Do you send a lot of DMs on Instagram? Most people won’t hit the limit unless they’re very chatty with their friends. But we’ve seen quite a few influencers who have a massive following mention that they can’t respond to anymore DMs.
Why?
They hit the Instagram DM limit. If you want to start reaching out to people on your own and build real relationships with people, direct messages work very well.
But as with most things on the platform, you can certainly hit an internal limit and be stopped dead in your tracks with messaging people. Limits are in place because spammers will abuse the platform otherwise.
With all of that out of the way, let’s find out what the limit is in 2024.
What’s the Daily Instagram DM Limit?
Instagram’s DM limit can change, and it has in recent years. If you go back to the summer of 2023, the platform started to really crack down on unwanted spam because, with 2+ billion users, many are going to be spam bots.
If you’ve never connected with a person before, you can only send them one DM. You cannot send:
- Photos
- Videos
- Voice messages
Previously, users could send an unlimited number of message requests, and we’re sure that many celebrities were bombarded with DMs.
How many DMs can you send in total each day? 2024
It seems that the number is not set in stone and will vary by account. Most sources state:
- 100 – 200 DMs per day
- 30 –50 DMs daily for new accounts
You’ll see some sources state that they have an unlimited number of DMs that they can send. Limits seem to be much higher for people who follow each other.
What Happens if I Hit the Instagram DM Limit?
Hitting your limit of DMs may or may not happen. You may have an older account or send messages at a slow enough speed that you never hit the internal limit. Instagram can do a few things if you hit the limit:
- Ban. Your account may be banned if Instagram thinks that you’re trying to spam people. Imagine mass sending DMs to hundreds of accounts. The algorithm will pick up on your abuse and ban you.
- Temporary ban. A temporary feature ban is possible. The ban will allow you to use most of your account’s normal functions, but you’ll be blocked from sending DMs. Most people will let their accounts “rest” for 12 – 24 hours, and then notice that they can send direct messages to people again.
If you want to message a lot of people, your best bet is to spread out your messages so that Instagram’s algorithm doesn’t get triggered and think that you’re spamming.
How Many People Can I Forward Messages to at Once?
Let’s say that you have a message you want to send to multiple people. These could be your friends, followers or people you want to connect with on Instagram. Forwarding messages helps you do that.
Just tap-and-hold the message and a menu will pop up. Tap “Forward,” and choose the friends you want to send it to. If you share an image or post, the forward icon should be right next to the message.
While message forwarding can save you time, there is a limit.
Instagram only lets you forward a message up to five chats at a time.
What’s Instagram’s DM Character Limit?
Instagram limits more than just the number of messages you can send in a day. There’s also a character limit on DMs.
Direct messages can only have up to 2,000 characters. That’s about 290-500 words.
Keep in mind that this limit only applies to text – not images or videos.
So, if you’re sending messages to friends or trying to make new connections, make sure that you’re mindful of how many messages you’re sending and their length.
Can Apps Help You Exceed the DM Limit?
DM limits can be a pain. Is there a way around them? You may have seen ads for apps to get around DM limits online or people talking about using them on forums. Do they really work?
The short answer is no.
Unfortunately, you can’t use an app to exceed the DM limit. And if you continue to try sending messages after being warned about it, you may not be able to send any more for a period of time.
Conclusion
Instagram puts limits on how many messages you can send in a day and how many characters you can use. Sending more than 100 DMs in a day can result in you being blocked from sending more messages for 24 hours.
While it may be a pain, there’s no workaround for this limit. Apps can’t help you send more DMs (they’re risky to use anyway), so the only option you have is to be patient, follow Instagram’s rules and wait 24 hours to go on another messaging spree.
