You might want to upload a story without having your DMs fill up with responses. Often replies are welcomed, but it can depend on the content. It’s super easy to stop story responses. Keep reading to find out how!
Typically, when posting a story to Instagram, other users are able to reply to it. They can react with a select few emojis, or they can send you a message. These messages will appear in your DMs along with the story itself. Showing you what they have replied to. Creators do however, have the option to stop messages coming through to them.
You can turn off the option for people to reply to your stories. This means, you can share things to your story without people being able to message you about it. Depending on your settings, users will still be able to provide their opinions via your comments section. They could still let you know their feelings by posting a public comment. However, there are ways to manage all parts of your account.
Perhaps you’re a business, and would rather people comment on your posts instead of replying to your stories. That way, more people will see the interaction. Rather than just you and the one follower. Or, it might be that you don’t want your messages to be bombarded by responses and would rather be able to filter conversations. If this is the case, you can simply stop other users replying to your stories.
Here’s how to stop users replying to your stories 
- Head to your Instagram profile and click on the three lines in the top-right corner.
- Click on your Settings.
- Choose Privacy.
- Select Story.
- You’ll see a Replying section. Underneath there are options. You can set it to People you follow or turn it completely Off.
If you choose to change it to “People you follow”. It will mean only accounts you choose to follow can reply to your stories. Note, everyone who follows you if your account is private OR everyone who views your profile if your account is public – will be able to still see your stories. They simply can’t reply to them.
