Actually , No — the official Instagram Graph API does not provide access to DMs (Direct Messages) for personal or creator accounts.
Here’s the breakdown:
- Official API (Meta’s Instagram Graph API)
You cannot read, send, or manage DMs from this API.
It only supports business accounts and mainly focuses on:
Posts, Reels, and Stories management
Insights and analytics
Comments and mentions
Hashtag search
So, even if you explore the docs in this GitHub repo
, you’ll notice there’s no endpoint for DMs — only comment and message-related endpoints for Facebook Pages (not Instagram).
- Unofficial or Private APIs
Some developers use reverse-engineered private endpoints (like direct_v2/inbox/) to fetch DMs.
These are not approved by Meta, and using them can:
Get your account banned or rate-limited
Require session cookies or tokens from real devices
Break anytime Instagram updates its backend
- Alternative Options
If your goal is to automate communication, consider:
Instagram Messaging API for Businesses via Meta’s WhatsApp Business Platform (requires Facebook Page + Instagram Business link)
Using tools that simulate device behavior (see Instagram API Documentation repo
) for learning/testing, not production
In summary:
✅ Official API — No DMs access
⚠️ Private API — Possible but risky
💡 Safer alternative — Use Meta’s Business Messaging API
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