How to Hide Followers on Instagram in 2024? [3 Different Ways]

Considering the changes happening on Instagram in 2023, keeping your followers private is more important than ever. So, if you ever want to keep your followers private on Instagram, this guide will show you easy ways to do that.

Whether you prefer privacy or want to manage who sees your followers, we’ve got you covered. Here, you can learn simple steps to hide your followers on Instagram to keep your profile more confidential.

From setting your account private to unfollowing users, discover various methods to enhance your privacy on Instagram.

That being said, let’s dive into this must-have guide to take control over who views your Instagram followers and who doesn’t!

Table Of Contents:

Why to Hide Followers on Instagram?
Can You Hide Your Followers on Instagram?
How to Hide Followers on Instagram?
Bonus: Shedding Light on Instagram Privacy: Why It Matters
Bottom Line
FAQs

Why to Hide Followers on Instagram?

People choose to hide their Instagram followers for various reasons. For instance—

You might be a private individual who prefers not to disclose your follower count and would rather keep it confidential. Many people using social media today are concerned about keeping their information private.

Note: One study found that 86% of users do care and want more control over their data privacy.

You may be just trying to steer clear of someone you don’t want peeking at your activity.

However, no matter what your reason is, you’re probably wondering if you can hide followers on Instagram. So, let’s see if that’s possible—

Also, Read This Guide on How to See Posts You’ve Liked on Instagram?

Can You Hide Your Followers on Instagram?

No. Unfortunately, Instagram doesn’t provide an option to hide your complete followers list. But still, just as people are curious about who views your Instagram profile, the question ‘Can you hide your followers on Instagram?’ is currently a hot topic on the internet.

So, can you hide followers on Instagram through different means? Yes, there are a couple of ways for ‘how to hide your followers on Instagram.’

You can use any of these three methods—

Set Your Instagram Account to Private
Unfollow Users | Remove Accounts from Your Followers List
Block Users on Instagram

Using these methods can help you hide your followers on Instagram and enhance your privacy.

Now, regardless of the method you choose, we’ll guide you through the steps—

How to Hide Followers on Instagram?

Although Instagram doesn’t provide a direct feature to hide your followers, you can still maintain your privacy and manage your audience by using these methods to hide your followers on Instagram—

Method 1: Set Your Instagram Account to Private

It is possible to hide your followers from those who aren’t following you yet. In other words, you can set your Instagram account private to hide your followers from non-followers, and here are the steps to do so—

Step 1: Launch the Instagram app on your phone or access it through a web browser.
Step 2: Tap on your profile picture or the profile icon in the bottom right corner.
Step 3: Then, tap on the three horizontal lines in the top right corner (for the app) or click on More (for the web version).

Step 4: Next, you’ve to select Settings & Privacy or Settings from the menu.

Step 5: After that, choose Account Privacy or Privacy option.
Step 6: Now, toggle the Private Account option to enable it.

Step 7: Once you’ve done that, confirm the changes by simply selecting Yes or Switch to Private.

Note: Even after making your account private, those already following you will still have access to your follower list.

These steps will set your account to private so that only approved followers can see your follower list and posts. Others will require your permission to follow you and view your content and your followers.

Now, let’s also discuss the disadvantages of this method;

While having a private account hides your followers from non-followers, it can be time-consuming to approve each new follower request. Also, setting your account private might limit your reach and engagement because public accounts have a wider audience and are more discoverable.

Method 2: Remove Accounts from Your Followers List

Setting your account to private only prevents new users from seeing your followers list, but if you’d like to hide your followers from your existing followers, you can remove their accounts from your followers list. So, here’s how to hide your followers on Instagram without private account—

Note: It is worth mentioning that when you remove someone’s account from your followers list, they won’t be notified, but if they visit your profile, they’ll notice they are no longer following you.

Step 1: Launch the Instagram app on your mobile device and log in to your account if you haven’t already.
Step 2: Then tap on your profile icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to go to your profile page.

Step 3: On your profile, tap on the Followers count, and doing so will display a list of all the users following you.

Step 4: Now, you’ve to simply scroll through the list and find the user you want to remove.
Step 5: Once you find the user, tap the Remove button next to their name.

