How to Hide My Followers and Following list on Instagram
Piracy is a distant dream in this day and age, especially if you are on social media. Still, some people love the idea of leading a private life. They don’t want to share what they had for lunch or where they went on the last vacation. If they are on Facebook, they keep their friends’ list private. Similarly, they hide their Instagram followers list when using the photo-sharing platform. If you are one of them and love the idea of privacy, then this article is for you.
By default, your Insta account is open to the public. It means anyone can see who you follow and who follows you back. You don’t even have to be on Instagram to see some people’s accounts. This makes you wonder how to hide who you follow on Instagram or hide your followers on Instagram. In this guide, we will talk in detail about how to hide followers and following lists on Instagram.
While Instagram has no option to hide your follower’s list, we have come up with multiple methods to accomplish this task without banging your head against the wall. So, bookmark this page and read on!
What is the Difference Between the Follower’s List and the Following List?
Before we delve into the solutions, it’s essential to know the difference between the follower’s list and the following list on Instagram. Since this social media platform was initially launched, it has maintained these two lists. The follower’s list shows all the profiles that follow you. It includes individual accounts as well as business accounts, as Instagram doesn’t differentiate between the two. These people can see your posts on their newsfeed as well as on your profile.
Interestingly, Instagram arranges the list in no particular order until you get to 200 followers. In that case, it arranges the list in alphabetical order. On the other hand, the following list shows a list of all the people and businesses you are following. It’s very much like Twitter’s following option. However, unlike Twitter, it is not arranged in alphabetical or chronological order. It gives you the option to order the list in anyway you want. To do this, go to the following tab and click on the “Sort by Default” button to sort it any way you want.
How to Hide my Following List on Instagram from Followers
While you cannot hide your Followers and Following list from everyone on Instagram, there are two methods to protect your privacy to some extent. These are:
First Method – Limit Visibility of Your Instagram Account
The first method is to limit the visibility of your account. Below is a step-by-step tutorial to help you do just that.
Step 1: First of all, open your Instagram app on your phone and tap on that black circle located in the bottom right corner of the display just next to the heart icon.
Step 2: Now, tap on the three horizontal lines you see on the top right-hand side corner of the screen. It will open up a menu.
Step 3: Next, tap on the Settings option and go to the “Privacy” feature.
Step 4: Finally, you should be able to see the “Private Account” toggle. Turn it on to make your account private. Note: Business accounts can’t be turned to Private. If you want to change the privacy of your business account to private, you will first have to change it into a personal account before changing its privacy settings.
Once you are done, only your followers will be able to see your Followers and Following list on Instagram. Now, if someone asks you, how can I make my Instagram account private, you know the answer! While this method doesn’t give you complete privacy, it does limit who can see your profile. If you want to limit your account for someone who already follows you, follow the second method below.
Second Method – Block users/hide mutual followers on Instagram
Unfortunately, there is no other way to limit the visibility of a user on Instagram other than blocking them. Take a look at the following steps to know how to do that:
Step 1: Search for that particular Insta user you want to block and open their profile.
Step 2: Can you see the three vertical dots located on the top right corner of the screen? Good! Tap on them.
Step 3: On the popup menu, go for “Block”
Step 4: Select “OK” to confirm your choice.
Congratulations, you have successfully blocked a user on Instagram. Now, they won’t be able to see your followers or following list.
Now, if you want to unblock them for whatever reason, you will have to remove them from your unblock list. Here’s how to proceed.
How to Unblock a User on Instagram
Step 1: Open the Instagram app on your phone and go to your profile by tapping on the circle at the bottom right side of the screen.
Step 2: Tap on the three horizontal lines at the top right corner of the display and then go to settings (Settings has a gear icon)
Step 3: Go to Privacy. Under the connections feature, you should be able to see “Blocked Users.”
Step 4: Go to Blocked Users and unblock the account you want to remove from the list.
How to Prevent a Follower From Seeing my Activity on Instagram
Recently, Instagram has introduced a new feature that lets you limit your interactions. This way, you can stop even a follower from seeing your activity without blocking them.
Take a look at the following steps to know how you can do that:
Step 1: Again, go to the Instagram app on your phone and tap on that circle (profile) icon in the bottom right corner.
Step 2: Then go to the three horizontal lines on the top right corner and go to the Settings option.
Step 3: Next, go to Privacy, and under the Interactions tab, you should be able to see the “Limits” option. Tap on it.
Step 4: Click on Continue
Step 5: As you can see, you have three options here. First, you can limit your account so that accounts that don’t follow you won’t see your activity. Second, you can limit your account activity from the “Recent followers” (people who followed you in the last week). Third, you can even restrict your account interactions up to 4 Weeks. Choose the option you want for your profile and then tap on the “Turn On” option at the bottom of the screen to bring these changes into effect.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. How to see who follows you on Instagram
To see who follows you on Instagram, simply go to your profile’s “Followers” tab. It displays all the accounts that are following you.
2. Can other people know who I follow on Insta?
If your account is set to public (most accounts are by default), anyone can access your followers. However, if you set your profile to private, only your followers can see who you are following. If you don’t want someone to see your followers, then simply don’t accept their follow request. Easy peasy!
3. How to hide your follower count on Instagram
Unfortunately, there’s no way to hide your follower count on Instagram. Anyone who can see your followers list can see your follower count. The only workaround to this problem is to either block that person entirely or set your account to private and not accept their follow request.
4. How to remove followers on Instagram
Removing a follower on Instagram is easy. Simply tap on your profile picture in the bottom right corner of the display, go to your profile, tap on Followers at the top of the display and then simply “Remove” using the remove button at the right-hand side of the follower. Finally, confirm your selection to kick them out.
5. Can people who don’t follow me see my followers?
No, they cannot as long as your account is set to private. Public profiles are visible to anyone.
6. Can other people know who I follow on Instagram?
Well, it depends on who these other people are. If you have set your profile to private and are not your followers, they won’t be able to see who you follow on Instagram. However, if they are your followers, they can see your following list unless you block them.
7. What happens when you restrict someone on Instagram?
As we have already discussed in the article, when you restrict someone’s account either by blocking them entirely or limiting their interactions with you, they get blocked from seeing your information.
8. How to see who someone recently followed on Instagram?
Naughty, naughty! If you want to see who someone recently followed, simply go to their profile and check their follower’s tab. Usually, Instagram keeps recent followers at the top of the list. But, it’s not always the case. If you are lucky, you may see their recent followers on top of the list.
Final Thoughts
So, that’s pretty much everything on how to hide my following list on Instagram. Hope you liked this tutorial and got to learn a thing or two to protect your privacy on this social media platform. Did we miss anything? Do let us know in the usual comment section. Remember, Instagram keeps on updating its platform by adding new options and remove some old features. Therefore, keep checking back on this page as we will keep updating it from time to time to provide you the latest information. Thank you for reading, and have a great day!
