Why can’t I comment on Instagram?
You’ve had your Instagram comments blocked!
IG continues to battle spammers, and innocent users are caught in the aftermath.
Duplicate comments, and comments with multiple users tagged, are likely to be blocked by Instagram.
But, there are lots of possible reasons your comments are not showing!
Read on to discover them all.
Why Is My Comment Not Showing on Instagram?
If you’re not able to add a comment, first try updating your app to the latest version.
If your Instagram app is up to date, you may be getting an error for another reason. Here are some possibilities:
- There’s an Instagram glitch. Try a hard close and restart your app.
- You’re on Airplane Mode or have no internet connection.
- The post has had commenting turned off, or limited to selected people.
- Instagram is down (it’s rare, but you can check here).
- You are over-engaging (likes, comments, follows, unfollows).
- You included more than 5 @ mentions in a single comment.
- You included more than 30 #hashtags on a single post.
- You posted multiple, duplicate comments (including emoji).
- You have a brand-new account and are trying to comment on numerous big accounts.
- You’ve included banned words or phrases.
- That account has blocked you, or a word you used, from comments on their posts.
The first 4, of course, have nothing to do with a block. They just require you to determine which is the cause, and take steps to fix the situation as soon as you can.
Or wait it out!
Reasons 5 – 11 are a bit trickier. Learn more about each below.
Also find tips on how long your block will last, and how to get unblocked faster!
How Often Can I “Like” and Comment on Instagram?
Instagram puts daily Engagement Activity Limits on your account. This is to safeguard against spammers using unethical growth tactics.
There’s not a specific limit for every account. You’ll have a lower limit if your account is newer.
In fact, for a brand-new account, I suggest limiting your activity severely until you complete your Instagram profile with a bio, add a profile picture, and share a few posts.
A typical Instagram user is allowed 60 activities per hour – that includes commenting, liking, following, or unfollowing someone on the app.
If you’re only commenting, you’ll be allowed 60 comments per hour or 180 to 200 comments per day.
The daily limit, however, increases with the age of your Instagram account. More established accounts can post up to 400 or 500 comments a day – significantly more than a new account.
Tips to avoid being restricted from commenting on Instagram:
- Gradually increase your number of daily comments.
- Avoid posting the same comment multiple times (including emoji) .
- Don’t over-engage (likes, follows, unfollows, comments).
- Don’t tag (@mention) more than 5 accounts in a comment.
- Don’t try to use more than 30 hashtags in one post.
Exceed these limits, and you’re put in “Time Out.” For a period of time, you won’t be able to do any of these activities.
TBH, I see similar on every social platform. Consistency is key!
Maybe you’re excited and you want to jump in enthusiastically. Take it easy. Slow and steady wins the race.
Before taking your social media break, you could try:
- Logging out and back in on your Instagram app.
- Posting your comment from a different device.
- Waiting for an hour or so before trying to comment again.
Why Can’t I Post the Same Instagram Comment Again?
Spammers (and some marketers) use automated “bot” commenting to draw attention to their accounts. It’s annoying to put up with as the Instagram audience grows, becoming a more attractive target.
Instagram is hoping to stop bot commenting by blocking comments that duplicate what you just posted.
Friends and I have noticed this on our personal accounts when we write “Congrats!” or similar to more than one person. Totally innocent, but IG only sees it as a duplicate comment – and blocks it.
If you’re marketing on Instagram, please don’t use bot commenting. Even if your comments are varied or spaced out enough to not get blocked – auto commenting is just flat-out annoying.
If you’re trying to make a number of quick comments, add a few relevant emoticons. IGers actually like those 🙂
But don’t repeat one comment in its entirety! Change up the emojis.
Consider including the person’s real name in the comment, too. Not only does this add a personal touch, it will help Instagram see it as a genuine, un-automated, comment.
Instagram Comments Blocked for Tagging Users [@mentions]
The current limit, according to Instagram, is 5 @mentions per comment.
If you tagged no more than 5, and your comment was still blocked, read on for more ideas.
In the past, I’ve had comments blocked when I’ve tried to thank a few users who have congratulated me on being featured by a “hub” account (see sample comment). This is disconcerting, as Instagram tells you your comment may be “abusive.” Certainly that would be the furthest thing from my mind!
After having that happen 3 times, I gave up tagging anyone who was not following my account. Now I’m tentatively tagging non-followers if they’ve tagged me first. This seems to be acceptable – for now.
Again, this blocking is due to those abusive spammers who tag numerous users in comments – usually on a post to “get free followers.” Ugh!
I have to admit, since this crackdown, those obnoxious spammers have declined greatly. Small price to pay, I suppose – as long as we nice folks don’t get confused with spammers, and possibly have our accounts closed!
