Instagram Messages (DMs) Released To Web, Desktop Browsers

The release of direct messages (DMs) to Instagram's desktop environment (in a web browser) is upon us. This feature update will begin to appear for users around the world today – you might already have the feature available to you right this minute. No more tricking your desktop web browser into thinking it's a smartphone for you!

This is good news if you're an all-the-time Instagram user, a user who also uses Facebook and/or WhatsApp, or just someone who's stuck at home during our current global pandemic and want to use your laptop computer to send messages and receive messages on Instagram. It might not be the best news if you see it as a next step toward unification of the apps in Mark Zuckerberg's ultimate plan for one-ness of brand empire.

Some users have been in a testing program for several months – starting in a big way in January of 2020. This latest version, the first public version, has a gallery view, a keyboard system that's similar to the Instagram app for iOS and/or Android, and the ability to view both photos and videos.

If you'd like to use DMs in your web browser on your desktop machine, tablet, smartphone, or other devices with a web browser – go for it! You won't need to download any other new software, no app update, nothing like that. This is all server-side update business. If you don't yet see DMs on your web browser interface, you'll just have to wait – it's coming to you soon!

To check whether you've got access to messages in a web browser, you'll need to look for the tiny paper airplane in the upper right-hand side of your screen. Tap it, and you should see a list of conversations you've been a part of throughout your entire Instagram experience.