How to use the Instagram DM generator

1. Set the header. Their name, the active time under it, and a profile picture if you have one. The verified badge is a toggle.
2. Pick the shape. Phone screenshot is the default because that is what a real one looks like. Story, feed post and square are there when the mockup has to fit a specific slot.
3. Pick a theme. Dark mode is what most people are actually looking for; light is there when the surrounding design needs it.
4. Write the messages. Choose who each one is from and type it. Add as many as you need.
5. Download the PNG. It renders 1080 pixels wide at whichever ratio you picked, which is enough resolution to drop straight into a story or an ad.

Instagram DM mockups in dark mode

Dark mode is the default here because it is what nearly everyone is after — most people use Instagram in dark mode, so a light-mode mockup reads as slightly wrong without anyone being able to say why. The colours match what the app actually renders: the near-black background, the blue-to-purple gradient on your own messages, and the grey bubbles on theirs.

Getting the shape right

The commonest thing that gives a mockup away is proportion. A real screenshot from a modern phone is roughly 9:19.5 — much taller and narrower than people remember, which is why a squarer mockup looks subtly staged even to someone who could not say why. That is the default here.

The other three presets exist for when the image is not pretending to be a screenshot at all: 9:16 fills a story, 4:5 is the tallest a feed post can be, and 1:1 fits a grid or a slide.

What this is for

The honest list: ad creative and landing-page comps, tutorial screenshots where using a real conversation would expose someone, UI design work, course material, and memes. It is a design tool, and the output looks like the app because that is the entire point of a mockup.

The obvious flip side is worth saying plainly. A generated image is not evidence of anything, and presenting one as a real conversation — to accuse someone, to fake an endorsement, or to win an argument — is a genuinely bad idea. Fabricated screenshots are also easier to spot than people think, and being caught doing it costs far more than the argument was worth.

Nothing leaves your browser

The whole thing renders on a canvas in the page. No text you type is uploaded, no picture you choose is uploaded, nothing is stored, and there is no account. Close the tab and it is gone — which is also why there is no gallery of other people's mockups here.

Frequently asked

Is it free?

Yes, with no limit and no sign-up. It costs us nothing to run because it runs on your device.

Can I use the images commercially?

The image you generate is yours. Instagram's own interface design and trademarks remain theirs, so treat this like any other UI mockup — fine for showing your product in context, not for implying Instagram endorses you.

Can I add a profile picture?

Yes — choose an image and it is drawn into the avatar circle. Your browser reads the file directly and it is never sent to us. Worth saying once: putting a real person's face on a conversation they never had is the one use of this tool that can actually cause someone harm.

Can I add a verified badge?

Yes, it is a toggle next to the avatar option. Same caveat as above — a badge on a real brand's name is impersonation rather than a mockup.

Why is there no time in the corner?

Because a fake status bar is what makes most mockups look fake. A hard-coded 9:41 above a battery icon that matches no real phone reads as wrong instantly, so the image starts at the conversation header instead.

Does it work on a phone?

Yes. The canvas and the download both work on mobile browsers.

Why does my download look sharper than the preview?

The preview is scaled down to fit your screen; the file is the full 1080 pixels wide.

More free tools

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