While much of the internet may feel like the Wild West, Instagram should be a relatively safe space for you to connect with friends and express yourself — after all, you should be in control of who gets to occupy your life Front row seats. In fact, exes, nosy relatives, bosses, and frenemies often make Instagram a stressful place where establishing boundaries can feel unnecessarily awkward. With discreet settings and built-in features like mute options, mastering how to block someone on Instagram without causing a stir is easier than it sounds.
Blocking is your last line of defense when interacting with someone on Instagram. While you can always unblock them, this action will deny them access to your Instagram account. When you block someone on Instagram, they won't receive a notification letting them know that you've revoked their access to your page, but if they look for you while logged in, they will be able to see that they have been blocked. . When someone blocks you on Instagram, their account won't show up in searches, and if you see them tagged in a post, their profile will result in a blank page - you won't be able to see any of their posts or follower information, or the ability to add them.
If you don’t need something as serious as blocking, but want to limit interactions with your account, Instagram also has a feature called “Restrictions.” When you restrict someone on Instagram, they can still see your profile and stories, but their direct messages will be moved to your message requests folder and others won't be able to see their comments on your posts. Comment. There's almost no way for the person to know that you've restricted them - everything looks the same - so if you don't want to explain your neighborhood boundaries, this might be a more comfortable option.
Here are all the options you have when it comes to controlling who can see and interact with you on Instagram.
Can you block someone on Instagram if you are public?
Just because you have a public account on Instagram doesn't mean you can't make it private. If you generally want to keep your account open, but there are people you don't want to welcome, you can block them individually. Simply click on the three dots next to a user's profile picture and then click "Block User" to instantly remove your account from their feed.
Can you block someone on Instagram if you don't follow them?
You've cut ties with someone and no longer follow them, but every once in a while you see their comments on a mutual support post and, well, you'd rather not do that. You can block people you don't follow as an extra layer of protection against "bumping" into each other on Instagram. Just pull up their profile, click the three dots next to their name, and click "Block User."
Can you block someone on Instagram if they don't follow you?
Maybe you just received an Instagram notification that your aunt (your Facebook friend) has joined Instagram. While you love Aunt Karen and her serious overuse of emojis, you don't want to share your Instagram antics with her, so you want to block her before she gets to you. Users don't need to follow you to be blocked. Simply go to Aunt Karen's profile, click on the three dots next to her username, and select Block this user. Now, when she searches for you, your account won't show up.
How to unblock someone on Instagram
If you later decide that your comments section really needs some enthusiasm and you want to be discovered by Aunt Karen, just head to her profile and click on the blue unlock square that appears below your profile picture and username. If you want to review people you've blocked for unblocking purposes, it's easy. You can see all the people you've blocked by going to Settings, Privacy, and scrolling down to Blocked Accounts. There, you can edit the list or add new accounts to block.
How to soft-block someone on Instagram
If you want to get rid of followers so they don't see your posts, you can simply block them and then unblock them. This technique is called a soft block and makes it appear as if they are not paying attention to you. Although they will no longer have access to your content, they can find your profile information if they search for you. If you have a private account, they can request to follow you again. If you have a public account, they will still be able to see your content when they visit your page, but it won't appear in their feed. With public accounts, the only way to prevent others from accessing your content is to block them—and you'll face potential unpleasantness if they ask.
