Like most social media platforms, Instagram can be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it’s a great platform for building community and followers. On the other hand, you have to deal with haters and trolls leaving rude and obnoxious comments. 

While you can’t control the comments that other people choose to leave on your posts, it’s not difficult to delete Instagram comments that you find offensive. Here’s what you need to know about managing Instagram comments on your posts.

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How to edit a comment on Instagram

Unhappy with one of your own comments on Instagram? Unfortunately, there's no straightforward way to do that. If you want to edit one of your comments on Instagram, the easiest solution is to delete your comment and add a new, edited comment in its place. We’ll go over deleting comments in further detail below.

If you want to edit another aspect of your Instagram post, such as your caption, that’s fairly easy to do. Editing your Instagram caption must be done from your phone, not your computer. Here’s how to edit a caption, which shows up as your first comment, on your Instagram post:

  1. Open Instagram and navigate to the post that you want to edit.
  2. Tap the three dots in the upper-right corner of your post.
  3. Tap Edit.
  4. Edit your caption using the on-screen keypad.
  5. Tap Done.

Can you edit someone else’s comment on Instagram?

Unfortunately, you can’t edit someone else’s comment on your Instagram post or anyone else’s. The best you can do is hide or delete those comments, which we’ll discuss below.

How to hide comments on Instagram

Let’s say you share a contentious Instagram post that is instantly bombarded by hundreds of negative comments. You could delete the offensive comments, but you can also save yourself some trouble by simply hiding offensive comments or turning off comments altogether. Here’s how to hide offensive comments on Instagram:

  1. Navigate to your Instagram profile and tap the three horizontal lines.
  2. Tap Settings. 
  3. Tap Privacy.
  4. Tap Comments.
  5. Toggle on “Hide Offensive Comments.”
  6. You can also toggle on “Manual Filter,” which will allow you to choose specific words that will trigger Instagram to hide a comment.
  7. Additionally, on this page, you can choose to block comments from certain people. This is different from blocking an account altogether, as they can still view your photos. Comments they leave on your photo will only be visible to them. 

How to hide Instagram comments from a person without blocking them

Instagram quietly rolled out a new feature in 2019 that allows users to hide comments from certain users without them even knowing. This is a way to protect yourself from cyberbullying but is also useful for hiding strange comments from well-meaning fans. Here’s how to hide comments using Instagram’s restrict feature:

  1. Navigate to the comment of the person that you want to restrict.
  2. Swipe left on the comment.
  3. Tap the ! icon.
  4. Tap Restrict in the pop-up menu.

What happens when you hide an Instagram comment?

When someone you’ve restricted leaves a comment on your post, it will only be visible to you and the person who left the comment. You will see a shaded comment below the post. If you click on the comment, you will be able to read it and then choose whether to make it visible in your Instagram feed.

How do you comment privately on Instagram?

Comments on Instagram are never truly private. Even if you comment on the post of someone with a private account, all of their followers will still be able to read it. If you really want to leave someone a private comment, send it as a message. Here’s how to do it:

  1. Visit the Instagram post you want to comment on.
  2. Tap the message icon (it looks like a paper airplane).
  3. In the search bar, type the name of the account that created the post.
  4. When the account name auto-populates, tap the circle next to it so that a checkmark appears.
  5. Tap your message in the space provided.
  6. Tap send.

Why are my Instagram comments not showing up?

If you are unable to see your comments on Instagram, the most obvious reason is that your comments are being blocked. As we’ve mentioned above, you can automatically block comments that are offensive. By the same token, someone else may be blocking your comments if they are offensive. Accounts can also block comments that contain certain words. Keep it clean, and you should be able to avoid a comment block. 

Here are a few other reasons why your comments may not be showing up on Instagram:

  1. You don’t have a connection to the internet.
  2. You are posting too much. If you do too much following, unfollowing, liking, commenting, and engaging in one sitting, Instagram could block you for spamming.
  3. Your comment includes more than 30 hashtags or 5 mentions.
  4. You’ve posted the same comment over and over on different posts.

How to turn off comments on Instagram

If comments are more of a hassle than they’re worth, you can simply turn them off. Turning off comments for an individual post takes only seconds. Here’s how to turn them off:

  1. Head over to Instagram and tap on the post that you want to turn off comments on.
  2. Tap the three little dots above your post.
  3. Tap Turn Off Commenting.
  4. If you change your mind, you can tap Turn On Commenting, and all the comments will reappear.

How to delete a comment on Instagram

You can delete comments from your Instagram post on a case-by-case basis without having to restrict someone or block them on Instagram. You can also delete your own comments on someone else’s post. All you have to do to delete an Instagram comment is:

  1. Swipe left on the comment.
  2. Tap the trash can icon. 

Easy!

How to pin a comment on Instagram

Up until now, we’ve been focusing on deleting and hiding inappropriate comments on Instagram, but a new feature allows you to pin a comment on an Instagram post so that it’s the first comment a viewer sees when scrolling through your feed. Here’s how to pin comments on Instagram for all to see:

  1. Open Instagram and navigate to a post where you want to pin a comment.
  2. Tap the comment bubble underneath your post.
  3. Scroll down to the comment you want to pin at the top of your Instagram post.
  4. Gently swipe left across the comment (if you swipe too quickly, you may accidentally delete the comment entirely).
  5. Tap the pin icon.
  6. Select Pin Comment.
  7. The comment will be pinned to the top of your post, right below your caption.

What happens when you delete a comment on Instagram?

When you delete a comment on Instagram, it simply disappears. Nobody gets a notification, so if you have a spammy comment on one of your posts, the only way that the spammer will notice it’s gone is if they go back and look for it. 

Can I delete other people’s comments on Instagram?

Yes, you can delete other people’s comments on Instagram, but only if they are made on your own post. If you find an offensive comment on someone else’s post, the best you can do is mark that comment as spam by swiping left, tapping the ! icon, and then tapping Report this comment.

Can you undelete a comment on Instagram?

Nope. Consider very carefully before deleting a comment on Instagram, because once you tap that trash can icon, the comment is gone for good. 

Comments may be the best thing about Instagram, but they can also be the most annoying if you get lots of spam. Fortunately, Instagram has rolled out the ability to turn off commenting, restrict certain users, and automatically ban offensive comments. These features will make your job easier, and if rude comments slip through the cracks, you can delete them with a simple swipe and tap.