I suggest you err on the side of caution. If I get another comment blocked due to tagging others, I’ll return to only tagging my followers.
If that doesn’t work, I’ll have to stop thanking people for congratulating me on hub accounts. It’s not worth risking a banned account.
Updated: Instagram has eased up on me for tagging multiple users in a comment thread. I’ve tried it a few times and didn’t get blocked. I was replying to people who had already commented in the thread, as in the image above right.
IG Comments Blocked on Accounts with Over 50K Followers
I hear this often. Several ‘grammers have found this post and left comments begging me to resolve this. Here’s my answer.
Starting a new account and quickly posting on huge and/or celebrity accounts is not typical behavior – except for spammers!
The only solution for this one? Don’t do it.
Be cautious of posting on accounts with huge followings immediately after opening an account.
Which Words Are Banned in Instagram Comments?
Instagram doesn’t provide a list of banned words. If they did, it would have to be constantly updated.
So, just be on your best behavior and try not to offend.
Don’t curse. Be kind.
Instagram says:
We want to foster a positive, diverse community. We remove content that contains credible threats or hate speech, content that targets private individuals to degrade or shame them, personal information meant to blackmail or harass someone, and repeated unwanted messages. We do generally allow stronger conversation around people who are featured in the news or have a large public audience due to their profession or chosen activities.
It’s never OK to encourage violence or attack anyone based on their race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, disabilities, or diseases. When hate speech is being shared to challenge it or to raise awareness, we may allow it. In those instances, we ask that you express your intent clearly.
Serious threats of harm to public and personal safety aren’t allowed. This includes specific threats of physical harm as well as threats of theft, vandalism, and other financial harm. We carefully review reports of threats and consider many things when determining whether a threat is credible. source
In addition, each account can set their own list of banned words… read on.
How Can I Block Comments on My Instagram Account?
As you probably know, you can post a photo or video with commenting disabled.
Did you know you can also block comments that contain specific words, phrases, numbers or emoji that you’d like to avoid?
Yes! Instagram has enabled Comment Controls, and these could be the reason your comment won’t post.
If your account is public, you’ll see a new way to choose who can comment on your posts — from everyone to just groups of people, like people you follow or your followers.
Also, whether your account is public or private, you’ll be able to block other accounts from commenting on your posts.
If you have the offensive comment filter turned on, you can also turn on a keyword filter to hide comments that contain specific words, phrases, numbers or emoji.
- Go to your profile and tap the three lines at top right.
- Tap Settings.
- Tap Privacy and Security.
- Tap Comment Controls.
- Make sure that Hide Offensive Comments is turned on.
- Tap next to Manual Filter to turn it on.
Enter specific words, phrases, numbers or emoji in the text box to filter out comments.
Keep in mind that default and custom keyword filtering aren’t currently available in all languages:
- Default Keywords: The default list of keywords is only available in certain languages.
- Custom Keywords: Currently, custom keyword filtering doesn’t support languages without spaces (ex: Chinese, Japanese, Thai).
When you turn on comment filtering, it’s applied to both new and existing comments on your posts. When you turn off comment filtering, filtered comments on your posts will be restored. source
And of course, any account can block you, delete your comment, or even report you.
Instagram says:
You may find content you don’t like, but doesn’t violate the Community Guidelines. If that happens, you can unfollow or block the person who posted it. If there’s something you don’t like in a comment on one of your posts, you can delete that comment.
Be wise: only post #KindComments.
How Long Am I Blocked from Commenting on Instagram?
A typical block will last 24–48 hours.
If it’s your first offense, your block may be as short as 2 hours. Proceed cautiously! Be sure to review the daily and hourly limits above.
If you’re a repeat offender, and if you’re been reported by other IGers, your block could last as long as a week or even a month.
If you’ve been blocked from commenting by the account owner, please respect that. Don’t even try to comment or message that account.
How to Get UNblocked on Instagram
So you’re blocked, you’re not sure how long it will last, and you’re in the throes of Instagram withdrawals.
There may be some things you can do to get the block lifted faster.
According to Guiding Tech, if Instagram has blocked you, it could be that Instagram has blocked your IP address and not your account.
The first solution that you should try is to switch to mobile data instead of using your WiFi.
Or switch your IP address!
I haven’t tried this, but just read about it from someone who said they do this on a monthly basis. I don’t know all the ramifications changing this setting might have, so beware. Since you’re resetting, you will have to re-enter passwords.
The simple solution if you are on iPhone. Go to your settings -> General -> Reset -> Reset Network Settings. This will give you new IP address.
