Many people want to hide their Instagram following list for better privacy on the platform. But is it actually possible to hide your following list on the platform, and if so, how?
Can You Hide Your Instagram Following List?
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On your Instagram profile, you have both followers and following lists. Luckily, you do have options to conceal both. However, it’s important to understand that Instagram has not enabled a simple turn-off button to do this—though there are workarounds that you can use.
You have two different options, and it’s up to you which route works best for your situation. The first option is to set your account to private, which blocks your following list from the public. Your other option is to simply block a specific account, so the user can’t retrieve any of your profile’s information.
How to Hide Your Instagram Following List From the Public
Many people outside your following are harmless—they’re users just like you. However, there are several public spam accounts and creepers who may try to find information about you, like who you follow or who follows you. In this case, the public is considered anyone who does not follow your Instagram account.
If youset your Instagram account to private, when someone tries to follow you, a request will be sent to you instead of an immediate follow. From there, you can approve or deny. This means you can prevent people who don’t follow you from seeing your following or follower lists.
To set your Instagram account to private, you must have a personal account. If you have a creator or business account, you cannot set your account to private. However, you do have the option of switching your Instagram account back, so you can.
To set your account to private, open Instagram and tap on your profile picture to open your account. Tap the hamburger icon thenSettings and privacy. OpenAccount privacyand toggle thePrivate accountoption on.
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It’s essential to note that setting your account to private does not block your following list from people who are currently following your account. If this is a hack you are looking for, keep reading below.
How to Hide Your Instagram Following List From Specific People
If you do not want your account to be private but want to protect your following list from specific people, you can simply block them. Know that restricting the user isn’t enough.Blocking differs from restricting on Instagram, though the restrict option does have a place to help protect your Instagram account.
You’ll have to block each account individually, and there is an easy way to do it all at one time. Tap on your profile picture andSettings and privacy. Scroll down toBlockedand tap on theplus iconin the upper right-hand corner. Go through and tapBlockon the accounts you want to stop from seeing your profile’s information.
Note that there areways to check if you’re blocked on Instagram, such as searching your Instagram profile’s URL without being signed in. Luckily, though, they still won’t be able to open your following or follower list.
Protect Your Following List on Instagram
Being a part of the social media world definitely has its advantages. However, it may be necessary to hide information for safety reasons. You may also find that having the ability to block your following list from other Instagram users is a crucial part of that.
Not to worry, though. Using the workarounds above can help make your account more secure.
