How Many People Can You Follow on Instagram?

Instagram is all about connecting with friends, family, and favorite accounts, but it does place limits on how many people you can follow. Knowing these limits can help you avoid temporary restrictions and keep your account in good standing.

In this blog, we’ll explain how many people you can follow on Instagram, why these limits exist, and how they impact your user experience.

1. Instagram’s Following Limit: 7,500 Accounts

Instagram sets a maximum follow limit at 7,500 accounts per user. Once you reach this limit, you won’t be able to follow any more people unless you unfollow some accounts. This limit applies to all users, whether they have a personal account, business account, or verified profile.

Instagram imposes this restriction to reduce spam and make sure that interactions on the platform remain genuine. Without a limit, people could easily follow thousands of accounts to artificially boost their own follower counts or influence engagement metrics.

2. Why Does Instagram Have a Follow Limit?

The follow limit is part of Instagram’s broader strategy to maintain quality interactions across the platform. Here’s why:

• Reducing Spam Accounts: Spammers often follow thousands of users to get attention or try to manipulate follower counts.

• Improving Content Quality: By setting a limit, Instagram encourages users to only follow accounts they are truly interested in. This helps ensure a better browsing experience.

• Protecting Engagement Rates: With a limit, Instagram maintains more accurate metrics and engagement levels for users.

3. Daily Follow Limits on Instagram

Instagram also restricts the number of accounts you can follow per day to prevent spammy behavior. Although this daily limit isn’t explicitly stated by Instagram, reports suggest that users can follow around 200 accounts per day. Exceeding this limit too often may result in temporary restrictions, such as a temporary block from following new accounts.

For newer accounts, the limit may be even lower, around 100 follows per day, to reduce potential abuse. To avoid restrictions, it’s best to pace your follows over a few days if you’re trying to follow many accounts.

4. Temporary Follow Bans and Restrictions

Instagram may temporarily restrict your account from following new users if you follow too many people in a short period. These restrictions are typically triggered by:

• Following and unfollowing accounts in quick succession.

• Rapidly following multiple accounts in a short amount of time.

• Reaching the daily follow limit repeatedly.

These restrictions are usually temporary and can last from a few hours to several days. If you encounter this, it’s best to wait it out and avoid mass following activity.

5. What Happens If You Reach the 7,500 Follow Limit?

Once you hit the 7,500 follow limit, you won’t be able to follow any additional accounts until you make room by unfollowing others. To do this, you can:

• Manually unfollow accounts you no longer wish to follow.

• Use Instagram’s "Following" section on your profile to identify accounts you’re least engaged with and consider unfollowing them.

If you’re managing a business or influencer account, it’s wise to periodically review your following list and ensure you’re only following accounts relevant to your brand or interests.

6. Maximizing Your Follow Limit: Tips for Staying Within Limits

Here are a few tips to help you stay within the follow limits without hitting Instagram’s restrictions:

• Avoid Mass Following Activities: Don’t follow too many accounts in a single session, and avoid using bots or follow-for-follow tactics.

• Focus on Engagement, Not Quantity: Instead of focusing on reaching the follow limit, aim to build meaningful connections with the accounts you follow.

• Use Tools for Organizing Followers: Some third-party apps help identify inactive accounts or ghost followers, allowing you to manage your follow list effectively (though these should be used cautiously to protect your account security).

FAQ: Common Questions About Instagram’s Follow Limit

Q: How many people can you follow on Instagram?
A: Instagram has a follow limit of 7,500 accounts per user. Once you reach this limit, you’ll need to unfollow accounts before you can follow new ones.

Q: Can I follow more than 7,500 people if I have a business account?
A: No, the 7,500 follow limit applies to all types of accounts, including business and verified profiles.

Q: How many accounts can I follow per day on Instagram?
A: While Instagram doesn’t state an official limit, many users report being able to follow about 200 accounts per day. Exceeding this limit may lead to temporary restrictions.

Q: What should I do if I hit the follow limit?
A: If you’ve hit the 7,500 follow limit, you’ll need to unfollow some accounts before you can follow new ones. You can review your list and remove accounts you’re no longer interested in.

Q: Can following too many accounts lead to my account being banned?
A: Following too many accounts in a short period can result in temporary restrictions, but it typically won’t lead to a permanent ban unless there’s consistent spam-like activity.