ByInstagram allows professional accounts (Creator or Business) to organize Direct Messages (DMs) into folders, including the “General” folder, which functions as an archive by moving less urgent conversations out of the main inbox.
In this guide, you’ll learn how to switch to a professional account and use the “General” folder to manage your DMs effectively.
DM Organization for Professional Accounts
Instagram professional accounts have multiple DM folders: Primary, General, Requests, and Channels. The General folder acts as an archive, moving conversations out of your main inbox while keeping them accessible.
Personal accounts don’t have these folders, so you’ll need to switch to a professional account to use this feature. If you’ve already done that, skip ahead to the next section.
How to Switch to a Professional Account (If You Have a Personal Account)
If you have a personal account, follow these steps to switch:
- Go to your profile and tap the three lines (menu icon) in the top right corner to access the “Settings and Activity” menu.
- From the “Settings and Activity” menu, scroll down and click on “Account Type and Tools“.
- After selecting, you will see an option called “Switch to Professional Account.”.
- Tap “Switch to Professional Account” and continue to the Instagram guides.
- Choose a category that best describes your account (e.g., Artist, Blogger, Photographer, etc.).
- Once you select a category, Instagram will give you two options for a professional account: Creator or Business professional account.
- Choose the one that fits you best and follow the on-screen prompts to complete the setup.
Once switched, you’ll gain access to the General folder for better DM organization. Now, you can archive or hide messages from your primary inbox. Let’s do it.
3 Easy Steps to “Archive” Instagram Messages (Move to General) (For Professional Accounts)
Once you have a professional account, you can follow these steps:
- Open Instagram and Navigate to Your DMs
- Select the Conversation You Want to “Archive” or “Hide”.
- Long press the conversation, and you will see an option called “Move to General”,
- Click on it, and your message will be “Archived.”
That’s how simple it is. But what if you want to access the message that you have archived/hidden? It’s simple as well.
a. How to View Your “Archived” Messages (General Folder)?
Accessing your “archived” (now in the “General”) messages is simple:
- Go to your Instagram inbox.
- You’ll see different tabs at the top: Primary, General, Requests, and sometimes Channels.
- Tap on “General” to view all the conversations you’ve “archived” (moved there). The order of conversations in the General folder is usually based on the most recent activity within those chats.
However, if you want to bring a conversation back to your main inbox (effectively “unarchiving” it):
b. How to “Unarchive” Messages (Move Back to Primary)
- Go to the “General” folder.
- Long-press the conversation you want to move back or unarchive.
- Select “Move to Primary.” The conversation will reappear in your Primary inbox, “unarchived,” and will be ordered based on the time of the last message.
I did not show you how to do that via images because it’s too simple, and if you learn how to archive a message, it’s the same for accessing it and moving back to the primary inbox again.
So, that’s all for how you can archive or hide a message.
Now, let’s talk about some effective tips to organize your Instagram inbox in a better way.
Managing Multiple Messages at Once
a. Regularly Review Your Primary Inbox: Set aside some time each week or month to go through your Primary inbox and move less important conversations to General. When you regularly archive or hide conversations it will prevent your inbox from becoming overwhelming.
b. Use Search to Find Specific Conversations: If you’re looking for a specific conversation to archive, use the search bar at the top of your DMs. This is much faster than scrolling through a long list of messages.
c. Consider Deleting Truly Unnecessary Conversations: If you’re sure you no longer need a conversation, consider deleting it altogether rather than archiving it. This helps keep your message history clean and organized. Remember, deleting is permanent, while moving to General is not.
Learn more in our complete guide on Instagram’s Unsend & Delete Message features. One more thing: let’s recap the different folders on your Professional Instagram inbox so that you can make the most out of each folder.
Understanding the Basics of Different Inbox Folders
- Primary: This is your main inbox for important conversations with friends, family, and close contacts. Messages from people you follow and have interacted with frequently will appear here.
- General: This folder is for less urgent or less frequent conversations you want to keep but don’t need to see in your primary inbox. It is a great way to keep your primary inbox focused on important communications.
- Requests: This folder contains message requests from people you don’t follow. You can either accept or reject a DM request. Accepting a request will move the conversation to your Primary inbox.
- Channels: This folder contains updates from channels you follow. It’s a separate space for broadcast-style messages.
Final Thoughts
While the direct “archive” option may not exist in the same way, the “General” folder offers a more robust organization system for professional Instagram accounts.
This feature allows you to effectively “archive” conversations by moving them out of your primary inbox, allowing you to prioritize important messages and maintain a cleaner, more manageable DM experience.
If you’re looking to take advantage of this feature, switching to a professional account is the first step.
And it’s true that using professional accounts offers valuable organizational tools like the General folder and others, but you might find that a personal account better suits your needs. If you wish to revert, bookmark our guide on how to switch back to a personal Instagram account.
For further assistance with Instagram features, please visit Instagram’s help center.
