How to See Who Follows a Private Instagram Account

Co-authored by Nicole Levine, MFA Reviewed by Candace Gasper

Last Updated: June 22, 2024 Fact Checked

Are you curious about who's following a private Instagram account? As you've probably noticed, you can't see a private Instagram account's followers unless you're following them.^{[1]
X
Research source} But if curiosity is getting the best of you, we have a few simple tricks for finding out more information about private accounts, including whether any of your friends are followers. This wikiHow article will teach you different ways to see content on private Instagram accounts.

Section 1 of 5:

Do any private Instagram viewers work?

Download Article

While many websites and apps claim they can show you private Instagram profiles, none of them work. Some of these sites seem very convincing, but after much testing, we've found that they are all scams.
- Most of these fake viewers are mostly harmless—they make money from visitors completing "verification" steps, like watching videos and clicking ads to generate ad revenue, but they never show any private Instagram details.
- Other "viewers" are more malicious, asking for peoples' Instagram credentials or credit card information in an attempt to steal that data.

Section 2 of 5:

Send a Follow Request

Download Article

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.^{[2]
X
Research source}
- If you're feeling nervous about sending a request from your personal Instagram account, you could always create a new account. You might want to focus your new account on something interesting or funny to intrigue the person you want to follow, such as inspiring self-help quotes, hilarious memes, toys from the 2000s, or chihuahuas in costumes.

Section 3 of 5:

See Which Friends Follow Them

Download Article

When you visit the private profile from your own account, you'll see which of your friends follow them at the top of the profile. If several friends follow the account, you'll see the first 2 or 3 names, followed by "and 15 others" (the number will vary). Tap the "and 15 others" link to see a full list of all of your friends who follow that account.^{[3]
X
Research source}

Section 4 of 5:

Check Their Facebook Friends List

Download Article

Just head over to Facebook, go to their profile, and click or tap Friends at the top. There's usually a bit of crossover between people's Facebook and Instagram accounts, so it's likely that a lot of the people they're friends with on Facebook also follow them on Instagram.

Section 5 of 5:

Google Their Instagram Username

Download Article

While Googling won't show you who follows the account, you might come across some private photos. This is especially true if the private account was ever public in the past—there's a chance some of the account's photos are available on other websites.
- If the username is pretty common, try adding "Instagram" to your search to narrow down the results.^{[4]
  X
  Research source}
- You can also click or tap the Images link at the top of Google to view only images in your results.

Community Q&A

Search

Add New Question

Question

How do I check my profile followers?

Community Answer

To check your followers, go to your profile and click the text that says "followers" and "following". You can also search for followers within that list as well as see suggestions of similar profiles to follow.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 1 Helpful 14
Question

If their account is private, how do I see their followers and photos?

Community Answer

You have to send a follow request to them.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 10 Helpful 11
Question

He has not accepted my request. How can I view his followers?

Community Answer

If someone with a private profile rejects your following request, you cannot view their profile, and you should move on to someone else. Just forget about it. Don't send more follow requests to him, because he might block or report you.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 5 Helpful 8