Want to know how to hide following list on Instagram?
Have concerns about your privacy on Instagram?
With the explosion of the Internet, social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are on everyone’s screen. In the modern world, everyone wants to share the best moments of their lives on social media. A decade ago Facebook was the most popular social media platform with a global monopoly. But in 2023, Facebook lost its crown, and now Instagram is considered the best social media platform with over billions of active users.

It’s hard to find anyone in today’s world who doesn’t have an Instagram account. Most of us overlook the fact that our data can be used and accessed by anyone on the Internet. Nowadays, it is a necessity to limit the number of people who can sneak into your profile.
We all have to start paying a bit more attention to our privacy on Instagram, whether our friend list, pictures, and the following list is in safe hands or not. Today we are going to share some steps by which you can learn how to hide who you follow on Instagram.
Can You Hide Who You Follow On Instagram?
No, unfortunately you can’t hide the people you follow on Instagram, but there is a way to limit the number of people who can see the accounts you follow, and that is by changing your account settings.
Read the next section to know the different types of accounts on Instagram and how they work.
Types of Account on Instagram?
All the accounts that exist on Instagram can be divided into three major categories: Public, Private, and Business. You can select your account type based on what you want to do with it.
We will explain each of them in detail, with their own pros and cons.
Public Accounts
As the name suggests, in a Public account, all the details of the user are publicly available and can be accessed by anyone. On a Public account, you can’t hide your following list, and anyone can see who you follow on Instagram. It doesn’t matter whether the other person is your follower or not; all the details, including your following list, are completely public.
PROS | CONS |
---|---|
More Followers, Likes, Comments On Account | Following List Can Be Accessed By Anyone |
Private Accounts
In this type of account, the data of a user can be accessed by a limited number of people; they are also known as followers. In a Private account, only the followers have access to the following list. If you have a Private account on Instagram, it means that you can hide who you follow on Instagram.
PROS | CONS |
---|---|
Following List Can’t Be Accessed By Anyone | Less Followers, Likes, Comments On Account |
Business Accounts
A Business can’t survive in a limited environment, it needs a mass audience to sell the services. As a result, a Business account can never be private, and all its data, including the following list, can be accessed by anyone on Instagram. So if you want to learn how to hide who you follow on instagram, but you are using a Business account, you should quit.
PROS | CONS |
---|---|
You Get Access to Instagram Analytics | Following List Can Be Accessed By Anyone |
How to Hide Your Following List Through a Private Account?
Want to know how can you hide your following list on Instagram?
Most people don’t know how to hide the following list on Instagram.
We already shared the benefits of a Private account with you that you can hide your following list on Instagram. This is not the only benefit that you will get after switching to a private account. The pictures and videos that you upload will also become private and can’t be publicly accessible.
All you have to do is follow the given Step-by-Step guide, and you can make your account private.
- Go to Settings and Privacy on the Instagram App.
- Go to Account Privacy.
- Select Private Account.
After you click the Account Privacy button, you can see that there are 2 options: Private and Public. All you have to do is select the private account, and you can hide your following list on Instagram.
Congratulations! Your Account is Now Private.
It means that no one can now explore your following list. Your account is private and safe from unwanted people on the internet. Only the people that you followed can see your following list. Let’s find out whether your account is completely private or if there is still someone who can sneak into your following list.
Who Can Still See Your Following List?
But this is not the complete picture, here’s a catch! There are still some people who can see your following list. Even in your private account, your followers have access to your following list. We will guide you on how to hide your following on instagram.
If you don’t wish to share your following list with a follower, you can block him/her.
The only problem with the blocking method is that the other person may get to know that you blocked them. Most people hesitate to block an old friend or relative just for this reason. But if you want to stop someone from looking at your following list without letting him know that you blocked them, there’s a way! Thanks to Instagram, last year they launched a feature named Restricted Mode.
How to Restrict Someone on Instagram?
Restriction Mode is undoubtedly the best feature Instagram has launched so far for users who have privacy concerns. If you want to know how can you hide who you follow on instagram in a private account, restriction mode is the way to do that. We are sharing the Step-by-Step guide with you by which you can restrict anyone and maintain privacy in a private account.
- Open the Instagram Application.
- Click on Settings Icon.
- After Opening Settings and Privacy, Click on Restriction.
As soon as you click on the Restricted button, you find an option from which you can select the name of the person you want to restrict. Instagram will never let him know that you restricted him. But over a while, naturally, the next person himself realizes that he was restricted by you due to a lack of communication.

How to Block Someone on Instagram?
Restriction Mode is not the only way to hide your following list on Instagram. Blocking perhaps is a rude way to instagram hide following list.
You can easily block anyone on Instagram by following the given steps:
- Go to the Profile and Tap on the Profile Icon at the Bottom Right.
- Go to Settings and Privacy.
- Click on the Block Icon.
How to Remove People From Your Followers List?
If there is still someone whom you want to stop from invading your private space on Instagram, you can remove that person from your profile. The good thing is that Instagram never sends a notification about being removed from the following list, so it is a decent way to hide your following list from selected people. Always keep in mind that only the people who follow you can see the people you follow.
Just follow these steps to remove someone from your following list:
- Click on the Profile Picture.
- Click on the Followers at the Top.
- Click Remove Button at the Right Side of Follower.
All done! You have successfully removed the person from your following list; now your following list will no longer be visible to him or her.
FAQs
Ans: If you want to learn how can you hide who you follow on instagram, the best way to do that is to make your account private. In a private account, your follower count can be seen by only the people that you follow. If your account is public, you must change the account type to private in the settings and privacy option. After switching the account type to private, you can easily hide your followers.
Ans: Instagram has very strict policies on privacy and data storage which makes it impossible for you to sneak into someone’s profile without following them. Instagram keeps updating itself from time to time so maybe in the future you will be able to see the profile of a person without following him, but today it is completely unrealistic.
Ans: By following the given steps, you can unfollow anyone in seconds:
- Open your Instagram Application.
- Go to the Profile Icon.
- Click on Followers.
- Tap the Name of the Person you Wish to Unfollow.
- Click the Blue Follow Button and it Will be Removed From your Following List.

Ans: First you have to choose your suspect and then all you have to do is comment on their profile. Now ask your friends whether they are able to see your comment on his profile or not? If their answer is No, the odds of you getting restricted are very high.
Instagram Help Centre, Instagram
Nicole Levine, How to Limit Who Can See Your Following List on Instagram, wikiHow
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