How to Tell if Someone Blocked You on Instagram

It’s never fun to suspect that someone may have blocked you on Instagram. But if you’re finding it hard to locate someone’s profile or see their posts and stories, you may be wondering if you’ve been blocked. Instagram doesn’t notify users when they’re blocked, so it can be tricky to confirm. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the signs and steps you can take to determine if someone has blocked you on Instagram.

1. Search for Their Profile

One of the simplest ways to see if someone blocked you is to try searching for their profile. Here’s how:

• Go to the Search bar in Instagram and type in their username.

• If they don’t appear in the results, they might have blocked you (or, less commonly, deleted their account).

What to look out for:

• If their account is public, and they haven’t blocked you, their profile should show up.

• If they’ve blocked you, their profile won’t appear in search results, even if you type in the exact username.

2. Check Your Direct Messages

If you’ve previously chatted with the person on Instagram, you can go to your direct messages (DMs) and look for your past conversation with them.

• Open your DMs and scroll through to find their chat.

• Tap on their profile image or name to try accessing their profile.

What to look out for:

• If you’re blocked, you’ll likely see a message like "User Not Found" or "No Posts Yet" on their profile, even if you remember them having posts before.

3. Look for Their Comments or Tags

If they’ve commented on or been tagged in posts by you or mutual friends, you can check to see if their username still links to a profile.

• Go to a post they’ve commented on or where they’ve been tagged.

• Tap on their username to try and access their profile.

What to look out for:

• If they’ve blocked you, clicking on their name will show an error message or take you to a blank profile with “No Posts Yet” displayed.

• If their username has been replaced with something like "Instagram User," it might mean they deleted their account.

4. Try Viewing Their Profile from Another Account

If you have another Instagram account, or if you have a friend who is also connected to this person, you can try viewing their profile from a different account.

• Ask a friend or use an alternate account to search for their profile.

What to look out for:

• If their profile appears on the alternate account, but not on yours, you’ve likely been blocked.

• If the profile doesn’t appear on either account, they may have deleted their account or changed their username.

5. Use Instagram Web

Sometimes, checking on a web browser rather than the app can offer more clues.

• Go to Instagram.com and type in their username at the end of the URL like this: www.instagram.com/username.

What to look out for:

• If you’re logged into your account and see a message that the page isn’t available, it may mean you’re blocked.

• Log out and try accessing the URL again; if the page loads when you’re logged out but not when logged in, that’s a strong indicator you’ve been blocked.

6. Look for Signs in Instagram Stories or Highlights

If you know someone frequently posts to their Instagram Stories or has Highlights saved, this can be a quick way to confirm if you’ve been blocked.

• Check the Stories section to see if their profile appears.

• Visit their profile to see if Highlights are still available.

What to look out for:

• If you’re unable to see their Stories or Highlights but you could before, it’s a possible indicator that you’ve been blocked.

• However, they might have simply restricted their story audience instead of blocking you.

7. Try Following Them Again

If the person’s profile somehow appears (e.g., through DMs or tags) but seems off, try following them again.

• Tap the “Follow” button if it’s visible.

What to look out for:

• If you’re blocked, the “Follow” button won’t work, and you won’t be able to follow the account.

• If they’re private and you see a “Request” button instead of “Follow,” but it doesn’t let you complete the request, that’s a sign they’ve blocked you.

FAQ: Common Questions About Being Blocked on Instagram

Q: Can I confirm for sure if I’ve been blocked on Instagram?
A: Unfortunately, Instagram doesn’t notify users who are blocked, and there’s no way to check directly. However, using a combination of the above methods can strongly indicate if you’ve been blocked.

Q: If someone blocks me, can I still see their comments on other profiles?
A: Generally, no. When someone blocks you, their interactions (like comments) on other profiles will be hidden from your view.

Q: What’s the difference between being blocked and having someone delete their account?
A: If they’ve blocked you, you’ll see a “User Not Found” message on their profile and won’t be able to interact with their account. If they deleted their account, it won’t be visible to anyone.

Q: Can I unblock myself if someone blocked me?
A: No, only the person who blocked you can unblock you. You can’t reverse the action from your end.

Q: Will I lose any past interactions if someone blocks me?
A: Yes, you won’t be able to see their likes, comments, or any past messages you shared with them. Essentially, their account becomes invisible to you.

Conclusion

Getting blocked on Instagram can feel frustrating, but with these steps, you can get a good idea if it happened to you. Remember, blocking isn’t always personal—it could be for privacy or boundary reasons. Rather than dwelling on it, focus on the connections you do have on Instagram and keep your social media experience positive.

Using these techniques, you can often tell if someone blocked you without direct confirmation. And always remember, respecting others' boundaries on social media is important. Blocking and privacy settings are tools for everyone to make their Instagram experience enjoyable and safe.