How to Stop Message Requests on Instagram (Without Losing Customers)

You can't turn Instagram DMs off completely, but you can stop message requests. Open Settings and privacy, go to Messages and story replies, tap Message requests, and set Others on Instagram to Don't receive requests. That is the closest thing Instagram offers to switching DMs off.

Before you flip that switch, know the cost. If you are a creator or run a business, almost every new customer, collaborator and brand rep reaches you as a message request. Close that door and you close them out too. For most accounts the better move is to filter requests, not shut them off. This guide covers both.

How to stop message requests on Instagram, step by step

Menu labels shift a little between app versions and countries, so if a name doesn't match, look for Message controls or Message requests under Settings and privacy. The path is the same.

1. Open your profile. Tap the three-line menu at the top right, then Settings and privacy.
2. Open Messages and story replies. This is the section that holds every DM control.
3. Tap Message requests. You will see separate lines for who can send you requests.
4. Tap Others on Instagram. Choose Don't receive requests. Strangers can no longer start a chat with you.
5. Do the same for Others on Facebook if that line shows up on your account.
6. Tap Your followers on Instagram. Choose Don't receive requests if you also want to stop followers you don't follow back from messaging you.

That is the full shutoff. New people can still view your profile and comment, but they can't open a DM thread. Chats you already have stay where they are.

What each message control actually does

The setting is split into groups, and it helps to know who is in each one.

• Others on Instagram: people who don't follow you and whom you don't follow. This is where most spam and cold pitches come from.
• Others on Facebook: people connected to you through Facebook but not on your Instagram follow list.
• Your followers on Instagram: accounts that follow you but that you don't follow back. They can message you as requests unless you change this.
• People you follow: these go straight to your main inbox. They are never treated as strangers.

Pick the group causing the problem. If the flood is cold pitches from strangers, change Others on Instagram and leave your followers alone. If your own followers are the issue, change that line instead.

The soft option: filter requests instead of blocking them

Instagram has a built-in filter called Hidden Words. When it is on, message requests that contain offensive words, phrases or emojis from Instagram's list or your own custom list go to a separate Hidden Requests folder. The message text is covered until you tap to reveal it, and you don't get a notification for it.

To open it, tap the paper plane icon, go to Requests, then Hidden requests. From there you can accept a thread, delete it, or report it. Delete everything in one tap if it is all junk.

Two things to know. First, Hidden Words does not filter requests from accounts you already follow or are connected to. Second, it only catches the words you give it, so add the phrases your spam actually uses. Cold pitches tend to repeat the same lines, such as "collab", "promote your page" or "DM for promo". Add the three or four that annoy you most.

Handle single accounts: restrict and block

When the problem is one person rather than a whole category, you don't need to change global settings.

• Restrict: Their DMs move to your Message Requests folder, you get no notifications when they write, and they aren't told. Use it for people who are annoying but not dangerous.
• Block: Open their profile, tap the three dots at the top right, and choose Block. They can't message you or find your profile. Use it for harassment and repeat spam.
• Report: If a request is a scam or abusive, report it from the thread. Reporting helps Instagram catch the account for everyone else.

Quiet the noise without shutting anything off

Sometimes the real issue isn't the messages. It is the buzzing phone. In that case leave requests open and change your notifications instead. Go to Settings and privacy, then Notifications, then Messages, and turn off the pings for message requests. The requests keep arriving in the folder, and you read them when you choose to.

This works well if you check your inbox on a schedule. Pick two fixed times, say 11am and 5pm, open Requests and Hidden Requests, and clear them. Ten minutes twice a day beats a constant stream of pings.

The trade-off creators and businesses can't skip

Here is the part most guides skip. On a personal account, blocking all requests is a relief. On a creator or business account, it has a price.

Think about who sends you a first message. A customer asking if you ship to their country. A brand rep with a paid collaboration. A fellow creator proposing a collab post. A journalist looking for a quote. Not one of those people follows you yet, and none of them is in your main inbox. They all arrive as message requests.

Set Others on Instagram to Don't receive requests and you silently lose all of them. You won't see an error. You just never hear from them. Brand deals are the clearest example: a rep who can't DM you will move on to the next creator on the list, and you will never know.

So the rule is simple:

• Personal account, no business goals: shut requests off. You lose nothing.
• Creator or business account: keep requests open and filter them with Hidden Words, restrict, block and notification settings.
• Both a personal life and a brand on one account: filter hard, and consider a second account for the brand.

A filtering setup that works for creators

If you want a calm inbox that still catches opportunities, set it up like this.

1. Turn on Hidden Words and add your own spam phrases to the custom list.
2. Leave Others on Instagram on so strangers can still reach you.
3. Mute request notifications so nothing pings you.
4. Check Requests and Hidden Requests at two fixed times a day.
5. Block or restrict repeat offenders as you meet them.
6. Put a business email in your bio and state what you want DMs for, so brands know where to go.

A line in your bio such as "Collabs: email below" moves serious brand conversations out of the DM inbox and shrinks the amount of requests you need to read at all.

What if the requests are overwhelming because your account is growing?

Sometimes the problem is success. A post takes off, your follower count jumps, and a hundred requests land overnight. Most of them are legitimate questions. Shutting requests off here is the wrong fix, because you are rejecting the people you worked to reach.

Two better options. First, answer the common questions in your content, a pinned post, a Highlight or an FAQ page, so people stop asking. Second, automate the repeat questions. If people ask for the same link, price or guide, a keyword reply that sends it instantly saves hours. Elev8or Engage does this for comments and DMs, so real leads still get a response while you sleep.

Common problems and quick fixes

• I changed the setting and still get requests. Check which group is sending them. Followers you don't follow back are a separate setting.
• I can't find Message requests. Update the app, then search "message" in Settings and privacy.
• My own messages to someone land in their requests. That is normal when they don't follow you. It is the same system working in the other direction.
• I need a missed request back. Check Hidden Requests, then your main Requests folder. Deleted threads can't be recovered.

Quick recap

You can't switch DMs off completely, but you can stop message requests with one toggle. For personal accounts that is usually the right call. For creators and businesses it blocks customers and brand deals, so filter instead: turn on Hidden Words, restrict or block repeat offenders, mute request notifications, and check your folders on a schedule. Shut the door only when you are sure nobody useful needs to knock.