How to Mute Someone on Instagram Using Mobile or Desktop

Quick Tips

• To mute someone on Instagram, go to their profile > tap the bell icon > toggle off the setting you want to mute.
• To mute message notifications from someone, go to Instagram Messages > select the chat > tap i > Mute > toggle off the desired option.

How to Mute Someone on Instagram From Profile Page

Step 1: Open the Instagram app and go to the person’s profile.

Step 2: Tap the bell icon at the top-right corner. Here, you can toggle off to mute any of the following,

• Posts,
• Stories,
• Reels,
• Videos,
• Broadcast channels, and
• Live Videos – Tap it and then select any one:
  • Receive all notifications,
  • Receive some notifications,
  • Turn off notifications.

To unmute, follow the above steps and toggle off the setting.

How to Mute Messages on Instagram

Note: The setting is synced across all your Instagram log-ins. So, if you mute notifications from one device (mobile or desktop), it will reflect across all platforms.

On Mobile App

Step 1: Launch the Instagram app. Tap on the Messages icon at the top-right corner.

Step 2: Select the conversation or group you want to mute. Tap their name/group at the top.

Step 3: Tap on Mute.

Step 4: Here, you will find two options, toggle on the desired option to mute:

• Mute messages
• Mute @mention (only for groups)
• Mute calls

Alternatively,

• On iPhone: Swipe left the chat > select More > Mute > select between Mute messages or Mute calls.

• On Android: Tap and hold the conversation thread in the message list and select Mute messages or Mute calls from the menu.

To unmute Instagram message notifications, repeat the above-mentioned steps and toggle off the preferred setting.

On Browser

The Instagram browser version doesn’t support voice/video call features. So, while you can disable message notifications from the web version, the option to mute voice/video calls is unavailable.

Step 1: Launch Instagram > select Messages from the sidebar.

Step 2: Select the chat you want to mute. Next, click i at the top-right corner.

Step 3: Toggle on Mute messages.

Mute All Message Notifications From Instagram

If you don’t want to receive notifications for any conversation, go to Instagram Settings (Profile > three-line icon > Settings and privacy > Notifications). Next, select Messages.

Here, you can enable/disable notifications for the following settings,

• Messages from individual and group chats,
• Message requests,
• Messages from broadcast channels,
• Messages from social channels,
• Group requests,
• Video Chats,
• Broadcast channel invites

You can also do so from the web browser, open the Instagram website > More > Settings > Push notifications > turn the desired setting on/off.

How to Mute Notifications on Instagram

Mute or Pause All Push Notifications From Instagram

You can turn off (pause for up to 8 hours) or use Quiet mode (for up to 12 hours) all notifications from Instagram, whether live videos, IGTV, messages, etc., for some time. While you’ll not be notified, you can view all the notifications when you open Instagram.

On iPhone or Android App

Step 1: Launch the Instagram app > go to the profile tab.

Step 2: tap on the three-line icon > Settings and privacy.

Step 3: Tap Notifications. Here you can,

• Pause push notifications: Toggle on Pause all and select a time between fifteen minutes to eight hours.

• Mute push notifications: Open Quiet mode > toggle on Quiet mode > select a time from under Turn on automatically.

Once Instagram completes the set duration, your phone’s notifications will resume. If you want to unmute before that, repeat the steps above and toggle off the setting.

On Web Browser

Step 1: Open Instagram web > select More at the bottom-left corner.

Step 2: Select Settings > choose Push notifications.

Step 3: To temporarily mute all notifications, toggle on Pause all.

Step 4: Next, select a suitable duration between fifteen minutes to eight hours.

Completely Disable Instagram Notifications From your Phone

On iPhone

iPhone offers multiple features like Focus mode and Notifications Summary that let you temporarily silence notifications from Instagram. However, you can also completely turn off notifications for Instagram.

To do so, open the Settings app > Notifications > Instagram > toggle off Allow Notifications.

On Android Device

Similar to iOS, Android also boasts features like Do Not Disturb. However, to mute Instagram notifications completely, go to the Settings app > Notifications > App notifications > toggle off Instagram.

Mute Someone’s Posts and Stories From Instagram Feed

If you’re bored or irritated by someone’s Instagram stories or posts, Instagram lets you mute them. Available separately for stories and posts, the feature technically hides them from your feed, allowing you to manage your feed effectively.

Note: You can’t mute posts and stories from the feed on the web browser.

Mute an Instagram post: Tap the three-dot icon > Hide > Mute Instagram account > select Mute posts or Mute posts and story.

Mute a story: Tap and hold the story > Mute > select Mute posts or Mute posts and story.

What Happens When You Mute Someone’s Posts or Messages on Instagram

When you mute messages on Instagram, it silences incoming notifications. Moreover, you can also disable notifications for voice or video call features.

Muting someone on Instagram is a one-sided affair. It only affects your notifications and the content visibility on your feed. So, they can still send you messages or connect on Instagram like usual.

The best part of muting someone on Instagram is that it saves you from the awkwardness of unfollowing or blocking someone, as the muted accounts won’t be notified about their muted status.

What Happens When Mute an Instagram Post or Story

When you mute a post from someone, new posts from the user will not appear on your timeline. However, you can visit their profile to view the latest posts. When you mute someone’s story, the user will appear greyed out at the end of the story list. You can still tap and view their story.

Difference Between Restrict and Mute on Instagram

Mute, unfollow, or restrict have distinct functionalities on Instagram. Unfollowing means you will no longer see the account’s posts and stories, while muting allows you to hide specific content without unfollowing.

On the other hand, restricting someone means they can’t see when you’re online or if you’ve read their messages. Their new comments on your posts will only be visible to that person, and you can choose to see the comment by tapping See comment.

FAQs