How To Hide Instagram Posts From Certain Followers

In 2024, Instagram has defied expectations to remain alive and well for users sharing their lives in picture format. Do you stick around to update your finsta? Check out the same three meme pages you’ve followed since high school? Or drop in once a month to catch up on your mom’s garden updates? Regardless of your interests, there’s a high chance you’re among the platform’s two billion monthly users. 

Many users are curious to learn how to hide Instagram Posts from certain followers, for a range of reasons. The platform is home to a monolithic range of content from all corners of the world and the web.

Choosing who gets to see what parts of your life in Instagram’s online exhibition is different for every person. Fortunately, Instagram has a range of privacy settings and options for users to choose from. If you’re interested in learning how to hide parts of your online profile, you’ve come to the right place. 

From setting who can view your stories to blocking users, we’ve got the inside scoop. It may even surprise you to learn that you can remove people from following you. Yes – Instagram can actually be a private platform, if you know how to go about it. 

Read on to learn how Instagram caters to your privacy preferences.

How Can I Hide Instagram Posts From Certain Followers?

Using Instagram means you’re sharing an online space with billions of other active users. Unless you’re running a business account, you probably don’t want every single person on the app to see your content.

Instagram has built-in features that allow you to control your privacy with ease. Over time, the platform evolved to foster a secure and user-driven online space. You can also learn how to block a follower on Instagram from both your feed posts and your stories.

Now we know it’s possible, you might have some more questions regarding the process. Can you block people from seeing your Instagram posts? Or only stories? We’ll get into that, but here’s a few common reasons for hiding content from Instagram followers:

1. Personal and professional boundaries: People may not want their boss or colleagues to have access to personal content and information. You may prefer to keep work and life completely separate. If so, your profile can remain private or completely hidden from certain users. 
2. Family and friendship groups: You may want to keep big life updates to yourself or only share them with your inner circle.
3. Personal safety: A simple reason for choosing to hide online content is to protect your identity from potential threats. It’s very hard to know exactly who is looking at your online posts at any given moment. 

Regardless of your reasons, we’re here to help maintain your privacy and understand what access your Instagram followers have to your content. 

Instagram’s most popular content are feed posts (visible unless archived or deleted) and stories (visible for 24 hours). Both these content formats have a lot of flexibility when it comes to privacy. 

Continue reading to learn how you can hide Instagram content from followers for both feed and story posts.

How To Hide Your Posts From Someone On Instagram

You now have a stronger understanding of why people hide their Instagram activity and content from other users and followers. Let’s move on to the practical element of how to hide IG posts from someone. 

Can you hide an Instagram post from one person? At this time, no. If your post is visible, all of your followers will see it. If you post a picture or reel to your feed, it’s visible to anyone who follows or views your profile.

To hide all your content from other users, you can set your Instagram profile to ‘private,’ meaning that only followers can see your posts. If you are a private profile, users must send you a request that needs approval before they become a follower.

You can take these steps to make your Instagram profile more secure, limiting the number of users viewing your content. If you primarily share your content through Instagram stories, you are in luck. Controlling who sees your stories is easier to manage than feed posts. Read on to learn more.

Hiding Instagram Followers From My Story 

Lasting for 24 hours and then disappearing forever, the Instagram story function is a popular choice by many IG users. These images or short videos give real-time updates, often posted mid-activity or experience, to other users. 

Stories can be a fun way to connect with your online community. If you don’t know all of your followers personally, it may be unappealing to share private updates about your life with them. 

Curious to learn how you can block someone from seeing your Instagram post? If it’s a story, the good news is you can. Follow the step-by-step process below to hide a story from a single follower:

1. Access the Instagram profile of the user you wish to hide your stories from. You can do this by typing their Instagram handle into the search bar.
2. Next, tap on the three dots icon at the top right corner of the screen.
3. Select hide your story.

Now, this user will no longer be able to see your Instagram stories. If you want to change their access, simply repeat the steps above and unselect ‘hide your story’. You now know how to hide Instagram stories from certain followers. 

There’s also a simple method to hide your Instagram stories from multiple people at one time. To do this, simply follow the below steps.

1. Access your Instagram profile and tap on the three bars icon at the top right corner of the screen.
2. Select settings, then tap privacy.
3. From here, scroll down and select story.
4. Now, you can search for each user you wish to hide your Instagram stories from. Simply tap on their name and that user is now on your hidden list.

How Do You Block Someone On Instagram Without Them Knowing?

Blocking a follower on Instagram is a significant measure to take when restricting their access to your profile. This will ensure that they cannot find your profile in the app, or view and engage with anything you post online. In a digital environment, this can also feel like a very drastic choice to make. 

