How to hide your following list on instagram from followers
Want to make your Instagram profile more private? Having second thoughts about some of your followers seeing your content? I feel you. Here is a simple guide on How to hide followers on instagram.
While Instagram doesn’t allow you to fully hide your followers list anymore, there are still a few tricks to keep certain followers from seeing your posts.
In this guide, I’ll walk through the options to essentially hide your followers on Instagram, along with when each method works best.
Switch to a Private Account to hide followers instagram
The simplest option is to make your Instagram account private instead of public. Here’s how:
- Go to your profile and tap the menu (the three lines)
- Select Settings > Privacy > Account Privacy
- Toggle Private Account on
This prevents people from seeing anything on your profile unless you approve their follow request first.
Benefits:
- Total control over who can follow you and view your content
- Allows you to filter out followers you don’t want
- Keeps your posts, stories, and live videos private
Potential Drawbacks:
- I have to manually approve each new follower request
- Existing followers still see your posts unless you block them
- Some prefer having a public profile to grow followers
Switching to private is the best option if you want to fully privatize your account and vet each new follower. It takes more effort than a public profile, though.
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How to hide followers on instagram
Use Instagram Close Friends
Instagram has the “Close Friends” and “Best Friends” features that let you share stories with only a selected group of people rather than all followers.
Here’s how to use them:
- Go to your profile and tap Close Friends in the side menu
- Tap the + symbol to browse and add followers you want to the list
- When sharing a story, choose “Close Friends” instead of “All Followers.”
Benefits of Close Friends:
- Easily filter story viewers and limit to your inner circle
- You don’t have to remove or block followers you want to keep
- Close Friends aren’t notified they are in the inner circle
Downsides:
- Your followers can still see your regular posts and public stories
- You have to actively check what you are sharing to Close Friends each time
- You can only share stories with the feature, not feed posts
Using Close Friends works well if you just want to limit certain stories or posts to a smaller group rather than all followers.
How to Block Specific Instagram Followers
If you just want a few particular followers to be unable to view your account at all, you can block them:
- Go to the profile page of the follower you want to block
- Tap the three dots in the top right and select Block
- Confirm by tapping Block again
Pros of Blocking Followers:
- Completely removes your posts and stories from a specific follower’s view
- Easy to do by just tapping Block on their profile
- Removes their ability to contact you or see any of your activity
Cons of Blocking:
- They will know they are blocked if they try to find your profile
- You have to block followers one by one rather than in bulk
- I can’t preemptively block someone who doesn’t follow you yet
Blocking is the way to go if you just want to ban a few negative or abusive followers from seeing your Instagram activity at all.
How to hide your followers on instagram without private account
Make a Secondary “Finsta” Account
You can make a secondary “fake” account for sharing more privately – this is often called a Finsta or “fake Instagram.”
Keep your primary profile public to grow followers. Then switch your main account to private, and only approve followers you actually want seeing your main content.
- Create a new Instagram account for your Finsta
- Add a small circle of close friends you want to share private content with
- Post more personal day-to-day stuff and stories to your Facebook
- Keep main Instagram account public to grow your audience, but only share polished highlights
Benefits of a Finsta:
- Total control over followers and privacy
- Segment audiences and share different types of content
- Be more authentic and unfiltered on your fake account
Downsides:
- Managing two accounts takes more time
- It is possible to confuse the two if you aren’t careful
- Your main account content is still somewhat public
Having a separate account takes more effort but gives you total control over privacy. Just don’t confuse the two!
Evaluate Your Specific Privacy Needs Manage followers
There’s no one perfect solution, but these methods allow you to hide instagram followers and manage privacy on Instagram to varying extents.
Think about your comfort level, the type of content you post, and how public you want to be. Achieving full privacy takes more work, like blocking or having a separate account.
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But you can limit visibility relatively easily using tools like Close Friends on your main profile. Decide what makes sense for your needs!
I hope this guide helps you figure out the best way on how to hide your followers on Instagram. Let me know if any questions come up!
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some common questions around hiding followers and managing privacy settings on Instagram:
How do I remove followers on Instagram without them knowing?
Unfortunately there is no way to directly remove a follower without them being notified. Blocking or switching to a private account are the only options that will remove followers from your profile.
Can you tell if someone blocked you on Instagram?
Yes, if you try to visit a profile that has blocked you, it will say “User not found.” There is no notification though, the account just disappears from your follow list.
What happens when you block someone on Instagram?
Blocking prevents the user from viewing any of your posts or activity. They are essentially removed and banned from your profile. They also won’t be able to message you.
Can I prevent specific people from viewing my Instagram story?
Not directly. But you can use Close Friends to limit story visibility to only people you select. The other option is to block users you don’t want seeing your story.
Is there a way to have a private Instagram account but keep it public for some followers?
Not within a single account. But you can create a “finsta” – a secondary private account – and add the followers you want to keep viewing your main profile content there.
Can someone tell if you put them in Instagram Close Friends?
No, Instagram doesn’t notify users if they are added to your Close Friends list. It will just limit their story access without them knowing.
What happens if you delete someone from Close Friends on Instagram?
If you remove someone from Close Friends, they will no longer be able to view any stories shared only to that group. But it does not notify them or block them fully.
Can you see who views your Instagram profile?
No, there is no way to get a list of accounts that have visited your profile. Instagram does not provide tools to see profile views.
How do I hide my posts on Instagram from certain people?
Unfortunately you cannot hide posts from specific people while keeping them public. The only options are to block followers or use a private account to control visibility.
Is it possible to exclude followers from my Instagram feed?
There is no direct way to exclude specific followers from your main Instagram feed or profile. Blocking them is the only way to fully remove someone from seeing all of your content.