If you’re still blocked, I strongly recommend you put the phone down and stay off Instagram for at least 24 hours.
And absolutely, stop using any automated tools that are not approved Instagram marketing partners.
It’s also recommended to link your other social media accounts inside your Instagram settings.
Basically, anything that makes your account look like it’s run by a real person!
You can also report your issue to Instagram from the Settings within the app.
On iPhone:
- From your Settings, tap Help.
- Tap Report a Problem.
- Tap Something Isn’t Working.
- State your case!
My guess is you’ll be unblocked before they read your problem report!
Here are more tips to unblock your IG account from a reader comment. Not sure if you have to do ALL these things, but essentially, you want to make your profile look genuine.
- Add / change a profile picture and description.
- Delete your link if it might be suspect (affiliate links, typos, possibly shortened links).
- Use Instagram normally. Do NOT use automation!
- Comment very little, if at all.
Another reader, QQ says:
I had the same problem. I could only post 3 comments every 24 hours. If I posted more than 3 comments I’d get banned for 24 hours from commenting (could still like pictures, follow people – just couldn’t comment.)
I did the following things:
– Change my profile (just write something new in your profile; maybe don’t leave any links until you’re unbanned from commenting too).
– Set a profile picture.
– Log in and out of your Instagram account.
– Go on your computer and log into Instagram. Like some pictures and try commenting at least once.
– On your phone, use Instagram normally: just browse, look at pictures, search hashtags, like some pictures, (show that you’re not a bot).
– Set a gender: male or female.
– Don’t comment for a few days or a week, but do all the above.
– Post two pictures (6 hours apart) every day.
I got unbanned in 4 days doing all this. I can comment all the time now, like pictures, follow etc. Good luck!!
Thank you QQ for sharing!
IG Comment Block Takeaways and To-Dos
I know it’s frustrating. As in all things, patience is a virtue here.
I don’t know how long your block will last. Just be sure you’re not making duplicate comments or multiple tags, which would likely make it worse.
Be sure you have the latest version of Instagram and your mobile OS. Old versions may prevent your comments from posting.
Never tag more than 5 users in one comment.
Try Instagram on your browser. At least one user has reported this resolved his issue.
If your app has frozen, you can try a hard shutdown of your device. This worked on my iPhone. I have no experience with Android or Windows devices, so do your due diligence before trying anything.
If you still can’t open Instagram, you can try deleting the app and reinstalling. Again, check this out first before trying. I’m not qualified to provide tech advice!
Read the comments to see if other readers have left advice you can follow.
Leave advice if you have any. If you ask a question, be aware that I have no further advice beyond what I’ve provided in this article. Maybe another reader can help.
Be real, be authentic, be you – and be careful not to get your Instagram comments blocked!
This post on blocked Instagram comments was originally published in April 2015 and has been updated 8 times.
Nick says
You didnt mention the real underlying issue – Zuckerbergs push to influence politics. Almost all banned phrases are biased and interacting (no matter how positively) with any conservative account will result in “unable to post comment” for hours afterwards to stop the content trending
Louise Myers says
Sorry to hear this is going on.
Nina says
I can’t expand and view comments on ads anymore. I can leave a comment, but I won’t be able to see any of the other comments that other users have left. This leads me to believe that even if I did choose to leave a comment, I would be the only person able to see it. The last time things were normal for me, I asked a question on an ad that was boasting free steak for a year. I asked if the the free steak was for once a month, one a week, and I think I asked about the weight of the steak. Because the ad didn’t specify, it seemed like a reasonable question
Louise Myers says
This does seem odd, but the account admins should be able to see all comments.
Ruthvik says
Hey I commented a perfectly fine and in fact heartwarming sentence and got blocked from commenting for who knows how long? Help a guy out?
Daniel says
Honestly, whatever protocols the algorithm is using to block comments, they make no sense at all. I’ve had the most innocuous comments deleted: from discussing quantum physics to smart things my cat does. It’s totally random but seems to come in waves. If one comment is deleted I know there’ll be more to follow. Then for a while, everything is fine until it starts again. Seriously, Instagram needs to fix this because it’s wrecking the experience for so many users. I spend so much less time on IG now since this began. Much prefer YouTube these days.
Kate says
I have been having problems with Instagram since SEPTEMBER! I am not unkind or mean. I don’t do that! But I’ve been blocked about 7 times already over ridiculously innocent comments. I’m just a follower with small friends and family followers of private Instagram that I’ve had for ELEVEN FREAKING YEARS. Nothing more. And yet I kept being blocked. I am so frustrated.
