How to Unsee or Unread Messages on Instagram
It lets you discreetly reset the 'seen' status for a cleaner inbox.
Sometimes, you just want a little breathing room. Maybe you tapped a message too quickly, or maybe you weren’t ready to let the other person know you’ve seen it. Either way, there are moments when you wish you could hit “undo” on that read receipt.
Unfortunately, once you open a message, the other person knows there’s no going back. But what if you could at least make it look unread on your end? While Instagram doesn’t let you undo a “seen” notification once it’s been sent, there are a few clever workarounds and settings that can help you manage your messages better. Whether you’re trying to stay low-key, keep things organised, or just buy some time before replying, Instagram offers a few options.
In this guide, learn how to do it on Instagram.
How to Unsee or Unread Messages on Instagram
Step 1: Open Instagram on your device and tap on the message icon at the top right-hand corner of the screen
Step 2: Long-press on the chat you wish to mark as unread
Step 3: Once the options appear, tap on Mark as unread
Conclusion
While you can’t truly “unsee” a message once it’s been opened, Instagram does offer ways to manage your conversations more discreetly. Marking messages as unread on your end can help you stay organised or remind yourself to respond later, and using message request previews or notifications can help you avoid triggering the “seen” status altogether.
In short, while there’s no perfect undo button, understanding how these features work puts you back in control of your messaging experience.
David Adubiina
