Making a group chat on Instagram requires selecting at least two people. Open Instagram Messages, start a new message, select the participants, open the conversation and send the first message. Labels such as Compose or New message can vary by platform or rollout.

What you need to start an Instagram group chat

Instagram requires you to select at least two people for a group conversation. The process starts in Messages and is supported in the main Instagram apps, Instagram Lite, desktop web and mobile browsers, according to Instagram’s official group-chat instructions.

  • Be signed in to Instagram.
  • Know which two or more accounts you want to include.
  • Have a first message ready to send, because participant selection is not the final step in the official sequence.

Create the chat on iPhone, Android, iPad or Instagram Lite

  1. Open Instagram and go to Messages.
  2. Select the compose or new-message control.
  3. Find and select at least two people.
  4. Choose Chat, or the equivalent control shown on your device, to open the conversation.
  5. Type your first message and send it.

The same core sequence applies to iPhone, Android and iPad. Instagram Lite is also officially supported, but its controls may not look exactly like those in the main Instagram app.

Create the chat on desktop web or a mobile browser

  1. Open Instagram in your browser and sign in if necessary.
  2. Open Messages.
  3. Use the compose or new-message control.
  4. Select at least two people.
  5. Open the chat, type a message and send it.

The wording or position of the controls may differ between desktop and mobile browser layouts, but the required sequence remains selecting two or more people, opening the conversation and sending a message.

Send the first message and check the conversation

Do not stop after selecting the participants. Send the first message, then review the participant information displayed for the open conversation and confirm that it corresponds to the accounts you intended to select before continuing the discussion.

If you later want to change a separate messaging privacy setting, see how to turn off read receipts in Instagram DMs.