How to Turn On Comments on an Instagram Story

Ever posted an Instagram Story and wondered why no one was commenting on it? The fix might be simpler - and more important for your engagement - than you realize. This guide will walk you through exactly how to turn on comments (which Instagram calls replies) on your Stories and provide strategies to spark more conversations with your audience.

Understanding Instagram Story "Comments" vs. "Replies"

First, let's clear up a common point of confusion. Unlike feed posts, which have a public comment section underneath them, Instagram Stories don't have a public comment thread. When someone "comments" on your Story, it doesn't show up for everyone else to see. Instead, it gets sent directly to your Direct Messages (DMs) as a private reply.

So, when we talk about "turning on comments on your Instagram Story," what we're really talking about is enabling Story replies. This feature is the primary way your followers can interact with your Story content beyond a simple emoji reaction. It's a direct line of communication that opens the door for questions, feedback, and genuine connection. Forgetting to turn this on, or having it set to "Off" by mistake, effectively silences your audience and shuts down a valuable channel for engagement.

How to Turn On Story Replies (Comments) on Instagram: A Step-by-Step Guide

If your Story replies are turned off, your audience won't even see the option to send a message. All they'll see are the emoji reactions, which is a major missed opportunity. Here’s how to check your settings and make sure replies are enabled.

The steps are the same whether you're using an iPhone or an Android device.

1. Open your Instagram profile: Launch the Instagram app and tap on your profile picture in the bottom-right corner to go to your profile page.
2. Access settings: Tap the three horizontal lines (often called the "hamburger menu") in the top-right corner of your screen.
3. Navigate to Settings and Privacy: In the menu that pops up, select "Settings and Privacy."
4. Find Message and Story Reply settings: Scroll down a bit until you see the section titled "How others can interact with you." In this section, tap on "Messages and story replies."
5. Go to Story Reply Controls: On the next screen, tap on "Story replies."
6. Choose who can reply to your Story: You will now see three options. To turn on "comments," you need to select either of the first two options.

Customizing Your Story Reply Settings: Breaking Down the Options

Instagram gives you three distinct levels of control over who can reply to your Stories. Choosing the right one depends on your goals, whether you're a brand, a creator, or just running a personal account.

Allow story replies from Everyone

This is the best option for most businesses, creators, and public figures. It allows anyone who views your story - whether they follow you or not - to send you a reply.

• Pros: Maximizes potential engagement. It's fantastic for running campaigns, gathering customer feedback, or simply being accessible to your entire potential audience. If someone discovers your Story through a location tag, hashtag, or a share, they can immediately reach out.
• Cons: It opens you up to receiving DMs from anyone, which could include spam or unwanted messages. However, for a brand, the benefits of being open to communication usually outweigh this risk.

Allow story replies from People you follow

This setting creates a more controlled environment. Only the accounts that you follow will be able to reply to your Stories. Followers who you don't follow back will not see the message bar.

• Pros: This is a great choice for personal accounts or for brands who want to foster a more tight-knit community. It cuts down on unsolicited messages and keeps your inbox focused on conversations with people and brands you actively chose to follow.
• Cons: It significantly limits your inbound communication. If a potential customer or new fan wants to ask a question via your Story, they won't be able to unless you follow them first, which is a big barrier.

Don’t allow story replies

As the name suggests, this completely disables the message reply function on all of your Stories. No one will be able to send you a DM from your Story.

• Pros: It can be useful in specific situations. For example, if you need to post a serious announcement and don't have the capacity to manage a flood of DMs, or if an account is facing harassment, turning off replies can be a temporary solution for mental health.
• Cons: Using this as a default setting is a major disadvantage for engagement. It sends a message that you're not interested in hearing from your audience, which can make a brand feel distant and unapproachable. For 99% of creators and businesses, this option should remain untouched.

Troubleshooting: "My Story Replies Are On, But It's Still Not Working!"

Sometimes, technology just doesn't cooperate. If you've confirmed that your settings allow replies but you're still not receiving them, or if the feature appears glitchy, here are a few things to try before you panic.

