How to Mass Unfollow on Instagram to Gain More Followers and Solid Engagements

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Karen Lin

Instagram 101 | Aug 17, 2023

Want More Real Instagram Followers?

If you are a serious influencer contemplating on building up a fresh following and solid engagement on your page, you need to learn how to mass unfollow on Instagram. Why?

The number and the quality of accounts you are following on Instagram may have a detrimental effect on your online reputation, hurting your ability to attract and keep more followers. Also, you may want to rid your account of unwanted clutter to start on a clean slate and focus your time and energy on new and more productive activities on your wall.

Mass unfollowing on Instagram is also the only way you can shed unwanted accounts that you may have subscribed to in the past. These include idle, non-contributing, and inactive accounts as well as bot accounts. 

The process may sound difficult at first thought. But it is really simple and worth the effort to unfollow Instagram accounts in bulk.

Why Do You Need to Learn How to Mass Unfollow on Instagram?

Let us take a closer look at the reason you need to learn bulk unfollowing on Instagram. Understanding the purpose of this activity will move you to do so immediately and with consistency.

Depending on the length of time that passed since you first ventured into this picture and short video-sharing application, the number of accounts you followed on Instagram may have already accumulated to a sizable amount. You may have even reached the maximum 7,500 followings that Instagram allows per account. 

The Problem With Mass Following

Mass following can label you as an indiscriminate spammer especially if many of them do not contribute to the brand you wish to have. You may also want to purge your “following list” to create some room for fresh ones that are more in harmony with your social media strategy. 

Also, some of the accounts you may have followed have turned inactive without your noticing it. Others may have changed interests and their branding may have turned sour such that they have lost following as well. You want to maintain a certain quality of feeds on your page so you need to learn not just how to mass unfollow on Instagram but also to know which type of audience to follow or to unfollow on your Instagram account.

The Impression You Want

Mass following may also indicate a poorly managed account, or at the very least, that you are using a low-rate automation tool. Most users usually do not have a staff that looks after their account to professionally maintain their online presence. But as a serious online influencer, you wouldn’t want a negative impression to drag your online reputation down and discourage other users from wanting to follow you back. 

All the aforementioned result in the number of your followers being disproportionately lower than the number of those that you follow. This deficit prompts people to avoid your page even more. It’s a downward spiral.

Reciprocal Following

If you want to make it big on this platform, learn how to mass unfollow on Instagram. Begin by unfollowing people who are not following you back. Filter out pages that are not in harmony with the branding you want for your page. When you start following new users, keep a mental note to check on them after a while and unfollow them if they don’t follow back. Reciprocal following is what you want to obtain. You will find that diligence pays once the number of your followers increases organically because you followed the right persons.

You may also find that it is worth the investment to have a high-quality, super-performing follower tracker app working automatically for you, with the purpose of mass unfollowing on Instagram. But, using third-party automated services on Instagram could lead to account suspension or banishment if used improperly.

How to Mass Unfollow on Instagram–Is It for Me??

Good question. After all, before even beginning to unfollow by bulk on your Instagram a little candid self-assessment is in order. Setting a direction for your account will also help you decide if bulk unfollowing on Instagram is for you.

If you are a novice lacking experience in unfollowing and you are merely spamming followers in the hope of receiving back the favor, or if you ended up following the wrong pages after cutting off on Instagram en masse, you’ll find that your page may be cluttered with poor quality content. Eventually, this leads to a poor follow-back rate. You are what Workmacro describes as either a spammer or a suspicious account. If you would want your page to elevate beyond that, then unfollowing in bulk on Instagram is for you.

Image of a man’s hand holding a magnifying glass, looking at puzzle pieces, particularly a piece with the word YOU.

On the other hand, you may have had some success with Instagram and you are seriously considering new strategies to steer more engagement. According to studies, there are “over one billion monthly active users on Instagram” such that a huge room for growing your page exists. But you may find that the pages you follow will hardly contribute to a vigorous Instagram campaign. You will want better content for your wall because people tend to quickly dismiss pages based on what they see without the benefit of a second look. 

These are the reasons why you will want to create more room for newer connections on your account. And that is why you need to learn how to mass unfollow on Instagram.

