Send a message to someone on Instagram
You can send messages, photos and videos to one or more people using Instagram Direct. Messages won’t appear in feed, search or your profile.
To send a message in a chat:
Instagram app for Android and iPhone
  1. Tap send or messenger in the top right of Feed.
  2. Tap in the top right.
  3. Select people you'd like to send a message to, then tap Chat.
  4. Type a message. You can also tap to take and send a disappearing photo or video, or to select a photo or video from your library.
  5. Tap Send.
Instagram.com from a mobile browser
  1. Tap send or messenger in the top right.
  2. Tap in the top right.
  3. Select people you'd like to send a message to, then tap Next.
  4. Type a message. You can also tap to select a photo or video from your library.
  5. Tap Send.
Instagram.com from a computer
  1. Click send or messenger in the top right.
  2. Click in the top left.
  3. Select the people you'd like to send a message to, then click Next.
  4. Enter a message. You can also click to select a photo or video from your library.
  5. Click Send.
Instagram Lite app for Android
  1. Tap send in the top right of Feed.
  2. Tap in the top right.
  3. Select people you'd like to send a message to, then tap Chat.
  4. Type a message. You can also tap to take and send a disappearing photo or video, or to select a photo or video from your library.
  5. Tap to send the message.
To message someone you follow, you can also go to their profile and tap Message.
Links you send will appear in the conversation with a preview image. When you send an address or phone number, you can tap it from within the conversation to open your phone’s maps app or make a call.
Keep in mind, Instagram accounts you message may use third party apps or automated services to send messages in chats.
If you’re having trouble sending a message to someone on Instagram, try these troubleshooting steps to help solve the issue.
To send a message using commands:
Commands allow you to access controls and content in chats when writing a message. To use commands in a chat:
Instagram app for Android and iPhone
  1. Tap Message... at the bottom of the screen.
  2. From here you can:
    • Enter / to find a list of action commands. For example, you may see the option to send a message without a notification, /silent.
    • Enter @ to find a list of people to notify. For example, you may see a list of people in your chat to mention in a message, @[username].
  3. Select a command, then enter your message.
  4. Tap Send.
Keep in mind that mentions are only available in chats with 3 or more people.
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