How to block words on Instagram with Hidden Words
To block words on Instagram, go to your profile, tap the menu, then Hidden words, and add the words, phrases or emojis you don’t want to see. That hides them in comments on your posts and in message requests. It doesn’t touch your feed, so below is the separate setting for suggested posts, and what neither one catches.
Updated November 2, 2026Hide words in comments and message requests
This is Hidden Words. In the Instagram app:
- Tap your profile picture at the bottom right.
- Tap the menu (three lines) at the top right.
- Under How others can interact with you, tap Hidden words.
- Tap Add words separated by commas… and type the words, phrases, numbers or emojis you don’t want to see.
Comments on your posts and message requests that contain them are hidden. To take a word off the list, tap Delete next to it.
Two related settings are worth checking while you’re there:
- Hide unwanted comments. In the same menu, tap Comments, then Hide unwanted comments, and choose None, Some or More. It hides comments that are likely offensive, and it’s on by default.
- Hide unwanted message requests. In the menu, tap Messages and story replies, then Message requests, and switch it on. It’s off by default.
Stop suggested posts with certain words
Instagram has a second, separate word list for posts it suggests to you:
- On a suggested post, tap the three dots (on a reel, they’re at the bottom right).
- Tap Not interested, then Don’t suggest posts with certain words.
- Type your words, phrases or emojis, separated by commas, and tap Done.
It can take up to 24 hours to kick in. To edit the list later, go to your profile, tap the menu, then Content preferences, then Specific words and phrases.
Instagram is upfront about the limits. The list:
- only applies to suggested posts. Posts from accounts you follow aren’t hidden, even if they use your words.
- checks captions and hashtags, and hashtags have to match exactly. Comments aren’t checked.
- doesn’t apply when you use instagram.com in a browser.
What Instagram’s word filters miss
Between them, the two lists cover your comments, your message requests and some suggestions. That leaves most of what you actually scroll past:
- Posts from people you follow. No word list on Instagram hides them. For a person, you can mute them instead.
- Posts about a topic that never use your word. Hide “election” and you’ll still see candidates, polls and debates.
- Images and video. A screenshot of a headline or a reel with a voiceover has no caption text to match.
- Every spelling and nickname. Each one needs its own entry.
If you’re coming from X, its muted words go further: they hide posts from your timeline whoever posted them. See how to mute words on X.
Block a topic from your feed, not just a word
Remedy is a Chrome extension that filters instagram.com by meaning. Describe what you’re done seeing, like “no diet talk”, “no spoilers for The Bear” or “nothing about the election”, and it removes matching posts from your feed as you scroll, whatever words they use and whoever posted them, accounts you follow included. On Plus, it checks images and videos too, so screenshots and reels don’t slip through.
It works on a computer, in Chrome, not in the Instagram app. The popup lists everything it took out.
Questions
Does Hidden Words hide posts in my Instagram feed?
No. Hidden Words hides comments on your posts and message requests. Suggested posts have a separate word list, and neither one hides posts from accounts you follow.
Can you mute words on Instagram like on X?
Not in the same way. X’s muted words hide posts from your timeline, including from people you follow. Instagram’s word lists only cover comments, message requests and suggested posts.
Do Instagram’s word filters work on a computer?
Partly. Hiding words in message requests isn’t supported in web browsers, and the list for suggested posts doesn’t apply when you use instagram.com.