1. Update Your Instagram App

This is the most common fix for almost any Instagram bug. App developers are constantly pushing updates to fix glitches and improve performance. Head to the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, search for Instagram, and see if there's an "Update" button waiting for you. Many mysterious issues vanish with a simple update.

2. Restart the App and Your Phone

The classic "turn it off and on again" works for a reason. First, try fully closing the Instagram app (swiping it away from your recent apps) and reopening it. If that doesn't work, perform a full restart of your phone. This can clear temporary files and resolve minor software conflicts that might be causing the problem.

3. Check Your Message Settings

It's possible your Story reply settings are fine, but your main message controls are conflicting with them. Go back to Settings and Privacy > Messages and story replies and select "Message controls." From here, review the settings for "Your followers on Instagram" and "Others on Instagram." Make sure you haven't set them to "Don't receive requests," which could be preventing new conversations from coming through.

4. Is Instagram Down?

Sometimes, the problem isn't on your end at all. Instagram occasionally experiences server-side issues or outages. You can check websites like Downdetector or search for hashtags like #InstagramDown on X (formerly Twitter) to see if other users are reporting similar problems. If so, all you can do is wait it out.

Beyond the 'On' Switch: How to Actually Encourage More Story Replies

Turning on the feature is just the first step. The real goal is to create content that makes people want to reply. If your Stories are passive, your audience will be too. Here’s how to actively spark conversations and get more DMs from your Stories.

Use Interactive Stickers Effectively

Instagram's built-in stickers are your best friends for engagement. They lower the barrier to interaction and warm your audience up for conversation.

• Question Sticker: This is the most direct way to solicit replies. Ask for advice ("What are your favorite podcasts for entrepreneurs?"), recommendations ("Where should we go for lunch in Austin?"), or simple opinions ("Which design do you like better?"). You can then share the responses to your Story to create a community conversation.
• Poll &, Slider Stickers: These are quick, "one-tap" interactions. While they don't generate text replies directly, they get your audience used to engaging with your content. Follow up a poll with a Story that says, "So many of you voted for X! DM me why you love it," to convert those taps into conversations.
• Quiz Sticker: Test your audience's knowledge about your brand, industry, or a fun topic. It’s gamified, engaging, and prompts people who score well (or terribly) to send you a reply out of pride or curiosity.

Ask Open-Ended Questions in Your Captions

Don’t just rely on stickers. Use the text tool on your Story to pose a direct question that prompts a thoughtful response. Instead of just a photo of your new product, ask: "What's the one feature you'd love to see us add to this?" Instead of a behind-the-scenes shot of your team, ask: "What does our team culture look like from the outside?" These questions invite more than a one-word answer and are conversation starters.

Go Behind the Scenes and Be Human

People connect with people, not logos. Use Stories to show the unpolished, human side of your brand. Share a "day in the life," introduce a team member, or talk about a challenge you're facing. This type of authentic content builds trust and makes your audience feel like they know you, encouraging them to reply as if they're messaging a friend.

Run a "DM for..." Campaign

This is an effective strategy for driving replies with direct calls-to-action (CTAs). Offer a piece of value that your audience can only get by replying to your Story.

• Example for a Coach: "DM me the word 'GUIDE' and I'll send you my free template for planning your week."
• Example for an E-commerce Brand: "We have a few discount codes left! Reply 'SECRET' to this story and I’ll send one your way."

This not only boosts your engagement signals for the Instagram algorithm but also gives you a list of highly interested leads to nurture in your DMs.

Final Thoughts

Enabling comments - or more accurately, replies - on your Instagram Stories is a simple but powerful way to deepen your connection with your audience. By navigating to your privacy settings, you can easily control who can contact you, opening up a direct channel for questions, feedback, and community building.

Keeping up with all those new Story replies, DMs, and feed comments across multiple platforms is exactly why we created a unified inbox in Postbase. Instead of constantly switching between apps and worrying about missing an important conversation, we wanted one place to manage all our community engagement. It lets us see everything in a single, organized view, making it so much easier to provide quick responses and build lasting relationships with our audience.