Angelica Grosser says
Same here, I posted a rhyme in a contest and tagged ONE friend .. the rhyme was about my birtday.. Now Im blocked for 5 days. Not a single bad word in that Rhyme -just cheers, joy, cake and friends.
Lisa says
Same for me. I’ve been cursed out, told to shut up and had several other nasty comments hurled at me for my views, but I’ve been blocked over and over again for my view only. Never are here any banned words in my comments, I’m not rude or mean, but the fact that I’m on their list for my views means that they constantly remove my comments and tell me about it. They know there is no one I can call to ask them to stop.
Louise Myers says
Not sure who you mean is removing comments and telling you about it. The IG bots? If it’s the person whose account you’re commenting on, that would be strange. I’d unfollow them immediately.
Tobey Deys says
I just got banned from commenting for the second time in a few weeks. And the comments were kind and positive. Absolutely innocuous and not remotely spammy. There is nothing linked to the “tell us” pop up box.
Are there specific phrases or words to avoid? Was I too enthusiastic? Anyway I only leave supportive comments so I don’t get it at all.
Louise Myers says
IDK if someone has figured out the “comment spam algorithm” but even if so, it could change at any time. AI is far from foolproof these days. It’s too bad the social media companies are relying on it so heavily.
Janet Rich says
Same. I’m going to quit commenting. NOTHING I said about a knitting technique I use was offensive or a violation. It was to provide help. Knitting!!! Blocked! Third time in a month. I’m done.
Miriam says
I am having the sam issues…trying the above advice. Banned until tmrw. It’s my personal account I’ve had for 10 years. Professional account which I use more often is fine.
Any luck resolving your issue?
AliceonR says
How are you guys able to tell how long you’ve been banned? I’ve had my account for almost 5 years. I’ve made some posts, only have a handful of followers who are friends and family. I gov through spans when I don’t use the app at all. When I comment I don’t insult or use foul language , don’t bully or threaten. Ou of the blue I couldn’t like or comment about 10 days ago. I logged out and deleted account. Logged back in and reloaded app today. After literally 3 likes and one innocent comment, I was blocked again. But on the website I have no restriction… just the app. This is ridiculous and makes me less inclined to use this app at all, which is the only social media I even have! I have no clue what the problem is and of course there’s no real option for help or redress!
Dominique Clarke says
Instagram is getting on my last ?@)! nerve!!! They even went as far as banning me for 2 days???
I’m trying to learn how to post good material, so i watch a lot of tutorials. This morning, this woman’s IG story tutorial was so confusing i had to do a work around. Instead of hitting the cursor to make this book, i went into the gif search bar and typed in shape instead, worked like a charm. I could see other people frustrated with the extra fast tutorial, so i just put on the thread, what i did and said i hope it helped someone out there. I wasn’t even thinking of trying to get followers.
I mean, i have a cat channel for Pete’s sake. I’m hardly going to try and get followers from tutorials. I’m just trying to build my channel with good content before i start to visit similar channels. Instagram is royally ticking me off with this minutia. it’s like the 6th time in one week. So i’m going to start posting from another account and go to tik tok. I’m fed up with this. I’m trying to run my business on there, not get banned, then my account blocked.
Louise Myers says
Starting a TikTok account sounds like the way to go for now.
Darkstar says
You forget the main reason: Because their software is garbage and buggy and they won’t fix it! Here in 2023 and they still haven’t fixed the issue. I cannot post more than one comment to a post if i’m on the web/browser version. I switch over to the app version on my phone and can easily post more than just one comment or reply. Try it. Pity the idiots will never fix the issue, I mean we are talking about the same morons who run Facebook and have had bugs in their groups that have been going on for decades!
Louise Myers says
I understand your frustration. It’s been years!
Icarus says
LOL! I love comments that are honest, and even ones that show someones frustration! I made ONE comment on an AI picture of sunlight across a valley…., and asked ” How are there two suns coming from two different angles with rays coming from different directions? AI!” and I was suddenly banned, and there is no way to even refute it!! Why isn’t there a way to refute a ban if you have not broken any IG rules!!!??
Liz says
Hi
I corrected an address on a cooking page and pop up told me I went against guidelines.
Later all comments had the pop up saying can’t comment till 26 th September.
Now it’s 27th.
I didn’t say anything wrong.
Louise Myers says
Most likely a glitch, but I wonder if you commented with a number symbol? Like #101 for a suite number. Because it looks like a hashtag. Or maybe just leaving an address raised red flags.
