Thousands of users are unable to send or even receive messages, and many others have reported problems opening the app or publishing posts.
On Wednesday, 11 March 2026, Meta-owned Instagram suffered widespread global disruptions. According to Downdetector, a website that tracks online service outages, Instagram users reported problems using direct messages (DMs). Thousands could not send or receive messages, and many also reported trouble opening the app or posting content.
Downdetector data show a sharp spike in complaints at around 8:45 a.m. on Wednesday, 11 March (11:45 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, 10 March), with more than 12,000 users reporting Instagram problems. Most of the reported issues related directly to the Instagram app itself, although some users also encountered server connection errors. The outage sparked a wave of reactions on social media, with many users turning to other platforms to check how widespread the problem was.