How to Mass Unfollow on Instagram – Selecting Accounts to Remove

Now that you’ve decided that mass unfollowing on Instagram is for you, it is time to determine which accounts to remove from your list.

This may take a lot of time depending on the number of accounts you will need to unfollow, especially if you manually do it one-by-one, going by each account.

There are also pitfalls to avoid when you mass unfollow on Instagram. You don’t want to remove good accounts accidentally.

Categorizing the type of accounts to delete will help relieve you of this cumbersome process and avoid the pitfalls if you don’t have an automation tool for mass unfollowing on Instagram. So learn how to mass unfollow on Instagram correctly.

Basically, you are looking to unfollow four types of accounts: inactive ones, ghost accounts, people who unfollowed you, and users who have not followed you back after some time.

  • Inactive Accounts – An account that hasn’t posted any activity for some time, say for a year, can be considered inactive and safely unfollowed. Knowing how to mass unfollow on Instagram will help you steer clear of these accounts.
  • Instagram Bots, Fake or Ghost AccountsInstagram bots are automation tools that take over basic social media activities, such as following accounts and liking and commenting on posts. They are sometimes called fake or ghost accounts because of the small number of followers they have against the huge number of pages they follow. These are also notorious for the type of content they have, or if there is any content at all.
  • People Who Unfollowed You – You unfollow this type of follower to improve your follower/following ratio. This, in turn, catches Instagram’s attention and increases your visibility. They may have followed you back but have unfollowed you after a while. They may be going for the same goal as you are–a favorable follower/following ratio. They are probably learning how to mass unfollow on Instagram like you.
  • Users Who Haven’t Followed You Back – As with people who have unfollowed you, selecting this type of user will help you balance your follower/following ratio. Remember to keep following users with the same interest in your niche. They are more likely to keep your following as well.

How to Mass Unfollow on Instagram

Now you are ready to mass unfollow on Instagram. You can either do it manually or by using a dedicated mass unfollow app designed specifically for Instagram. This section will discuss how to do it at once.

  • How to mass unfollow inactive accounts on Instagram;
  • How to mass unfollow non-followers;
  • How to mass unfollow on Instagram android;
  • How to mass unfollow on Instagram for free; and,
  • How to mass unfollow on Instagram without being banned.

How to Mass Unfollow Inactive Accounts on Instagram

The easiest way is to use an automation tool to mass unfollow on Instagram. Most apps available online are already adapted to Instagram’s algorithm to improve your follower/following ratio. But if you prefer the DIY method, follow the steps below:

  1. Check out their page. See their latest posts or the frequency they post content on their wall. You will want to unfollow long idle accounts.
  2. Look for the “Following” tab and tap it. Right after that, tap “Unfollow” to confirm.
  3. Go to the next profile.

How to Mass Unfollow Non-followers on Instagram

You can execute mass unfollow by yourself or through the help of an Instagram unfollow application. Most apps available online can filter your following list to indicate non-followers. Still, you can do it yourself by following these steps:

  1. On your profile, look for the “Following” tab. Check each page. See if they are following you back. You will want to cancel non-followers.
  2. Select “Unfollow” to confirm.
  3. Go to the next profile.

How to Mass Unfollow on Instagram on Android

Unfollowing people on Instagram takes a different process on a mobile device and a computer.

  1. Go to your profile page. 
  2. Click on the “Following” tab. 
  3. Select the “Least Interacted With” option. 
  4. Tap on “Remove” for each account you wish to unfollow.

If you are using a mass unfollow application, this is fairly easy to do. If you recognize the accounts you want to remove. Here is how to mass unfollow on Instagram using an app:

  1. After logging in to the app, the screen will show a list of all the users you are following, with a checkbox next to each. 
  2. Tap the checkbox on the profiles you want to unfollow. You can select as many as you want.
  3. Tap the “Tick” icon on the top of the screen to unfollow them all at once.
  4. The main screen will refresh and a list of the users that are left will appear.
  5. Select anyone that you might want to remove and repeat the process.

Of course, this can also be done manually but with a longer time.

