How to Know if Someone Blocked You on Instagram — If You Care Enough to Find Out

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Karen Lin

Instagram 101 | Feb 02, 2023

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There are a number of possible reasons why you suddenly stopped seeing posts from a certain person on your Instagram feed, and the first question that may pop into your head is, “How to know if someone blocked you on Instagram?” Without further ado, here’s how you can find out whether or not somebody has deemed you “persona non grata” on Instagram.

A door locked with a chain and a padlock to represent getting blocked on Instagram.

How to Know if Someone Has Blocked You on Instagram: Why Can’t You See Their Profile and Posts?

Why would you want to know if someone has blocked you on Instagram? Perhaps you’re simply curious; or maybe you want to get to the bottom of things, no matter how harsh the reality is. You may never know the real reason why a particular person doesn’t want to give you access to their social media profiles and activities and to interact with you in any way. But if knowing if someone has blocked you on Instagram will help you sleep better at night, then here are your options.

  1. In the app, use Instagram’s search bar to look for the person’s account. Try searching using their username and/or real name. If the account is private and you’re getting zero results, you may have been blocked.
  2. If you do find their account because it’s public but you are unable to view their profile image, post count, follower list/count, and/or following list/count, you can’t tap the follow button, and you see the message “No Posts Yet” on their profile page, then you have been blocked.
  3. If you’re on a computer, you can type “Instagram.com/username” (make sure to type the person’s Instagram handle). If you get the message “Sorry, this page isn’t available,” it’s possible that you’ve been blocked or they deleted their account.
  4. Another way to know if someone blocked you on Instagram is by doing a Google search using their IG handle or real name plus the word “Instagram,” e.g., queenbey Instagram. If their account is private and you can’t find it, or if it’s public but you can’t see any profile info when you visit their profile, then it’s highly likely that you’ve been blocked.

Screenshot of “User not found” message on Instagram which may indicate that someone has blocked you on Instagram.

For private accounts, it’s also possible that the person deactivated their Instagram account or changed their username and/or account name. If you’re determined to find the person and to verify if you’ve been blocked, you can roll up your sleeves, wear your detective hat, and start your “manhunt” by checking the accounts of your mutual friends and previous posts they’ve been tagged in. 

How to Know if Someone Blocked You on Instagram Stories

If your curiosity is also making you ask how to know if someone blocked you on Instagram Stories, check out these possibilities:

  1. If you can still see the person’s posts but not their Stories, then they may have opted to hide their Stories from you.
  2. If you can find the person’s public account but you can’t see their Stories, as well as their posts and profile info, then they may have decided to completely block you. For private accounts, you won’t be able to find them at all if you’ve been blocked.
  3. They may have changed their username, so their Stories are no longer showing up under the IG handle you’re familiar with. 
  4. The person may have deactivated or deleted their account.
  5. The person’s account may have been suspended by Instagram for violating the platform’s Terms of Service. This may also be the reason why you stopped seeing posts from the person, in which case you’ll still be able to access their profile but there won’t be any recent posts.

Person viewing an Instagram story on their phone.

How to Know if Someone Blocked You on Instagram DM

Here’s how to know if someone blocked you on Instagram DM. If any of the following applies to you, you may want to do some serious introspection to figure out where things went wrong.

  1. Any of your previous message threads are no longer available.
  2. When you check group chats that both of you belong in, you can still see them as a participant but you are unable to view their profile info and posts when you check their profile.
  3. If you find them in a group chat but are unable to send them a DM.

You can try creating a new Instagram account so you can send the person a direct message. However, your DM will probably go to the Message Request folder and may go unread for an indefinite length of time. And keep in mind that you won’t know if the person has read your message request unless they send you a reply. 

Man typing an Instagram DM on his phone.

How to Know if Someone Blocked You on Instagram Live

“How to know if someone blocked you on Instagram Live?” is another valid question, as Instagram allows users to choose who can view their videos on Instagram, which includes limiting their Instagram Live stream audience.

If a private account’s Live stream is restricted to a select group, then it’s possible that you won’t know about it at all. A person may also select certain people, including you, to hide their Live stream from. Here are a few indirect ways that you can find out if someone blocked you on Instagram Live.

  1. If the person announced the Live stream beforehand but you’re unable to view it on its scheduled date.
  2. If you can view the Live stream from somebody else’s account or a new account you created, but not from your original account.
  3. If you’re unable to find the person’s private account or view a public account’s profile info, or if you’re unable to follow the person, then you’ve been blocked and their Instagram Live won’t be accessible to you.  

Final Thoughts: So You’ve Been Blocked; What Should You Do Next?

Once you know that someone has blocked you on Instagram, you have two choices: don’t give it another thought and move on, or try to figure out why. If you go with the second option, just remember to go about it in a way that won’t make things worse for you. Another helpful thing to keep in mind is that you should have good intentions if you’re hoping to get unblocked.

For businesses, it’s never a good sign if an Instagram user opts to unfollow you and to see less of you on their feed. You must take a good hard look at your growth strategy and figure out what you may be doing wrong and how to improve your messaging to maintain your following. If you need help in this department, you should consider teaming up with a reliable growth service, like Path Social. Path Social understands the value of organic growth and that effective targeting ensures delivery of followers who are genuinely interested and who will provide quality engagement. Take advantage of Path Social’s proprietary AI targeting technology and in-house team of experts so you can start growing and gaining Instagram followers today!