Instagram aims to promote more virtual connection and social interaction — but that doesn’t necessarily mean everyone will always get along.
Now and then, we all come across users whom we would rather not have on our feeds. Whether it’s a boss who’s doing too much checking in after work hours or an old flame who keeps leaving passive-aggressive comments under your photos, you reserve the right to control who’s a part of your virtual social circle — just like you do in real life.
In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about blocking (and unblocking) someone on Instagram so you can keep your feed drama-free.
How to block someone on Instagram
If, for whatever reason, you wish to remove an account from your feed — or limit their access to your content — blocking them is the best route to pursue. However, if that feels too extreme for the situation, you have other options. You can remove them as a follower, block them from commenting on your posts, or mute their content from appearing on your feed.
How to block your followers on Instagram
If you do decide that you want to block one of your followers on Instagram, follow the instructions below:
- Open the Instagram app.
- Locate the account you want to block by using the Search feature or by scrolling through your list of followers.
- Press the three horizontal dots at the top-right corner of the screen.
- Press Block.
- Press Block again to confirm.
Can you block someone who’s not following you on Instagram?
Yes. An account doesn’t have to be following you on Instagram for you to be able to block them. The process for blocking an account that doesn’t follow you is the same as the process for blocking an account that does. Here are the instructions:
- Open the Instagram app.
- Locate the account you want to block by using the Search feature.
- Press the three horizontal dots at the top-right corner of the screen.
- Press Block.
- Press Block again to confirm.
How to unblock on Instagram
Even if you’re convinced that you want to block an account for good, there’s a chance you’ll want to unblock that account at a later time. Instagram doesn’t notify users when they’ve been blocked or unblocked. However, you do have to follow the account again after you’ve blocked it.
With that in mind, let’s go over how to unblock someone on Instagram.
Where to find your Instagram block list
To unblock an account, you first have to access your Instagram block list. Here’s how to find it within the app:
- Open Instagram.
- Press the person icon at the bottom-right corner of the screen to navigate to your profile.
- Press the three horizontal lines at the top-right corner of the screen.
- Navigate to Settings and privacy > Blocked.
Following the steps above will allow you to access your Instagram block list, which is where you’ll find a list of all the accounts you’ve blocked from your page.
How to unblock someone on Instagram
If you do decide you want to unblock someone on Instagram, the process is essentially the same as blocking them.
Here’s how to unblock someone on Instagram:
- Open Instagram.
- Press the person icon at the bottom-right corner of the screen to navigate to your profile.
- Tap the three horizontal lines at the top-right corner of the screen.
- Navigate to Settings and privacy > Blocked.
- Press the account you want to unblock to go to their profile.
- Tap the Unlock button at the center of their page.
- Finally, tap Unblock again to confirm.
Doing this will unblock the account, but if you want to follow them again, you’ll have to do it manually.
Why can’t I unblock a person on Instagram?
If you are unable to locate the profile of someone you’ve blocked — and therefore are unable to unblock them — it’s likely because they decided to block you, too.
Two-way blocks are tricky to fix because neither of you is able to search for the other using Instagram’s search feature. However, there are a couple of ways around this.
The first is by using Direct Messages:
- Open the Instagram App.
- Press the paper airplane icon at the top-right of the screen to access your Direct Messages.
- Press the pencil icon at the top-right of the screen to create a new message.
- Type their username into the search bar.
- Send them a message (which they will not get).
- Press the information button at the top-right of the screen.
- Select Unblock.
Doing this will move you to the person’s blocked list, enabling them to unblock you so that you’re both free to mutually follow each other again.
You can also get through a two-way block by using a third-party app like Cleaner for Instagram, which allows you to unblock any user. This free app also lets you block and unblock users in bulk.
It’s important to note that due to Instagram’s constant updates, two-way block solutions may become obsolete.
What happens when you block someone on Instagram?
Blocking someone on Instagram sounds harsh — and it kind of is.
When you block someone on Instagram, you virtually vanish from the app from that person’s perspective. Once they’re blocked, they will no longer be able to find your profile, posts, or Instagram Stories.
If you’re worried about the awkward moment that will occur when that person realizes they’ve been blocked, you can at least take some solace in the fact that Instagram won’t directly notify them about their newly limited status.
Does blocking people on Instagram delete your messages?
The only evidence of your virtual relationship that will remain after you block someone on Instagram is your direct messages.
Message threads will remain in your Direct inbox and in the inbox of the person you blocked, but they won’t be able to send new messages to you. And if the blocked account tries to send you a message after you’ve blocked them, you won’t receive it.
If you’re involved in a group message with the person you blocked, you will receive a notification asking if you want to stay in the group or leave. If you choose to stay, you will be able to see the messages from the person you blocked within the group chat and vice versa.
When you block someone, do their likes disappear?
After you block someone on Instagram, every single one of their Instagram likes and comments will be removed from your photos and videos, and vice versa.
However, if you like or comment on a public account or a private account that you and a blocked account mutually follow, the blocked person will still be able to see those interactions.
Another factor to note is that the blocked person can still mention your username on an Instagram post or Story tag. However, you’ll never get a notification of that mention. The only way to make sure they don’t mention you on Instagram any longer is to block them and then change your username.
Does blocking someone make them unfollow you?
Yes. When you block someone on Instagram, it automatically removes them from your followers and prevents you from following them. Blocking someone means that neither of you will be listed under each other’s followers anymore.
What happens when you unblock someone you blocked?
If you have a change of heart and decide to unblock someone, things don’t just go back to normal.
For instance, unblocking someone will not restore likes and comments that were removed. Messages they sent you while they were blocked will still never be delivered, and they won’t automatically start following you again.
When you unblock someone on Instagram, will they know?
It depends. Instagram won’t send out a notification when a person has been unblocked. However, if you choose to follow them again, they will receive a notification that you’ve followed them, which could tip them off that they had been blocked at some point.
Now that you know the potential consequences (and frustrations) of blocking someone on Instagram, you can make the decision that’s right for you. And if you’re feeling wary about pressing that block button, remember, you can always mute them.
