Catch ‘Em in the Act: How To See Who Stalks Your Instagram

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Karen Lin

Instagram 101 | Aug 12, 2024

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For many people, social media is a safe space where they can express themselves however they want. They’ll share life updates, vacation plans, photos with family and other personal milestones and content. So, it’s scary to think that there could be potential Instagram stalkers looking in on your life from the outside. 

That’s why today, we’re teaching you how to see who stalks your Instagram. Keep scrolling to learn how to catch these unwelcome visitors in the act!

A person hiding and sneakily peeking out of white window blinds.

Can You See Who Stalks Your Instagram?

Unfortunately, Instagram does not currently have a built-in feature that lets you see who views your profile. But that doesn’t mean you can’t try.

When you post about your life on Instagram, you always run the risk of someone invading your privacy. The reality is that someone can always note down the details of your life and use them against you somehow. It could lead to things like physical stalking and identity theft. Javelin Strategy & Research reports that those who share about their life online have a 46% higher risk of fraud.

Because of this risk, many Instagram users might be curious about who visits their profile. While it’s a bummer that Instagram doesn’t have that feature right now, there are a few workarounds for it. Let’s talk about your options, shall we?

A man hiding behind a fence while secretly trying to record a video with a camera.

Let’s Get This Out of the Way Now—Don’t Use Sketchy Third-Party Apps

When looking up how to see who’s stalking your Instagram, you might see websites that claim to fetch that intel. But these third-party apps and websites are more often than not just an all-around bad idea.

Instagram doesn’t make visitor data and user activity available anywhere, even for public profiles. So, there’s technically no way these apps can access information like that. So, even if using third-party tools is super tempting, you likely won’t get reliable results from them.

Using third-party apps might also put your account in a dangerous position. They may ask for your login credentials. Remember never to give out your password anywhere, as this can lead to your Instagram account getting hacked. Plus, some of these sites that promise to show you your “stalkers” might contain malware and phishing links. So, always stay vigilant!

A young man crossing his index fingers together to create the “x” symbol.

How To See Who Stalks Your Instagram Without an App

So, if you shouldn’t use third-party apps to find potential stalkers, how else can you catch them in the act? Is there even any hope at all to find these suspicious accounts?

Fortunately, yes. There are tons of ways to infer who has been visiting your profile. Here’s how to see who stalks your Instagram without an app in three different ways. 

1. Check Your Notifications To See Recent Profile Interactions

Our first tip for how to find out who stalks your Instagram is simple: check your most recent Instagram notifications. You can do that by clicking the heart icon on the top of your Instagram home page. This brings you to your notifications tab, where you can see recent interactions with your profile and posts.

Your notification history will show you who has been liking and commenting on your posts. Look through these notifications and see if you spot any unfamiliar names. These might give you an idea of who looks at your page.

This is an awesome way to get an idea of who stalks you without following you. Remember, your posts shouldn’t appear on people’s feeds if they don’t follow you. If they like and comment on your content, that means they actively looked up your page on the app.

A woman with red nails hitting the like button on an Instagram post.

2. Go Through Your Instagram Story Viewers

Another tip for how to know who stalks your Instagram is to check your Story views.

Liking and commenting on your posts is too obvious and a dead giveaway. So, some stalkers might visit your page and click your profile picture to view your current Stories instead. They probably do it in the hopes that you don’t check your list of viewers until your Story expires.

Instagram arranges your viewers according to how much you interact with them. So, you’ll see your closest friends (and those who liked your Story) at the very top of the list. Instead, scroll all the way to the bottom of the list. This is where you’ll find people who don’t follow you. It’s the best spot to find potential stalkers.

3. Get an Idea of the Demographic That Stalks You Through IG Insights

If you have a professional account, you can check on what type of audience stalks your page through Instagram Insights.

Granted, the Instagram Insights page won’t tell you exactly which users are visiting your page. Instead, it will show you demographic information on the kind of users you engage the most on Instagram. You can see the age, sex, location, and more of those who respond most to your content. It’s a great way to get a general idea of the kind of people you attract online.

Someone holding up a mobile phone with the Instagram Insights dashboard on its screen.

Tips for Keeping Stalkers Away From Your IG Page

The beauty of social media lies in that you can share whatever you want about your life with others online. But that also means that people you don’t know in real life can learn details about you just like that.

It’s one thing to know how to see who is stalking your Instagram. It’s another to keep those potential stalkers away in the first place. Want to keep these suspicious accounts as far away from your page as possible? Here are some extra tips to keep them at bay:

  • Set your profile to private. This makes your page and content unavailable for public viewing. If someone wants to see your posts, they’ll have to send a follow request. From there, you have the power to approve or decline their request. This gives you more control over who sees your life updates and personal posts.
  • Try not to give too much of your personal information away if you have a public profile. Don’t openly disclose your address, phone number, job title, company you work for, and other sensitive info. These details can easily be stolen and used for identity theft, so don’t give strangers access to them.
  • Hide your Instagram Stories from suspicious accounts. If you notice that some people you don’t know are watching your Stories often hide them from those users. To completely cut these users off, you can even choose to block them on Instagram
  • Regularly look through your follower list and delete suspicious names you don’t recognize. Sure, it can lower your follower count, but it’s worth it to maintain your online privacy and safety.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you see who viewed your Instagram post?

Unfortunately, you can’t. Much like profile views, Instagram doesn’t allow users to see who viewed their feed posts. You can only see who likes and comments on them.

Can you see who views your Instagram Reels?

No, you can’t see who has viewed your Reels. Instagram will show you a Reel’s total number of views but not a full list of people who watched it.

Can I see who searched my name on Instagram?

No, Instagram doesn’t provide data on who searched for your username on the app. This allows people to freely look for specific accounts on Instagram behind a curtain of anonymity.

Does Instagram suggest users who search for you?

Possibly, yes. Instagram doesn’t clearly define the parameters of which accounts they suggest for users to follow. But generally, these are users that you have some sort of connection with, such as mutual followers and similar niches. So yes, it’s possible that someone who has visited your page a few times might appear in your follow suggestions.

And That’s How To See Who Stalks Your Instagram for Free!

It’s good to know how to see who stalks your Instagram for free, just in case you need the intel. There are a lot of dangers out there when you expose yourself online, so it is best to be cautious.

This applies to all social media platforms, so taking precautions is essential.

But knowing how to see who stalks your Instagram and catching who views your page isn’t everything. Most of your social media efforts should still go to churning out awesome content to grow your page.

Path Social can certainly help you do that. We execute tried-and-true promotional strategies to make sure your high-quality content reaches your niche target audience. Our targeting tools drive these users to your page, allowing them to discover your brand. After that, you can expect an influx of genuine, engaged followers. Grow your Instagram community with us today!