Hidden Instagram Account: Exploring Secret IG Pages

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Karen Lin

Instagram 101 | Apr 16, 2024

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Nobody wants all their laundry aired out on social media. Although posting on Instagram to update friends and family is tons of fun, it’s not ideal 100% of the time. Sometimes, you want your own safe space on the platform where you can post freely only for a select few. But is it possible to create a hidden Instagram account that is away from the public eye?

Today, we’re delving into whether it’s possible to hide your Instagram page from others. But that’s not all. We’ll also let you in on tips and tactics for finding someone else’s hidden account if they have one! Keep scrolling to learn all this and more about hidden profiles on Instagram.

A man with glasses hiding behind a white wall.

Can You Create Hidden Instagram Accounts?

Nope. Right now, Instagram doesn’t have a feature that allows users to create accounts that are hidden from the public.

Instead, you might be interested in making a secret secondary account or a “finsta” derived from “fake Insta.” These accounts are regular Instagram pages, but owners keep them private and anonymous.

People with finstas typically only allow their closest friends to follow their accounts. Their main purpose is to let people post content without the pressure of maintaining a curated aesthetic or image. In these hidden, private accounts, people can post candid photos, intimate life updates, and their deepest, darkest secrets.

Finstas have become such a huge Instagram trend over the past few years. Refinery29 reports that even celebs like Justin Bieber, Bella Hadid, and Ariana Grande have jumped on the finsta bandwagon, too. And it’s super understandable why. After all, finstas exist so people can post content without being under the spotlight.

But keep in mind that finstas aren’t 100% hidden. People can still find your profile if they search your finsta’s username. They might also be able to sniff you out based on your finsta’s profile picture, bio, and friend list. That’s why people typically set their finstas in private. That way, even if people find the profile itself, their content is still hidden from the public eye.

Note that each email address is allowed to have a maximum of five accounts on Instagram. So, you can make your finsta with the same email you used for your main public account.

A smiling woman with her eyes closed putting a finger to her lips to signal a secret.

Other Ways To Hide Your Instagram Page From Others

Don’t want to go through the motions of making a secondary account on Instagram? Don’t worry. There are other options available. Here are just a few other ways to hide your main Instagram account from the world:

  • Set your profile to private. When you have a private account, only approved followers have access to your profile and content. This is a terrific way to manage who gets to see what you post.
  • Block people you don’t want to look through your page. When you block someone, they won’t be able to see your page or search it on Instagram. They also won’t be able to send you DMs or reach out in any way. It’s the ultimate move for cutting someone out of your Instagram life.
  • Deactivate your account. If you want to temporarily take a break from social media and hide your account, deactivate it. This hides your account from the public until you wish to restore it. Note, however, that you won’t even get to see your page or lurk on Instagram with a deactivated account. Remember as well that you can only deactivate your page once a week.
  • Hide your Stories from specific people. On your list of Story viewers, click the three dots beside someone’s name. Then, click “Hide your Story” to make your posts invisible to them.
  • Create a Close Friends list for intimate content. Post content exclusively for your innermost circle by collating their usernames into a Close Friends list. This allows you to post photos and videos that only a limited pool of people will see.

A woman pulling her black sweater over her head to hide her identity.

Staying Anonymous: How To Hide Name on Instagram

Your display name on Instagram is the name people see underneath your profile picture when they visit your page. This is different from your Instagram handle, which is your main username. Unlike the latter, your display name can include spaces, emojis, and other special characters.

If you’re trying to stay anonymous on your finsta accounts, you might be wondering how to hide names on Instagram. Unfortunately, this feature isn’t possible on the platform. Everyone needs to have a username display name, even for secondary, hidden accounts on Instagram.

However, you can conceal your identity by changing your display name on your hidden account to something arbitrary. We don’t recommend changing your username, as this typically goes through tedious approvals by the platform.

On your mobile device, go to your Instagram page and click “Edit profile.” From there, you can change your display name to whatever you want. If you want to be completely anonymous, you can even just choose an emoji as your display name. Note that you can change your display name up to two times a week.

How To Go Incognito on Instagram: Is It Possible?

Are you wondering how to go incognito on Instagram the same way you do on Google Chrome or Safari? Sadly, there’s also no incognito feature on the platform. If you want to view content and lurk on the app anonymously, a secondary account might be your only option.

