How to Delete a Follow Request on Instagram

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A guide to canceling and denying follow requests on IG

Co-authored by Travis Boylls

Last Updated: December 14, 2024 Fact Checked

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Delete a Request You Received

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Cancel a Request You Sent

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Delete a Follower

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Make Your Profile Private

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Q&A

If you requested to follow someone on Instagram by accident or have changed your mind, you can cancel your follow request easily. You can also delete or deny a follow request that somebody on Instagram sent you, though you'll need a private account. This wikiHow article teaches you how to delete, deny, and cancel follow requests on Instagram. We'll also show you how to make your account private so you can control who follows you.

Deleting a Follow Request: Quick Steps

Click or tap the heart icon or Notifications.
Select Follow Requests.
Click or tap Delete next to the follow request.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Delete a Follow Request Someone Sent You

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1
Click or tap the heart icon or Notifications. If someone requests to follow you on Instagram, you can easily delete or deny the request. On the mobile app, it's in the upper-right corner of the Instagram mobile app. On a computer, it's the Notifications option in the menu to the left. This displays all your notifications, including your Follow requests.
- To receive to approve or deny follow requests, your account must be set to private.
- If your account is set to public, or you accidentally approved a follower you don't want, you can remove that follower in the Settings menu.
It's at the top of the Notifications menu.

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This denies the follow request.^{[1]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Cancel a Follow Request You Sent (Unrequest)

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If you requested to follow someone by accident or have changed your mind, you can cancel the sent follow request. On the mobile app, it's the second button at the bottom of the screen. On a computer, it's in the menu bar to the left.
2
Search for the user you requested to follow. Use the search bar to search for the account you want to cancel a follow request. This will display a list of accounts in the search results.
- If you can't remember the name of the user you followed, you can download a list of your most recent followers, following, and recent follow requests. To do so, tap your profile icon > ☰ > Account Center > Your information and permissions > Download your information > Download or transfer information. Select your Instagram account and tap Next followed by Some of your information. Scroll down, check "Followers and Following" and tap Next. Tap Download to device and tap Create file. Tap Download when the file is ready. It may take a few minutes.^{[2]
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This displays the person's profile page.
It should be near the top of the user's profile page. This button will change from "Requested" to "Follow", effectively canceling the follow request.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Remove a Follower

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If there's somebody following you on Instagram that you don't want to be following you, you can remove them. On the mobile app, it's in the lower-right corner. On a computer, it's in the menu bar to the left.
It's at the top of your profile page, next to your number of followers. This displays all your followers.
This displays a confirmation pop-up.
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Click or tap Remove to confirm. This removes the person as your follower. ^{[3]
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- To make sure you control who can follow you in the future, jump down to Make Your Instagram Private.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Make Your Instagram Private

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1
Tap your profile image in the Instagram app. If you want to control who can send you follow requests in the future, make your account private.
- If you are using a computer, skip this step.
2
Tap the icon with three lines ☰. It's in the upper-right corner of your profile page on the mobile app. This opens the "Settings and activity" page.
- If you are using a computer, click this icon at the bottom of the menu bar to the left. Then click Settings in the pop-up menu.
It's below the "Who can see your content" header.
This sets your account to private. All follow requests will need to be approved. Only your followers will be able to see the content you post.^{[4]
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Community Q&A

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Question

How long do "follow requests" stay active?

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Community Answer

If they stop the request, delete their account, or block you it will go away. But otherwise it will remain active until you accept or decline it.

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Question

When I hit delete to not follow, it won't go away.

Community Answer

Just ignore it. No one can follow you unless you hit the "approve" button. You could also block them if you want.

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Question

What does it look like when you delete the other follow request on their side?

Community Answer

Unless you block them, which will completely hide your profile from them, it will just show a message saying the profile is private, and they can send another follow request. They will not receive a notification either way.

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