Can Instagram do it without an app?
Partly. Instagram keeps every comment you've left on other people's posts in one place:
- Go to your profile and tap the three lines in the top right.
- Tap Your activity, then Comments.
- Tap Select, tick the comments you want gone, and tap Delete.
You can sort by oldest first.
The catch is volume. You tick every comment yourself, the list loads a screen at a time, and nothing lets you select everything. That's painful for hundreds of comments.
Why does it say "try again later" partway through?
Instagram limits how quickly an account can take the same action over and over. Deleting comments back to back looks, to Instagram, a lot like a bot. When you hit that limit, deletes stop working and you see "try again later" or "we restrict certain activity to protect our community."
Instagram doesn't publish the number. Any exact figure you see online is a guess. What's consistent is how it plays out:
- It's temporary. Blocks usually clear within a few hours to a couple of days.
- Pushing through makes it longer. If you see the message, stop and come back later.
- The comments you already deleted stay deleted.
How long does a big history take?
It depends on how long you've been commenting. Some rough guides by hand:
- Under 50 comments: a few minutes.
- A few hundred: set aside an evening, and expect at least one pause.
- A few thousand: plan on several sessions over a few days.
Most of that time is tapping, scrolling and waiting for the list to load more. That's the part I don't do anymore. Good Presence works through your whole comment history while you watch, so a history that would take an evening by hand takes minutes.
FAQ
Can I delete comments other people left on my posts?
Yes. Open the post, tap the comments, and remove them there. That's a different screen from the comments you left.
Does deleting a comment notify anyone?
No. It just disappears from the post.
Will I get my comments back if I change my mind?
No. Deleted comments are gone for good, so skim before you tick.