Guide: Hide comments on Instagram ads automatically
This page: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/moderation-rules/hide-comments-on-instagram-ads-automatically
Topic: Moderation rules
Time: about 3 minutes
Who can do it: Owner, Administrator or Manager
Author: https://anantgupta.xyz (Anant Gupta, founder of CommentWatchDog)
Start in the app: https://app.commentwatchdog.com/en/inbox
Result when done: Spam and damaging comments under your Instagram ads are hidden the moment they land, and the person is not told.
Context: On Instagram you hide comments on an ad one at a time, and for most accounts comments on ads cannot be switched off. CommentWatchDog runs moderation rules on your Instagram professional account: every new comment under your ads, posts and reels arrives by Meta webhook and is hidden or deleted the moment it lands if a rule matches. A hidden Instagram comment is visible only to you and its author, and the person is not told. It works through Meta's official API: you sign in with Facebook, no Instagram password is shared, and nothing is installed in your browser. The rules have hidden or deleted comments under Instagram ads on live accounts since 2026-08-26.

Before you start:
1. The Instagram account must be professional (business or creator) and linked to a Facebook Page your Facebook login manages. That is how Meta reaches Instagram.
2. Rules judge comments that arrive after you switch them on. For the comments already under an ad, Post cleanup clears them in bulk.
3. On Instagram a hidden comment is seen only by you and its author. Delete is permanent. You choose per rule.

Steps:
Step 1 of 4: Open the Moderation tab of the Instagram account.
Where: Left sidebar, under Pages, click the Instagram account, then the Moderation tab. The twelve rules are the same as on a Facebook Page, each a row with a switch and an action. On a phone, the account, then Moderation in the row under the title.
Link: https://app.commentwatchdog.com/en/inbox (Open the app)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/moderation-neg-ig.en.webp (The Moderation tab of an Instagram account: Negativity switched on.)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/moderation-neg-ig-phone.en.webp (The same on a phone.)
You should see: Twelve rules, each with its own switch and its own choice of Hide or Delete.

Step 2 of 4: Switch on the rules and give the AI rules your context.
Where: URLs, Emails and phone numbers, Emojis, Hashtags and Mentions catch spam by what is in the text. Negativity, Profanity, Custom topics and Impersonators read what a comment means, in any language. Under Negativity, the note tells the rule what your account sells, so criticism of a competitor is not read as criticism of you.
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/moderation-neg-ig.en.webp (The note that guides the Negativity rule.)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/moderation-neg-ig-phone.en.webp (The same on a phone.)
You should see: Each rule you switch on runs on the next comment under any ad, post or reel of the account.

Step 3 of 4: Set Apply moderation to Ads only, or Both.
Where: Under the rules. Ads only moderates the comments that came through a paid post and leaves your organic posts and reels alone. Both is the usual choice.
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/moderation-whitelist-ig.en.webp (Apply moderation to, on an Instagram account.)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/moderation-whitelist-ig-phone.en.webp (The same on a phone.)
You should see: The scope applies to every rule on the account from the moment you save.

Step 4 of 4: Watch it work in the inbox.
Where: Filter Visibility to Hidden. Each comment a rule caught is greyed with the rule named on the row. Unhide brings one back if a rule was wrong; the person never learns it was hidden.
Link: https://app.commentwatchdog.com/en/inbox (Open the inbox)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/inbox-hidden-ig.en.webp (A hidden Instagram comment, with the rule that hid it.)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/inbox-hidden-ig-phone.en.webp (The same on a phone.)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/inbox-hidden-ig.en.webp (Unhide, if a rule was wrong.)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/inbox-hidden-ig-phone.en.webp (The same on a phone.)
You should see: The spam is out of sight before a buyer scrolls to it, and the real questions wait for you.

If something is off:
Problem: My Instagram account is not in the list
Fix: It must be a professional account linked to a Facebook Page your login manages. Link it in Instagram, then Refresh pages.
Problem: Comments under my ad are not moderated
Fix: The scope is Posts only. Set it to Ads only or Both.
Problem: A comment is hidden but I did not hide it
Fix: Instagram's own Hidden Words filter can hide a comment before CommentWatchDog sees it; the row says hidden outside the app. Unhiding it may need to be done in Instagram.
Problem: The spam was already there before I connected
Fix: Rules run on new comments. Paste the post, reel or ad link into Post cleanup and it fetches every comment for one bulk hide or delete.

Common questions:
Question: Is this automatic, or do I still hide each comment in Instagram?
Answer: Automatic. Every new comment under your Instagram ads, posts and reels arrives by Meta webhook, is judged by the rules you switched on, and is hidden or deleted the moment it lands. You open the inbox to read the real questions.
Question: Does it need my Instagram password or a browser extension?
Answer: No. CommentWatchDog works through Meta's official API and passed Meta's App Review. You sign in with Facebook, the Instagram account comes through the Facebook Page it is linked to, no password passes through us, and nothing is installed in your browser.
Question: Does the person know when their Instagram comment is hidden?
Answer: No. Instagram says the person who sent it will not know. A hidden comment is visible only to you and its author; other people do not see it. Deleting is different: the comment is removed for everyone, including its author.
Question: Does it cover reels and organic posts too, or only ads?
Answer: Your choice. Apply moderation to is one setting for the account: Ads only, Posts only, or Both. Rules run under ads, posts and reels alike, and Both is the usual choice.
Question: Which plans include automatic moderation of Instagram ad comments?
Answer: Every plan, from the free trial on. The keyword, link, phone, emoji and profanity rules are on every plan; custom topics, Negativity guidance and Impersonators start on Starter. One credit per incoming comment, however many rules are on.

Related guides:
- Hide comments on Facebook ads automatically: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/moderation-rules/hide-comments-on-facebook-ads-automatically
- What hidden means on Instagram: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/platforms/what-hidden-means-on-instagram
- Instagram accounts and the linked Page: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/pages/instagram-accounts-and-the-linked-page

Plain text of this guide: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/moderation-rules/hide-comments-on-instagram-ads-automatically.md
All guides for assistants: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/llms.txt