How to Remove Followers on Instagram

If you've got a pushy relative or a cat-happy friend pestering you on Instagram, you'll be happy to know that you can quietly pluck them from your followers, making it so that they don’t see your posts on their feed. Or, you can block them, or make your profile private to make sure they can’t see your posts at all. We’ll show you how!

Removing Instagram Followers

Open Instagram.
Tap on your profile page button
.
Tap on “Followers.”
Tap Remove next to the user’s name.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Removing Followers

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1
Open the Instagram app by tapping on its icon. Navigate to the Instagram app on your phone, and tap on its icon to open it. Then, if you aren’t already logged in, sign in to Instagram using your username and password.
- Or, if you’re on a computer, navigate to Instagram's website
2
Tap on the profile page button
to access your profile. The profile button is usually located at the bottom right of your screen, and features your profile photo. Tap this button to navigate to your profile page.
- On a computer, this is on the navigation bar on the left of your screen.
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The “Followers” button is located near the top of your profile page, next to your profile icon, and features a number that displays how many followers you currently have.^{[1]
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4
Tap Remove next to a follower’s username to remove them. Scroll through your followers list, or search their name in the navigation bar on the screen, until you find the follower you’d like to remove. Then, tap the “Remove” button next to their name to stop them from following you, and tap “Remove” again to confirm.^{[2]
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- Users aren’t notified when you remove them, but they may notice after a while that they’re no longer following you.
- Removing a follower still allows them to follow you again. Block other users to prevent them from following you.
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Cultivate your social media to be a safe place that feels good. "Don’t listen to negative comments, and be true to who you are."

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Blocking Followers

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1
Tap the Instagram app to open Instagram. If you're using a computer, navigate to Instagram's website.
- You'll have to log in with your Instagram account credentials if you aren't already logged in.
2
Access your profile page
. To do this, tap or click the person icon; for mobile users, this is in the bottom right corner of the screen. It usually displays your profile photo.
- On a computer, this is on the navigation bar on the left of your screen.
This is often to the right of your profile image, and displays your number of followers.
Browse your list of followers, or search for a specific follower in the search bar. Then, tap on their username. This will take you to their profile, from which you can block them.
5
Tap the three-dot menu ••• on your follower’s profile page. This is in the top right corner of your screen (or to the right of their name on a computer).
- On Android, this menu is vertical rather than horizontal.
On Instagram's site, this option says "Block this user". After selecting this option, Instagram will prompt you for confirmation.
7
Confirm that you want to block the user. When prompted, confirm your choice. This will block your selected user; they will no longer be able to view your posts!
- Your blocked user will still be able to see your comments on other users' photos, and they will still be able to search for your account; however, they won't be able to access your account.
- View a list of your blocked users at any time by going into your settings menu and selecting the "Blocked Users" tab.
- Make your account private to avoid having to block other users in the future.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Making Your Account Private

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1
Open the Instagram app on your smartphone. Switching your account from its standard status to "Private" means that anyone wishing to follow you will have to request to do so; you are the only person who can approve said request. This gives you greater control over who can access your Instagram.
- Changing your account to "Private" also restricts user access to your comments and likes, with the sole exception being for public posts (wherein your name will appear next to other "likes", but your account will still be protected).
On mobile, this is on the bottom of your screen. On a computer, this is on the left navigation bar. On either platform, this button may display your profile photo.
Do this by tapping the gear icon (iOS) or the three dots (Android) in the top right corner of your screen.
This button has a lock icon next to it, and contains a series of tabs dedicated to account options; you'll find the "Private Account" option at the bottom of this group.
5
Toggle the "Private Account" switch
to on. Tapping or clicking the switch will make it move to the right, indicating that your account has been made private, and you’ll be able to approve or deny new follow requests.
- If you want to disable this setting, simply swipe the switch back and tap "OK" on the pop-up window.
- Note that your current followers will not be affected by this switch. If you want to block some or all of them, you'll need to do so manually.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Mass-Deleting Spam Followers

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1
Tap on the Instagram icon to open the app. Find the Instagram app on your phone, and tap on its icon to open it. Then, sign in to Instagram using your username and password.
- Or, if you’re on a computer, navigate to Instagram's website
2
Tap on the profile page button
. The profile button is located at the bottom right of your screen on mobile, and usually shows your profile photo. Tap on this button to see your profile page.
- On a computer, this is on the navigation bar on the left of your screen.
The “Followers” button is near the top of your profile page, next to your profile icon, and shows a number that tells you how many followers you currently have.^{[3]
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Research source}
If you have any followers that have been flagged as spam accounts, they’ll display in this special group near the top of your followers list. Tap on this group to view any spam accounts that follow you.
This button mass-deletes all spam accounts who follow you.

Community Q&A

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Question

How do I unfollow someone?

Community Answer

On your following list, there is a bunch of people you follow, and the buttons are all green. Look for the person you want to unfollow, and press the button next to their username. After you do this, it will say follow. You have unfollowed them.

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Question

I've gotten many strange followers of late, and it takes a long time to block them all individually--is it possible to block several followers at once?

Community Answer

Technically, yes--there are apps and sites you can use to mass-delete followers, but these services often trigger a spam warning due to Instagram's unfollow-per-hour policy. You're better off setting your account to private and then blocking followers manually.

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Question

How can you block someone on Instagram?

Community Answer

Go to their profile, look in the top right hand corner with the three dots. Click on it, and press block, then add the reason.

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Blocked users will not be able to see pictures of yours in their "Photos I've Liked" tab.

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Use a third-party Android or iOS app like Followers & Unfollowers or Unfollow Users to bulk remove followers, but be warned that giving account access to third-party apps may jeopardize your data security.

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The blocked user's likes and comments will still be visible on your images, but you can delete them manually if you wish.

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