---
title: "What are message requests on Instagram?"
description: "What are message requests on Instagram? Why DMs from non-followers land in Requests, what that means for auto-DMs, and how to make sure they're seen."
url: https://replyrep.io/glossary/message-requests
updated: 2026-10-19
---

# What are message requests on Instagram?

Message requests is the Instagram folder where new conversations from people who don't follow an account land, separate from the main inbox. It works for automated DMs too: a private reply to a commenter who doesn't follow you arrives in their Requests folder, not their inbox. Once a business answers a request through a third-party app, Meta moves the thread to General.

## How do message requests work?

Instagram sorts DMs by relationship. Meta's documentation for professional accounts says all new conversations from users who aren't followers appear in the **Requests** folder. The same applies in the other direction for comment DMs: a [private reply](https://replyrep.io/glossary/private-reply) goes to the commenter's inbox if they follow you, and to their Requests folder if they don't.

## What happens to a request in practice?

- A non-follower DMs your account: it lands in your Requests folder.
- Your tool answers it through the API: Meta moves the thread to your General folder.
- A non-follower comments your keyword: your DM lands in their Requests folder.
- A Requests conversation goes 30 days without activity: Meta stops returning it in API calls.

## Why do message requests matter for DM automation?

If most of your commenters don't follow you, as is common on a reel that travels, many of your DMs land where people check less often. They still arrive; people just need to know to look. The fix is to tell them, in the caption and under their comment.

> **Point people to the right folder** Write "check your DMs (and your requests)" in the caption or the public reply under each comment.

## How does ReplyRep help with message requests?

On Lite and up, [Comment Auto Reply](https://replyrep.io/features/instagram-comment-auto-reply) posts a public reply under each comment, worded differently every time, so people know a DM is on its way. A [follow gate](https://replyrep.io/glossary/follow-gate) asks commenters to follow first. Read [can you DM someone who doesn't follow you on Instagram](https://replyrep.io/guides/can-you-dm-someone-who-doesnt-follow-you-on-instagram) for the full rules, and the [comment-to-DM feature](https://replyrep.io/features/instagram-comment-to-dm).

**Make sure every DM gets seen** Pair each DM with a public reply that tells people where to look.

## Related terms

- [Private reply](https://replyrep.io/glossary/private-reply): the comment DM that lands in Requests for non-followers.
- [Opt-in](https://replyrep.io/glossary/opt-in): why a business can only message people who interacted first.

Sources:
- [Meta: Send messages (Instagram API with Instagram Login)](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/instagram-platform/instagram-api-with-instagram-login/messaging-api)
- [Meta: Instagram Platform overview](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/instagram-platform/overview)
- [Meta: Private replies (Instagram Platform)](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/instagram-platform/private-replies)

## Frequently asked questions

### Why did my automated DM go to message requests?

Because the person doesn't follow your account. Meta's private reply rules send the reply to the inbox of people who follow the professional account and to the Requests folder of people who don't. It was still delivered.

### Can I DM someone who doesn't follow me on Instagram?

Through the API, only if they interacted first, for example by commenting or messaging you. The message then lands in their Requests folder. Meta's rules require the person to start the conversation, so a business cannot cold-message non-followers.

### What happens when I reply to a message request from a tool?

Meta says all message requests that you answer using a third-party app are moved to the General folder. So once your automation replies to a non-follower who messaged you, the conversation leaves your Requests folder.

### Do old message requests disappear?

They are not deleted, but Meta says messages in the Requests folder that have not been active for 30 days are not returned in API calls, so tools can no longer see them.

Last updated 2026-10-19. Source: https://replyrep.io/glossary/message-requests