How to Hide Who You Follow on Instagram: Privacy Tips

With the explosion of social media, everything seems to be online these days. From vacation photos to daily errands, people share it all – publicly. Privacy can sometimes feel like a thing of the past, but what if you don’t want to share everything?

Sure, you can choose not to post, but things get complicated when it comes to your Instagram activity, including who you follow and what you like. 

If you’re wondering how to hide who you follow on Instagram and whether it’s even possible, you’ve landed on the right page. The key is understanding the Instagram followers list algorithm, which is easier than it sounds, especially with us to guide you through it.

In this guide, we’ll cover more than just how to hide people you follow on Instagram; we’ll also share privacy tips and tricks to make your social media experience more comfortable. 

Settings to Help Hide Following in Instagram

Instagram encourages you to post, share, and like, but it also offers numerous features and settings that help you personalize the experience to fit your needs. These settings are essential for controlling what you see as you scroll, preventing upsetting content from ruining your day.

You can easily keep your Instagram following list and other activities private, and there are several ways to do it. Each method has a different outcome, so try them out to see what works best for you.

Most people know how to block others on Instagram, but that’s just one of many ways to take back control of your social media feed and hide your following on Instagram.

For instance, you can hide your content from certain people on your friend list if you don’t want them to know what you’re doing or who you’re with. Alternatively, you can hide certain followers’ content from appearing in your Instagram feed.

Most useful privacy and visibility settings to hide following on Instagram: 

• Private Account: Only people who follow you and you follow back see your activity, including your list of those you follow.  

• Muting Followers: Hides a user’s posts from your feed. 

• Restricting Accounts: This lets you limit viewing and interactions with other Instagram users.

• Blocking Users: Their account won’t appear in searches and you won’t see interactions or posts that involve them. 

These features will be your go-to when tackling the question of ‘How to make my followers private on Instagram?’ Some may not tick every box, but your overall sense of Instagram privacy and control will benefit.

How to Make Your Following Private on Instagram

Sometimes, you may not want your friends and followers to see who you follow on Instagram, and that’s completely valid! Maybe you follow obscure hobby accounts that are hard to explain, or there’s tension within your friend group. Whatever the issue, we have a solution for how to hide who you follow on Instagram.

While Instagram doesn’t offer a direct way to hide who you follow, you can get creative with some workarounds. We’ve tried and tested the most effective methods for keeping your following list private.

One option is to set your profile to private mode, which hides your account from anyone who isn’t following you. Just keep in mind that this only works if the person you’re hiding your followers from isn’t already following you.

How to Make Your Instagram Profile Private

1. Open the Instagram app and select your profile tab at the bottom right corner of the home screen.

2. Select the three horizontal lines icon at the top right corner, then select Settings.

3. Select Privacy.

4. Toggle on thePrivate Account option.

Can You Hide Following on IG By Muting?

We all have those Instagram users who post a bit too much. Their constant posts can quickly take over your feed, making it feel like you’re missing out on other content you’d rather see.

Blocking them is always an option, but if that feels too extreme, there’s another way to keep them in your social circle without seeing them on every second post.

Sometimes, it’s not just about posting too often—they might also share content you don’t agree with, and you’d prefer to limit how much of it you see. Either way, let’s cover how Instagram’s mute feature can help.

How to Mute Someone on Instagram

1. Open your Instagram app and go to the user’s profile you wish to mute.

2. Select the button that says Following under their profile picture and bio.

3. Select the Mute option.  

4. Select Mute and toggle on Stories.

5. To unmute, toggle off Stories.

You can choose to mute both a user’s stories and posts, but remember to do it manually. 

How to Hide Following on Instagram by Blocking

The internet is used by countless people, and it’s unrealistic to get along with everyone. Whether it’s your ex or an old teacher, sometimes it’s best to move on and forget they ever existed. Luckily, Instagram makes that easy!

With so many profiles online, there are bound to be some you’d prefer not to encounter. Whether it’s your ex or an old professor, Instagram lets you completely remove people from your feed and interactions, including comments, likes, and tagged images.

This is where the block feature comes in. It prevents the selected user from viewing who you follow and any other activity on your Instagram. While this may seem drastic when all you want is to hide who you follow, sometimes it’s the best solution.

