How to Delete Messages on Instagram From Both Sides Using Unpost

Reviewed by Unpost Team

This guide is specifically about deleting Instagram messages from both sides — removing them for everyone, your side and theirs — by unsending, either one message at a time in Instagram or in bulk with Unpost. The rule that decides what is possible: you can only unsend messages you sent, while deleting a conversation from your inbox removes the chat only for you. You also cannot erase messages written by the other person. If you need to clean up many sent DMs, Unpost can bulk unsend your own sent Instagram messages in selected conversations instead of making you open each chat and remove messages one by one.

This page is the focused answer for the “both sides” question. If you want the broader DM cleanup picture, including inbox deletion and one-off chat removal, read how to delete Instagram messages and chats.

What “Delete From Both Sides” Actually Means on Instagram

The phrase sounds simple, but Instagram message deletion is easy to misunderstand.

If you are asking can I delete Instagram messages for both sides, the accurate answer is: yes, but only for messages you authored. On Instagram, “from both sides” usually means unsending a message you sent so it no longer appears in the conversation. It does not mean you can erase messages the other person wrote.

That is why the common search phrasing how to delete Instagram messages from the other person needs a careful answer. You cannot use Instagram to delete the other person’s own messages out of the thread for them. You can remove your own sent messages. That is the limit you should keep in mind before you start a cleanup session.

If DM cleanup is part of a larger reset across posts, reels, comments, likes, followers, or following, the Instagram cleanup guide is the best broader reference.

Native Instagram Method

Instagram already gives you a native way to remove one sent message from a conversation. It is usually called Unsend.

How to unsend one Instagram message

The current flow is usually:

1. Open Instagram and go to your inbox.
2. Open the conversation that contains the message.
3. Press and hold the message you sent.
4. Tap Unsend.

That is the native answer to how to delete Instagram messages from both sides when the job is small. If you only need to remove one recent message, this is usually enough.

Why doing it manually gets slow fast

Manual unsend is fine for one mistake. It becomes tedious when the real task is a long cleanup pass across multiple conversations. You have to open each thread, find your sent messages, and repeat the same action over and over. That is why the “both sides” query often turns into a bulk workflow problem instead of a how-to problem.

For the fuller difference between unsending a message, deleting a chat, and clearing your inbox, read how to delete Instagram messages and chats.

When Unpost Is Better

Unpost is the better fit when the real goal is not one message but many. On Instagram, Unpost helps you bulk delete messages authored by the logged-in user in selected conversations. In practical terms, that means bulk unsending your own sent Instagram messages instead of doing manual unsend over and over.

This is where Unpost becomes useful:

• You want to clean up many old messages across selected conversations.
• You only want to target a certain date range.
• You want keyword-based cleanup instead of opening each chat manually.
• You want live progress while the deletion runs.

If that sounds like your job, Try Unpost, a mobile app for iOS and Android built for bulk social-media cleanup. On Instagram, Unpost supports deleting DMs, posts, reels, carousels, likes, comments, unfollow all, and remove all followers.

How to Bulk Unsend Your Own Sent Instagram Messages With Unpost

Use this workflow when you need to delete Instagram messages from both sides at scale and the native one-message-at-a-time flow is too slow.

1. Install Unpost on your phone

Install Unpost on iOS or Android and open the app. This page is about Instagram DMs, but the app also supports other Instagram cleanup tasks if you are doing a wider account reset later.

2. Connect your Instagram account

Inside Unpost, add your Instagram account. Unpost connects through Instagram web login in an embedded browser. Unpost stores encrypted session data locally on your device. It does not require you to manually paste credentials into the app.

3. Open the DMs tab

After the account is connected, open the Instagram DMs section. Unpost loads your conversations so you can work from a list instead of jumping in and out of the Instagram app itself.

4. Select the conversations you want to clean up

Choose the chats you want to process. This is the key difference from manual cleanup: you are deciding which conversations to work on first, instead of repeating the same taps inside every thread one by one.

5. Narrow the job with filters if needed

If you do not want to clean everything in the selected conversations, use the available filters. Unpost supports date range filtering and keyword filtering, which makes it much easier to target a specific time period, phrase, or cleanup goal.

6. Start deletion

Start the deletion run. Unpost will begin removing the messages you authored in the selected conversations.

7. Keep the app open and avoid using Instagram

This part matters. Keep Unpost in the foreground while the deletion runs. Do not actively use Instagram during the process, because that can interfere with the cleanup flow.

8. Watch live progress and let retries finish if needed

Unpost shows live progress while it works. If Instagram rate limits the action, the process may need to pause and retry before continuing. That is usually a workflow delay, not a reason to panic. The practical move is to keep the app open, let the session continue, and check progress again after the retry.

What This Page Does and Does Not Mean

What this page does mean

• You can remove your own sent Instagram messages from both sides of a conversation by unsending them.
• Unpost can help bulk unsend your own sent messages in selected Instagram conversations.
• Bulk cleanup is often more realistic than manual unsend when the message history is large.

What this page does not mean

• It does not mean you can erase messages written by the other person.
• It does not mean deleting a chat from your inbox wipes the entire conversation for everyone.
• It does not mean this page is about message recovery. If recovery is your question, read how to see deleted messages on Instagram.

FAQs

Does the other person get notified if I delete messages on Instagram from both sides?

Instagram typically does not show “delete from both sides” as a separate feature. The relevant native action is unsend. In practice, the sent message disappears from the conversation, so the other person may notice that something is gone even if Instagram does not present it as a special deletion alert. If your main question is the notification side of unsend, read if you unsend a message on Instagram does it notify.

Does this work for group chats?

The same message rule applies in group conversations: the removable messages are the ones you authored, not the messages written by other people. Deleting a group thread from your inbox is not the same as wiping the chat for the whole group. If your goal is to clean up your own sent messages in selected conversations, think in terms of conversation-level cleanup, not full-history erasure for every participant.

Is Unpost safe to use for this?

For account connection, Unpost uses Instagram web login in an embedded browser and stores encrypted session data locally on your device. That is the important practical detail for privacy-conscious users. During deletion, the safest workflow is also the simplest one: keep Unpost open, avoid actively using Instagram at the same time, and let the process run without interruption.

What should I do if deletion pauses?

Keep Unpost in the foreground and wait for the retry to continue. A pause can happen if Instagram slows or rate limits the action. In most cases, the right move is to stay patient, keep the app active, and let the session resume. If you interrupt the process by switching apps or using Instagram heavily at the same time, cleanup is more likely to stall.

Who Should Use Unpost Here?

Unpost is the best option for people who are past the one-message stage.

• You want to bulk unsend Instagram messages instead of doing manual cleanup.
• You want to target only certain conversations, dates, or keywords.
• You want visible progress during a longer cleanup run.
• You are doing DM cleanup as part of a larger Instagram privacy reset.

If your job is one recent message, native Instagram unsend is usually enough. If your job is a real DM backlog, Unpost is the more practical tool.

Bottom Line

If you want to know how to delete messages on Instagram from both sides, the short answer is: unsend messages you sent. Deleting a chat from your inbox is different, and it does not usually remove the conversation for the other person. You also cannot delete the other person’s own messages out of the thread.

Unpost fits when you need to do that cleanup at scale. It helps you bulk unsend your own sent Instagram messages in selected conversations, with conversation selection, date range filtering, keyword filtering, and live progress. For large DM cleanup on iOS or Android, Try Unpost.