Qué es un DM: Explicación de la jerga de IG para los mensajes

Foto de perfil de Karen Lin, autora

Karen Lin

Instagram | 4 de septiembre de 2025

¿Quieres más seguidores reales en Instagram ?

“Let me slide into her DMs!” “Don’t be a stranger—hit me up in the DMs!” We hear expressions like these a lot when people talk about reaching out to someone over text. It’s slang about social media that one might hear in casual conversation. But what is a DM, really? And what makes Instagram DMs so special compared with other forms of digital communication? Keep reading this guide to find out all these and more!

Flat and crumpled lined, yellow papers arranged on a green surface to create the silhouette of a DM icon.

¿Qué es un DM en las plataformas de medios sociales?

If you’re not well-versed in digital jargon, you might be asking, “What is a DM in social media? Simply put, “DM” is shorthand for “direct message”—a private message you can send directly to a specific person online.

Unlike other forms of communication on social media, like comments, DMs are private. So, you can be as open and candid in your messages without worrying about the public seeing them.

The slang term “DM” is so commonly used today that the Merriam-Webster Dictionary even lists it. What’s a DM according to the reputable dictionary, you ask? It is used as both a noun and a verb. As a noun, it simply means an online message sent to someone. As a verb, it means the act of messaging someone digitally—as in, “I’m DM-ing him later today.”

The ability to DM someone on social media is a great way to send personalized messages to friends and fans. It allows you to engage with other social media users and do some networking online. Brands might find it especially useful for their customer service efforts, as many product concerns can be solved over DM.

Someone holding a smartphone displaying different messaging apps.

¿Cómo es un DM en Instagram ? 5 características clave de los mensajes directos de IG

You may be asking, “What is a DM on Instagram, and what makes it better than other social media DMs?” Well, an Instagram DM is pretty much just an ordinary direct message online. You can send one to anyone you want to chat with directly privately. You can also send photos, emojis, voice messages, GIFs, and much more through Instagram DM.

However, aside from these typical private message features, Instagram DMs also have a bunch of cool qualities. Here are some of them that you will surely enjoy as you reach and communicate with friends.

Someone using an iPad to type a direct message.

1. Chats de grupo para mensajes entre amigos

Enviar mensajes a los amigos por separado sobre los mismos temas puede ser agotador. Por eso Instagram permite a los usuarios hacer chats de grupo de hasta 250 personas. Es perfecto para grupos de amigos y familias que quieren hablar de planes y enviarse contenidos interesantes.

What’s awesome is that you can even change the name of your group chat. Label your group DMs with any name you want, like the quirky name your friend group goes by. You can also add emojis to group chat names. It’s a terrific way to organize your group DMs so you know the purpose of each chat at a glance.

A group of friends at the park all looking at a group chat through their respective devices.

2. Videollamadas para una comunicación más rápida

Do you want to reach someone and talk to them as quickly as possible? Try Instagram DM’s video call feature. It’s pretty much like FaceTime, but it’s on Instagram.

Pasar de los mensajes de texto a las videollamadas cara a cara es una forma estupenda de subir el nivel de los chats con amigos y familiares. Es mucho más fácil hablar que estar todo el día enviando y recibiendo mensajes de texto. Pero recuerda que sólo debes llamar y aceptar llamadas de personas en las que confíes.

You can initiate video calls with anyone you’ve already had reciprocal DMs with. However, this is limited to unverified accounts. You can’t do a video call with verified profiles.

A woman having a video call with a man on her phone.

3. Compartir directamente contenidos interesantes de Instagram con amigos

One of the most useful features of Instagram messages is that you can share Instagram posts with friends through DMs. From cute feed photos to funny, relatable Reels, a few clicks is all it takes to send posts to friends. Then, this shared content will show up in your DM with them.

Compartir contenidos interesantes con amigos y familiares es una forma estupenda de suscitar conversación en las redes sociales. También es fantástico para compartir productos de una marca que te gusta o recomendaciones de música de moda.

4. Modo Vanish para comunicación privada

Do you want to keep your messages private? Switch over to vanish mode so that you and your friends can send disappearing messages. Whatever you send in vanish mode won’t save to your chat history. It’s the perfect place to spill secrets, send cheeky photos, and share confidential information.

Your private communication only deletes after you go back to regular chat mode. So, make sure you know how to turn off vanish mode before you spill the tea through disappearing messages.

A woman whispering into a man’s ear to make their conversation more private.

