Can You See Deleted Comments on Instagram?

Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms, with over 1 billion monthly active users. On Instagram, users can post photos and videos, and engage with other users’ content by liking and commenting. However, sometimes a user may regret a comment they’ve made and decide to delete it. This raises the question – can you see deleted comments on Instagram?

Viewing Deleted Comments You’ve Made

If you’ve deleted your own comment on someone else’s Instagram post, it will no longer be visible to other users. However, you can still view deleted comments you’ve made by taking the following steps:

Go to your profile page and tap on the three horizontal lines icon in the top right corner to access the menu.
Select ‘Settings’ > ‘Security’ > ‘Access Data’.
Tap on ‘Download Data’ and request a download of your information from Instagram.
Once the download is ready, open the ZIP file on your computer and navigate to the ‘comments’ folder.
Here you will find all comments you’ve ever made on Instagram, including deleted comments, for a limited time after deleting them.

So while deleted comments are removed from public view on Instagram, you can still access them for a short time in your downloaded data. This allows you to view your comment history and see any deleted comments you may have forgotten about.

Viewing Deleted Comments Made by Others

When someone else deletes their comment from your Instagram post or photo, it disappears from view and there is no way to retrieve it. Some key points:

The deleted comment will not show up in your post’s comment feed or notifications.
There will be no trace or record of the comment visible to you.
You cannot see who made the deleted comment or what its content was.
The comment count on your post will decrease by 1 after a comment is deleted.
There is no Instagram feature or settings option that lets you view deleted comments made on your posts by others.
Even if you use a third-party app to access your Instagram data, it does not include deleted comments made by other users.

So in essence, once another user deletes their comment from your Instagram post, it’s gone for good. The only exception is if you had previously replied to the now-deleted comment – in that case, your reply will still be visible, but not the original comment.

The takeaway is that deleted comments made by others disappear permanently from your view and cannot be retrieved on Instagram. The only comments you can still access after deletion are your own.

Why You Can’t See Deleted Comments of Others

There are a few reasons why Instagram does not allow you to view deleted comments made by other users:

Privacy – Allowing users to delete their comments but still have them visible would defeat the purpose of deleting. Instagram wants to give users control over their commenting activity.
Limit misuse – If deleted comments were still viewable, some users may misuse it by posting inappropriate comments and quickly deleting before others notice. This ability takes away the consequences.
Technical architecture – Instagram’s systems are designed to permanently erase deleted data across servers. Retrieving deleted comments for users would require rearchitecting their backend infrastructure.
User trust – Users expect deleted comments to vanish completely. Keeping them in any form visible to others would erode user trust in Instagram’s service.

So for a mix of privacy, security, technical, and user experience reasons, viewing deleted comments made by others is not possible on Instagram. Comments can only be deleted fully and permanently from all vantage points.

Tips for Keeping Records of Important Comments

Since you cannot view deleted comments later, here are some tips for preserving a record of comments that are important to you:

Take screenshots – If you get an interesting, meaningful, or significant comment, capture a screenshot. This preserves the comment even if it gets deleted later.
Use third-party apps – Some third-party apps can send you notifications when you receive new comments, allowing you to view and save them before potential deletion.
Export comments periodically – You can download your Instagram data to access your posts and comments from specific time periods. Do this periodically to have records.
Save notifications – When you get a new comment, the push notification shows the comment text. You can screenshot the notification.
Quote replies – If you reply quoting the original comment, your quote remains visible even if the parent comment gets deleted.

Can You Tell if a Comment was Deleted?

While you can’t see the content of deleted comments, there are some signs that can indicate a comment was deleted:

Lower comment count – If the comment number on your post decreases, it likely means someone deleted their comment.
Your replies are still visible – If you replied to a now-deleted comment, you may see your reply without the original comment.
There is a gap in the conversation – If you see comments having a disjointed discussion, it may be due to deletions.
The user deleted their account – If the user who commented has deactivated their account, their comments will disappear.

So while it’s not always definitive, these clues can help uncover possible comment deletions. But the only way to know for sure if a specific comment was deleted is if you have a screenshot or other record of the original.

FAQs

Here are some frequently asked questions about dealing with deleted comments on Instagram:

Can someone who deleted their Instagram account still view posts/comments?

No, when an Instagram account is deleted, that user can no longer sign in to view any content on Instagram. Their past comments will also disappear from view.

Do deleted Instagram comments take time to disappear?

No, deleted comments disappear from Instagram immediately. They do not take time to be removed and will vanish from view right after deleting.

Can Instagram admins see deleted comments on a user’s post?

No. Instagram admins and moderators also cannot see the content of comments that have been deleted by the user who originally posted them. They disappear entirely.

Can you delete comments made by other users on your Instagram posts?

No. Only the user who made the comment can delete their own comment. As the original poster, you cannot delete or remove comments made by others on Instagram posts.

What happens when you disable comments on Instagram?

Disabling comments prevents users from leaving new comments on your posts. But it does not delete existing comments, which will still be visible. You have to delete each comment individually to remove them.

The Takeaway on Deleted Instagram Comments

In summary, here are the key points to remember:

You can only see deleted comments that you made for a limited time in your downloaded data.
Deleted comments made by others are gone permanently with no way to view them.
There are techniques like screenshots to preserve record of important comments.
Signs like lower comment counts can hint that a comment was deleted.
But there is no definitive way to see the content of comments deleted by other users.

So be mindful when commenting, as once you hit delete, that comment is erased from the perspective of all other users. With no ability to retrieve deleted comments, caution is advised when engaging on Instagram.