AliceonR says
I’m not even getting that much! I simply can’t comment or like at all, and when I try, all the pop up says is to tray again later, and “certain actions are restricted to protect our community”. From what exactly?? People in there cursing out others, direct insults, belittling, and telling people to “eff off”, to name a few, and MY comments expressing my opinions or even agreement are a danger to the community? So unreasonable, and now I’m questioning why I even should bother with Instagram at this point! From what I’m learning here, the best way to not get booted is to NOT engage at all on a supposedly “social” app?
Honey B says
I tried to comment “It’s slide #3 for me!” On my friends carousel of cute baby pics. How is anything in there abusive or bad? I updated the app and went to put some lightning bolt emojis on a music video (everyone puts flames so I went with lightning bolts.) It says I am restricted from commenting and if they’ve made a mistake, Tell Us. But when I tap Tell Us, it just vanishes and I still can’t comment, OR state my case. Sad
Louise Myers says
There seem to be a lot of glitches happening right now. Of course there’s nothing wrong with your comment, but I wonder if IG thought you were trying to leave a hashtag with the #3.
Aya says
I’m trying commenting with a video for the first time. First try I got blocked for trying to post it over and over again cause it seems the internet connection was low. It was never posted, yet I got blocked.
Tried again the next day after waiting around 10 hours, with better connection. It worked. A few hours later I wanted to comment again with a video. Again it didn’t post the video (been on the bus, so I guess bad connection again? There’s this bar showing the progress of uploading, and it said it will autopost when connection is good).
When got back home I pressed Retry ( on that progress bar) and got blocked again! For trying once? Funny thing is, I can post regular comments. Could this be a glitch/bug?
Hope I’ve explained the situation clearly.
Louise Myers says
Could be a glitch, could be video comments have tighter limits, could be someone reported your comment… any number of things.
Kay says
how long until a time-out is done? I haven’t been able to comment since june 7th. But i’ve also been trying again every few days, so not sure if that restarts the block? Occasionally a comment goes through, especially if I close the app immediately after.
I cannot report a problem because it won’t let me. I think I got blocked because of #5. I’ve tried logging out, restarting phone. App is up to date.
Louise Myers says
Yes, I suspect that trying to comment will restart the block.
Social media platforms like IG aren’t going to tell us exactly how things like this work, because spammers will abuse the info. I suggest you wait a full week before trying again. If you still can’t comment, try 2 weeks.
Shurooq says
Hello!
Thank you very much.
I have created a new Instagram account (mid June) and went on following dozens of people and gained dozens are well.
I haven’t been able to comment on anyone’s posts since I made the account. All my comments are immediately removed even though I’m not violating any community guidelines.
What should I do?
This is a business account so I need it going and I need to engage with people to grow more.
Any advice on how to solve this issue?
Thank you very much
Louise Myers says
I know of nothing but waiting it out. You can check the article for issues you might have on your account or profile.
Kat says
I’m not on IG much and didn’t realize how strict they are. I got blocked for calling someone a narcissistic misogynistic pigg, which usually isn’t my style but he was awful. Now I can’t access anything including my own content. I just keep getting messages “couldn’t refresh feed”, and “an unexpected error occurred”. Is this how they block you? Not even telling you in plain language? Why wouldn’t they just be straightforward with me and tell me I’m blocked or suspended? It’s bad enough being blocked/suspended but the lack of honesty or an actual explanation is what really bothers me.
Louise Myers says
I couldn’t tell you if that’s how they block you, but you will never get an explanation from the AI or algorithm that instituted a block. This is life on social media.
Leslie says
This is a great resource for anyone struggling with blocked comments on Instagram. Thank you for sharing your expertise!
Isaac says
Try using Instagram on Firefox 52 ESR or MyPal on Windows XP. You’ll get blocked for no reason.
Louise Myers says
Unfortunately, getting blocked for no apparent reason is becoming more common on IG. Unfortunately I don’t know any tricks for specific devices.
Jake says
Instagram knows exactly which accounts are spamming the promotion comments by their activity, they just choose to punish users instead of shutting down the spam accounts. The spam accounts add to their user numbers and look good to investors.
Something not mentioned is that if you report comments, users, messages, etc., Instagram will not shut them down, they will instead throttle your content so that less users view your content, and thus you will receive less spam because no one is seeing your posts, and in turn you will complain less and have a “better experience.” This is a ridiculous system, but it means avoiding reporting is best (and since IG doesn’t use the reports, reporting makes no difference anyway).
Louise Myers says
Your theories are certainly interesting. They could be possible, but the fact that you avoided leaving a real email gives us no way to ask where you got this info.
Njdan30 says
I have no issue with comments, it’s the replies to the comments that won’t open for me. Anyone else have this? Any fixes?
