Instagram auto reply for comments, DMs and stories
Auto reply to comments, DMs, story replies and mentions the moment they land, with a public reply, a DM with your link or an after-hours note. Pick the trigger, write the message and set it live.
Free plan, no card Official Instagram API Business or Creator accounts
What is an Instagram auto reply (or auto responder)?
An Instagram auto reply is a message sent for you when someone interacts with your account: a public reply under their comment, or a DM when they comment, message you, reply to your story, mention you in theirs or comment on your Live. You choose what sets it off and set up the reply, and MuChat sends it through Instagram’s official API. You’ll also see it called an Instagram auto responder, auto response, automatic reply or auto message. Here are the eight kinds MuChat runs.
Comment auto reply
A keyword under a post or reel, or any comment at all, can get a public reply and a private DM.
DM keyword reply
PRICE, SHIPPING, BOOK. When a DM contains your keyword, or is exactly it, the answer goes straight back.
Default reply
A DM that nothing else answers gets a friendly first reply, at most once per person in 24 hours.
Away message
When you’re closed, DMs that nothing else answers get your away note. When you’re open, your team takes them.
Story replies
Answer everyone who replies to your story, or only replies that contain your keyword.
Story mentions
Send a thank-you DM to anyone who mentions you in their story, or only to people Instagram says follow you.
Live comments
Comments on your Instagram Live can get a private DM. Instagram doesn’t allow public replies there.
Ads, links and QR codes
People who open a DM from your click-to-DM ad, your own link or a QR code get a reply made for them.
How to set up auto reply on Instagram
Here’s how to set up an automatic reply on Instagram in five steps, from sign-up to your first live auto reply. You’ll need an Instagram professional account, either Business or Creator. On a personal account? Switching is free in the Instagram app’s settings.
Connect Instagram
Sign up free and choose Connect via Instagram to link your Instagram professional account. You approve access on Instagram’s own login screen, and MuChat never sees your password. In Instagram, also turn on Allow access to messages (Settings → Messages and story replies → Message controls → Connected tools). After a few quick questions, pick Continue on Free at the plan step. No card needed.
Pick what to answer
Go to Automation → New Automation. Start from a template such as “Set up default reply” or “Away message outside business hours”, or choose Start From Scratch → Quick Automation and pick a trigger, such as a comment, a DM keyword, a story reply, a story mention, a Live comment, a link, QR code or ad, or the default reply.
Add your keywords
Add up to 20, and emoji work too. Leave them empty to answer every comment, story reply or Live comment. For comments, choose all your posts and reels or only the ones you pick. A comment template can also wait for the next one you publish.
Write the replies
In a Quick Automation, add up to 5 public replies and an opening DM with a button for comments. Then write up to 3 messages, each with up to 3 link buttons, and greet people by first name with
{{first_name|there}}. The opening DM is sent exactly as written, so leave names out of it. A phone preview shows the conversation as you type. Flow Builder templates, like the away message, open with their messages already written.Go Live and test
Select Go Live (Set Live in the Flow Builder), then comment your keyword or send a DM from a different Instagram account, because MuChat ignores comments from your own. You should see the public reply and the DM. If nothing arrives, Settings → Logs shows the latest events and what MuChat decided about each.
Good to know. Keywords match whole words and ignore capitals and accents, so “Link!” counts and “linkedin” doesn’t. How keyword matching works
- 1
Which post or reel do you want to use?
or all, or your next one - 2
What will start this automation?
linkpriceguideor any word - 3
What do they get?
Here’s the link you asked for 👇
🔗 Shop the look
Instagram auto reply message examples to copy
Swap in your own links, prices and hours, keep each message short and make it sound like you. Use them as auto replies, or save the ones you send by hand as quick replies in your inbox. Pills are buttons, and the link icon marks a link button. {{first_name|there}} greets people by first name, and the word after the | is used when we don’t have one.
First reply to any DM
Hey {{first_name|there}}! Thanks for the message 👋 A real person reads every DM and we’ll reply as soon as we can. If it’s about an order, pop your order number here so we can jump straight in.
Outside business hours
Thanks for your message! We’re closed right now and back Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm. Leave your question here and we’ll answer it first thing 💛
Five public replies to rotate
- Sent you a DM 💌
- Check your DMs 👀
- Just sent it over!
- It’s in your inbox ✨
- Done! Peek at your message requests if you can’t see it 📩
One is picked at random for each comment, so the thread doesn’t look copy-pasted.
The “link?” comment
Hey! Thanks for asking 😊 Tap below and I’ll send it right over.
After they tap
Here it is, {{first_name|there}} 👇
Price question
Our packages start at $49 and the full price list is below 👇 Want help choosing? Reply here and a real person will pick it up.