If you would prefer to learn how to block a post from someone on Instagram, you may choose to mute their profile. If blocking is the best solution, this can help you hide IG posts from someone. Perhaps you’re not quite ready to cut contact completely, and are looking for a different option.

Are you wondering how to hide Instagram posts from certain followers without blocking them? Two of the most popular methods available on Instagram are setting your profile as private and removing the user as a follower.

We’ve outlined some easy steps you can take to try out the alternatives to blocking a follower. Make sure you have your phone handy as you scroll through our guide, to test out each method in real-time.

Private Profile Settings: How to Hide Posts From Certain Followers Without Blocking Them

Public or private is one of the key security settings Instagram offers users. If you set your account to private, people who do not follow you will not be able to see your content. This is a surefire way to hide a post from someone on Instagram, such as strangers or colleagues.

When you set your profile to private, you also hide your followers on Instagram from other users. To non-followers, nothing will appear on the “followers” list on your profile. Existing followers will not be removed by your switch from public to private, which you may want to keep in mind.

To change your settings and make your Instagram profile private, follow the simple steps we’ve outlined down below. Your peace will be protected in no time.

1. Open your Instagram app and tap on your profile icon at the bottom right corner of your home screen.
2. Next, tap on the three horizontal lines icon at the top right corner, and then select settings.
3. Tap and select privacy.
4. Toggle on the private account option. You’ll need to reconfirm the switch to private.

With those steps complete, your Instagram profile is now set to private. You’ll now be able to confirm any new follow requests from other users. You can also accept and read direct message requests without being seen. 

You now know how to hide posts from someone on Instagram. If you wish to become a public account again, you can always reset the toggle to public.

Remove A Follower: How Do You Hide Friends on Instagram Without Blocking Them

There is another way to hide posts from people on Instagram, without resorting to the block button. You can remove the user as one of your followers, which may be less well-known than the public/private method.

When you remove someone as a follower, they will not be notified. They will simply no longer see what you post on the app. To give this method a shot, follow our easy step-by-step tutorial below.

1. Open the Instagram app.
2. Access your profile by tapping on your profile icon at the bottom right of the screen.
3. Tap on your follower count at the top of the page.
4. Scroll through all your followers or search by user name at the top of the page. To remove a user, tap on the remove button next to their name.

You can also remove a follower directly from their Instagram profile with the following steps:

1. From your Instagram home screen, search for the profile of the user you wish to unfollow.
2. Once you are on their profile, tap on the three dots icon at the top right-hand corner of the screen.
3. Select remove follower from the list of options.

To add a further level of security, you can combine the ‘remove follower’ function with setting your profile to private. This way, certain users will not be able to see any of your content, even if they view your profile. You’ll also have the choice of approving or denying (or simply ignoring) any new follow requests from them.

User Not Found: How Do You Block A Follower On Instagram?

Blocking is an effective option if you want to completely remove someone’s access from your Instagram profile. You can unblock a user at any time and restore their access if you choose to do so. It’s important to understand any content a blocked user cannot see, will become visible if you unblock their profile.

Choosing to block a user is a relatively simple process via the Instagram application on your smartphone. To completely remove someone’s access to your IG account, follow these steps to block their access to your Instagram profile:

Block Users Through a Profile:

1. You can access the user’s profile by clicking their username on a post or story or by searching for their handle.
2. Tap the three dots icon in the upper right corner of their profile page.
3. Select “Block” from the options provided.

Block Users Through Direct Messages (DM’s):

1. Open your DM’s by tapping the message icon at the top right corner of your screen or by swiping left from your home screen.
2. Select the chat with the person you want to block.
3. Tap their name at the top of the chat screen.
4. Scroll down and select “Block.” 
5. Confirm your choice to complete the process.

If you change your mind later, you can unblock them by following the same steps but choosing “Unblock” instead.

Path Social Can Help You Nurture Your Instagram Profile

Privacy settings are just a drop in the ocean when it comes to cultivating a successful online presence. Path Social has tried and tested many successful strategies to help Instagram users successfully build sustainable online communities.  

Path Social utilizes our extensive network of influencers in tandem with advanced AI targeting technology. This combination helps you connect with fellow users who resonate with your brand. Building upon traditional methods, our approach focuses on genuine interactions and long-term engagement.

Now you know how to hide Instagram posts from certain followers, you can move on to building a thriving online community. Path Social is here to help you expand your Instagram following, using tailored solutions to suit your individual social strategy. Partner with us to find your people and connect with them in an active, authentic online community.