What if someone suddenly stops appearing on your Instagram feed or responding to your messages? Did they block you or did they just restrict you? How can you tell the difference?
In this article, you will learn the definitive methods to discover who blocked you on Instagram without using any shady third-party apps. You will also learn how to distinguish between being blocked and being restricted, and what to do if you are blocked by someone.
Table of Contents
Method 1: Search for their account on Instagram or online
The first and easiest way to check if someone blocked you on Instagram is to search for their account using the app or a web browser. To do this, follow these steps:
- Tap the magnifying glass icon at the bottom of the app to open the search page.
- Type in the username of the person you suspect has blocked you in the search bar.
- If you see their username in the results, tap on it to go to their profile page.
- If their account is private and you see a message saying “This Account is Private”, you have been blocked by them.
- If their account is public and you see their username, but their profile page is blank with no posts, followers, or following numbers, and a message saying “No Posts Yet”, you have also been blocked by them.
- If you don’t see their username in the results at all, they may have blocked you or deleted their account.
You can also search for their account online by typing instagram.com/username in your web browser, where username is the username of the person you want to find. If you see a page saying “Sorry, this page isn’t available”, it means they have either blocked you or deleted their account.
To confirm if they have blocked you or deleted their account, you can ask a friend who follows them to search for their account and see if they can access their profile page. If your friend can see their profile page, it means they have blocked you. If your friend can’t see their profile page either, it means they have deleted or temporarily deactivated their account.
Method 2: Try to follow them using a web browser
Another way to find out if someone blocked you on Instagram is to try to follow them using a web browser. To do this, follow these steps:
- Open a web browser and go to instagram.com.
- Log in to your account if you haven’t already.
- Search for the username of the person you think has blocked you using the search bar at the top of the page.
- If you see their username in the results, click on it to go to their profile page.
- If you see a blue “Follow” button on their profile page, click on it to try to follow them.
- If you get an error message saying “Sorry, you can’t follow this account right now” or the button doesn’t work, it means they have blocked you.
- If the “Follow” button disappears after you click on it, it means they have not blocked you, but they have restricted you instead.
Restricting someone on Instagram is different from blocking them. When you restrict someone, they can still see your posts and stories, but they can’t comment on them or see when you are online. You also won’t see their comments or messages unless you approve them. Restricting someone is a way to limit their interaction with you without blocking them completely.
Method 3: Check their comments on your posts
A third way to check if someone blocked you on Instagram is to look for their comments on your posts. To do this, follow these steps:
- Go to your profile page by tapping the profile icon at the bottom right of the app.
- Scroll through your posts and look for any comments from the person you suspect has blocked you.
- If you find a comment from them, tap on their username or profile picture to go to their profile page.
- If you see a page saying “This page is unavailable” or you can’t access their profile details, it means they have blocked you.
- If you can still see their profile page, it means they have not blocked you, but they may have restricted you.
You can also try to comment on one of their posts, but this is not a reliable way to check if they have blocked you. If your comment doesn’t go through, it could mean that they have blocked you, but it could also mean that they have disabled comments on that post or restricted you.
Method 4: Go to your direct messages with them
The last way to check if someone blocked you on Instagram is to go to your direct messages with them. To do this, follow these steps:
- Tap the paper plane icon at the top right of the app to open your direct messages.
- Look for the conversation with the person you think has blocked you and tap on it to open it.
- Tap on their profile picture at the top of the conversation to go to their profile page.
- If you see a page saying “User Not Found” or you can’t access their profile details, it means they have blocked you.
- If you can still see their profile page, it means they have not blocked you, but they may have restricted you.
You should also know that even if someone blocks you on Instagram, your direct messages with them will not be deleted. You can still see the messages you exchanged before they blocked you, and you can even send them new messages, but they will not receive them or be able to reply to them.
Conclusion
Being blocked by someone on Instagram can be frustrating and confusing, but you don’t have to resort to using dubious third-party apps to find out who blocked you. By using the methods explained in this article, you can easily and safely discover who blocked you on Instagram and why. You can also learn how to tell the difference between being blocked and being restricted, and what to do if you are blocked by someone.
Remember that blocking someone on Instagram is a personal choice that people make for various reasons, and it is not always a reflection of you or your relationship with them. Sometimes, people block others to protect their privacy, avoid drama, or cope with a difficult situation. Whatever the reason, you should respect their decision and not try to contact them through other means or harass them.
If you are blocked by someone on Instagram, the best thing to do is to move on and focus on your own happiness and well-being. There are plenty of other people on Instagram who will appreciate and support you, so don’t let one person’s action ruin your experience on the platform.