Deleted Comments on Instagram: Can You Undo or Recover Them?

It happens to the best of us. We’ll make a comment we think we want to say on someone’s Instagram post and then regret it. People’s knee-jerk reaction to this may be to immediately delete their comment with a sigh of relief. But what happens to deleted comments on Instagram?

Deleting Instagram comments can prompt a long string of questions. Will anyone know you took them down? Will users with notifications see the original comment even after the original poster has deleted it? Can you block comments from people you don’t like so you don’t have to keep deleting comments one by one? 

Today, we’ll discuss everything that happens after you hit that delete button on Instagram comments. Keep reading to learn more about deleted comments and their implications on the Instagram app.

Regretting Your Words: Can You Delete Comments on Instagram?

Comments are an integral part of the Instagram app. They spark conversation and hype up your best friends’ OOTDs and selfies. They also drive engagement for brands that want to create buzz for their business. And who doesn’t feel good getting positive comments on their content?

But it can be scary to think that a comment you regret posting will be on the internet forever. No one can live down accidentally commenting on their ex’s photo or making a distasteful joke you immediately regret. So, if these mishaps happen to you, can you delete comments on Instagram to save face?

Luckily, you can! Tapping the delete button is all you need to permanently delete your comment forever. Deleted comments on Instagram are exactly that—deleted. No one can retrieve them. So, for the most part, you’re safe.

Why not consider editing instead of deleting comments? Unfortunately, Instagram comments aren’t editable. If you regret posting a comment on someone’s post, the best you can do is delete it.

There are two types of comments you can delete on the Instagram app. You can delete comments you make on other people’s posts. You can also delete comments a friend or any random user makes on yours. Let’s take a look at how to do each one.

How To Delete a Comment on Instagram After You Post It

Let’s talk about how to delete a comment you made yourself. It’s natural to want to delete a comment you already posted. Maybe you thought of a better one or accidentally posted it before you finished typing it out. Whatever your reason, deleting an Instagram comment you made is simple.

Here’s how to delete a comment you made on someone’s Instagram post:

1. Go to the post with the comment you want to delete. If you can’t find it, look for it in the Your Activity section of your Instagram app settings.

2. In the comments section of the post you commented on, look for the one you want to delete.

3. Swipe to the left on that comment. A dark pink icon with a trash bin should appear.

4. Click on the trash icon to delete the comment. These deleted comments on Instagram will disappear permanently.

You can also delete multiple comments you’ve made on different posts in one go. This is great if you regret making multiple comments and want to eliminate them all as soon as possible. Here’s how to do it:

1. Go to your Instagram profile and click on the hamburger menu in the top-right corner.

2. Click “Your Activity.”

3. Under Interactions, click “Comments.” Here, you’ll see all the most recent comments you’ve made on other people’s posts.

4. Click “Select” on the top-right corner of the screen.

5. Tick the dot of every comment you want to delete from their respective posts.

6. Hit the delete button at the bottom of the screen and confirm your decision. This will delete all those comments in seconds.

How To Delete Comments on Instagram That Other People Made

Next, let’s talk about comments on your posts. Since people have published these comments on your content, you can delete them.

You may want to delete comments made by others on your post for many reasons. Perhaps they were spam comments from a random user or Instagram bots. Or maybe they were negative, offensive comments you don’t want on your profile. Either way, deleting Instagram comments is a great idea to keep your Instagram space safe and enjoyable.

Here’s how to delete comments on Instagram that other people published on your post:

1. Go to your post with the comments you want to delete.

2. Swipe left on a comment you wish to remove. The pink icon of a trash bin will appear.

3. Click the trash icon to delete that comment.

Just like deleting comments, you can eliminate multiple comments on your post at a time. Follow these simple steps to do that:

1. Open the post with the comments you want to remove.

2. Click “View all comments” at the bottom of the post. This opens all the comments.

3. Click the three-dot menu on the top-right corner of the screen to open comment controls.

4. Click “Manage comments.”

5. Tick off the dot for every comment you want to delete from the post. You can delete a maximum of 25 comments at a time.

6. Click the delete button.

Deleted comments on Instagram don’t send notifications to the original poster. So, you don’t have to worry about people coming back to harass you about deleting comments.

Safety Tip: Restrict People Who Wrote Those Deleted Comments on Instagram

No one should ever have to tolerate bullying through comments on a fun platform like Instagram. If you’re dealing with inappropriate comments on your posts, consider limiting comments by turning on your “hide offensive comments” setting. You should also consider restricting the people posting such crude comments.

When you restrict someone, comments they publish under your posts will only be visible to them. You will have the power to approve or delete their comment. These deleted comments on Instagram will never be visible to the public. You also won’t receive notifications about a restricted person’s comments.

