Instagram spam comments: how to stop them, and clean up fast
Scam offers, "DM me to collab" and copy-paste praise from empty accounts turn up under almost every public post once an account starts growing. They clutter the conversation, put off real followers and occasionally try to steal from them.
Instagram has a full set of tools for this, most of them buried in settings. This page goes through each one in the order that solves the most with the least effort, with the paths from Instagram's own help pages.
The short answer
Turn Hide unwanted comments to More, add your own list of spam words in Hidden Words, and limit who can comment if a wave hits. For a post already full of spam, select multiple comments and delete up to 25 at a time, or block the accounts in bulk. Use Limits for a sudden flood and Restrict for one persistent account.
Hide unwanted comments is on by default at a basic level, and Instagram says spam and scams can be hidden with it and with Hide spam. Hidden comments still count in your total, and the sender is not told.
No official statement says spam comments hurt your reach, so treat the clean-up as protecting your followers and your conversation, not as a ranking fix.
Default spam filter: On (levels: None, Some, More)
Open your profile, tap the menu, then How others can interact with you, then Comments. Hide unwanted comments hides comments containing common offensive words, phrases and emojis, and it is on by default; choose None, Some or More to set how hard it filters. More catches far more spam.
On the same screen, add your own list under Hidden words: words, phrases, numbers or emojis separated by commas. Spam repeats itself, so a list of the phrases you keep seeing ("collab", "promote it on", a scam domain) hides both new and existing comments that use them. The message-request filter, Hide unwanted message requests, is off by default; turn it on to send scam DMs to the spam folder.
Choose who can comment
By default, everyone can comment on your posts and Stories. A public account can limit comments to people you follow, your followers, or both, or turn comments off on a single post.
Restricting comments to followers stops most drive-by spam but also stops new people joining the conversation. For growing accounts, filters plus Hidden Words usually do the job without closing the door.
Clean up a post that is already full of spam
Instagram lets you act on many comments at once. Its help page gives the steps.
Open the comments
Go to the post and tap the comments icon.
Select multiple
Tap the options icon, then Select multiple comments, and tick each spam comment.
Hide, delete or block
Choose Hide comments, Delete comments or Block accounts. You can delete up to 25 comments at a time.
Report the worst
Report comments for spam so Instagram's systems learn from them.
Use Limits for a sudden wave
When a post goes viral or a spam ring finds you, Limits hides comments from groups you choose: everyone but Close Friends, accounts that followed you in the last week, or accounts that do not follow you. Their new comments stay hidden unless you approve them, and new chats go to hidden requests.
Limits lasts up to four weeks at a time and can be extended for as long as you like. Comments made while it was on stay hidden after you turn it off.
Use Restrict for one persistent account
Restrict is quieter than blocking. A restricted person's new comments are visible only to them, unless you tap See comment and approve it. You stop getting notifications for their comments, and their messages move to requests.
Use it for an account that keeps returning, where a block would only prompt a new account.
Why spam finds growing accounts
Spam goes where the attention is. Posts that reach non-followers through Reels and Explore are seen by spam accounts too, and accounts with lots of new followers get targeted by fake "collab" offers. Instagram added spam filtering to its advanced comment filter in December 2023 and separates suspected spam follow requests into their own list.
The other half of the fix. Filters remove the noise; real followers who comment replace it. A post with genuine questions and replies under it reads very differently to a new visitor.
The method. With Virallized, you choose target accounts whose followers are the audience you want, and our team runs quality interactions with those people every day. The ones who like what they see visit your profile and follow. Nobody is delivered; every new follower decided. Plans run $99 to $299 a month, each scoped to a published range of 150 to 3,000 followers a month, with Virallized AI included for content, a 7-day money-back guarantee and no contract.
Common questions
How do I stop spam comments on Instagram?
Go to How others can interact with you, then Comments: set Hide unwanted comments to More and add your own spam phrases in Hidden words. Limit who can comment if needed, and use Limits during a sudden wave.
How do I delete lots of Instagram comments at once?
On the post, open comments, tap the options icon, then Select multiple comments. You can hide them, block the accounts or delete up to 25 comments at a time.
Why am I getting so many bot comments on Instagram?
Spam goes where attention is. Posts reaching non-followers through Reels and Explore are seen by spam accounts too. Filters, Hidden Words and Limits stop most of it.
Do spam comments hurt my Instagram reach?
Instagram has not said they do. Clean them up to protect your followers and your conversation, not as a ranking fix.
Does the person know if I hide their comment?
No. Instagram says hidden comments still count in your total and the person who wrote it will not know.
What is the difference between Restrict and Limits on Instagram?
Restrict is for one account: their comments are visible only to them unless you approve. Limits is for groups, such as recent followers or non-followers, for up to four weeks at a time.