Sami says
People mostly enjoy Tiktok music. The best thing about it is that whatever videos you like in trending, you can also make your own Tiktok video. And can share it with your close friends and family. Many platforms have been seen but no other platform can compete with the popularity of tok. In today’s era, anyone who has a mobile phone must download tok in their mobile phone by making a video of a few minutes and people start thinking of themselves as a hero. In movies, you used to see only a few people repeatedly, but in online Tiktok, you see people from all over the world in a new way. Tiktok was closed at the request of some people, but later it was reopened on the insistence of enthusiasts and even today it has gained a lot of popularity.
simone says
I did a bookish follow train. my account is a month old but i have 800 followers so i got alot of comments on this post. they then proceeded to block me. that was 3 days ago. and now i cannot even post a caption on my posts. when uploading an image, i typed the entire caption out and posted it. but it only posts the image. i have tried everything and it refuses to post. is this part of the block?
Louise Myers says
Not sure what a bookish follow train is but it may be the reason. Typically 800 followers would not leave “a lot of comments.”
Apple says
hii article was very helpful thank you but I got one question to ask hope to get a reply
there’s this account which I know have a customised list of blocked words from comment and it seems like i used one from them like ex- the word’s die and I used it not in bad way but like omg so cute I’ll die for it
and realised later
Now i can’t comment on any post of that account even if the blocked word isn’t used
What can I do about this situation
Louise Myers says
Sounds like they’ve permanently blocked you so unless it’s someone you can reach out to, I think you’re stuck. I wonder if it’s another reason tho bc that seems like a silly word to block. Such a common expression.
Apple says
yesss tho i don’t interact much but it was sudden and i don’t even know why
anyways thank you for replying♡
Sumi Shrivastava says
Thanks for sharing these tips. This article has cleared a lot of doubts regarding Instagram comments blocked.
Everyone must try avoiding these mistakes to get a smooth running insta account.
NFS says
I can’t comment when I do say they “Couldn’t post try later” I don’t know why. After that they send me a message saying “We restrict certains activities to protect our community.” What is the matter?
Louise Myers says
Sounds like you may have reached a limit on comment frequency or repetition. Could be something else covered in the article as well.
Frederik Bergmann Hansen says
People can’t comment on my posts?
The function in settings is locked, whenever i try changing it from people I follow and followers to everyone, it jumps straight back.
I tried everything you write. And reported it 10+ times to instagram – nothing is happening!
Please help
Louise Myers says
Have you tried using a different device? Even desktop browser?
Maryam says
Update: I can now leave replies, but only when I remove the automatic @ of the person I’m replying to. If the @ isn’t there, it’ll immediately say “Couldn’t post” and then log me out of the app. Very weird and I’d like to know why.
Louise Myers says
Someone may have reported a reply from you, or you do it so frequently you tripped a spam filter. Those are my guesses, maybe someone else has another. Keep us posted!
Maryam says
Every time I try to reply to a comment under a post, it says “Couldn’t post, please try again” but then it logs me out of the app and asks to verify I’m not a robot and send the code sent to my mobile number. This has been happening for weeks now whenever I reply to comments. I know what spammy activity is and that’s not what I do. In fact, I rarely leave replies on posts so I’m not sure why this is happening. I’ve reported the problem many times but nothing has changed.
Louise Myers says
Have you tried stopping this comment-reply behavior for at least a week to see if that helps? If they’re comments on posts other than your own, I’d suggest stopping for at least a month. If you’ve done it a lot in the past, you might be flagged.
Jan says
For some reason my business account cannot be taged anymore in comments, stories and posts of other accounts. It says that my account violated community guidelines. However in my account there is no record under my profile of violation. I have contacted Instagram several times without any success. I have been blocked for a month now. Still I can post and tag others. Any advise on how to change this?
Louise Myers says
If you’ve been doing a lot of ANYTHING but especially tagging or commenting, you might try stopping or curtailing those activities for a while.
Brittany says
I am currently having this issue – i can leave comments but as soon as i tag my business it flags it – i have recently switched to a business account and i think that triggered it – i have since switched back to a personal account – contacted IG with no luck.
Amal joy p says
A friend of mine unknowingly put a bad comment on a post on my Instagram account .. I saw it .. After that I can not use my account.. Only sees ‘couldn’t refresh feed’… What i do now??? Please reply me… It’s a couple of weeks to see this problem… I want to get back my account… Please help me…
Louise Myers says
A comment made by someone else on your account would not lock you out. Something else going on.
Aailyah says
Hi, I didn’t see this issue addressed here… I’m wondering how to restore the comment box on Instagram Live. I used to be able to interact and comment during Live but can’t anymore…any solution? It’s only when I’m on someone else live but I’m not getting no error messages.
