Instagram's DM rules, without the folklore.
Every number here comes from Meta's own documentation, and every one is enforced in our code. Automate hard and stay well inside the lines.
Instagram lets an account send 750 private replies to comments an hour, one per comment, within 7 days of that comment. Follow-up messages must land within 24 hours of the person's last message, and a single DM can carry up to 1,000 characters. There is no official “200 DMs an hour” rule; that figure is a cautious pacing choice some tools repeat as fact. Autogram, an Instagram comment-to-DM tool made in India, runs every send through Meta's official API and caps itself at 700 an hour and 10,000 a day per account, so your automations keep running on the busiest reel.
Last updated . Sources: Meta rate limits, Meta private replies.
| Rule | Meta's limit | What Autogram does |
|---|---|---|
| Private replies per hour | 750 per account | We cap at 700, leaving headroom |
| Replies per comment | One private reply per comment | Each commenter gets one DM per comment, never two |
| How late you can reply | Within 7 days of the comment | Older comments are skipped and marked expired |
| Follow-up messages | Within 24 hours of the person's last message | Conversations continue only inside that window |
| Message length | 1,000 characters (emoji count as two) | Held to 1,000, or 640 when a button is attached |
| Daily volume | No fixed public number | We stop at 10,000 a day per account |
The questions behind the numbers.
How many automated DMs can Instagram send per hour?
Meta allows 750 private replies to comments per hour for each account. The often-quoted 200 DMs an hour is not a Meta rule; it is a pacing choice some tools made up. Autogram caps itself slightly below Meta's number so a busy reel never trips the limit.
What is the 7-day private reply window?
You can send one private reply to a comment within 7 days of it being posted. After that, Instagram rejects the reply. That is why a keyword comment on an old reel sometimes gets no DM.
Why is my Instagram auto DM not sending?
The usual causes: the comment is older than 7 days, it was deleted, the account is personal rather than Creator or Business, the hourly limit was hit, or Meta paused the account for suspected spam. Autogram records the reason next to each failed DM so you are never guessing.
Can auto DMs get my account restricted?
Sending through Meta's official API inside these limits is what the API exists for. Accounts get flagged for scraping, follow bots and password-sharing tools, none of which Autogram uses.
Instagram par ek ghante mein kitne auto DM bhej sakte hain?
Meta ki official limit 750 private replies per hour hai, aur har comment par sirf ek reply, comment ke 7 din ke andar. 200 per hour wali baat ek myth hai.
See how comment-to-DM works inside these rules, or start free.