Your Quick Answer:
If you can’t see unread messages on Instagram means if you don’t get the option ‘Mark as unread’, then your account is not professional.
If you mark a chat as unread, it will be unread from your side; it will still show as seen on the other person’s end.
To unread a chat, go to your Profile, then in Settings, tap ‘Account’ and switch your account to professional.
After successfully switching your account, go to the message section, hold any chats, and tap ‘Mark as unread’.
If you switch your account to a professional one and have a slow internet connection, it will not be unmarked as unread. Sometimes if there is a bug in the app, it will not be unmarked.
There are a few steps you need to follow to mark messages as unread on Instagram.
Why Can’t I Unread Messages on Instagram:
There are several reasons why you would not be able to mark the messages as unread:
1. It is not a Business Account
Instagram has created two types of accounts for users, one is a professional account, and another is a personal account. The professional accounts are divided into two parts, the Business account, and the Creator account.
If you are using a personal account, then you will not see the option ‘Mark as unread’ because this feature is not applicable to personal accounts.
It is a unique feature you can only use with a professional account. Just go to ‘Settings’ and then switch to either the Creator account or Business account from the’ Account’ section.
2. You Can’t Unread from Other Person’s End
Instagram has no option to unread messages from the other side. Even after you have a business account and all the things, after marking the chat as unread, it will mark from your side.
The messages you have already seen of the marked person will still show on the other person’s end. You can’t change it for the other person.
3. It is Marked Unread to You
When you unread a message on Instagram, it is marked unread only for you. The message will be unread, but the seen receipt remains on Instagram.
The unread feature is used to identify an important message, and you should Mark only this important chat for you and want to show it again later. So, when you return, you will know which messages need your attention after marking a message as unread.
Why Is It Not Getting Marked As Unread After Doing It:
There are many reasons why it would not get marked as unread:
1. Slow Internet Connection
After switching your account and marking the messages unread, if still, it is showing that then it could be a network problem that comes from your side. If you are using WiFi, then you might not see this issue, but as Instagram consumes a lot of data, so, for mobile data, you can see this issue.
It could happen often if you use mobile data or have a weak signal. So, if the ‘Mark as unread’ action does not update, try to switch to a strong internet base and then try again.
2. App’s End issue
If it is not showing unmarked after doing all the necessities, there is a chance that it is happening to a bad network connection, but it’s not true that the issue always comes from your side.
Instagram users very often encounter server errors. Refreshing the page may solve your problem, but if that does not work, there is a bug.
You can check Twitter for the official Instagram account if they post any updates regarding their server issues. Sometimes to update the app, the server is down by Instagram. You can check user reports of Instagram issues and or the Down Detector to see if there are any breakdowns on Instagram.
🔯 Can you unread messages on Instagram from both ends?
Unfortunately, Instagram does not allow you to unread messages to users who have personal accounts. To access this feature, you must switch your account to a Business or Creator account. It is considered one of Instagram’s most important and used in-app functions. When someone sends you a message on Instagram, you can see in the chat feed name, and the messages are bold in style.
After seeing it, the bold style will be removed. So, if you mark it again as unread, you can see the messages are again turned bold. In addition to that, for business accounts, there are three tabs.
The Primary tab is for essential users; you will get a notification whenever they send anything. You won’t get any notification from the General tab, and the message requests are coming in the Requests tab.
How to unread messages on Instagram:
To unread messages on Instagram, the first thing you need to do is to switch your account to a professional account. After that, you will get the option ‘Mark as unread’.
1. Switching your Account to Professional
🔴 Steps To Follow:
Step 1: First, open your Instagram app, enter your credentials and log in to your account. Then you will enter the Instagram homepage.
Step 2: Tap on your profile picture from the bottom right corner, and you will enter your Instagram profile page.

Step 3: Click on the three lines from the top left, and at the top of the options, you can see the “Settings” option. Click on it, and you can see the option “Account” in that list now; you have to click on this option.

Step 4: After entering the page, scroll down, and you can see an option: ‘Switch to professional account’. Click on the option and tap ‘Continue’ to pass all the pop-ups.


Step 5: Select what describes your profile best and then choose either ‘Creator’ or ‘Business’ accounts. Now you have to set up your professional account by following the 4 steps like adding a bio, sharing content, and growing the given audience, and then you are done.
🏷 Now to unread messages on Instagram:
🔴 Steps To Follow:
Step 1: Back to your homepage and click on the Message icon from the top right corner.

Step 2: After entering the message section, tap and hold any chats; you can see one pop-up come; tap ‘Mark as unread’.

Also Read:
- Why Doesn’t Instagram Show All Mutual Followers | Says 3 But Shows 2
- Fake Instagram Account Checker | Fake Account Finder App
- How To See When Someone Was Last Active On Instagram
- How To Know If Someone Is Spying On Your Instagram
- How To Remove Restrictions On Instagram
- Why Is Instagram Music Not Available For Some Accounts
- ID Lookup Or Find Instagram Account Details By Username
- What Does ‘This Story Is Unavailable Instagram’ Mean & How To Fix
- Instagram Location Tracker | Track Instagram Account & Its Country
- How To Find Who Is Behind A Fake Instagram Account | Fake Account Finder
- How To Know If Someone Hide Their Story From You On Instagram
- Why The Instagram User Not Found But Can See Profile Picture
- Why Can’t I See Someone’s Profile Picture On Instagram
- Instagram Creation Date Checker | Account Age Checker | When Was Made
- How To Unblock Yourself On Instagram When Someone Blocked You