Yes, you can unread and unsee messages on Instagram in 2025. This feature only works if your account is set up as a professional or business account, not as a personal account. 

You need to create a professional Instagram account, it would work better if you have 1000s of followers on IG. Go to the message, press and hold it, then slide it to the left side of the screen. A menu will appear; just tap "Unread," and that’s it!

Why you may want to unread messages on Instagram

It’s a harsh reality - reading a message that you won't avoid. Yes, horrible things like this happen a lot and you are not an exception. I’ve been in the same position for many times, until I decided to do a deep research. Here is my personal work-flow on how to unread and unsee messages on Instagram.

How to unread message on Instagram

Create a professional Instagram account:

Log in to Instagram with your professional account.

• If you’re using an Instagram Creator or Business account, you can easily mark one or more direct messages as unread. 
• When you mark a message as unread, a blue dot will reappear next to the sender’s name in your inbox, signaling that the message still requires attention.
• if you have a regular personal Instagram account, this feature won’t be available.
• Marking a message as unread does not remove the read receipt. The sender will still see "seen" at the bottom of the message, even after you mark it as unread.

Open your Instagram inbox. You can get there easily by tapping the chat bubble icon at the top-right corner of your feed.

Click on selection icon

Tap the Selection icon, which resembles a checklist. You'll find it near the top-right corner of your inbox, just to the left of the New Message icon. After tapping it, radio selection buttons will appear next to each message in your inbox.

Tap the radio button

Tap the radio button next to each message you want to mark as unread. When you tap a circle, it will fill with a check mark. You can select multiple messages if needed.

Click on “mark as unread”

Tap "Mark as Unread." This will instantly mark all selected messages as unread, adding a blue dot to the far-right edge of each message.

How to read messages on Instagram undetected

How to make Instagram messages not read? Yes! Now, let’s get into the details.

Step N1 - Open Your Instagram Inbox

Begin by accessing your Instagram inbox, but avoid tapping on any messages just yet. If you open an unread message, the "seen" status will automatically notify the sender that you’ve read it. Unfortunately, there’s no way to undo this status or disable read receipts, even if your online status is hidden.

To read a message without the sender knowing, you’ll need to disconnect from the internet and follow the steps below carefully. Skipping any step may result in the sender being notified.

Step N2 - Disconnect From the Internet

To ensure the message doesn’t get marked as "seen," completely disconnect your device from the internet:

• On Android: Open the Settings app, go to Network & internet or Connections, and enable Airplane Mode.
• On iPhone/iPad: Open the Control Center by swiping down from the top-right corner (on iPhone X and newer) or swiping up from the bottom (on older models). Tap the airplane icon to activate Airplane Mode.
• If Wi-Fi remains enabled (indicated by a blue icon), tap it to turn Wi-Fi off.

Read the Message While Offline

Once disconnected, return to your Instagram inbox and tap the message you want to read. Since the contents of the message were downloaded while you were online, you can now view it even while offline.

Important: Do not disable Airplane Mode or reconnect to the internet just yet, as this will immediately mark the message as "seen."

Log Out of Instagram

While still offline, log out of your Instagram account to prevent the app from marking the message as "seen" when you reconnect to the internet. Follow these steps to log out:

• Tap the Back button in your inbox to return to your main feed.
• Tap your Profile Icon in the bottom-right corner.
• Tap the three horizontal lines in the top-right corner and select Settings.
• Scroll down and tap Log Out.
• Confirm by selecting your account and tapping Log Out again.
• Once logged out, close the Instagram app completely.

Reconnect to the Internet

• After logging out, you can safely reconnect to the internet:
• Return to your device’s Settings or Control Center and disable Airplane Mode.
• If you manually disabled Wi-Fi on an iPhone/iPad, tap the Wi-Fi icon to reconnect.
• Now you’ve successfully read the message without alerting the sender!

Frequently Asked Question (FAQ)

How to view a message on Instagram without being seen?

You need to have a professional account on Instagram. When you open a professional IG, there will be an option to unseen/unread the message, just like on Messenger.

How do I mark a message as unread?

When you have a professional account (only professional IG profile), then you can mark “unread” with the option.

What happens if you delete a message on Instagram before it's read?

Nothing, literally nothing. Another person can not read and would not understand that you’ve unsent the message, so keep calm. 

When you unsend a message on Instagram, does the other person still see it?

No, they will not see that you have unsent the message. BUT, you have read it and then you unsend the message, of course they will know it (although there will be no notifications for them about the unsending message). 

Can you turn off seen on Instagram DM?

No, Instagram does not currently offer a built-in feature to turn off the "seen" status in direct messages (DMs). Once you open a message, the sender is notified that you’ve seen it.