Maintaining privacy on Instagram has become a major concern for many social media users of late. Whether you’re looking to avoid confrontation with your over-possessive partner or still have that daunting ex on your Instagram who lowkey stalks your profile every now and then – there can be several reasons you may want to hide your followers list from public view. Thankfully, Instagram lets you customise many privacy settings and there are some workarounds to prevent people from seeing who follows you. Let’s take you through some easy ways to block or restrict users from seeing your Instagram followers.
While there’s no official ‘hide followers’ feature on Instagram, there are some hacks that let you protect your profile to some extent. From making your account private and removing users from your following list to even blocking some folks on the platform – here are some ways to tackle this problem.
Tips and tricks to hide followers on Instagram
Make your account private
The easiest way to regain control over your Instagram handle is by making it private. This way, only people you approve of as followers can see your Instagram posts, stories and followers list. By limiting access to your profile, you’ll definitely get rid of many spam accounts trying to invade your privacy. Here’s how to make your account private:
- On your Instagram profile, tap the three horizontal lines at the top-right and go to ‘Settings’.
- Tap ‘Account privacy’ and turn on the toggle for the ‘Private account’ option.
Switching to a private account is your best bet if you’re simply navigating Instagram for recreational purposes. However, businesses and creators who are trying to expand their reach can’t close their profile from the broader Instagram community.
Filter out your Instagram followers list
Despite making your account private, there can be some pre-existing users fulfilling their stalking escapades till now. The simplest way to filter out these profiles is by simply removing them from your followers list. Removing someone is a less confrontational issue than blocking them, and they’ll need to send you a follow request in order to be added. Here’s how to remove a user from your followers list:
- Go to your followers list and search for the intended person’s username.
- Tap the ‘Remove’ button next to their name and it’s done.
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Block people from your profile
When push comes to shove, you’ve no option but to completely cut off someone’s access to you. The block option is perfect if you want to get rid of your stalker(s) while still keeping your account public. However, this person (being the stalker they are), can still use various workarounds like accessing your profile from another account. Also, this method can be really time-intensive if you’ve got to filter out multiple people. Nonetheless, it’s still a great option to steer clear of unwanted issues. Follow these steps to block a user:
- Go to the profile of the person you wish to block.
- Tap the three horizontal dots on the top right corner and choose the ‘block’ option.
- Tap the ‘block’ option again for confirmation.
Hope these tips help you keep your privacy intact!
(Hero image credit: xvector/ Freepik)
(Feature image credit: Iurii Laimin/ Pexels)
This article first appeared in Lifestyle Asia Hong Kong
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- How do I hide my followers list on Instagram?
While there’s no official ‘hide followers’ feature on Instagram, you can still make your account private or remove a particular user from your profile.
- Can my followers see who I follow on Instagram?
Yes. However, in the case of a private account, others can see who you follow on Instagram only if you’ve accepted them as followers.
- Why can’t I see all the followers on someone’s Instagram?
If you can’t see someone’s followers on Instagram, chances are they’ve removed you from their profile or blocked you.