Here’s how to restrict someone from commenting on your posts:

1. From your Instagram profile, click on Settings > Privacy.

2. Under “Interactions,” click on Restricted Accounts.

3. Click the search bar and type out the profile username you want to restrict.

4. Once their profile appears in the list below, click the blue button next to their name, which says “Restrict.”

If the comments they try to leave still bother you, block comments from specific people on your posts altogether. Here’s how:

1. Open your Instagram Settings and click on Privacy.

2. Under “Interactions,” click Comments.

3. Click “Block comments from.” This will show you a list of people who can’t post comments on your posts.

4. To add someone to this list, type their username on the search bar.

5. Once you find their name, tap the block button beside it. They can’t publish any comments on your posts as long as they’re blocked. Unblock them by returning to this page and clicking “Unblock” next to their name.

Blocking Someone Will Result in Deleted Comments on Instagram

If you don’t want to interact with someone (not just in the comments), you can just block them in general. A blocked user won’t be able to find your profile, much less comment or message you.

When you block someone, all their previous comments on your posts will turn into deleted comments on Instagram. Instagram permanently removes them, but they won’t notify the blocked user about it. They’ll only know you’ve blocked them if they try to visit your profile and can’t find it.

If you choose to unblock a person after a while, you won’t get their old comments back. All their comments under your posts will be gone the minute you block them. To know if someone blocked and unblocked you, check if your comments on their posts have mysteriously disappeared. That’s a tell-tale sign.

Taking It Back: Can You Recover a Comment on Instagram?

Let’s say you’ve successfully deleted comments on Instagram that you didn’t want up anymore. And then you realize after a while that deleting comments wasn’t necessary. Or maybe you hit the delete button by accident. Is there a way to restore it? Is it possible to undelete Instagram post comments?

Unfortunately, Instagram doesn’t have a function to restore deleted comments. Once you hit that delete button, it’s gone forever.

However, some believe that Instagram’s data storage still retains deleted comments, at least temporarily. Sadly, regular Instagram users can’t access them. If you need a deleted comment for an important reason, you can try to contact Instagram support for help.

The Only Way To Recover Comments on Instagram

While you can’t restore comments you deleted some time ago, there is one way to undo deleted comments on Instagram. However, there is a caveat—a pretty big one at that:

After hitting the delete button on a comment, an undo button appears. You will only have around 3-5 seconds to click on it. If you click on it, the comment you deleted will reappear. After that timeframe, the undo button disappears, and you won’t be able to retrieve that comment.

Can You See Comments on Instagram Once Deleted?

No one will ever see deleted comments on Instagram when they’re gone. If you miss the window to “undo” the deletion, the deleted comment will never reappear. Even the person who owns the content commented on won’t be able to see it.

And you might be thinking, can you see deleted comments on Instagram through a third-party app? The answer to that is also no. There aren’t any apps or sites to help you do that. You might have heard of apps that help restore deleted posts, but apps like that don’t exist for comments.

Users With Notifications Might See Deleted Comments

But there is one way someone might see a deleted comment. That is if you comment on a user’s post and they have notifications switched on.

Let’s say a person is scrolling on their phone and you comment on their Instagram post. If they have notifications on, they can see a preview of it through a push notification. 

Even if you delete your comment with lightning speed, the original notification will tell them what you said. But when they open their Instagram app and look at their post, they won’t find your deleted comment anymore.

Avoid Deleting Instagram Comments by Making It a Safe Space

The freedom to restrict and delete comments from your posts is a great way to protect your peace on Instagram. But there would be no deleted comments on Instagram if it were a safe space, to begin with.

Everyone should do what they can to make the Instagram app a safer space with no offensive comments. You can do your part by being a responsible Instagram user and knowing the platform’s community guidelines. Here are some of their most important points relating to comments and interactions:

• Genuine interactions: Don’t engage in spam.
• Respect everyone: Instagram is proud of how diverse its user base is. Hate speech and bullying to degrade someone because of where they’re from and how they look is against their guidelines.
• No to threats and blackmail: Never blackmail or threaten someone..
• No to harassment: Repeatedly commenting or reaching out to someone to the point of harassment is against the guidelines.

If you see someone straying from these guidelines, report them immediately. This keeps everyone’s comments section safe from spam, bullies and harassment.

Deleting Instagram Comments Can Be a Hassle but Could Keep You Safe

Dealing with deleted comments on Instagram can be anxiety-inducing and a total headache. On the one hand, you might stress about someone seeing a comment you posted and deleted yourself. You also need to keep an eye out for unwanted comments on your posts and delete them too.

Maintaining a safe space for you and others by managing deleted comments on Instagram is necessary. However, that also doesn’t mean you can’t have fun on the Instagram app. Keeping your community safe is a top priority. But it’s equally important to grow it, especially if you dream of becoming an influencer. You can do that with Path Social. Our special targeting algorithm serves your content to people who love your niche. This helps grow your following in an authentic, organic way. Start gaining more followers today with our help!

FAQs

We hope you’re clearer of the importance of deleting Instagram comments on the platform. If you’re curious to know more about deleted comments on Instagram, check out our frequently asked questions: