How to Put Primary and General DMs on Instagram

Your Instagram DM inbox can quickly turn from a communication hub into a chaotic jumble of client messages, spam, and notes from friends. If you’re using Instagram to build a brand or business, sorting through that clutter to find the important conversations is a massive time drain. Luckily, Instagram has a built-in solution waiting for you. This guide will show you exactly how to use the Primary and General DM tabs to take back control, stay organized, and never miss an important message again.

What Are Primary and General DMs, Anyway?

Think of it as Instagram giving you a smart, two-tab filing system for your direct messages. This feature, available for Creator and Business accounts, automatically splits your inbox into two distinct categories to help you prioritize your conversations. Knowing the difference is the first step to mastering your inbox.

The Primary Tab

The Primary tab is your VIP section. It's the default inbox where messages from people you follow and accounts you interact with most frequently will land. Most importantly, you'll receive notifications for any new messages that arrive here. This space is designed for your most critical conversations:

• Close friends and family
• Current clients and high-priority customers
• Collaborators and business partners
• Top followers you have a strong relationship with

Essentially, any message you want to be alerted to immediately should live in your Primary tab. It’s your front line of communication for everything that moves your business or personal connections forward.

The General Tab

The General tab is your secondary inbox, designed for everything else. By default, you will not receive push notifications for messages in this tab. This is its superpower. The General tab acts as a holding area for conversations that aren't urgent, allowing you to deal with them on your own schedule without constant interruptions. Messages can either land here automatically or be manually moved here by you. It's a perfect place for:

• Messages from accounts you don’t follow
• Less urgent inquiries or follower questions
• Old conversations you want to keep but don't need to see daily
• Cold outreach messages or DMs that feel a little spammy

Separating these less critical messages allows you to tackle them in focused blocks of time, rather than letting them disrupt your workflow throughout the day.

How to Enable the Primary and General DM Tabs on Instagram

If you're looking at your inbox right now and only see one feed, it's likely because you're using a Personal Instagram account. The dual-inbox system is a perk reserved for Professional accounts - meaning you need to switch to a Creator or Business account to unlock it. The good news is that making the switch is free, simple, and gives you access to a suite of other helpful tools like detailed analytics and promotion options.

Switching to a Professional Account (Creator or Business)

Ready to upgrade your account and get organized? Follow these simple steps:

1. Go to Your Profile: Open the Instagram app and tap your profile picture in the bottom-right corner.
2. Open the Menu: Tap the hamburger menu (the three horizontal lines) in the top-right corner.
3. Access Account Settings: From the menu, tap on Settings and Privacy.
4. Find Account Tools: Scroll down to the "For professionals" section and tap on Account Type and Tools.
5. Initiate the Switch: Tap Switch to Professional Account and then tap Continue through the informational screens.
6. Choose Your Category: Select a category that best describes what you do (e.g., "Entrepreneur," "Blogger," "Digital Creator," "Local Business"). This can be displayed on your profile or hidden.
7. Choose Your Account Type: This is the final step. You'll be asked to choose between a Creator account and a Business account.
   • Creator: Best for public figures, content producers, artists, and influencers. It offers more flexible profile options and growth tools.
   • Business: Best for brands, retailers, local businesses, and service providers. It offers features focused on converting customers, such as adding a physical address and running ads.

As soon as you complete the switch, head back to your DM inbox. You’ll see it has magically organized itself with the "Primary" and "General" tabs at the top. You're now ready to start organizing.

How to Move DMs Between Primary and General

Moving conversations between the two tabs is the key to maintaining this new organized system. Instagram gives you a few different ways to do this, including an option to move several messages at once.

Method 1: The Quick Swipe (iOS & Android)

This is the fastest and easiest way to file a single conversation.

1. Open your direct message inbox.
2. Find the conversation you want to move.
3. Swipe left on the conversation thread.
4. Tap the gray "General" button to move it from Primary, or the blue "Primary" button to move it from General.

Just like that, the conversation will be relocated. It's perfect for quick, daily inbox maintenance.

Method 2: Using the "More" Menu

This method involves an extra tap but gives you access to other actions like muting or deleting.

1. Open your direct message inbox.
2. Swipe left on the conversation you want to move.
3. Instead of tapping "Primary" or "General," tap the "More" button.
4. From the pop-up menu, select "Move to General" or "Move to Primary."

Method 3: Moving Multiple Conversations in Bulk

When you first enable the feature, you might want to do a major cleanup. The bulk-move feature is your best friend here.

1. In your DM inbox, tap the select icon in the top-right corner (it looks like a list with checkmarks).
2. This will bring up circles next to each of your conversations. Tap the circles to select all the messages you want to move.
3. Once you've selected all your desired ones, look at the bottom of the screen. Tap the "Move" button.
4. A final prompt will ask you to confirm if you want to move them to "Primary" or "General." Tap your choice, and all selected conversations will be moved instantly.

This is an absolute game-changer for organizing dozens of DMs that have piled up over time.

Smart Strategies for Using Your New Dual Inbox

Now that you know how the feature works, let's talk strategy. An organized inbox isn’t just about looking neat, it’s about improving your communication and reclaiming your focus. Here's how to create a simple, effective workflow.

Create Clear Rules for Each Tab

Decide what types of conversations belong where. Having clear rules removes the guesswork and makes daily management easy.

Who Belongs in Primary?

• Urgent Customer Support: Any messages from customers with an immediate issue.
• Paying Clients & Active Leads: These are the people who directly impact your bottom line.
• Team & Collaborators: Communication with your own team or brand partners is always a top priority.
• Warm Leads: Genuine inquiries about your products or services from potential customers.
• Close Friends & Valued Peers: Don't let important personal connections get lost in the noise.

What Should Be Moved to General?

• Most Follower DMs: Replies to Stories, quick questions, or general comments that aren't time-sensitive.
• Cold Outreach & Pitches: DMs from other brands or creators looking to collaborate can wait.
• Non-Urgent FAQs: Questions you get all the time that can be answered later. (Tip: pair this with the "Quick Replies" feature!).
• Completed Conversations: Once a project is done or an issue is resolved, move the conversation to General to declutter your Primary view.

Build a Sustainable Inbox Management Routine

A tool is only as good as the habit you build around it. Here are two simple habits to adopt:

1. The 5-Minute Daily Sort: First thing in the morning, spend just a few minutes going through your new DMs in the Primary tab. Respond to anything urgent, and quickly swipe any non-urgent messages over to General. This keeps your main inbox clean and focused right from the start of your day.
2. Schedule a "General Tab" Block: Designate a specific time each day - like 30 minutes after lunch - to go through your General tab and respond to everything there. Because notifications are off, you won't be tempted to check it constantly. Batching your replies like this is incredibly efficient and protects your creative deep work time.

This system turns your inbox from a reactive, chaotic space into a proactive, organized one. You decide when and how to engage, not your notifications.

Beyond Primary vs. General: Fine-Tune Your System

The dual inbox is your foundation, but Instagram offers a couple of other Pro account features that perfectly complement it.

Set Up Quick Replies for the General Tab

Many of the messages you move to the General tab will be frequently asked questions. Instead of typing out the same response over and over, use Quick Replies. Go to your Professional Dashboard > Saved replies, and set up templated answers. For example, create a saved reply for "What are your business hours?" or "Where can I find pricing?" When you open that DM in your General tab, you can select your pre-written response and answer in seconds.

Use Message Requests as Your First Filter

Remember that before messages even reach your inbox, they pass through Message Requests if they're from someone who doesn't follow you. Treat this folder as your first line of defense. Spend a few minutes each day quickly accepting messages into General (for review later) or deleting clear spam before it ever clutters your main inboxes.

Final Thoughts

Turning on Instagram's Primary and General tabs is one of the most effective organizational changes you can make for your account. This simple system helps you reduce digital noise, prioritize conversations effectively, and ensures your mental energy is spent on the people and opportunities that move the needle for your brand.

While an organized Instagram inbox is a fantastic start, we know that managing an online brand often means juggling conversations across several platforms. That’s why we built Postbase with a unified inbox that brings all your communications into one clean, manageable view. You can reply to Instagram DMs, Facebook comments, TikTok messages, and more, all from a single dashboard, finally putting an end to the chaos of app-switching.