It’s completely understandable to want to explore the app incognito. Maybe you don’t want people to know you’ve viewed their Stories. Or perhaps you want to check different pages without affecting the suggestions on your main account’s Explore page. Regardless of your reason, using a secondary page or a finsta can help with going on the app “incognito.”

How To Find a Hidden Instagram Account: Sneaky Tactics To Find a Finsta

When someone creates a finsta, it means they truly want to hide most of their content from the world. But we’re only human, and sometimes, curiosity gets the best of us. Are you trying to find a certain someone’s secret secondary account? Here’s how to find a hidden Instagram account with four sneaky tactics.

1. Check the Person’s Bio on Their Main Account

Sometimes, someone hides their secondary account in plain sight. Though most people prefer to hide their finstas, others are fine advertising their secondary accounts as theirs.

They usually do it by tagging their second Instagram account in their main page’s bio. They might even encourage people to follow that account by adding something like, “Follow my finsta!” as well. So, someone’s bio should be the first thing you check if you want to find their finsta account.

Someone holding a phone displaying a man’s Instagram profile and detailed bio.

2. Look Through Your Mutual Friends’ Following List

Another clever way to potentially find someone’s finsta is by lurking in their friends’ following list. Think of which friends are most likely going to be part of that person’s innermost circle. Then, go through the list of people they’re following. Keep your eyes peeled for anything that looks like it could be a finsta. Look for clues about the person behind that account in their handle or bio.

Aside from their friend list, you can also go through your mutual friends’ tagged photos. If you’re lucky, you’ll chance upon photos uploaded by the finsta account you’re looking for.

Another trick is to look at your mutual friends’ comments section on their posts. Perhaps the person whose finsta you’re looking for uses that account to comment on their friends’ posts!

A person peeking through white window blinds.

3. Spot Clues About Someone’s Identity in Suspicious Finsta Handles

In the previous tip we shared, we mentioned looking for clues about someone’s identity in their finsta usernames. But how exactly does one put on their detective hat and do that?

Typically, people will leave tiny hints about their identity when they come up with their spam Instagram names. They might use childhood nicknames, initials, their birthday, and other details about their life in their username. They might also leave clues in their bio, such as the city they live in or their job and hobbies. Paying attention to details like those might help you figure out who owns a specific finsta page.

A woman looking through a magnifying glass.

4. Find Someone’s Secret Instagram Account With Their Phone Number

Lastly, you can find out if anyone has accounts other than their main page if you have their phone number. How? Through Instagram’s contact syncing feature.

When you sync and upload contacts on your mobile device onto Instagram, the platform regularly suggests users you may know. These recommendations are based on the phone numbers and even email addresses in your contacts. If you’re lucky, the app might suggest finsta accounts made by some of your friends and family members. Even if someone is excellent at hiding their finsta account, it’s easy to catch them this way.

Here’s how to change your contact syncing settings on the Instagram app:

1. Open the Instagram app and go to your profile.

2. Click the hamburger menu (three horizontal lines) at the top-right corner.

3. Scroll until you see the “Your app and media” section.

4. Click Device permissions.

5. Click Contacts. You should see on the next page whether contact syncing is allowed on your app. If you want to change these settings, click Update device settings and change the permissions from there.

A phone screen displaying a message that says, “Contact detection is switched on.”

Don’t Always Hide Your Content; Let It Shine, Too!

There are plenty of reasons to want to make a hidden secondary Instagram account. Maybe you want to be able to express yourself in an unfiltered way without worrying about what others think. Perhaps you want a place to update only your closest friends about your challenges and milestones. Whatever your reason, you can always make a finsta to share personal updates without shouting them to the entire world.

While having a hidden Instagram account is great for your personal life’s privacy, it’s not always the way. If you’re an aspiring creator or brand, you can’t always hide your content. You must churn out high-quality content on your main account and let it shine. Path Social can help with that.

Our algorithm finds the target audience most likely to engage with your content and promote it to them. Instead of hiding your brilliant content away, we’ll put it in the spotlight. Not only does this get you tons of engagement, but you’ll gain 100% real followers, too. Start growing your community today!