Instagram privacy 101: How to hide your follower list

Instagram does not offer a direct way to prevent people from seeing your follower count. This design choice is intentional on Instagram’s part. The platform is fundamentally built around social connection and visibility. 

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Follower counts serve as a form of social proof, indicating the popularity or perceived influence of an account. Hiding follower counts then would go against this core aspect of Instagram’s engagement model. However, there are a couple of ways in which you can limit the visibility of your followers list if you need to.

3 ways to prevent people from viewing your followers list

Here are three ways to limit the visibility of followers’ counts on Instagram

1. Making your account private

2. Removing select followers

3. Using the Block option

1. Making your account private

Once your account becomes private, only people you approve will be able to see your posts, stories, and followers list. If your account is private, you will receive a follow request when someone attempts to follow you. You can either accept or decline it. While it prevents people who do not follow from seeing your followers list, it will still be visible to the people who follow you.

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To make your account private, follow these steps – 

1. Open the Instagram app on your smartphone or desktop and tap on your profile image.

2. In the upper-right corner, tap on the three horizontal lines.

3. Tap on “Account Privacy” and use the toggle to make your account private or public.

It’s worth noting that making your account private will limit your potential reach if you are an influencer with a large following because it will prevent people who do not follow you from seeing your posts and stories.

2. Removing select followers

If you do not want some of your subscribers to see your followers count, you can simply remove them. You can accomplish this by following the steps below:

1. On Instagram, tap on Followers to see a long list of your followers.

2. Each follower will have a “Remove” button next to their Insta handle.

3. Once you have found a profile that you want to prevent from seeing your followers count, you can tap on the “Remove” button.

The removed follower will still be able to see your profile. However, they will be unable to see your followers list, your posts, and your stories. 

3. Using the Block option

If you want to completely prevent someone from viewing your profile as well as your followers list, you can use the block option. Following are the steps to block someone.

1. Open the profile of the person you want to block.

2. Tap on the three-dots at the top right corner.

3. Tap on “Block” to confirm.

If you have blocked someone on Instagram, they will not be able to find your profile in search results. In addition, they will not be able to view any of your information, including your followers list.

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In addition to the above steps, there are also some third-party websites or apps claiming to hide your followers list. These apps require users to enter login credentials, which is a risky proposition as it can compromise your account security. Therefore, it is advisable not to make use of such websites or apps.

While there is no foolproof way to hide your Instagram followers list, understanding your privacy settings and taking the steps outlined above can significantly increase your control over who has access to your information.