How to Block Someone on Instagram (and What They See)
How to block on Instagram: go to the person’s profile, tap Options in the top right, tap Block, then tap Block at the bottom to confirm. You can also block from your chat with them, from the Blocked list in your settings, or from their profile on instagram.com. Instagram doesn’t notify them.
In the app you also choose how far the block reaches: just this account, or their other accounts and new ones too. Below are the routes, what changes for them, and how to undo it. Instagram’s other safety tools are rounded up in the Instagram how-to guide.
Table of Contents
- How to block on Instagram: profile, chat, settings or computer
- Should you block only this account, or new accounts too?
- What happens when you block someone on Instagram?
- Does Instagram tell someone you blocked them?
- How do you see who you’ve blocked and unblock them?
- Block, restrict or mute: which one do you need?
- How do you report an account or a post?
- Can Outfeed block or moderate for you?
- Blocking on Instagram: FAQ
How to block on Instagram: profile, chat, settings or computer
Use whichever screen you’re on: their profile, your chat with them and the Blocked list in your settings each have a Block option. Instagram’s iPhone and Android steps are word for word the same. Only the Options icon on a profile looks different, and its label doesn’t change.
On iPhone: from your settings:
- Tap Profile or your profile picture in the bottom right to go to your profile.
- Tap Menu in the top right.
- Below Who can see your content, tap Blocked.
- To unblock someone on your blocked accounts list, tap Unblock to the right of their name. Tap Unblock again to confirm.
- To add someone to your blocked accounts list, tap Add in the top right and search for the person you'd like to block. Tap Block to the right of their name.
- Tap Block at the bottom to confirm.
On iPhone: from a chat:
- Tap Messages at the bottom.
- Tap the chat with the person you want to block/unblock.
- Tap the person's name at the top of your chat.
- Tap Options in the top right.
- Tap Block/Unblock, then tap again to confirm.
On iPhone: from their profile:
- Tap their username from their Feed or story post, or tap Search and type their username, then tap it to go to their profile.
- Tap Options in the top right, then tap Block.
- Tap Block at the bottom to confirm.
Checked against Instagram Help Center: Block or unblock someone on Instagram.
On a computer, at instagram.com:
On the web:
- Click their username from their post in your Feed or story post, or click Search and type their username, then click it to go to their profile.
- Click Options in the top right, then click Block.
Checked against Instagram Help Center: What happens when you block someone on Instagram.
Should you block only this account, or new accounts too?
When you block from the app, Instagram offers two choices: block just their account, or block it plus other existing accounts they may have and any accounts they may create. The wider option is the one to pick for someone who keeps coming back on a new account.
It has one gap: it doesn’t cover their other accounts that you already follow. Block each of those individually. Instagram also asks you to update the app to the latest version for the most up-to-date blocking experience.
Checked against Instagram Help Center: What happens when you block someone on Instagram.
The same article adds a wider caution: “If the person you blocked has multiple Instagram or Facebook accounts, you may need to block each account.” Checked against Instagram Help Center: What happens when you block someone on Instagram (multiple accounts)
What happens when you block someone on Instagram?
They can’t see your photos or videos or find you in search, their likes and comments come off your posts, and their messages stop reaching you. A few things carry on. From Instagram’s own articles:
| What they lose | What carries on | |
|---|---|---|
| Your profile | Seeing your photos and videos, and finding your account in search | Seeing your likes and comments on posts shared by public accounts or accounts they follow |
| Your posts | Their likes and comments are removed, and unblocking doesn’t restore them | — |
| Tags and mentions | They can’t tag you or mention your username | — |
| Messages | Reaching you: anything they send while blocked is never delivered, even after you unblock | Your existing chat stays in your inbox, but you can’t message them |
| Group chats | — | Instagram asks if you want to stay or leave; if you stay, you both see each other’s messages in the group |
| Their other accounts | Existing and new ones, if you chose that option | Any you already follow, until you block each one |
| Your Facebook account | — | If it isn’t set up in Accounts Center, they can still message or call it unless you block them on Facebook too |
A dash means the article doesn’t list anything there. For the Facebook side, see how to block someone on Facebook.
Checked against Instagram Help Center: What happens when you block someone on Instagram.
Checked against Instagram Help Center: Unfollow someone on Instagram.
Checked against Instagram Help Center: What happens when you block someone on Instagram (Facebook accounts).
