How can someone follow me on instagram if my account is private

If you want to hide your post content by a particular individual or group of people who might go looking for you on Instagram, you can change your privacy setting. By default, anyone can see your profile and posts on Instagram, but Instagram gives you the option to make your account private so that only followers you approve can see what you share.

Do you know how to set your Instagram account to private? Here is a step by step guide which you can follow to set your Instagram account to private. If your account is set to private, then only would the followers you approved be able to see your photos or videos on hashtag or location pages.

How to set your account to private from the Instagram app

Here is a step-by-step guide which you can follow to set your Instagram account to private from the Instagram app. You can set your Instagram account to private from your Android as well as an iOS device.

Step 1: First you need to open the Instagram app on your Android or iOS device.
Step 2: Then go to your profile, then tap Settings.
Step 3: From the given option tap Privacy and then Account Privacy.
Step 4: Next you need to tap next to Private Account to make your account private.

How to set your account to private on your computer or mobile browser

If you want to set your account to private through your computer or using a mobile browser, you can follow the below-given steps:

Step 1: At first you need to go to instagram.com on your computer or mobile browser.
Step 2: After that you need to click Human icon, then click Menu.
Step 3: Next you need to click Privacy and Security.
Step 4: Below the Account Privacy, click to check the box next to Private Account.

So Instagram allows you to make your account private at any time. You can follow the above-given steps to make your account private. Remember, when you make your account private, your existing followers won't be affected.

Important points about private accounts

  • Remember that the private posts you share to social networks may be visible to the public depending on your privacy settings for those networks. For example, If you share a post to Twitter that was set to private on Instagram may be visible to the people who can see your Twitter posts.
  • Once you make your Instagram account private, people who want to follow you will have to send you a follow request to see your posts.
  • All the follow requests which you will receive will appear in
  • Activity, where you can approve or ignore them.
  • If someone who is already following you before you set your posts to private and you don't want them to see your posts, you can simply block them.
  • Any Instagram user can send a photo or video directly to you even if they're not following you.

Apart from the above points, keep in mind that business profiles users will not be able to make their accounts private. In case if you want to make your business account private, you first have to switch back to a personal account.

(Information source: Instagram help)

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Over 800 million people use Instagram every month. From stories and memes, to photos and videos people use Instagram in many different way. In our research we found that 27% of young people aged 8-17 use Instagram on a daily basis, and need on average 246 followers to feel happy.

In this blog we are looking to answer some of the most frequently asked questions about Instagram and the privacy settings that are available on the app.

What are the privacy settings on Instagram?

On Instagram your profile is set to public by default, this means that anyone can see the photos or videos that you post. These photos can also appear in searches and in the ‘Explore’ tab.

You can change the visibility of your profile in your settings by making your account private. Setting your account to private means that only followers who you approve can see your profile and posts. This also means your posts won’t appear in in the Photos tab of Search and Explore, or on a hashtag or location page.

See our blog about Instagram privacy to find out more about the default settings on Instagram.

What happens to my follower requests after setting my account from private to public?

We have recently been asked a few questions about what happens to your follower requests once you change your account from private to public.

If you have pending follower requests on your private account and then you turn it public any pending follower requests you have are automatically accepted. These people will then be able to view any of the content you have posted on your account.

It is worth noting that once you turn your account to public, people will be able to follow you without having to request to do so.

I set my account to private, what can I do about the people who are already following me?

When you change your account from public to private the people who are already following you on your public account will still be following you on your private account. We recommend that young people regularly review their followers list, making sure they have only accepted followers who they know offline.

They will not be notified that you have removed them as a follower, but if they visit your profile they will no longer be able to see any content on your profile. Do be aware that following each other is not linked so if you choose to unfollow someone they will still remain a follower of you unless you also remove this option.

If you want to remove someone as a follower you need to:

– Go onto your Instagram profile

– View your followers list

– Find the person that you want to remove as a follower

– Click on three dots next to their name

– Select ‘remove follower’

What information is still public on a private account?

By turning your account to private only your followers can see the images, videos or stories that you post, however there is still some information that is visible publically on your account. At all times on Instagram, anyone will be able to see:

– Your profile photo (although they cannot click to see a larger version than what displays on your profile)

– Your username

– Bio

This means that any personal information in your bio on Instagram can be seen by anyone, whether they follow you or not. We would recommend that you do not put personal information (including your snapchat username, age, school or location) into a space that can be seen by the public. It is important that on any account you have that you think about your digital footprint and the type of information you would be happy for people to see.

Read more

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What happens if I unfollow someone on Instagram?

Polls and voting in Instagram stories

How to spot advertising on Instagram

Instagram introduces new comment moderation tools

New Instagram tool helps users to look out for their friends

More control over your Instagram profile

Can someone follow you on Instagram if you are private?

Once your account is private, new people who visit your profile will only see your name and profile image. From there, they can request to follow you, and you have to confirm their request before they can see your photos or stories. To set your account to private: Go to Instagram's settings menu.

How did someone follow me on Instagram when my account is private?

Private accounts have private follower lists. Unfortunately, there's no tool or trick that can accurately show you the followers list for a private Instagram account. The only true way to find out who is following a private account is to send them a follow request and wait for them to accept.

Why are random people following me on Instagram?

It happens almost all the time, both to new and old users. A primary reason for random followers on your account is bots that use your page to sustain their activities. Other reasons for your predicament could be that you are a new user, and Instagram suggests you to its users who might follow your account.