oneiroseadream sea
Log inStart free

Guide · Instagram privacy

How to hide followers and following on Instagram

Instagram’s Help Center lists no setting that hides your followers or following list on its own. The closest is a private account: only your followers can then see the private accounts that follow you and that you follow. The public accounts in both lists stay visible to anyone on Instagram and Threads, whatever your setting.

By Oneirosea

Make your account private

  1. Tap Profile or your profile picture in the bottom right to go to your profile.
  2. Tap Menu in the top right.
  3. Below Who can see your content, tap Account privacy.
  4. Tap the toggle next to Private account.
  5. Tap Switch to private to confirm.

Business profiles can’t be private: switch back to a personal account first. If you’re under 18, your account is private by default.

Source: Instagram Help Center

Who can see your followers and following lists

Public accountPrivate account
Public accounts you follow and that follow youAnyone on Instagram and ThreadsAnyone on Instagram and Threads
Private accounts you follow and that follow youAnyone on InstagramYour followers
Who can follow youAnyone on InstagramOnly people you approve

So a private account hides the private accounts in your lists from people who don’t follow you, but not the public ones, and it lets you approve every new follower.

Source: Instagram Help Center

Remove a follower

With a private account, you can remove people from your followers list:

  1. Tap Profile or your profile picture in the bottom right to go to your profile.
  2. Tap Followers at the top.
  3. Tap X to the right of the follower, then tap Remove to confirm.

They aren’t notified. You can also block someone to make them stop following you, and people aren’t notified of a block either.

Source: Instagram Help Center

What a private account doesn’t hide

  • Your profile photo, name, username and bio: anyone on or off Instagram can see them.
  • The public accounts you follow and that follow you: anyone on Instagram and Threads can see them.

Source: Instagram Help Center

Common questions

Can you hide your followers on Instagram?

Not on their own. With a private account, only your followers can see the private accounts that follow you; the public accounts that follow you stay visible to anyone on Instagram and Threads.

Can you hide who you follow on Instagram?

Only partly. A private account hides the private accounts you follow from people who don’t follow you. The public accounts you follow stay visible to anyone on Instagram and Threads.

Does Instagram notify someone when you remove them as a follower?

No. People aren’t notified when you remove them as a follower, or when you block them.

Can a business account hide its followers?

No. Business profiles can’t be made private; switch back to a personal account first.

Sources

  1. Make your Instagram account privateInstagram Help Center, read October 1, 2026
  2. Differences between public and private accounts on InstagramInstagram Help Center, read October 1, 2026
  3. Remove a follower on InstagramInstagram Help Center, read October 1, 2026