5. Solicitudes de mensajes para mantener a raya los DM no deseados

Instagram DMs also have amazing safety features that help make the platform a safe, positive environment. For example, when someone you don’t know sends you a message, it goes straight to your message request folder. From there, you can either approve or delete the messages.

Esto te permite distinguir entre los mensajes que son relevantes para ti y los que te envía gente al azar. Crea algo así como un filtro para que los DM que veas en tu bandeja de entrada sean sólo los "seguros". Los DM no solicitados -que a veces pueden ser dañinos u ofensivos- van a parar a las solicitudes de mensajes.

It’s perfect for keeping unwanted texts, scam messages, and spam at bay. That way, you can focus only on the DMs that are meaningful to you.

Precaución: Desconfíe de los falsos mensajes de texto y spam de Instagram

Instagram DMs may be super cool and abundant in useful features, but they’re also an avenue for social media dangers. As you use messages to network and engage with interesting accounts, be wary of fake Instagram DMs or spam messages.

Don’t accept message requests from strangers claiming to be someone you know without confirmation that they are who they say they are. If you let deceptive people into your DMs, you may find yourself in a cycle of scams and phishing attacks. When in doubt, always report sketchy users sending you unsolicited messages on Instagram.

Cómo borrar DMs de Instagram

Did you send a DM to someone and then immediately regret it? Don’t worry—another cool function of Instagram DMs is that you can unsend individual messages and even delete entire chats. Here’s how to delete Instagram DMs, whether it’s just a one-off text or an entire chat history.

Let’s start with unsending a message. Here’s how to do it, step by step:

1. Abre la aplicación Instagram y dirígete a tu bandeja de entrada.

2. Busque el chat con el mensaje que desea anular.

3. Desplázate por el chat hasta que encuentres el DM concreto que deseas anular.

4. Mantenga pulsado el mensaje.

Path Social’s screenshot of someone’s DM to a brand inquiring about products with an arrow pointing to a message.

5. Haga clic en Anular envío.

Path Social’s screenshot of the pop-up menu after you long-press an Instagram DM with a red box highlighting “Unsend.”

6. If it’s your first time unsending a DM, a confirmation message will pop up with information about deleting messages. Click OK on that message.

Path Social’s screenshot of the confirmation message that appears after you unsend a DM with a red box highlighting “OK.”

Ahora, el mensaje que querías borrar debería desaparecer del chat. Tampoco será visible para la persona con la que estás chateando.

Pero, ¿y si quieres borrar un chat entero de forma permanente? A continuación te explicamos cómo hacerlo:

1. Accede a tu bandeja de entrada en la aplicación Instagram .

2. Desplácese hasta encontrar el nombre de la persona cuyo DM desea eliminar.

3. Desliza el dedo hacia la izquierda en ese DM.

4. 4. Haga clic en Eliminar.

5. Confirme su decisión de eliminar el DM pulsando Eliminar en la pregunta emergente.

When you do this, you will no longer see the DM in your list of chats. However, the other person will still see your DMs in their inbox.

Cómo recuperar DMs de Instagram después de haberlos borrado

So now you know how to delete messages on Instagram. Naturally, the next thing you might be wondering is how to recover Instagram DMs after deleting them.

Unfortunately, once you’ve deleted DMs, there’s no way to get them back. There’s a misconception online that you can see deleted messages when you download your Instagram data in your personal settings. However, Instagram itself says that the personal data downloads don’t include unsent and deleted DMs.

If you need access to old DMs because of an emergency, contact Instagram support for assistance.

¿Puedes hacer una captura de pantalla de Instagram DMs?

If you want to capture important messages within a chat, you might be wondering, “Can you screenshot Instagram DMs?”

Yes, you can definitely screenshot DMs without worrying about the other person knowing. Instagram doesn’t send screenshot notifications for messages in the chat, so they’ll never know. So, feel free to document conversations through screenshots without worrying about the consequences.

¡Sal de los DMs para promocionar tu marca y crecer en Instagram!

Instagram DMs have become quite an indispensable feature on the social media platform over the years. People use it to make group chats, share cool posts, call someone to see how they’re doing, and more. After all, what is a DM but a feature that allows social media users to engage other people online?

But if you want to grow your page, you must get out of the confines of the Instagram message inbox. Real growth happens on the feed when people see your content. That’s exactly what Path Social helps you do. We use AI to pinpoint your target audience and ensure they see your page. This extra visibility expands your audience, increasing your follower count in the long run. So, if you want to get more followers on Instagram, work with Path Social today!