Learn how Instagram's comment filter works, its limits, and how to automatically hide spam and offensive comments using keyword-based automation. No manual work.
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TL;DR
TL;DR
Instagram has a built-in comment filter. It catches some offensive content automatically. For everything else, you need a manual keyword list or automation.
Here is what actually works in 2026:
If your comment section is getting hit with spam, fake reviews, or competitive attacks, this guide covers all three layers of protection.
Research suggests that 86% of potential customers leave after seeing negative or inappropriate comments on a brand's content. That is not a minor annoyance. That is lost revenue sitting in your comment section.
For creators, it damages trust with your audience. For e-commerce brands, it undercuts social proof at the exact moment a potential buyer is deciding whether to purchase. For coaches, a single coordinated comment attack from a competitor or unhappy client can tank a post that took days to produce.
The comment section is social proof. Protecting it is not vanity. It is business maintenance.
Instagram has two built-in filters under Settings, then Privacy, then Comments.
Comments that may be inappropriate, offensive, or bullying are automatically filtered out from your posts, stories, and live videos. This is on by default, but you can confirm it is active under Settings, then Privacy, then Comments, then toggle Hide Offensive Comments.
This uses AI to detect and hide problematic content before you see it. The commenter can still see their own comment. Everyone else cannot. This design is intentional: Instagram hides the comment from public view while keeping it visible to the person who wrote it, an attempt to prevent trolls from reverse-engineering how the filter works.
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You can also turn on a keyword filter to hide comments that contain specific words, phrases, numbers, or emoji. Go to Settings, then Privacy, then Comments, then Hidden words and enter your list of words or phrases.
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This is where you add terms specific to your niche. A fitness coach might add "fake," "scam," "before photo." An e-commerce brand might add competitor names used negatively, or phrases like "don't buy" and "ripoff."
The native filter is broad. It catches obvious offensive language well. It misses:
That is where the Advanced Comment Filter and automation fill the gap.
Instagram's filter is reactive and static. It only hides what it already knows to look for. It does not:
Inrō's comment automation template handles all of this automatically, the moment a matching comment appears.
How the automation flow works:
The flow shown below triggers when someone comments on any of your posts using words like "scam," "fake," or "fraud."
The automation then does two things instantly:
You do not have to monitor your comments, check your DMs, or be online for any of this to work. It runs in the background on every post, every day.
If you also want to turn positive comments into leads, see how comment-to-DM automation works alongside this.
The right answer is both. Instagram's native filter as your baseline, Inrō's automation for everything the native filter misses and for the CRM layer that turns moderation into data.
You do not need to build this flow from scratch. Inrō has a ready-to-use template that handles keyword-based comment hiding with CRM tagging.
To use it:
The template is pre-built with the hide comment action and the folder tagging step. You only need to customize your keyword list. Total setup time is under five minutes.
For coaches and service providers, the most common keywords to add are: scam, fake, fraud, refund, complaint, ripoff, waste of money, don't buy, doesn't work.
For e-commerce brands, add: fake reviews, scam store, didn't arrive, chargeback, dispute, not legit, bad quality.
For creators, add: bought followers, fake engagement, not real, sellout, paid promo, bot.
This is worth clarifying because there is a lot of confusion about it.
When a comment is hidden:
This approach is intentional. Deleting a comment alerts the commenter and can escalate things. Hiding it silently removes it from public view without confrontation. For most moderation situations, hiding is the better choice over deletion.
Instagram's native comment filter is a good starting point. It handles broad offensive content automatically and applies across your posts without any work.
It is not enough on its own.
For niche-specific attacks, coordinated spam, repeat bad actors, and any situation where you want a record of who is leaving negative comments, you need automation on top of it.
The native filter hides the comment. The automation hides the comment, logs the user, and gives you data to act on.
Both layers together mean your comment section stays clean without you watching it. Paired with an organic lead generation system, clean comment sections also increase the conversion rate of your content.
Inro's automation template hides negative and spam comments the moment they appear, tags the user in your CRM, and runs on every post automatically. Setup takes five minutes.
No. The person who wrote the comment can still see it, but other users cannot. They are not sent any notification.
No. Instagram's native filter and Inro's automation can both be configured to protect comments from people who follow you and who you follow back. Real community members are not caught by the filter.
The comment filter applies to feed posts. Story replies go directly to your DMs rather than appearing publicly, so they are handled differently. Story reply automation is a separate workflow.
Hiding removes the comment from public view but keeps it accessible to the commenter and to you. Deleting removes it entirely. Hiding is generally safer because it avoids escalation.
Yes. Instagram's comment filter applies to posts, Reels, and Stories.
Yes. Go to your post, tap the comment count, and filter by hidden comments. You can unhide any comment from there.
Start with words specific to your niche that are likely to appear in coordinated attacks or spam. Then add general terms like "scam," "fake," "fraud," and "spam." Review your hidden comments monthly and refine the list based on what is actually appearing.
Yes. Inro's automation triggers instantly at the comment level. Volume does not affect speed or reliability.
For a broader look at what you can automate on Instagram, see the full Instagram DM automation guide.
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