Shipping question
We ship worldwide 📦 Orders over $50 ship free, and most arrive in 3–5 working days.
Keywords match whole words, so add both: “ship” won’t fire on “shipping”.
Freebie or lead magnet
Want the free guide? Tap below and it’s yours 📘
After they tap
Here you go, {{first_name|friend}}! Tell me which tip you try first.
Turn on “Ask to follow before sending the link” to ask people to follow you before the guide unlocks.
Giveaway entry
Thanks for entering! 🎉 Tap below for the rules and the prize.
After they tap
Here’s everything 👇 Winners are announced in our stories on Friday. Good luck!
Thanks for the tag
Thank you so much for the tag, {{first_name|friend}}! 💛 Here’s 10% off your next order as a thank-you.
Story reply with a link
Thanks for replying to my story! 🙌 Here’s the early-access link I promised. It’s live for 24 hours.
During your Live
Thanks for joining the Live! 🎥 Here’s the offer I just mentioned. It’s yours until midnight.
Sent as the one private reply Instagram allows to a comment, so keep it to a single message.
Opt-out confirmation
Done, you won’t get any more updates from us. Changed your mind? Just let us know here and we’ll add you back.
Set your opt-out words and this reply under Settings → General.
Auto reply to Instagram comments, right under the post
When someone comments your keyword, MuChat can post a short public reply under the comment, so the thread shows you answered. It can also send them a private DM with a button that opens the conversation. For the DM side, with links, follow gates and email capture, see comment-to-DM automation.
- Write up to 5 public replies of up to 300 characters, and one is picked at random for each comment
- Each matching comment gets its own reply, so someone who comments twice hears back twice
Instagram DM auto reply for the questions you get every day
It works in two layers. Give each common question a keyword and MuChat answers the moment the DM arrives, with your message and up to three link buttons. Everything else gets your default reply, at most once per person in 24 hours, so nobody feels left on read.
- A DM can contain your keyword, or be exactly the keyword. Exact match suits short codes like BOOK, as long as people send just the code (punctuation counts in exact mode)
- Greet people by first name, with a fallback word for anyone whose name you don’t have
- Every link button is tracked, so Insights shows the clicks and click-through rate for each auto reply
- Only one automation answers each message. The first match wins, and MuChat warns you about clashing keywords
Thank people while the story’s still up
Someone who replies to your story is already paying attention. Someone who tags you just promoted you to their followers. Story replies can get an answer with your link, story mentions a thank-you DM, and comments on your Instagram Live a private DM.
- Story replies: answer all of them, or only the ones that contain your keyword
- Story mentions carry no text, so every mention gets the same DM. You can limit it to people Instagram says follow you
- Live comments get a private DM only, because Instagram doesn’t allow public replies under Live comments
An Instagram away message that only sends when you’re closed
Set your business hours once, in your own time zone, under Settings → General. When you’re closed, a DM that no other automation answers gets your away note, and the person is tagged “after-hours” so you can find them in the morning. When you’re open, nothing is sent and the conversation stays open for your team.
- One opening and closing time for the days you choose. Overnight hours work too
- At most one away note per person in 24 hours, and a DM they sent earlier while you were open counts toward that
- It runs as your default reply, and only one default reply runs per account, so switch your old one off. MuChat flags the clash
- Keyword auto replies keep answering around the clock
Does Instagram allow automated messages?
Yes. Automated messages on Instagram go through its official API, and only to people who contacted you first. MuChat is built on that API.
- Official Instagram API. You connect on Instagram’s own login screen. MuChat never sees or stores your password, and your access token is encrypted with AES-256-GCM.
- Only people who reached out. Auto replies answer comments, DMs, story replies, mentions, Live comments and people who message you from your links or ads. No cold DMs, ever.
- Inside Instagram’s messaging rules. Apart from the one private reply Instagram allows to each comment, MuChat only sends DMs within 24 hours of someone’s last message. That’s why the first DM to a commenter usually carries a button.
- Easy to switch off. Switch an automation off and it stops answering new comments and DMs straight away. You can pause automation for one person from the inbox, and once you set opt-out words, people can send STOP to unsubscribe from your broadcasts and sequences.
Auto reply to the routine. Answer the rest yourself.
Auto replies are best for the questions you answer twenty times a week: links, prices, shipping, opening hours, freebies and giveaway entries. Complaints, custom quotes and anything that needs judgement deserve a person, and MuChat puts those conversations in front of one. When you want an automation to run the whole conversation, with follow-gated freebies, email capture, branches and timed follow-ups, that’s Instagram DM automation.