Checked against Instagram Help Center: What happens when you block someone on Instagram.
Does Instagram tell someone you blocked them?
No. In Instagram’s words: “People aren’t notified when you block them.” There’s no alert, so blocking “without them knowing” needs no extra step. What they might notice is the block itself: your photos and videos stop showing for them, and your account no longer comes up when they search. Checked against Instagram Help Center: Block or unblock someone on Instagram
How do you see who you’ve blocked and unblock them?
Go to Blocked, below Who can see your content, in your settings in the app or on the web, and unblock from there. Unblocking doesn’t bring back the likes and comments removed when you blocked, and messages sent during the block are never delivered.
On iPhone:
- Tap Profile or your profile picture in the bottom right to go to your profile.
- Tap Menu in the top right.
- Below Who can see your content, tap Blocked. You can choose to unblock someone by tapping Unblock to the right of their name.
Checked against Instagram Help Center: See who you've blocked on Instagram and unblock them.
On the web:
- Click More in the bottom left, then click Settings.
- Click Blocked below Who can see your content.
- Click Unblock next to the account you want to unblock.
- Click Unblock again to confirm.
Checked against Instagram Help Center: See who you've blocked on Instagram and unblock them.
If you’ve turned on connected experiences in Accounts Center, the app may also show a “You may want to block” list, based on accounts you blocked from messaging your Facebook account.
Block, restrict or mute: which one do you need?
Block when you want someone out of your account. The lighter tools limit them without cutting them off:
- Restrict: for someone you’d rather limit quietly than cut off. What changes for them is in what restricting does.
- Mute: for someone you want to see less of without unfollowing them. Steps in how to mute someone on Instagram. If an account just gives you the ick rather than making you feel unsafe, muting is the gentler step.
- Remove follower: takes them off your Followers list without notifying them. Instagram frames it for private accounts. On a public account they can follow again, and blocking is the documented way to stop that. Checked against Instagram Help Center: Remove a follower on Instagram
How do you report an account or a post?
From the Options menu on the post or profile, and the report is anonymous: the account won’t see who reported it, unless you’re reporting an intellectual property infringement. Reporting is a separate step from blocking. A profile can be reported for posting content it shouldn’t, pretending to be someone else, or belonging to a child under 13. The same steps work on Android:
On iPhone: report a post:
- Tap Options above the post.
- Tap Report.
- Follow the on-screen instructions.
On iPhone: report a profile:
- Tap their username from their Feed, story post, or from your chat with them. You can also tap Explore and search their username to go to their profile.
- Tap Options in the top right of the profile.
- Tap Report.
- Follow the on-screen instructions.
Checked against Instagram Help Center: Report a post or profile on Instagram.
Signs of an impostor or bot are covered in how to spot fake Instagram accounts.
Can Outfeed block or moderate for you?
If you use Outfeed AI (we publish this guide), here is what it can and can’t do:
Line up your next Instagram feed post in Outfeed AI
Blocking on Instagram: FAQ
Does someone know if you block them on Instagram?
No. Instagram says people aren’t notified when you block them. The block itself changes what they see: they can’t see your photos or videos or search for your account, and their likes and comments come off your posts. They can still see your likes and comments on posts shared by public accounts or by accounts they follow.
What happens to messages when you block someone on Instagram?
Your existing chat stays in your inbox, but you can’t message them. Anything they send while blocked is never delivered, not even after you unblock them. If you’re in a group chat with them, Instagram asks whether you want to stay or leave; if you stay, you both see each other’s messages in the group.
How do you block new accounts someone creates on Instagram?
When you block someone from the Instagram app, you can block just their account, or their account plus other existing accounts they may have and accounts they may create. This doesn’t cover their other accounts you already follow; block those one by one. Instagram asks you to update the app for the most up-to-date blocking experience.
Can you block someone on Instagram from a computer?
Yes. On instagram.com, go to their profile by clicking their username on a post or story, or by searching for it. Click Options in the top right, then click Block. To see who you’ve blocked, click More in the bottom left, then Settings, then Blocked below Who can see your content.
How do you unblock someone on Instagram?
In the app, go to your profile, tap Menu in the top right, then tap Blocked below Who can see your content. Tap Unblock to the right of their name, then tap Unblock again to confirm. Likes and comments removed when you blocked them don’t come back, and messages they sent while blocked are never delivered.