Instagram auto-replies in Meta Business Suite

Meta Business Suite can answer Instagram DMs for free, with no extra app. You can set instant replies, away messages, up to five keyword replies and a comment-to-message rule from the Inbox on desktop. The limits are tight, and the end of this guide covers when a dedicated tool makes sense.

Before you start

Your Instagram account must be a business account connected to Meta Business Suite. Meta’s automations overview (opens in a new tab) covers Facebook Pages, Instagram business accounts and WhatsApp Business accounts. Keyword replies and comment-to-message only work on the desktop version of Business Suite.

Set up an automation on desktop

Open Inbox in Meta Business Suite.
Click Automations.
Click Create automation in the top right.
Pick a template: instant reply, away message, frequently asked questions, custom keywords or comment to message, among others.
Choose Instagram as the platform, write your message and switch the automation on under Status.

These steps follow Meta’s desktop setup guide (opens in a new tab). You can also start from scratch. Name the automation and choose the channel. Then set a condition such as “New message received” and pick an action. Meta runs custom automations before its templates.

Set up an automation on your phone

Open the Meta Business Suite app and tap Inbox.
Tap the icon in the top-right corner, then tap Automations.
Pick a template and switch on Instagram under Platforms.
Write the message and tap Save.

In the app, frequently asked questions allow up to five entries, according to Meta’s mobile setup guide (opens in a new tab). Keyword replies and comment-to-message are not available on mobile.

Set up FAQs inside the Instagram app

Instagram’s own app has a separate list of up to four questions that people can tap when they open a chat with you.

Tap Messages at the bottom of the app.
Tap more actions, then tap Tools.
Tap Frequently asked questions and switch on Show Questions.
Tap Add Question, enter the question and an optional automatic answer, and tap Save.

Business and creator accounts can also save replies they type often. Hold down a message you sent, tap More, then Save, and give it a keyboard shortcut.

The limits you will hit

Five keywords. Keyword replies react to up to five words or phrases, and each keyword works in only one automation.
Exact matches only. Keywords are case-sensitive, so “Price” and “price” are different keywords.
A 15-minute delay. A keyword reply goes out after 15 minutes, unless someone on your team answers first.
Templates win. If a message matches both a template, such as an instant reply, and a keyword, only the template answer is sent.
Unclear comment matching. One Meta help page says comment-to-message reacts to hashtags, and another says keywords or phrases. Test it on a post before you rely on it.
No follow-up flows. Each automation sends one answer. There are no buttons that lead to a second step, and no way to collect an email.

Meta’s Business Agent

In June 2026 Meta announced (opens in a new tab) that its AI Business Agent was expanding to Instagram, with paid subscriptions to follow and getting started free. It answers questions about your business and can book appointments. Turning it on pauses your existing automations, such as instant replies and away messages. We could not confirm its current price or which countries have it on Instagram.

When to move to a dedicated tool

Meta’s tools suit an account that gets a handful of messages a day. Move to a dedicated tool when you need any of these:

a DM sent within seconds of a comment, with a link and a button
keyword triggers that match any capitalization
follow-up messages after the first reply, such as asking for an email
payments or a CRM inside the chat

The free tools page compares apps that do all of this without a monthly fee.