Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you wanted to follow someone on Instagram without letting others know? Perhaps you’re following someone you’re not supposed to, or maybe you just want to keep your following list private. Whatever the reason, there are a few ways to hide your following on Instagram. In this article, we’ll show you how to do it on both the Instagram app and the website.
If you’re using the Instagram app, the easiest way to hide your following is to create a private account. When your account is private, only people who you approve can see your posts and followers. To make your account private, go to your profile and tap the three lines in the top right corner. Then, tap “Settings” and select “Privacy.” Under “Account Privacy,” tap the toggle next to “Private Account.” Once you’ve done this, your account will be private and your following list will be hidden from everyone except the people you approve.
If you don’t want to make your entire account private, you can also hide your following list from specific people. To do this, go to your profile and tap the three lines in the top right corner. Then, tap “Settings” and select “Privacy.” Under “Followers,” tap “Hide Followers.” On the next screen, you can enter the usernames of the people you want to hide your following list from. Once you’ve entered their usernames, tap “Done.” The people you’ve selected will no longer be able to see your following list.
Disappear from Followers’ Sight
If you want to keep your Instagram following list private, you can use the “Hide Followers” feature. However, there are a few things to keep in mind before you do so.
- Only you will be able to see your following list. This means that if someone searches for your profile, they will not be able to see who you follow.
- You will not be able to see the following list of other users who have also hidden their followers. This is because Instagram does not want to create a situation where people can see who is following them without being able to see who they are following back.
- You can only hide your followers if you have a private account. If you have a public account, anyone can see who you follow.
If you are comfortable with these limitations, you can hide your followers by following these steps:
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Hide Unwanted or Embarrassing Follows
Choose the “Close Friends” Feature
The “Close Friends” feature allows you to share stories and posts with a select group of followers. This is an excellent way to keep embarrassing or unwanted follows hidden from the rest of your followers. To set up your Close Friends list, go to your profile, tap the three lines in the top right corner, and select “Close Friends.” You can then add followers to your list by searching for their names or selecting them from your list of suggestions.
Utilize the “Hide from Feed” Option
If you don’t want to remove a follower but still prefer to hide their posts from your feed, you can utilize the “Hide from Feed” option. To do this, go to the follower’s profile, tap the three dots in the top right corner, and select “Hide from Feed.” This will prevent their posts from appearing in your main feed while still allowing you to follow them.
Create a Separate “Spam” Account
If you frequently follow accounts that post irrelevant or inappropriate content, consider creating a separate “spam” account. You can use this account to follow these accounts without cluttering your main feed. To create a spam account, simply sign up for a new Instagram account using a different email address or phone number. You can then follow the unwanted accounts using your spam account and keep your main account clean and organized.
| Method | Description |
|---|---|
| Close Friends | Share stories and posts with a select group of followers. |
| Hide from Feed | Hide posts from specific followers without unfollowing them. |
| Spam Account | Create a separate account to follow irrelevant or inappropriate accounts. |
Protect Sensitive Information
Hiding your following list on Instagram can help you protect your sensitive information, such as your location, interests, and the people you interact with. Here are seven specific ways that hiding your following list can benefit you:
1. Prevent Identity Theft
Your Instagram following list can reveal your personal information, such as your full name, location, and date of birth. Hiding this information can help prevent identity theft.
2. Protect Your Location
Your following list can reveal the places you visit, which can make you a target for physical harm or theft.
3. Safeguard Your Interests
Your following list can reveal your interests, which can be used to target you with advertising or other unwanted content.
4. Shield Your Personal Relationships
Your following list can reveal who you interact with, which can affect your personal relationships.
5. Maintain Privacy
Hiding your following list can help you maintain your privacy and control who has access to your information.
6. Reduce Spam
Hiding your following list can reduce spam messages from accounts you don’t follow.
7. Protect Your Emotional Well-being
Hiding your following list can help protect your emotional well-being by preventing you from seeing content that may trigger negative emotions. For example, if you are trying to recover from a toxic relationship, you may want to hide the following list of the person who hurt you.
Temporarily Hide Following Status
If you want to keep your following status private temporarily, you can use the “Hide my Following List” feature. Here’s how:
- Open the Instagram app and tap on your profile picture in the bottom right corner.
- Tap on the three lines in the top right corner and select “Settings.”
- Scroll down and tap on “Privacy.”
- Under “Activity Status,” toggle the “Hide my Following List” option to “On.”
- Tap on “Done” to save your changes.
Once you have enabled this feature, your following list will be hidden from other users. However, you will still be able to see your own following list.
To disable this feature, simply follow the same steps and toggle the “Hide my Following List” option to “Off.”
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Keeps your following list private | May make it difficult for others to find you |
| Prevents others from seeing who you follow | Can be inconvenient if you need to share your following list |
Ultimately, the decision of whether or not to hide your following list is up to you. Consider your own privacy concerns and needs before making a decision.
Access Advanced Privacy Settings
To hide your following list on Instagram, you’ll need to access your advanced privacy settings. Here’s how to do it:
- Open the Instagram app on your phone.
- Tap your profile picture in the bottom right corner.
- Tap the three lines in the top right corner.
- Tap “Settings.”
- Tap “Privacy.”
- Scroll down and tap “Following.”
- Tap the “Private” toggle to hide your following list from other users.
Once you’ve done this, your following list will be hidden from anyone who isn’t already following you. If you want to make your following list public again, simply tap the “Public” toggle.
Additional Information
Here are some additional details about hiding your following list:
- Only users you follow can see your following list.
- You can choose to hide your following list from specific users.
- If you block a user, they will not be able to see your following list.
- Hiding your following list will not prevent people from following you.
| Action | Result |
| Hide following list from everyone | Only users you follow can see your following list. |
| Hide following list from specific users | Users you have blocked cannot see your following list. |
| Unblock a user | Users you have unblocked can see your following list. |
How to Hide Following on Instagram
If you want to keep your Instagram following list private, you can hide it from other users. This can be useful if you don’t want people to know who you’re following, or if you’re trying to avoid being followed by unwanted accounts.
To hide your following list, open the Instagram app and tap on your profile picture in the bottom-right corner. Then, tap on the “Edit Profile” button. Under the “Following” section, tap on the “Hide Following” button. A confirmation message will appear; tap on “Hide Following” to confirm.
Once you’ve hidden your following list, it will no longer be visible to other users. However, you can still see your own following list by tapping on the “Following” tab on your profile page.