Louise Myers says
I’m starting to hear this a lot so it may be a glitch in a recent app update. I would suggest keeping your app updated (hopefully a patch coming), report the problem in IG, and maybe even leave this in a review on your app store – just to make sure they’re aware!
Ellie Fisher says
Firstly, thank you so much for this article!
I’ve been unable to comment on posts for six weeks.
I’ve repeatedly reported the issue, stopped using my account for weeks, and have spent hours searching for a solution with no joy.
The thing that has worked is deleting the link in my bio which was Linktree. It worked straight away. I tried adding it again and the same warning message came up.
I’ve now added my website and it seem to be ok with that for now.
All in all a very sobering wake up call to the downside of running ones business through a platform you have no control over. Import lesson to learn I guess!
Louise Myers says
So sorry you had to deal with this! Thanks for reporting on what worked for you. Strange that it was the cause of the comment block but so true, we have no control.
Precious odikanwa says
I have Same problem here 🤦♂️ I haven’t commented on any post since two days now, I didn’t violate any policy but I have been commenting slot what should I do?
Louise Myers says
Please follow the suggestions in the article.
Lisa says
Hi, I didn’t see this issue addressed here… I’m wondering how to restore the comment box on Instagram Live. I used to be able to interact and comment during Live but can’t anymore…any solution?
Louise Myers says
Hoping a reader will know as I don’t! Are you running the Live or watching it?
Meaka says
I’m having that same problem. It’s when watching someones live and can’t comment
Louise Myers says
Thanks. I looked it up and it appears to have the same causes and fixes as not being able to comment on posts. But if it’s just recent, then it could be a glitch.
Ushen23 says
I have the same problem. A comment box in ig live is missing when i watch someone else’ live. But i can see it if i used my other account. I hope it will be resolve soon or please let us know if you already have an idea on how to fix it. Thank you.
Aailyah says
Did you figure it out? I’m having the same missing comment box in ig live.
Alicia says
Hello, I’ve been having the same issue for two days now. I know this is specific to my account because I’m still able to do comment during lives with my private account. I reported it to Instagram but haven’t received a response. I suppose it could be because I cussed in the chat while talking with some friends on live. Feel like that’s likely what happened. I’ll update if Instagram ever removes the ban.
Louise Myers says
Hey Alicia, appreciate you letting us know. Are you saying you cussed in ONE live chat and now seem to be banned from ALL of them? Very interesting if so. Otherwise I would say it was just that one account had banned those words being used in comments.
Aailyah says
Did you get a solution? I’m having the same, comment box is missing when i watch someone else’ ig live.
Lisa M says
I have the same issue. Just reported it to IG so hopefully they will fix it. The more people that report it, the sooner it will get fixed, hopefully!
Chris says
Hey there I’m having the same issue!! I’m losing my mind trying to fix it over the past 2 weeks 😭 love to interact with my audience and can’t even do that anymore on Instagram live which is ridiculous
Kerrie Jacobs says
Thanks for all your advice ! I have tried all this but no avail , it’s been over a week now… I can post a photo but no caption, no tagging. I can like someone else’s post but can’t comment. I can post stories , I can’t DM anyone sending and email address , so frustrating I have reported and reported it and don’t get a reply from Instagram and don’t know what I have actually done
Flip says
Instagram blocked me from commenting or even liking, but after I read this article, I just went to make a report to Instagram and immediately not up to a min I was able to comment. Thanks for this
Spade says
how did you contact them, as i cant seem to find an email.
Louise Myers says
How to report a problem is covered in the article. There’s no email, it’s in the app.
Jules says
I’ve just resolved 2 months of having been blocked from commenting on any insta posts or adding a description to my posts. I read through this and although none of the above issues were relevant to me it did give me an idea. I had 5 pages tagged in my bio and that seems to have been the problem. As soon as I removed them I was able to post again.
Louise Myers says
Wow! Thanks for sharing your inspiration as that may help others too.
Jia Animal Selfies says
OMG, I’ve had the same problem for a half year and I just changed my bio and it worked. All I had was a youtube and linkedin links in addition to my facebook. Now I only have my facebook link and finally able to comment/follow back now.
So frustrating that instagram doesn’t have any documentation on this and I had to google it.
Kerrie Jacobs says
Ohhh I might try that … I have another Insta page linked in bio … I wish they would just tell you what it is !
Martha says
Hey, I was unable to comment on Instagram posts and I came through your post. It helped me to restore my account. Thank you for your help.
Y says
Thank you for the help! I can now comment on posts and follow IG users, I just had to remove the link/site in my profile.
Thank you again! 🙂
Louise Myers says
Glad it helped!