How to Mass Unfollow on Instagram for Free

Unfollowing on Instagram is always free. But if you want to be more efficient and be able to filter out the right accounts to remove minus the risk of inadvertently removing good accounts, you can download free mass unfollow apps on Google Play Store and follow the directions of the app. Some end-user reviews can also be viewed on YouTube. But then, again, Instagram restricts the use of third-party automation tools. An organic approach to unfollowing is safe and always free, although it is more tedious than the automated approach. Balancing the benefits against the risks can help you make a decision on which approach best fits your need to improve your page’s following.

How to Mass Unfollow on Instagram Without Getting Banned

Keep in mind that you can unfollow only 200 people on Instagram per hour or risk being suspensded or, worse, getting banned from the platform. Most users can barely reach that number in one sitting, but if you set a limit to yourself to a few accounts at a time you’ll find the momentum to get you going and lose track of your activity.

Also, if you are following new accounts as part of your follower/following ratio strategy, take note that Instagram will also count these against your hourly and daily follow/unfollow limits. Scheduling and keeping track of each activity will help.

Set a smaller limit per session to avoid being banned or suspended on Instagram. You might also want to work through the “least interacted list” first to dodge Instagram’s radar. This category can also be accessed through your “following list” if you are using an Instagram unfollow automation tool.

Find Out if You’ve Been Unfollowed and Return the Favor

It used to be that you are notified when a follower has unfollowed your page. This feature has long since been abandoned as Instagram has constantly reinvented its procedures over the years. There is also a likelihood that those you follow are also learning how to mass unfollow on Instagram. As you can see, there still exists a way to find out if someone has unfollowed you, and you might want to remember that so you can create more space for future engagements. 

Regularly check your following list and see if they are still following you back. First, view your “Followers” list and type the name of the person you want to check on the search bar. A missing account indicates they have unfollowed you, and you can reciprocate by unfollowing them as well.  

It’s important to maintain your Instagram community for exclusive access to those with shared interests as yours. Keeping a tight online community can be achieved by adopting organic strategies that build up a following without resorting to automated third-party applications.

How to Mass Unfollow on Instagram–Keeping a Consistent Follower/Following Ratio

After you have taken steps to unfollow on Instagram in bulk, you now have an opportunity to re-shape your future in the digital world. You can start filtering the content people will see on your page and work on your preferred types of engagements to bring traffic to your site. You will want to be consistent and thorough in maintaining your account and avoid having to learn how to mass unfollow on Instagram again in the future. 

A woman sits in front of the laptop, her finger pointing upwards, with a cup of coffee beside her. 

Focus on the best practices to keep your page clean for a longer time. Remember the pitfalls that brought you into this activity in the first place. These are powerful options that outperform any follower/following growth apps. To help you remember, here are a few of those pitfalls:

  1. Avoid mass following and be tasteful in your selection of interactions. Keep the accounts you’re following close to your niche and targeted to your preferred audience. Your followers will notice, leading to a growth in your community naturally.
  1. Avoid following inactive accounts. Check that their posts are current, regular, and have a bearing on your brand. Be wary of accounts that have long gaps between posts before adding them to your following list. These are less serious users that will add no significant value to your account.
  1. Keep track of how many followings you hit daily. Instagram flags mass following as bot-like activity and you risk being suspended or banned from the platform. Steer clear of indiscriminate follower growth apps.  
  1. Learn how to mass unfollow on Instagram safely. Resist the temptation to unfollow en masse arbitrarily. Instead, be deliberate in your following/unfollowing activity, choosing to keep accounts that are relevant to your goal of growing your page both in numbers and in quality engagements.

How to Mass Unfollow on Instagram–Conclusion

Keeping your account tidy in the digital age continues to evolve with the technology that online platforms are adopting. Aesthetics is no longer the only goal to consider, but adherence to algorithms and ratios plays a part as well. Bulk unfollowing as a tool for maintaining your Instagram account is a powerful option. This leads to more verified and legitimate accounts that, in turn, bring droves of followers to your site.

PathSocial is a resource for serious Instagram users who want to grow their online presence. Over the past decade, we have established an in-house platform of Instagram influencers and a team of professionals who are knowledgeable in Instagram’s proprietary algorithm. By constantly updating our understanding of how Instagram works and closely monitoring developments in its community, we can reach organic users who are on-point, enthusiastic, and engaged. Start growing and gaining Instagram followers today for an enriched and longer-lasting online experience.