How Do I Make My Instagram Private: Create Boundaries on IG

Karen Lin

Instagram 101 | Aug 01, 2024

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Privacy is a huge deal on social media. Many users are wary of letting strangers into their lives, even just on the internet. Nowadays, people are more concerned about social privacy than before. If you’re one of those people, you might be asking, “How do I make my Instagram private?” Well, that’s what we’re here to teach you today.

Instagram is an awesome platform for connecting with others and sharing life updates with friends and family. But social media platforms also pose many safety risks if the general public knows too much about your life.

So, if you want to learn how to go private on Instagram, keep reading.

A phone with a padlock icon displayed on the screen placed next to a plant and office items.

Table of Contents

What Happens When You Make an Instagram Account Private?

Private accounts enjoy the many benefits of enhanced privacy on social media. When your personal profile is in private mode, you get to control who sees your content. Here are just some of the changes that occur when you set a profile to private:

Only your followers see your content. Anyone who wants to follow your page must first send a request that you can either accept or decline.
Direct messages from people you don’t know go straight to your message requests folder, not your inbox.
You won’t be able to tag users in your posts if they don’t follow you.
No one can use any templates or remixes you’ve created on Stories or Reels.

A wooden fence with a sign that says “PRIVATE” next to a tree with red flowers.

How Do I Make My Instagram Private? A Step-by-Step Guide

Are you set on keeping your profile away from the prying eyes of strangers? Here’s how to make a private account on Instagram, step by step:

1. Open the Instagram app on your mobile device. Note that you can’t set your account to private on the desktop.

2. Click the profile icon on the bottom right to go to your page.

3. Tap the hamburger menu (three horizontal lines) on the upper-right corner of the screen.

4. Scroll until you see the “Who can see your content” section. Then, tap Account privacy. This brings you to your privacy settings.

Path Social’s screenshot of Instagram’s account settings with a pink box highlighting the “Account privacy” option.

5. Tap the toggle that says Private account to switch to private mode.

Path Social’s screenshot of the IG Account privacy settings highlighting the toggle to switch to a private account.

6. Finally, click Switch to private to confirm your decision.

Path Social’s screenshot of the confirmation message to switch to a private IG account.

How To Access a Private Instagram Page

Have you ever wanted to check up on someone’s posts only to realize you can’t because they’re in private mode? If you’ve been in that position before, you might be wondering how to access a private Instagram account. Well, to cut to the chase, there’s currently no way to view private accounts on Instagram.

You can only access someone’s page and see their posts by sending a Follow request. If you’re lucky, they’ll accept it, and you can freely scroll through their content.

Some third-party tools may claim they can help you view private accounts. Know that there are no legitimate tools out there that can do this. So, third-party sites that promise this are likely lying and scamming you. Stay vigilant!

Can Professional Accounts Go on Private Mode?

No, there’s currently no way for professional accounts to set their pages to private mode. That goes for both business accounts and influencer profiles on Creator mode.

The reason Instagram won’t let businesses and public figures go on private mode is quite self-explanatory. Professional accounts typically aim to get as many followers and fans as possible. When their accounts are set to private mode, their target audience won’t be able to discover them. Ads and marketing promotions won’t work for these businesses and influencers either since private accounts have a limited audience.

Going on private as a brand can also hurt your credibility. It can look unprofessional if your customers and fans can’t reach you because you’re in private mode. With a public profile, people can easily reach out for inquiries and concerns.

If you have a business profile and want to go on private, you must first turn off your business account. Once you’re back to a personal profile, you can follow the steps we previously listed to go into private mode.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you make Instagram private to one person?

No, there’s currently no way to make your Instagram account private to just one person. If there’s someone you don’t feel comfy sharing content with, you can block them so they don’t see your posts. You can also hide your Instagram Stories specifically from them only.

How do I know if my Instagram account is private?

You can see whether your account is in public or private mode in your account settings. Follow these simple steps to check if your account is currently private:

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

2. Click the three horizontal lines at the top-right corner of the screen.

3. Scroll until you see the Account privacy button. To the right of that option, you should see either “Public” or “Private” according to your account’s current setting.

How do I hide my profile pic on Instagram?

There’s no feature that allows users to hide their Instagram profile picture as of writing. If you don’t want others to see your photo, the best you can do is change it to a blank image. Here’s how:

1. Go to your profile and click the button Edit profile under your profile biography.

2. Click Edit picture or avatar. Alternatively, you can tap your circular profile photo at the top of the page.

3. Select Choose from library.

4. Choose a blank or neutral photo from your camera roll.

5. When you’re happy with your profile picture, hit Done.

How do I make a secret post on Instagram?

Instagram currently doesn’t have a feature that allows people to post secret content. However, you can always post Stories and feed posts and choose to show them only to your Close Friends list. This is a terrific way to keep certain posts hidden from most of the general public.

Safeguard Your Instagram Presence To Keep Your Peace of Mind

A 2022 Go Verizon survey found that 81% of people are more concerned about social privacy than before. So, if you are one of those people, then putting your Instagram account in private mode helps you control who sees what you post. That way, you can have more fun on the platform while maintaining peace of mind.

But there’s also nothing wrong with wanting to keep your profile public. In fact, it’s the best route to take if you’re a brand or influencer wanting to grow on Instagram. No longer asking, “How do I make my Instagram private?” and instead wondering how to make it grow? If that’s your goal, you can always work with Path Social to boost your online presence.

We use AI to assess your profile and find the niche target audience with which your content resonates the most. From there, we promote your Instagram content to reach more of those people. This leads to an influx of new, genuine, engaged followers for your page. If you want to grow your fanbase, Path Social is the way to go. Work with our team and get more followers today!