Star says
Great article. I couldn’t find my issue though. When I post to my stories.. 1 @ 1 # and I include a “shop” sticker. My followers cannot comment, only direct message. I’ve seen this on other accounts but I assumed they had commenting off or restricted. I asked a friend who is having same issue but no resolution.
In my story settings, commenting is set to everyone.
Louise Myers says
I don’t know the reason. Are people able to comment on other of your stories? Maybe the “shop” sticker is messing it up?
I’d love to know if you’re able to find what’s blocking it, so we can help others. Good luck!
Lis says
Hi, I haven’t been able to write comments on any of my 2 accounts for a whole month, I can’t write descriptions in posts or tag people.
I don’t understand it, because they say that happens when you write a lot of comments, or when you tag a lot of people, and I’ve never done.
I always write few, at most 10 a day … and rarely, usually nothing.
I’ve tried everything you say, and nothing works.
I also wrote a message to the Instagram helpdesk, and they didn’t reply to me …
Louise Myers says
I’m sorry this is happening to you, but unfortunately I don’t have any other suggestions. Maybe another reader will chime in.
Clem says
This is exactly what I’m experiencing as well! It’s been a month and Instagram helpdesk hasn’t helped or replied either :/
Lauren Todd says
Same!! I’ve been blocked for over 3 weeks now. I’ve reported it numerous times and nothing is done. Have you found a way to unblock it? I haven’t violated any of the terms and conditions. I even tried to start another account but I’m blocked from commenting on that as well
Janne says
“ The simple solution if you are on iPhone. Go to your settings -> General -> Reset -> Reset Network Settings. This will give you new IP address.”
This just deleted all my wifi passwords.
Not nice. 🙁
Louise Myers says
Sorry to hear this, I’ll beef up the warning in the article.
MUGESH says
Update your profile picture and edit your bio… remove any website that you included in bio…Now my problem is solved…
Janne says
This just worked for me as wel, MUGESH!
Jennifer says
I was blocked since March 21, 2021. I Reported the problem to Instagram, every day. Yesterday, September 16, 2021, I was literally ready to give up. I was going to delete the business account entirely. I follow this advice, and removed our website from our bio. I removed all the hashtags from our bio. I did not change the picture because I had done that about a month and a half ago. To my amazement, I can now post on my pictures and other pages posts!!
THANK YOU!!!
Louise Myers says
Glad to hear this helped you fix your IG comment block!
Irfan says
It can either be: Instagram has blocked you from posting comments too often or your comment wasn’t posted because of your connection. It is possible your account was shadowbanned. You possibly have had comments or posts reported and removed.
Alex says
In my case already 2 months . Cannot coment like follow or pay igtv.
I do only organic posts. Yes in the past a did mark more than 5 users as they are my partners
Thanks
Nelson says
Instagram blocked me from commenting on a post, what will I do to resolve this?
Louise Myers says
All my tips are in the article.
Marta says
Hi, I have been blocked for over 48 hours. I couldn’t like or comment from the mobile app (could do it via web app). What helped me to unblock it? I logged out from app, logged in again and it’s all working properly now! 🙂
Louise Myers says
Thanks for sharing that tip!
Francis says
Please am unable to like and comment on Instagram what will I do
Louise Myers says
Follow the tips in the article and/or wait it out.
Amaka says
Instagram blocked me from commenting and liking post, because I made a change in my Instagram page, what can I do to resolve this issue..
Louise Myers says
Change your page back and wait to be unblocked.
emma says
I get that because of all being done in one go I could have been blocked. But EVERYDAY I get blocked for commenting every day. I have had one day where I was able to post 2 comments and that was it. I got blocked. I keep filling out the little tell us if it is an error, to no avail. It is beyond frustrating. Not once was I ever blocked when I was using the other persons’ account to comment.
Louise Myers says
I believe you need to take a week off and then your ban will be lifted. Or at least less restrictive.
Holyfour says
There is no support service in the instagram if you have lost your account, unfortunately you will not restore it. This is a serious minus of this social network(( Although such a large network should have user support
Louise Myers says
The larger the network, the worse the support.
Holyfour says
Completely agree:)
Himanshu Sharma says
Instagram has gone too strict on fake accounts these days. Due to the fact people start to misuse the services they have changed spam policies to much extent.
Sianna G says
Instagram will not allow me to comment and like on any posts and I have no idea why. I cannot even post. I don’t understand why. I have tried everything that has been suggested but nothing has worked. This has been going on for a couple of weeks. PLEASE HELP NOW
Louise Myers says
I’m sorry for your frustration. I suggest you take a break for a week and then see if your ban has lifted.