When an Instagram message will not send, it is either a problem on Instagram's side or a limit on your own account, and the quickest way to tell is whether other people can send messages. If every chat fails, it is probably an outage, your connection or the app. If only one chat fails, the cause is that person's settings or a block. If it started after you sent many messages quickly, you have likely hit a message limit. The eight fixes below go in the order that rules the causes out fastest.
Tell an outage from an account problem
Most of the pages that rank for this query mix two different situations: Instagram being down for everyone, and your account being stopped from sending. They need opposite responses, so check which one you have before changing anything.
- Every message fails, other people report it too, the feed loads slowly: outage or your connection. Start at fixes 1 and 2.
- Messages fail in all chats, nobody else has the problem, other apps work: app or account. Fixes 3, 6 and 7.
- Only one chat fails: that person's settings, a block, or a deleted account. Fixes 4 and 5. (A restriction does not stop a send: the chat moves to their Message Requests.)
- Failures began after a burst of messages: a message limit. Fix 6.
An outage is on Instagram's side, so retrying cannot fix it. For limits, Instagram's Help Center says that if you were warned about sending too many messages and continue, you may not be able to send more direct messages for a period of time, so stop instead of retrying.
1. Check whether Instagram is having a problem
Open the feed and your profile. If posts load slowly or fail too, or friends say messages are failing for them, wait. Compare with another app on the same network to see whether the issue is Instagram or your connection. If everything else works, move on.
2. Check and switch your connection
A message that stays unsent or shows a retry or error tag can be a connection issue.
- Turn Wi-Fi off and try mobile data, or the other way around.
- Turn off any VPN.
- Check that Instagram is allowed to use mobile data. On iPhone: Settings, Cellular, Instagram. On Android: Settings, Apps, Instagram, Mobile data and Wi-Fi.
Tap the failed message to retry once. If a second try fails, stop.
3. Update Instagram and restart
Instagram's Troubleshooting page says to make sure you are running the latest version of the app and of your phone's operating system, and to try restarting your phone first. Update Instagram in the App Store (iPhone) or Google Play (Android), then update your phone's system software if an update is waiting. Close the app fully and restart the phone before trying again.
4. Check message requests and who you are messaging
You can message anyone on Instagram, but Instagram's Help Center says that if the person does not follow you, then depending on their settings your message may appear as a message request, and they must accept it before it moves to their main Chats list. People can also choose to receive message requests only in a separate folder or not at all. A request sitting there can look like "not delivered" from your side even though it was sent. Filters add to this: with Hide unwanted message requests on, requests that may contain scams or offensive words go to a spam folder (it is off by default), and if the person limited you with Limit interactions, new chats from you go to Hidden requests.
How to check: Ask the person to look in their message requests, their spam folder and their Hidden requests. If your first message could read as a scam or contains offensive words, rewording may help.
What to do: Keep the first message short and personal, and do not send several in a row before they reply.
5. Check for a block, a restriction or a deleted account
If a single chat fails and everything else works, look at the person. Possible reasons:
- They blocked you. Instagram's Help Center says messages from a blocked person are not received, and are not delivered later if the block is lifted. People are not notified when they are blocked.
- They restricted you. Instagram's Help Center says a restricted person cannot see when the other person is online or whether their messages were read, and the chat moves to the restricting person's Message Requests. The message still sends, so the chat can look normal from your side while getting no sign of being seen.
- Their account was deleted or deactivated and no longer receives messages from you.
- They chose not to receive message requests at all, which Instagram lets people set.
How to check: Search their username and ask a mutual contact whether the account still exists. We found no Instagram page that describes what a blocked person sees, so treat a block as one possible reason, not a conclusion. There is nothing you can fix from your side if the cause is a block or a deleted account.
6. Rule out a message limit
Instagram's Help Center has a page titled "Why there are limits for sending messages on Instagram". It says Instagram has limits in place to stop direct messages that people may not want to get, like spam, and that if you were warned about sending too many messages and continue to do so, you may not be able to send more direct messages for a period of time. The page gives no thresholds, and we have not found an Instagram page that does, so treat any exact number you see elsewhere as a guess.
We found no Instagram page that lists what triggers a warning. Our reading is that the patterns to avoid are many messages in a short time, the same text to many people and many new conversations with people who do not follow you. Cold messaging at volume is the pattern to avoid.
What to do:
- Stop sending messages for the rest of the day and do not retry.
- When you return, write each message separately and keep them relevant to the person.
- Space conversations out, and reply to people who answer before starting new ones.
- Avoid copying the same text to a list of accounts.
Our guides on managing Instagram DMs and DM templates that avoid looking like spam cover sending at a sensible volume. If you also see a message that Instagram restricts certain activity, this guide covers recovery.
7. Clear the cache, log out and back in
Stored temporary data can hold a failed message in place.
- Android: Settings, Apps, Instagram, Storage (or Storage & cache), Clear cache.
- iPhone: iOS has no cache button, and Offload App keeps the app's data. To clear it, delete and reinstall Instagram (fix 8).
Then log out of Instagram, close the app, and log back in. Make sure you have access to your email or phone number for confirmation before you do.
8. Reinstall, then report the problem
If nothing has worked, delete the app and install it again. Instagram's Troubleshooting page says, in its iPhone and iPad steps, that your photos and profile info are saved by Instagram when you remove the app. If the problem remains, tap your profile, then Menu, then Help, then Report a Problem. Instagram's page says the kind of phone, what you were doing and a screenshot may help.
While you wait
If you message accounts you do not know, use the pause to check that they look real before your next batch. The free Instagram audit takes an Instagram username and rates whether the account shows few, some or many signs of fake followers, using public numbers. It does not diagnose a send failure.
One-page checklist version
- Does the feed load? If not, wait.
- Switch Wi-Fi and mobile data. Turn off VPN.
- Update the app and the phone, then restart.
- Is it one chat or all chats? One chat means check the person.
- Ask them to look in message requests.
- Did you send many messages quickly? Stop for the day.
- Clear the cache (Android), then log out and in. On iPhone, the reinstall in step 8 clears it.
- Reinstall and report with a screenshot.
If you use DMs to bring in customers and would like the follower base to build in the background instead, UpGrow's Instagram growth service targets audiences you choose and never needs your password.
FAQ
Why won't my Instagram message send?
Start with a weak connection or an out-of-date app. Switch networks, update the app, and restart it. If it only fails in one chat, check whether the person blocked you or changed their message settings.
How do I know if someone blocked me on Instagram?
Instagram does not notify people when they are blocked, and we found no Instagram page that describes what a blocked person sees. If messages to one person fail while other chats work, a block is one possible reason, along with a deleted or deactivated account or changed message settings.
Is there a limit on Instagram DMs?
Yes. Instagram's Help Center says it has limits in place to stop direct messages that people may not want to get, and that continuing after a warning may stop you sending for a period of time. We have found no Instagram page with exact numbers, so the safe approach is fewer, more personal messages.
Why are my messages sent but not delivered?
A message to someone who does not follow you may go to their message requests, depending on their settings, until they accept it, so it can look unread for a long time. Spam-folder or Hidden requests filters can also keep it out of sight.
Can I tell if someone restricted me?
Not reliably. Instagram's Help Center says a restricted person cannot see when the other person is online or whether their messages were read, so the missing online status and read receipts are the hint, not proof.
