Disappearing Messages on Instagram: Vanish Mode Explained
Disappearing messages on Instagram come in two chat modes, and both switch on when you swipe up in a one-to-one chat. In vanish mode, messages disappear when someone leaves the chat or turns vanish mode off. The separate disappearing messages setting, offered only in certain locations, removes messages after a timer you can change.
Disappearing photos and videos are a third, separate option. Instagram’s Help Center documents all three, and nothing says vanish mode was retired. Inbox basics are in Instagram Direct, everything else in how to use Instagram.
Table of Contents
- What are disappearing messages on Instagram?
- How do you turn on disappearing messages and set the timer?
- How do you turn vanish mode on and off?
- Who can use vanish mode and disappearing messages?
- How do disappearing photos and videos work?
- Did vanish mode go away?
- Can you screenshot or report disappearing messages?
- Can Outfeed read or send disappearing messages?
- Disappearing messages on Instagram: FAQ
What are disappearing messages on Instagram?
They’re chat messages that remove themselves. Instagram documents two kinds, plus disappearing photos and videos. All three are set in a chat in the app; the computer versions of Instagram’s articles give no steps for any of them. From Instagram’s own help articles:
| Vanish mode | Disappearing messages | Disappearing photos and videos | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turn it on | Swipe up in a chat | Swipe up in a chat | Pick a view setting before you send |
| When it goes | When someone leaves the chat or turns vanish mode off | After a timer you can change | You choose View once, View twice or Unlimited views |
| Copying, saving, forwarding | Not possible | Only messages you sent can be saved or forwarded | — |
| Who it works with | One other Instagram account | One other Instagram account; not group chats, Messenger or Facebook accounts | People who follow you or have approved messages from you |
| Where it’s available | May be unavailable in Japan and in countries in Europe | Only in certain locations, not listed | — |
| Screenshot alert | Yes, if Instagram detects a screenshot | Yes, if Instagram detects a screenshot or screen recording | See screenshot alerts |
| Reporting | Up to 14 days after messages disappear | Can be included in a report up to 14 days after | — |
A dash means the article doesn’t say.
Checked against Instagram Help Center: Send messages in vanish mode on Instagram.
Checked against Instagram Help Center: About disappearing messages in Instagram chats.
Checked against Instagram Help Center: Send disappearing photos or videos in chats on Instagram.
How do you turn on disappearing messages and set the timer?
Swipe up in a one-to-one chat, and swipe up again to turn them off. Instagram says the feature “is only available in certain locations” but doesn’t name them. Messages go after a timer you can change with the Change timer option. The steps are the same on iPhone and Android:
On iPhone:
- Tap Messages at the bottom.
- Tap a chat.
- From your chat, swipe up to turn on disappearing messages. To turn off disappearing messages, swipe up in your chat.
Checked against Instagram Help Center: About disappearing messages in Instagram chats.
From the same article:
- Reactions. A reaction can change when a message disappears: it then goes once everyone has seen the message and the reaction, within the maximum time.
- Saving and forwarding. You can only forward or save disappearing messages that you sent.
- Unsupported types. Some message types don’t disappear. An information icon marks them, and you can delete one yourself by tapping and holding it, then tapping Delete.
- Time left. Tap and hold a message to see how much longer it will stay in the chat.
- Notifications. Instagram notifies you when someone sends you a disappearing message; tapping the notification opens that chat.
Checked against Instagram Help Center: About disappearing messages in Instagram chats (iPhone version).
How do you turn vanish mode on and off?
Same gesture: swipe up in a chat to turn vanish mode on, and swipe up again to turn it off. Messages disappear when someone leaves the chat or turns vanish mode off, and no one can copy, save or forward them. Android’s steps are identical:
On iPhone:
- Tap Messages at the bottom.
- Tap on a chat.
- From your chat, swipe up to turn on vanish mode. To turn off vanish mode, swipe up in your chat.
Checked against Instagram Help Center: Send messages in vanish mode on Instagram.
For how a chat looks, see Instagram chat themes.
Who can use vanish mode and disappearing messages?
Both work only in a chat with one other Instagram account, so group chats are out. Disappearing messages also rule out chats with Messenger or Facebook accounts. Two more limits apply to both, plus a location rule each:
- Accounts you haven’t connected with can’t send you message requests in vanish mode or as disappearing messages.
- Certain professional accounts can’t receive them.
