# Connect Facebook Messenger and Instagram

Connect a Facebook Page and its linked Instagram account so Messenger and Instagram messages land in the inbox, and answer comments automatically.

Connect a **Facebook Page** to bring its Messenger conversations into the **Inbox**. If an **Instagram professional account** is linked to the Page, its direct messages come in too, through the same connection. Each Page and Instagram account can also answer comments on its posts automatically, publicly and with a private message.

## What it supports

| Area | Messenger | Instagram |
|---|---|---|
| Incoming | Text, images, videos, audio and files (up to 10 MB are copied into Ha Tang), locations (as a Google Maps link), shared links, button taps (shown as text) | Same as Messenger |
| Outgoing | Text, images, videos, audio and files; product cards (up to 10), payment-link buttons and quick replies (up to 13) | Text and attachments |
| Receipts | Delivered and read | Read, when Meta sends it |
| Replies from Meta's apps | Messages sent from the Page inbox or Meta Business Suite appear as agent messages | Messages sent from the Instagram app appear as agent messages |
| Comment auto-replies | Comments on the Page's posts, ads included | Comments on Instagram posts |
| Reply window | 24 hours; 7 days with the HUMAN_AGENT tag | Same |

The customer's name and profile picture come from Meta.

## Before you start

- You are an **admin of the Facebook Page**, either with a Page role or with full control through a Meta business portfolio.
- For Instagram: the account is a **professional account** (business or creator) and is **linked to the Page** in Meta Business Suite.
- You have the **Manage** level on the Customer Support module.
- The business has at least one **website** under **Customer Support → Channels**. Conversations belong to a website, which decides their reports, distribution rules and automation.

## Connect a Page

1. Go to **Customer Support → Channels**, click **Add channel** and pick **Facebook & Instagram** under **Social**.
2. If the business has several websites, choose one under **Attach new connections to site**.
3. Click **Connect Page**. Facebook opens its login dialog.
4. Sign in, select the Page and, if it has one, the **Instagram account** linked to it, and allow every permission Facebook asks for.
5. Back in **Customer Support → Channels**:
   - If you granted one Page, it is connected at once: "Connected *Page name*. Messages sent to it now land in the inbox."
   - If you granted several, the page asks **Which Facebook Page should be connected?** Click one. To connect another Page, click **Connect Page** again.

The Page appears under **Social** as **Facebook Messenger** with the status **Active**. A linked Instagram account appears as its own row, **Instagram**, named `@username`, right under its Page. Send a message to the Page from another Facebook account (for example via `m.me/your-page`) to check that it lands in the **Inbox**.

## The linked Instagram account

Instagram is not connected on its own: it comes with the Page's connection.

![A Facebook Page's page, with its linked Instagram account and the HUMAN_AGENT tag](https://hatang.dev/help/img/en/channels/facebook-page.webp)

- The Page's page shows **Linked Instagram** with a link to the Instagram account, and the Instagram account's page shows its **Facebook Page**.
- If the Page shows "No Instagram linked yet", link an Instagram professional account to the Page in Meta Business Suite, click **Connect Page** again and tick Instagram in the Facebook dialog.
- If it shows "Could not read the Page's Instagram account: …", click **Connect Page** again and grant the Instagram permissions in the Facebook dialog.

## The 24-hour window and the HUMAN_AGENT tag

Meta lets a Page or Instagram account reply freely for **24 hours** after the customer's last message. The conversation header shows when the window closes. After that, the composer shows "The 24-hour Messenger reply window has closed" (or Instagram), until the customer writes again. Internal notes always work.

Meta's **HUMAN_AGENT tag** lets a person on your team reply up to **7 days** after the customer's last message. Meta only accepts it from apps it has approved for that tag.

1. Open the Page or the Instagram account under **Customer Support → Channels**.
2. Under **HUMAN_AGENT tag**, tick **Let agents reply up to 7 days after the customer's last message (HUMAN_AGENT tag)** and click **Save**.

The Page and its Instagram account each have their own switch, so you can turn the tag on for Messenger, for Instagram, or for both. While it is on, replies a person types after 24 hours carry the tag; within 24 hours they are sent normally. Replies written by the AI or by automations never use it.

## Comment auto-replies

Each Page and Instagram account has an **Auto-reply to comments** tab next to **Connection** on its page. Use it to answer comments under your posts and ads, publicly (a random line from your list, or written by the AI) and with a private message that opens a conversation in the inbox.

![The Auto-reply to comments tab of a Facebook Page](https://hatang.dev/help/img/en/channels/comment-replies.webp)

What is specific to Facebook and Instagram:

- For a Page, enter the numeric post id (`123456789_987654321`) or paste the post link when it contains that id. For Instagram, use the media id. Or tick **All posts**.
- Each person gets at most **one public reply per post per 24 hours**. Only top-level comments are answered, and the Page's own comments are ignored.
- When the person answers the private message, the conversation lands in the inbox like any Messenger or Instagram chat, and flows and the AI take over.

> [!NOTE]
> If auto-replies do not go out on a Page you connected a long time ago, click **Connect Page** again so Facebook grants the comment permissions.

See [Comment auto-replies](https://hatang.dev/help/automation/comment-auto-replies) for every option.

## Distribution and automation

To send these conversations to one team, tick **Facebook Messenger** or **Instagram** under a [distribution rule](https://hatang.dev/help/automation/routing-rules)'s **Channels (none ticked = any)**. Flows, canned responses, the [AI assistant](https://hatang.dev/help/ai/ai-overview) and reports work as on every other channel.

## Reconnecting and disconnecting

If Facebook removes the Page's access (for example, a Page admin removed the app or changed their password), the status changes to **Needs reconnecting**. Click **Reconnect** on the Page's or the Instagram account's page; both go through **Connect Page** again. See [Reconnect a channel](https://hatang.dev/help/channels/reconnect-channel).

Click **Disconnect** at the bottom of an account's page to stop new messages from reaching the inbox. Past conversations are kept. Connecting the same Page again in the same business keeps its conversations and settings. A Page can belong to only one business at a time.

## Troubleshooting

When a reply cannot be delivered, the message shows **Not delivered** with the cause and a fix:

| The Inbox says | Cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| outside Messenger's 24-hour window, or another app controls the thread | The window closed, or another app holds the conversation | Turn on the HUMAN_AGENT tag if your app is approved, or wait for the customer to write again |
| this person can't receive messages right now | The person blocked the Page or deactivated their account | Reach the customer on another channel |
| Meta has restricted messaging for this Page | Meta restricted the Page | Check the Page in Meta Business Suite → Account quality |
| the Page's access token expired | Access was removed | Reconnect the Page under **Customer Support → Channels** |
| the app lacks permission to message for this Page | A permission was not granted | Reconnect the Page with an admin account and grant every permission |

Connection problems:

- **"No Facebook Pages came back from Meta for that login."** You did not select a Page in the Facebook dialog, or your account has no admin access to it. Try again and select the Page.
- **"Connect session expired, start again"** or **"Page picker expired, start again"**: more than 10 minutes passed. Click **Connect Page** again.
- **Messages reach the Page but not the inbox.** Open the Page under **Customer Support → Channels**, check that its status is **Active** and look at **Last message or event**. If needed, click **Connect Page** again.