Although Instagram is most popular for the engaging and creative content posted on the platform, there are many other features that are also rigorously used by Instagram users. The Instagram DM is one of those cool features. For those of you who are new to this, DM stands for Direct Messages and it refers to the messaging feature of this social media platform.
While the DM has a number of fascinating features, including a background theme, voice memos, stickers, GIFs, emojis, and more, it’s generally not considered as user-friendly as WhatsApp. However, when has that prevented people from using a feature?
There are plenty of Instagram users who are crazy about direct messaging their friends with every reel or related meme they see in their feed. And then, there are those who aren’t too keen on messaging on Instagram. And if you belong to the second category, this blog is written for you.
Today we will talk about whether or not you can get rid of DMs on Instagram. We’ll also discuss how to deal with DM requests, how to prevent someone specific from DMing you, and how to control the DM notifications that Instagram sends you.
Stay with us until the end to find out more!
How to disable direct messages on Instagram
Alternative Ways to Disable Direct Messages on Instagram
- Restrict user
- Turn off direct message notifications
How to disable direct messages on Instagram
- We can all agree that sometimes having to read too many DMs can be problematic for people, especially if they use the platform solely for entertainment rather than engagement. Are you going through something similar? Well, you don’t need to worry anymore because we are here to provide you with the solution to this problem.\
So our goal here is to make sure that no one outside of your network can send your DM requests, right? Follow these steps with us to make that happen for your account:
- Open the Instagram app on your phone and sign in to your account.
- Go to your profile by clicking the small profile icon in the bottom right corner of the screen.
- disable direct messages on instagram
- After that, click on the three lines at the top right corner.
- disable direct messages on instagram
- You’ll see a list of options scrolling up from the bottom of the screen, with Settings written at the top. Click the option to go to the Settings page.
- disable direct messages on instagram
- Here you will find multiple options, the third one is Privacy with a small lock icon next to it. Touch the padlock.
Scroll down until you can find the Messages option and select it. It will take you to the Message Controls section.
It is from this page that you can control who can DM you and if you want to receive DMs at all. Go to the second section of the page, which has Other People written across the top. Can you see an “Other on Instagram” option here? Click on it.
You will find two options, with “Deliver requests to:” written at the top. By default, it’s set as the first option under Message Requests, so you can see a blue tick next to it.
But if you don’t want to receive DM requests, all you need to do is check the white circle next to Don’t Receive Requests and wait for it to update in your account.
From now on, you won’t have to go through any DM requests until you come back here and change this setting in the future.
Alternative Ways to Disable Direct Messages on Instagram
- Restrict user
In the last section, we talked about how to deal with the DM request issue. The solution to this problem was to restrict everyone who doesn’t follow you from sending you a DM request.
But what if your problem is more complicated? Perhaps there is a person you are connected with on Instagram, but you do not interact with them on the platform. Well, you can always block them in that case, but if you meet them in person, wouldn’t that seem too hostile?
So what else can you do with these people and their messages? Do not worry; We have already solved your problem and we are here to help you. Have you heard of restricting accounts on Instagram? Because that’s exactly what you’re going to do with this person.
Although restricting someone on Instagram is an easy task, we’ll walk you through it quickly:
Turn off direct message notifications
Open the Instagram app on your smartphone and go to the page
How many of you Instagrammers are aware of Push Notifications on Instagram? For those of you who aren’t, it’s a feature that allows you to control when you want to be notified in the event of Instagram posts, stories, comments, calls, messages, live features, or any other activity. Furthermore, it also allows you to turn off notifications for everything if you think it’s unnecessary, even DMs.
So let’s say you want to stop using notifications every time you receive a DM or DM request. How will this setting change? Well, to start you will have to go to the Settings of your profile.
Once you are on the Settings page, look for the Notifications option with a bell icon next to it. When you find it, tap on it and you will be taken to the Notifications page. Here you will find many options; Keep an eye out for Messages and Calls, and when you find it, tap on it. On this page, you will find several options with Off and On written below. By default, they’ve all been marked “On” by Instagram, but you can change that now. Just check the “Off” circle next to the things you don’t want to be notified about, and your task is done.
From now on, Instagram will not notify you about any new DMs or DM requests until you open the app and check manually. Nice job!
Conclution
When we get to the end of our blog, let’s do a quick recap of everything we’ve learned today. First, we learned that while you can’t prevent someone from DMing you directly, there are many ways to control who can send you DM requests. Also, if you want to prevent DMs from an individual user, you can turn their DMs into DM requests by restricting your account. Lastly, if DMs annoy you that much, you can simply turn off push notifications to avoid seeing them in your notification window.