Why Message Request on Instagram Disappeared?

Written by Emilija Anchevska Social Media / Instagram

Twitter - 4 min read
Key Takeaways

Reasons why message requests on Instagram disappear:

  • The user unsent their message.
  • The message disappeared due to a glitch.
  • The user has blocked your account. 
  • The account that sent you a message request has been deactivated. 
  • You have followed the person.

Instagram message request inbox is the place where messages from users who are not on someone’s followers list arrive.

Users can decline or accept Instagram DMs that arrive in the message request inbox. Accepted messages are moved to the main Inbox, where users can continue with the conversation.

However, some users have reported that their Instagram messages have disappeared despite not taking any action.

Instagram users face this issue frequently, so this tutorial explains why this issue occurs and the possible solutions.

Why Did My Message Requests on Instagram disappear?

There are a few reasons why message requests have disappeared from your Inbox.

Here is a short list of possible reasons, and in the next section, we will explain these in more detail.

  • The user unsent their message.
  • The message disappeared due to a glitch.
  • The user has blocked your account.
  • The account that sent you a message request has been deactivated.
  • You have followed the person.

Unsend messages

Instagram has an option that enables users to unsend or delete a message. When users take this action, the sent message disappears, and the other party is not notified about this action.

The same happens with message requests. When users unsend a message that has arrived in the message request inbox, the message will disappear.

You are being blocked

When users block each other on Instagram, they are no longer able to see what the other party is doing.

This also means that if someone blocks you on Instagram, their message requests will get deleted.

So, this is another reason why the message has disappeared on Instagram. This also means you can't message them or see anything about them on this platform.

Instagram bugs

Not being able to accept a message request might also be caused by glitches and bugs in Instagram.

In cases where message requests are no longer visible under the search bar, you can try to refresh the page and see if they are going to reappear.

Another thing you can try is updating to the newest Instagram version or reinstalling the app.

When the errors are on Instagram’s end, there is not much users can do except use some of the oldest tricks in the book.

The user has deactivated their account

When users deactivate their accounts, their profiles, including the messages they have sent, disappear.

This action will also delete their message from your Instagram request inbox.

Try searching for them by typing in their username in the search bar. If their profile is not showing in the suggestion list, they have either deactivated or deleted their Instagram account.

You have followed the user

Only people who send you a direct message and are not on your followers list will be placed in the message request Inbox.

If by any chance you have followed the person who has sent you a message request, their message will be moved to the main inbox.

This might explain why the message request has disappeared from your inbox.

How to turn off message requests on Instagram

On another note, if you don’t want to receive message requests from people who do not follow you, you can disable this function.

  1. Tap on the Hamburger menu.
  2. Tap on Settings’.
  3. Select ‘Privacy’.
  4. Tap on ‘Messages’.
  5. Under ‘Other people’, select ‘Others on Instagram’.
  6. Tap on ‘Don’t receive message requests’.

Wrapping up

There are multiple reasons why Instagram message requests have disappeared from your Inbox.

The most common causes are listed in the article above.

Some of these issues can be solved by swiping down and refreshing the page. However, others, such as the messages being deleted from the other party, cannot be fixed.

Do message requests on Instagram expire?

No, message requests on Instagram do not expire. 

How do I see Instagram message requests from others?


  • Tap on the messaging icon in the upper right corner.

  • Tap on ‘Requests’.

Is declining an Instagram message request blocking the person who sent it?

No, it simply means they won’t be able to converse with you. Unlike blocked users, users whose messages you decline can send you follow requests and search and find your profile on Instagram.