How to Block Someone Via Their Profile

There are a couple of ways to block someone, the first method being from their profile: 

1. Access the user’s Instagram profile by clicking on their username or searching their handle. 
2. Tap the three dots icon from the upper right-hand corner of the screen, and select Block.

Block Someone Via Direct Messages

1. Access your direct messages by selecting the Message icon at the top right corner of the screen. Or, swipe to the left form anywhere on your home screen.
   
2. Select the chat of the person you wish to block.
   
3. Tap their name at the top of the screen.
   
4. Select Options and Block. 

If you change your mind, you can unblock the user by following the same steps as above, except instead of Block, you select Unblock. 

Can You Hide Who You Follow on Instagram by Restricting Users Without Blocking Them?

Even though blocking is easy to reverse, it might not be the best option if you still want to see someone occasionally on your feed. Don’t worry; we still have other tricks up our sleeves, like placing the user in restrict mode.

Restrict mode limits the user’s access to your Instagram content, boosting your privacy and improving your overall social media experience. This setting hides posts from specific followers, allowing you to control what certain people see, just like in real life.

When you restrict someone, their direct messages automatically move to your message requests, letting you read the chat without triggering a read receipt.

Additionally, any comments they leave on your posts will only be visible to them. You can manually approve whether others can see the comment. Plus, you won’t receive any notifications from a restricted user, keeping your feed nice and peaceful.

How to Restrict a User 

1. Open your Instagram account and go to the user’s profile you wish to restrict.
   
2. Tap the three dots icon opposite their profile picture in the upper right-hand corner.
   
3. Select the Restrict option. 

Easy! If you change your mind, you can simply follow the above steps but select Unrestrict. 

How to Hide Your Following on Instagram by Unfollowing Users 

Besides blocking, unfollowing is another semi-permanent way to hide who you follow on Instagram. When you unfollow someone, their account will no longer appear in your feed, and you won’t be following them anymore.

If you choose to follow them again later, they’ll receive a notification, and if their account is private, they’ll need to approve your request. While this means you can’t be discreet about it, it’s still a good option if you feel it’s the right move. 

How to Unfollow Someone

1. Open Instagram and go to the profile feed of the person you wish to unfollow.
   
2. Select Following below their profile picture.
   
3. Tap Following, then Unfollow to confirm. 

Mastering How to Hide Your Following List on Instagram

Even though social media encourages sharing, we don’t have to reveal every aspect of our lives or online activity. Fortunately, Instagram gets this and offers features and settings that give users more control over their privacy.

How to hide your following list on Instagram is a major concern for many people, especially those who feel exposed on popular platforms. While the app doesn’t have a direct feature for this, there are still several ways to limit what others can see on your account.

The methods we found most effective for how to hide followers and following on Instagram from friends include making your profile private, which improves overall privacy but still allows your followers to see your following list. Blocking users also proved to be a solid alternative for restricting access to your account.

Now that you’re an Instagram pro and know how to hide who you follow on Instagram, why stop here? At Path Social, we have operated an in-house platform of Instagram Influencers and AI-targeting algorithms to do some incredible things over the past decade. 

This includes reaching organic users who are targeted, interested, and engaged, giving you the ingredients for an Instagram community that lasts! No one can do it better than Path Social; experience it for yourself and start growing and gaining Instagram followers today.

How Do I Hide Who I Follow on Instagram: FAQs

Have some questions about how to hide who you follow on Instagram? Here are some of the most frequently asked questions that should help clarify things. 

How can you hide who you follow on Instagram from followers?

Unfortunately, as Instagram doesn’t have an optimized Instagram Hide Followingfeature, you can’t hide who you follow from followers.

How do you hide your Instagram following without going private?

Going private isn’t for everyone, especially when trying to build a presence. There are a few alternatives you can try to enhance your privacy in terms of activity and interactions, but blocking someone is the only other solution than going private, which prevents them from seeing who you follow. 

What happens when you restrict someone on Instagram?

Restricting someone still lets them see who you follow if your account is public, but you won’t receive notifications from them, including their reposts, likes, or replies. It also turns their messages into message requests so you can read them before approving them.

Will someone know I blocked them on Instagram?

Put simply, no. They don’t receive a notification but may put two and two together if they try to search for your profile, but it no longer appears, and they won’t be able to message you.