[Inbox Manager: How to manage messages and comments from Metricool]
From Metricool, in the _Inbox_ menu **you can manage messages and comments from your social networks**.
> [!WARNING]
> The Inbox is designed for **reading and replying** to messages and comments. **Deleting or hiding comments and messages is not possible from Metricool** — these actions must be done directly on each social network's app or website.
These are the types of messages you can reply to, by social network:
- **Facebook**: comments and private messages.
- **Instagram**: comments and private messages (main inbox).
- **TikTok**: comments (only available in business accounts)
- **X (Twitter)**: private messages.
- **LinkedIn**: comments and mentions (available for company profiles and personal profiles). Private messages are not supported.
- **Google Business Profile**: reviews.
- **YouTube**: comments on long and short videos.
1. **Good to know**
- Currently, the API connection does not allow responding to comments received on ads.
- On Facebook and Instagram, there is no time limit for replying to comments. For private messages, the reply window is 7 days after they are sent on Facebook and on Instagram accounts connected through Facebook, and 24 hours on Instagram accounts connected directly. This time limit applies only to replies — it does not enable deleting comments at any point.
- Read and unread status is not shared between Metricool and the social networks. Manage messages and comments in one place so Unread stays accurate.
- The Inbox does not store history. Each time you open it or refresh the page, Metricool loads the latest data directly from the social network. If a review or message is deleted at the source, it stops appearing the next time the Inbox loads (there may be a short delay due to API caching). If you already had the Inbox open when it was deleted, it stays visible until you refresh the page or close the browser.
## How it works
In the top menu you can find the **Inbox** section. Inside, you can see the messages grouped in three tabs:
- **Unresolved**: all messages and comments from the social networks you have selected that are pending resolution. When you have marked it as resolved, by clicking on the check on the right, it will go to the "All" folder.
- **Unread**: all messages and comments pending to be read. Once you read the message, it will disappear from this tab and will be displayed in "All".
- **All**: all messages and comments from the social networks you have selected, whether or not they have been read or replied to.
To **read a message** you must click on it in the menu on the left and the conversation will open on the right. If it is a **direct message**, you will be able to consult the whole conversation, reply with text and emojis or send an image, video or GIF. If it's a **comment**, we'll show you the post first so you know which one received the comment. It will not be possible to view images except for responses to stories.
At the moment, we do not have the option to receive a notification when we receive a new post or comment.
### Conversation Options
- Direct Access to Entry: To go to the entry related to a conversation, click on the entry preview.
- Preview View: The preview of a conversation entry collapses at the top when it is no longer visible.
- Accessing the user's profile: Click on the avatar within a conversation to open the user's profile (if the social network allows it).
-You can access the profile on: Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and X (Twitter).
-Direct profile access is not available on: Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google My Business.
## Inbox filters
You can filter Inbox messages in three ways:
1. By social network: you can activate and deactivate the networks from which you want to manage messages and comments.
2. By message type: you can filter by comment, direct message or Google review.
3. Search engine: with the search engine you can find a specific user.
> [!TIP]
> Optimize your workflow adding notes in your messages. Check [here](https://help.metricool.com/how-to-add-notes-in-the-planning-4aueg) all the details.
> [!WARNING]
> If comments or messages from a specific social network are not appearing in your Inbox, see [Comments or messages not appearing in Inbox](https://help.metricool.com/comments-or-messages-not-appearing-in-inbox-tmofe) for a complete checklist of account-type restrictions, connection requirements, and filter settings by network. For Instagram private messages only, see [Instagram Direct Messages don't display in my Inbox](https://help.metricool.com/instagram-direct-messages-dont-display-in-my-inbox-wj79j).
## FAQs
Why can't I reply to old Instagram or Facebook private messages?
Meta APIs limit replies to private messages:
- **Facebook** and **Instagram connected through Facebook**: up to 7 days after sending
- **Instagram connected directly**: up to 24 hours after sending
After that time, messages appear in the Inbox but you can't reply to them from Metricool. You'll need to reply directly from the social network's app.
There is no time limit for replying to comments on Facebook and Instagram.
> Note: These time windows refer exclusively to the ability to reply. Deleting comments is not available from Metricool at any time.
Can I delete comments or messages from the Inbox?
No. Metricool does not allow deleting comments, replies, or direct messages from any social network. This applies regardless of how recent the comment is. To delete a comment, go directly to the platform where it was published (Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, etc.) and remove it from there.
Why do messages or comments still show as unread in the Inbox?
