How to Allow Messages on Instagram

Wondering why some people can't DM you on Instagram, or how to fully open your inbox for new opportunities? You're in the right place. Tuning your Instagram message settings is simple once you know where to look. This complete guide will walk you through every option, showing you precisely how to allow messages on Instagram, manage who can reach you, and customize your settings to match your personal or business goals.

Where to Find Your Core Message Settings

First things first, you need to know where Instagram keeps these controls. They're tucked away in your privacy settings but easy to get to once you know the path. Think of this as your central command for all incoming messages.

Here's how to navigate to your message control panel:

1. Open the Instagram app and go to your Profile page (by tapping your profile picture in the bottom-right corner).
2. Tap the Menu icon (the three horizontal lines) in the top-right corner.
3. Scroll down and tap on Messages and story replies.
4. From here, tap on Message controls.

You've arrived! This screen is where you'll make all the important decisions about who can slide into your DMs.

Controlling Who Can DM Your Instagram Account

Inside the "Message controls" area, Instagram breaks down potential messengers into different groups. This gives you granular control instead of a single on/off switch. Let's look at each setting so you can configure them perfectly for your needs.

Adjusting Settings for "Your followers on Instagram"

This is arguably the most important group. These are the people who have already opted in to see your content. For just about everyone - brands, creators, and personal users - you want to hear from your followers.

• Receive message requests in: This is the default and recommended setting. It means when a follower messages you, their DM goes straight into your primary inbox. This is the setting you want in 99% of cases.
• Don't receive requests: If you select this, your followers won't be able to send you any new messages at all. They would see a message indicating you aren't accepting messages from them. This is a very restrictive option that's generally only used in specific situations, like pausing communications during a crisis or if a public figure wants to shut down their inbox entirely.

Actionable Advice: Unless you have a strong reason not to, leave this set to "Receive message requests in." Your followers are your community, and cutting off communication with them limits your ability to build relationships, get feedback, and engage your audience.

Managing Messages From People on Facebook

If you've connected your Instagram and Facebook accounts through the Meta Accounts Center, you'll see additional options for controlling messages from Facebook users. This is particularly relevant for brands and creators with an active presence on both platforms.

You'll typically see two categories:

• Friends of friends on Facebook: This applies to people who are connected to your Facebook friends. Allowing them to send requests can be a good way to stay open to your extended network.
• Others on Facebook: This covers all other Facebook users who aren't your friends or friends of friends.

For both of these categories, you have three options:

• People with your phone number: If a user not connected to you on Facebook sends a DM, and Meta detects you both have each other's phone number as a contact, their message is delivered directly to your Chats on Instagram.
• Message requests: When a user DMs you, their message is sent to your Requests list instead of going directly into your Inbox. Use this option to filter your Instagram inbox by placing their messages in your Requests folder.
• Don't receive requests: The person won't be able to message you at all.

Actionable Advice: For a business, allowing requests from "Others on Facebook" can be smart. A potential customer might discover you on Instagram but try to contact you via their personal Facebook profile. For personal accounts, you might tighten this up and only allow friends of friends, or simply turn off requests from other people on Facebook to reduce spam.

"Other people on Instagram" - Going Fully Public

This setting is the primary gatekeeper for anyone who doesn't follow you on Instagram. It's what determines whether a new potential client, collaborator, or customer can reach out to you out of the blue. Your choice here has a big impact on how discoverable and accessible your account is.

You have two simple options:

1. Message requests: This is the ideal setting for growth. Anyone on Instagram can send you a message, and it will land in your "Message Requests" folder. You won't get a notification, but you can review these messages at your own pace and decide to accept, delete, or block the sender.
2. Don't receive requests: This completely shuts the door. If someone who doesn't follow you tries to message you, they'll see a notification that you're not accepting messages from them. This essentially makes your account's DMs private to followers only.