Step 6: Following this, you’ve to confirm this action by tapping Remove again.
Step 7: Now, repeat the process for each user you wish to remove their account from your followers list.

This is how you can hide the lists of your Instagram followers from particular users.

Now, talking about its drawbacks:

Removing user accounts from your followers list might decrease your follower count, affecting your visibility and presence on the platform.

Tip: You can consider using Instagram ads to get more followers as a proactive strategy to maintain and grow your follower count.

It can also reduce engagement on your account since these followers often interact with your posts. In addition to that, it may even lead to misunderstandings or create tension in relationships, which may affect your social image.

Method 3: Block Users on Instagram

You can easily block someone on Instagram and thus hide your profile from them. When blocked, they won’t be able to find you, message you, send a follow request, or even see your followers list. So, here are the steps to block a user on Instagram to hide your followers on Instagram —

Note: Once blocked, users won’t be able to view your profile, followers list, or posts. They’ll also be removed from your followers list and won’t be able to contact you through Instagram.

Step 1: Go to the profile of the user you want to block. To do so, search for their username or find them in your followers or following list.
Step 2: Then, on their profile, tap or click on the three dots (ellipsis) in the top right corner.

Step 3: Next, from the options menu, choose Block and as you do so, Instagram will prompt you to confirm this action.

Step 4: When a confirmation message will appear asking if you want to block the user, make sure to confirm your action by selecting Block again.

Step 5: Now, repeat these steps for any other users you want to block.

This is how this method allows you to control access to your profile and followers list by blocking specific users from viewing your content and followers.

Note: If you’ve been blocked by someone and want to know who is it, there’s a claim suggesting that using Share > Other > Blocked Instagram feature can reveal who has blocked you on the platform.

Now it’s worth highlighting the cons of using this method;

While blocking users limits their access to your profile and posts, it could strain relationships and cause confusion. Next, it may not guarantee complete invisibility, especially if your profile is public. Also, it impacts your engagement and interactions on the platform.

Bonus: Shedding Light on Instagram Privacy: Why It Matters

Privacy on Instagram should matter to you because it safeguards your personal information and controls who sees your content. Without proper privacy settings, anyone can view your profile and posts, which could lead to unwanted attention, identity theft, or even harm.

Moreover, oversharing your information can impact your reputation or expose sensitive details.

Therefore, maintaining privacy (keeping your things private) makes your online presence safer, allowing you to set boundaries and decide what to share and what not to share.

Ultimately, by understanding and managing privacy settings on Instagram, you protect yourself from risks and maintain control over your online identity.

Bottom Line

That’s all! Now you know how to hide followers on Instagram. However, it’s crucial to recognize that deciding to hide followers on Instagram comes with a mix of advantages and drawbacks.

For instance, removing followers, blocking users, or setting your account to private offers control over visibility and interactions but also has potential downsides. So, you need to consider the impact on your follower count, engagement, and social dynamics before implementing these measures.

Ultimately, finding a balance between keeping things private and engaging is key to shaping your Instagram experience.

Note: You can also use a third-party app to hide or remove your followers but using third-party apps to hide or remove followers is against Instagram’s terms and could lead to an account ban.

Next, Read: How to Turn Off Read Receipts on Instagram?

FAQs

Ans: Unfortunately, Instagram doesn’t offer the option to hide your entire list of followers. You can set your account private to manage who follows you, but your current followers will still be visible to each other.

Ans: Yes, you can hide your Instagram from certain followers. By blocking specific users, you can restrict their access to your profile, posts, and stories without them getting notified.

Ans: Generally, your followers can see the list of accounts you follow unless your account is set to private. If your account is private, only your approved followers can see your following list.

Ans: Yes, you can prevent someone from seeing your Instagram Stories without unfollowing or blocking them. To do so, create a Close Friends list and share your Stories only with that list while still keeping the person as a follower.

Ans: No, Instagram doesn’t provide an option to hide mutual followers. Mutual followers are visible to both parties unless one of the accounts is private, which limits visibility.

Sources:

Controlling Your Visibility, Instagram Help

Managing Your Followers, Instagram Help