- Location. Disappearing messages are offered only in certain locations. Vanish mode “may be unavailable in Japan and for countries located in Europe.”
If swiping up does nothing, check these first.
How do disappearing photos and videos work?
You set them per photo or video, not per chat: before sending, you pick View once, View twice or Unlimited views. You can only send one to people who follow you or have already approved messages from you. Other message types, such as feed posts, text and hashtags, don’t disappear.
On iPhone:
- Tap Messages at the bottom.
- Tap a chat from your Chats list or start a new chat.
- Tap the camera icon in the bottom left.
- Take a photo or video (tap the circle for a photo, tap and hold for a video), or tap the image icon in the bottom left to upload one from your device.
- Customize your photo or video by adding text, a drawing or GIF.
- Before sending, tap the icon in the bottom left of your screen and select View once, View twice or Unlimited views.
- Tap Send in the bottom right.
Checked against Instagram Help Center: Send disappearing photos or videos in chats on Instagram.
Did vanish mode go away?
Instagram hasn’t said so. Its Help Center carries a vanish mode article and a separate disappearing messages article, and no Instagram or Meta page found says vanish mode was retired or dates a switch. Which one you see appears to depend on location, and Instagram doesn’t list the locations for either. Checked against Instagram Help Center: About disappearing messages in Instagram chats (no retirement notice for vanish mode)Not verified
Meta first announced vanish mode on 30 September 2020, in the update that brought Messenger features to Instagram messaging. Checked against Meta Newsroom: Introducing New Messaging Features for Instagram (30 September 2020) Its 18 November 2020 post said vanish mode was available on Messenger in the US and a handful of other countries, and was coming soon to Instagram: an opt-in feature that makes seen messages disappear after you leave a chat. Checked against Meta Newsroom: New Messaging Features Now Available on Instagram and Messenger (18 November 2020)
Can you screenshot or report disappearing messages?
In both chat modes, yes, but Instagram says the other person is notified if it detects a screenshot (and, in disappearing messages, a screen recording). Neither stops someone photographing the screen with another device, so neither is a safe place to spill the tea. Checked against Instagram Help Center: Send messages in vanish mode on Instagram Checked against Instagram Help Center: About disappearing messages in Instagram chats Stories, posts and ordinary chats: see does Instagram notify screenshots.
Reporting outlasts the messages. You can report a message or chat sent in vanish mode for up to 14 days after the messages disappear, “even if you can’t see them anymore”. A disappearing message can be included in a report for up to 14 days after it disappears. If the person is the problem, block them on Instagram.
Checked against Instagram Help Center: Report a message or chat sent in vanish mode on Instagram.
Can Outfeed read or send disappearing messages?
We make Outfeed AI, so it’s fair to ask whether it can reach your chats:
Try Outfeed AI for your Instagram feed posts
Disappearing messages on Instagram: FAQ
What’s the difference between vanish mode and disappearing messages on Instagram?
Both switch on when you swipe up in a chat with one other Instagram account. Vanish mode messages disappear when someone leaves the chat or turns vanish mode off, and can’t be copied, saved or forwarded. Disappearing messages, offered only in certain locations, go after a timer you can change, and you can save or forward the ones you sent.
How do you turn off vanish mode on Instagram?
Swipe up in the chat again: the same gesture turns it on and off. Messages sent in vanish mode disappear when someone leaves the chat or turns vanish mode off. The disappearing messages setting also turns off when you swipe up in your chat.
Does vanish mode work in group chats?
No. Instagram says vanish mode only works in a chat with one other Instagram account. Its disappearing messages setting is limited the same way and doesn’t work in group chats or in chats with Messenger or Facebook accounts. Disappearing photos and videos can only be sent to people who follow you or have approved messages from you.
Why is vanish mode not showing on my Instagram?
Instagram documents a few limits. Vanish mode may be unavailable in Japan and in countries in Europe, and the disappearing messages setting is only offered in certain locations. Both work only in a chat with one other Instagram account, accounts you haven’t connected with can’t send you message requests in either mode, and certain professional accounts can’t receive them.
Can you recover disappeared messages on Instagram?
Instagram’s help articles point to reporting, not recovery. You can report a message or chat sent in vanish mode for up to 14 days after the messages disappear, even if you can’t see them anymore, and a disappearing message can be included in a report for up to 14 days after it disappears. In vanish mode, messages can’t be copied, saved or forwarded.