Your Quick Answer:
To mark the messages unread from both ends, first, when you receive the messages just turn on the Airplane mode then read the messages.
After that, uninstall the Instagram app & then reinstall it by turning off the Airplane mode.
If you have received messages on your DM and unwantedly, you just read the messages then those messages can only be unread from your end, not from the sender’s end (it would still show as seen).
When you send a message on DM then you might notice the โSeenโ tag is present just below the delivered message when it is read by the person to whom it was sent.
In case, you want to read a message by keeping that unread from both ends (you & the sender) then you can do that by following a few simple steps.
There you may face a few issues while trying to unread messages but can’t, here you can find this. Here is why you can’t unread messages.
You can also try some apps to delete Instagram messages.
How To Unread Messages On Instagram:
๐๐ฝโโ๏ธ Open Instagram: Open the Instagram app on your mobile device and log in to your account.
๐๐ฝโโ๏ธ Go to Direct Messages: Tap on the paper airplane icon located in the top right corner of the screen to access your Direct Messages.
๐๐ฝโโ๏ธ Select the Conversation: Select the conversation that contains the message you want to unread.
๐๐ฝโโ๏ธ Swipe Left on the Message: Swipe left on the message you want to unread. This will reveal a menu with several options.
๐๐ฝโโ๏ธ Tap on Unread: Tap on the “Unread” option to remove the message from the conversation and unread it.
๐๐ฝโโ๏ธ Confirm Action: Instagram will ask you to confirm the action by tapping on the “Unsend” button again. Once confirmed, the message will be removed from the conversation and marked as unread.
You have now successfully unread a message on Instagram.
How To Unread Messages On Instagram:
You have noticed โSeenโ displayed below the messages that are sent on Instagram. This happens because the recipient has opened the message. Additionally, Instagram doesnโt provide the user with this feature due to some policies.
There are a few tricks that you can take help in order to unread the messages:
1. Through Airplane Mode
Initially, when you receive a message in your notification column, do not tap & do not open it. Else, this method too canโt help you, or if you think you will by mistake tap on the notification bar, then turn off your Instagram notification.
Follow the steps below:
Step 1: Open your Instagram account, Go to the Direct message option (Don’t open the message initially).
Step 2: Next, close your Instagram app, and go back to the home screen.
Step 3: Turn OFF your mobile data or turn ON airplane mode.

Step 4: Now, return to Instagram and open the message you wanna read.
This is how you will be able to read the message. But this too is a temporary option. As soon as you turn on the mobile data and open Instagram the seen tag will be displayed on the senderโs side.
Step 5: To overcome this, just uninstall Instagram and then reinstall it after turning off the Airplane mode.
That’s all you’ve to do.
2. For Instagram Business
Starting with, to unread the messages on Instagram using the official app, you need to have a business account. It does not matter if the message is in the primary inbox or the general inbox. Having a business account can mark your messages as unread, just follow these steps:
Step 1: Go to the Direct Message box >> Tap on Selecting icon {three dots} on the right upper corner of the screen.
Step 2: Select the messages that you want to unread.
Step 3: Tap on More.
Step 4: Tap on โMark as unreadโ.
Itโs Done.
However, with these settings, the messages will be marked as unread not as unseen to the sender. This is just a process of marking the messages unread and reading them again later.
3. From App Settings
With a business account, you can mark the read messages as unread.
Follow the simple steps that are listed below:
Step 1: First of all, go to your Instagram app and open the Direct Message section.
Step 2: After opening the DM, tap on Selecting Icon {three-dots}. It lies in the upper right corner of the screen.

Step 3: Select the targeted conversations, that you wanna mark as unread.
Step 4: After selecting, tap on โMoreโ. More option is located at bottom of the screen.

Step 5: Lastly, โMark as Unreadโ.

And, itโs done. With this, you can mark the messages unread. However, this is done on your end only.
Why can’t I mark it as unread on Instagram:
These might have the following reasons:
1. You Have a Private Account
If you can not mark someone’s messages as unread on Instagram, then it could happen if you are using a private Instagram account.

Because for private accounts, sometimes you may not see this feature, it is not happening for every Instagram user, but if there are any glitches, then private account users may see this kind of problem.
2. Only available for Business and Creator accounts
Instagram has two types of accounts for users, one is a professional account, and the other is a personal account. Professional accounts are divided into two categories, business accounts, and creator accounts.
If you use a personal account, you will not see the “Mark as unread” option because this feature does not apply to personal accounts. It is a special feature you can only use with a professional account. Go to Instagram settings, then switch to the creator account or Business Account from the account section.
๐ฏ What Does This Unread Option Do?
To some extent this unread option on Instagram helps users a lot, it saves us from our unwanted mistakes.
First thing is that the unread option restores back your message to the previous state, you will see the blue dot on the right next to the conversation.
With this unread option, the message will become unread but not unseen. On the senderโs side, it will the displayed as โseenโ, because once you have opened the message. Hence, the unread option will make changes on your side only.
This option is best suitable for users possessing a business account on the Instagram app, not the usual desktop Instagram.
For marking the messages as unseen there are some other ways such as one is, by opening the message after turning OFF your data and turning ON airplane mode.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. If you mark a message as unread on Instagram, does it still say seen?
No, if you mark a message as unread on Instagram, it will be highlighted for you to check it further. But the messages will still show that you have seen them, as Instagram does not mark them as unread.
2. How do Unread Messages on Instagram private accounts?
On private Instagram accounts, there is no direct method to unmark someone’s direct messages. To make it unmarked, you can use the Airplane Mode on-off method. Turn on the Airplane Mode, check the messages, and again turn it off, and the messages will be there as unread.
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