Read and unread status is not shared between Metricool and the social networks. Opening, acknowledging, or replying in a social network app does not update Metricool's **Unread** tab, and the reverse is also true.
To clear an item in Metricool, open the conversation in the Inbox: click it in the menu on the left so it opens on the right. Once you read it, it leaves **Unread** and appears in **All**. With Inbox edit access, you can also mark threads as read or unread.
To keep Unread accurate, manage messages and comments in one place—either Metricool or the social network—rather than splitting the same conversations across both.
Can I set up automatic replies in the Inbox?
No, Metricool does not support automatic replies or auto-reply templates. To speed up your work manually, you can use **saved replies**: reusable templates with text and tags that you can insert in seconds while typing. Learn how they work in [Inbox: Saved replies.](https://help.metricool.com/inbox-saved-answers-nught)
Why don't I receive notifications for new messages?
At the moment, Metricool does not send push or email notifications when new messages or comments arrive in the Inbox. You need to check the Inbox manually from the web platform or the mobile app.
Can I assign conversations to team members?
No, the Inbox does not include message assignment or user tagging. All collaborators see the same Inbox shared by brand. To coordinate internally, use the [notes](https://help.metricool.com/adding-notes-in-the-inbox-mnka8) feature to leave private comments on each conversation.
Can I reply to comments on ads or stories?
It's not possible to reply to comments received on Facebook and Instagram ads from the Inbox (API limitation). For stories, you can only reply to direct replies that arrive as private messages, not to public interactions.
Can I unify the Inbox of multiple brands?
No, the Inbox works per brand. You must switch brands using the top selector to see messages for each one. There's no unified view that groups conversations from multiple brands.
Is the Inbox available in the mobile app?
Yes, you can manage messages and comments from the Metricool app. If you experience loading issues or missing messages, try logging out and back in, or reinstall the app.
Can I get my comments through the API to analyze them with an AI tool?
Yes, on plans that include API access (Advanced and Custom). The Inbox section of the API (`/v2/inbox/post-comments`) returns the text, the author and the date of each comment, and the post it belongs to. You make one call per social network, and you can then send the comments to the AI tool of your choice (for example, to analyze sentiment).
- **Available for:** Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube, and, in principle, TikTok.
- **Not available for:** X, Threads, Pinterest and Bluesky, because they don't have comments in the Inbox.
- **Limit:** you get the comments of the 50 most recent posts of each network (on YouTube, the 50 most recent comment threads of the channel). The limit counts posts, not dates, so on accounts that publish frequently, older comments are left out quickly.
- **MCP:** comments are not available through the Metricool MCP, only through the API.
For more details, see [API Access: Export your Metricool data to other tools and automate tasks](https://help.metricool.com/api-access-export-your-metricool-data-to-other-tools-and-automate-tasks-x8ln5).
Can I prevent Metricool from accessing my private messages?
It depends on the network, since the messaging permission isn't always separate from the rest:
On **Facebook and Instagram**, the private message permission appears as its own separate item, apart from comments, posts, or insights. To turn it off without losing the rest of the Inbox:
1. Go to Facebook **Settings & privacy > Settings > Apps and websites** at [facebook.com/settings?tab=business\_tools](https://www.facebook.com/settings?tab=business_tools).
2. Find Metricool and open **View and edit**.
3. Turn off only:
- **Manage and access Page conversations in Messenger**
- **Manage and access messages for the Instagram account**
4. Leave the rest of the permissions on if you still want comments and other Inbox features to work.
On **X (Twitter)**, permissions are granted as a single block when connecting the account — there's no way to allow the connection but deny only private messages. If you don't want Metricool to access them, the only option is not to connect the account.
This doesn't apply to TikTok, LinkedIn, Google Business Profile, or YouTube, since none of these integrations include private message access (see the network list above).
How do I control which team members can see the Inbox?
From your account's [user management](https://help.metricool.com/add-a-collaborator-in-metricool-ovjqe), you can assign each collaborator one of these Inbox permission levels:
- **Full access** (Inbox): view and reply to conversations, mark them as resolved or read/unread, and manage notes
- **View-only** (View inbox): see conversations and notes, without replying to messages or comments or creating, editing, or deleting notes
- **No access**: they won't see the Inbox section at all
You can also create a **custom role** and choose which Inbox permissions it includes. Only the brand owner can create custom roles; brand managers can assign them after they exist.
We also recommend not sharing the account password, enabling two-step verification, and periodically reviewing active sessions from account settings to reinforce control over who can access messages.