for the account whose messages you want to mark as unread.
Step 2: On their profile, click on the 3 dots symbol in the upper right corner to see a menu.
Step 3: Select the Restrict option and you are done!
How to Unread Messages on Instagram iPhone and Android?
Whether you own an iPhone or an Android phone, the only factor that affects the process of marking your Instagram messages as unread is the type of account that you have. No matter which device you use, you can follow any of the methods we have already explained above, depending on whether you have a personal or professional account.
How to Unread Messages on Instagram Web on Computer?
On a desktop, you can most restrict an account so that the sender does not know that you have read their Instagram direct messages to you. Here is how you can do that.
Step 1: On your computer, open a web browser like Google Chrome and go to https://www.instagram.com/. Log in to your account using your credentials.
Step 2: Use the search bar to find the account you want to restrict and click on it.
Step 3: Next to their name, you will see the 3 dots button, which you must press.
Step 4: A small popup menu will appear, from which you need to hit the Restrict button. That’s all you have to do to mark your Instagram messages as unread on your PC.
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Conclusion
Marking your direct messages on Instagram is a pretty handy feature that you can use if you do not have the time to read a message fully or if you are overwhelmed with the number of messages you get as a professional account. Only professional accounts have the feature in-built.
For personal accounts, you can either switch over to a professional account or restrict the account that sent you the messages. Each of these methods has its own advantages and disadvantages.
On the PC, you can still restrict accounts so if you are ever in a pinch and do not have your phone, then you can definitely use your computer to mark your DMs as unread!