Actionable Advice:

• For Businesses &, Brands: Always set this to "Message requests." Otherwise, you're missing out on new business inquiries, customer support questions, partnership opportunities, and user-generated content tags. Hiding your inbox from non-followers is like a store locking its front door to potential new customers.
• For Creators: The "Message requests" option is also highly recommended. Collaborators, brands, and media outlets needing to get in touch will almost always be non-followers initially. Checking your requests folder once a day should be part of your social media routine.
• For Personal Accounts: This comes down to personal preference. If you want a more private experience, turning off requests can be a good way to reduce unwanted messages. If you're open to connecting with new people, leave it on.

Managing Other Forms of Communication

Your main DMs aren't the only way people communicate on Instagram. Story replies also route directly into your inbox, so managing them is another core part of controlling your messages.

How to Control Story Replies

When someone replies to your Instagram Story, their message appears as a DM. You can decide who gets to do this, giving you another layer of control over your inbox.

Here's where to find that setting:

1. Go to your Profile -> Menu -> Messages and story replies.
2. Tap on Story replies.

You'll find three options:

• Allow story replies from everyone: Anyone who can see your Story can reply to it. This is best for maximizing engagement, especially if you're a business running polls, Q&As, or asking for audience feedback.
• Allow story replies from people you follow: Only accounts you follow back can reply. This is a great middle-ground for creators who want to interact with a specific community but avoid overwhelming message volume from the general public.
• Don't allow story replies: This completely disables the reply function on all of your Stories. It's useful for very sensitive posts where you anticipate a negative response, but using it regularly will hurt your engagement.

A Quick Guide to the "Message Requests" Folder

We've talked a lot about the "Message requests" folder, but what exactly is it? Think of it as Instagram's waiting room. When someone who isn't allowed to message you directly (based on the settings you just configured) tries to get in touch, their message goes here.

• Where to find it: Open your DM inbox. At the very top, you'll see tabs like 'Primary' and 'General'. If you have any requests, you'll see a 'Requests' tab.
• How it works: You can read the full message in the requests folder without the sender knowing you've seen it. It won't show a "Read" receipt until you hit 'Accept'.
• Your options: For each request, you can choose to Accept (moves the chat to your main inbox), Delete (removes it forever), or Block (prevents the user from ever contacting you again).

For any professional account, establishing a routine for checking this folder is vital. It's where countless opportunities are waiting.

Troubleshooting: "Why Can't People Still Message Me?"

If you've configured your settings to be open but someone still claims they can't message you, one of these other reasons is almost always the cause.

Have They Been Blocked?

If you've blocked an account (or they have blocked you), all lines of communication are severed, including messages. You won't even see each other's profiles. You can check your blocked list by going to Settings and Privacy -> Blocked.

Is the Account Restricted?

'Restrict' is a softer version of blocking. When you restrict someone, their comments on your posts are only visible to them, and their messages are quietly moved to your Message requests folder. You won't receive notifications from them. If they're saying they can message you but you're not seeing it, their messages may be sitting in your requests folder because you've restricted their account in the past.

Are There Age Restrictions?

Instagram has safety features in place to protect younger users. For example, adults generally cannot message accounts of users under 16 or 18 (depending on the region) unless that teen follows them. These protections are automatic and override your custom message control settings.

Final Thoughts

Customizing your Instagram Messages settings is all about creating the right balance for your specific situation. By understanding the controls for followers, non-followers, and story replies, you can build a communication strategy that either opens you up to every opportunity or protects your digital space. It's far more than a simple on/off switch, it's your personal filter for a thoughtful online experience.

Once you've set your DMs to welcome more conversations, the challenge shifts to managing them all effectively. At Postbase, we built our tool to solve exactly this problem. Our unified inbox gathers all your DMs and comments from Instagram and your other social platforms into a single, clean dashboard. This lets us help you make sure no important message gets lost in the shuffle, so you can focus on building your community instead of constantly switching between apps.