- Every auto-replied conversation lands in your shared inbox with the whole thread above it
- Pause automation for one person while you talk, then resume it when you’re done
- A flow can hand off for you: assign a teammate, reopen the conversation and notify the team
- Replies you send from the Instagram app show up in the same thread
- Assign to
- Maya
- Mark conversation
- Open
- Automations for this person
- Pause
- Notify
- The assignee
Start free, upgrade when it pays
Every auto reply on this page works on every plan, including Free, which gives you 4 live automations and 25 active contacts (people who messaged, commented or replied to a story in the last 30 days, plus anyone you added or imported in that time). Past that allowance, new comments, DMs and story replies still get answered, and nothing is billed on Free. Essential and Pro start with a 14-day free trial.
Free. Every trigger and the Flow Builder are included, so you can run your first auto replies before paying anything.
Free
$0/mo
Free forever
- 25 active contacts
- No overage charges
- 2 seats · 2 channels
- No card needed
Essential
$11/mo
billed yearly · $14 monthly
- 250 active contacts
- then $0.10 each
- 2 seats · 2 channels
- 14-day free trial
Pro
$29/mo
billed yearly · $39 monthly
- 2,500 active contacts
- then $0.05 each
- 3 seats · 3 channels
- 14-day free trial
Business
$69/mo
billed yearly · $99 monthly
- 7,500 active contacts
- then $0.025 each
- 5 seats · unlimited channels
- Billed from day one
Advanced
$139/mo
billed yearly · $199 monthly
- 25,000 active contacts
- then $0.004 each
- 10 seats · unlimited channels
- Billed from day one
Instagram auto reply questions
Can’t find it here? The help center covers setup, keywords, templates and the Flow Builder step by step.
How do I set up auto reply on Instagram?
Connect your Instagram professional account to MuChat and go to Automation → New Automation. Pick a template, or start from scratch and pick a trigger, such as a comment, a DM keyword, a story reply, a story mention, a Live comment, a link, QR code or ad, or the default reply. Add keywords, write your replies and go live, then test it by commenting or sending a DM from a second account.
How do I set up an auto DM on Instagram?
Instagram only lets businesses DM people who reached out first, so an auto DM always answers something: a comment, a DM, a story reply or mention, a Live comment, or a tap on your link, QR code or ad. Pick that trigger in MuChat, write the DM and set it live. The setup steps above walk you through it.
How do I turn off auto reply on Instagram?
In MuChat, switch the automation off on the Automation page and it stops answering new comments and messages straight away. Anyone already partway through can still tap a button you sent them, such as “Send me the link”, and delayed steps still go out. Delete the automation to stop those too. To stop automations for one person, choose Pause automation in their conversation. If the automatic reply comes from Meta Business Suite rather than MuChat, switch off its instant reply or away message under Inbox → Automations in Business Suite.
Does Instagram auto reply work on a personal account?
No. Instagram only opens messaging automation to professional accounts, either Business or Creator. Switching is free in the Instagram app’s settings, and you can connect the account as soon as you have.
What’s the difference between quick replies and auto replies?
Quick (or saved) replies are shortcuts you still send yourself. An auto reply goes out without you, the moment someone comments or messages. MuChat’s inbox has quick replies too, up to 20 saved answers for the conversations you answer yourself. Auto replies can also carry up to three tappable buttons per message, for a link or the next step.
Is there a free Instagram auto reply tool?
Yes. MuChat’s Free plan includes every auto reply trigger and the Flow Builder, with 4 live automations and 25 active contacts, and no card needed. Go past the contact allowance and new comments and DMs still get answered, and nothing is billed. On Free, automated messages end with a small “⚡ Sent with MuChat” line, which paid plans remove.
Can I set an Instagram away message for after hours?
Yes. Set your business hours in Settings → General, then use the “Away message outside business hours” template. It answers DMs that no other automation handles, only while you’re closed. It sends at most once per person in 24 hours, counting any DM they sent while you were open. It runs as your default reply, and only one default reply runs per account, so switch your old one off.
Is MuChat an Instagram auto reply bot? Does it use AI?
It’s an auto reply tool: you choose the trigger and write the reply, and MuChat sends it when someone matches. AI replies that answer from your own facts are coming soon.
Why didn’t my auto reply send?
The usual reasons: the automation isn’t live, or automation is paused for that person. You tested from your own account, which MuChat ignores. The keyword didn’t match as a whole word (“link” won’t fire on “linkedin”), or exact match tripped on punctuation. Another automation matched first. Or the default reply already went to them in the last 24 hours. Settings → Logs shows the latest events and what MuChat decided about each.
Turn on your first Instagram auto reply
Pick a template, change the words to yours and set it live. Nothing sends until you do.