How do I restrict or unrestrict someone on Instagram?
There are multiple ways you can restrict someone on Instagram. If you restrict someone:
  • They won’t be able to see when you’re online or if you’ve read their messages.
  • Their new comments on your posts will only be visible to that person, and you can choose to see the comment by tapping See comment. If you want others to be able to see their comment, you can tap Approve, then tap Approve to confirm, or you can delete it or ignore it.
  • You won’t receive any notifications for future comments from that person.
Note: You can also restrict multiple people from your comments.
If you feel like you’re being harassed, you can also temporarily limit unwanted comments on your posts from groups of accounts.
To restrict or unrestrict someone through messages:
Instagram app for Android and iPhone
  1. Tap send or messenger in the top right of Feed.
  2. Tap the chat with the person you want to restrict.
  3. Tap the person's name at the top of your chat.
  4. Tap more actionsOptions in the top right, then tap Restrict.
  5. Tap Restrict account to confirm.
Instagram Lite app for Android
  1. Tap send in the top right.
  2. Tap the chat with the person you want to restrict.
  3. Tap in the top right of your chat.
  4. Tap Restrict at the bottom.
Keep in mind that:
  • Your chat with the restricted person will move from your main Direct inbox to Message Requests, and future messages from people that you’ve restricted will automatically move to Message Requests.
  • You’ll be able to see the person’s message without the person knowing that you’ve seen it. You can then choose to delete the message or block or unrestrict the person.
  • If you’re in a group chat with someone that you’ve restricted, you’ll get a warning that you’ll see a restricted account’s messages. You can choose to stay or leave the group.
To restrict or unrestrict someone through a comment:
Instagram app for Android
  1. Go to your post and tap View all comments.
  2. Tap and hold the comment.
  3. Tap and then tap Restrict [username] or Unrestrict [username].
Instagram app for iPhone
  1. Go to your post and tap View all comments.
  2. Swipe left over the comment.
  3. Tap and then tap Restrict or Unrestrict.
If a restricted person comments on your post, you can tap See comment to reveal what the comment says, or you can tap Delete to delete the comment. If you tapped See comment, you can tap Approve, then tap Approve to make the comment visible to others, or you can tap Delete to delete the comment.
Keep in mind that you won’t receive notifications for any future comments made by someone that you’ve restricted.
To restrict or unrestrict someone through settings:
Instagram app for Android and iPhone
  1. Tap profile or your profile picture in the bottom right to go to your profile.
  2. Tap more options in the top right.
  3. Below How others can interact with you, tap Restricted.
  4. Tap Continue.
  5. Search for the account you’d like to restrict and tap Restrict next to their username, or tap Unrestrict to unrestrict someone.
Instagram Lite app for Android
  1. Tap profile or your profile picture in the bottom right to go to your profile.
  2. Tap more options in the top right.
  3. Tap Privacy.
  4. Below Connections, tap Restricted accounts.
  5. See the list of accounts you have restricted. Tap Unrestrict next to their username to unrestrict someone.
Instagram.com from your computer
  1. Click menuMore in the bottom left, then click Settingssettings.
  2. Below How others can interact with you, click Restricted accounts.
  3. See the list of accounts you have restricted. Click Unrestrict next to their username to unrestrict someone.
Keep in mind that if you're using the Instagram Lite app, you can only restrict someone through their profile.
To restrict or unrestrict someone through their profile:
Instagram app for Android and iPhone
  1. Tap their username from their Feed or story post, or tap explore and search their username to go to their profile.
  2. Tap more options(iPhone) or more options(Android) in the top right.
  3. Tap Restrict to restrict their account or tap Unrestrict to unrestrict their account.
Instagram Lite app for Android
  1. Tap their username from their Feed or story post, or tap explore and search their username to go to their profile.
  2. Tap more options in the top right.
  3. Tap Restrict to restrict their account or tap Unrestrict to unrestrict their account.
Instagram.com on your computer
  1. Click their username from their Feed or story post, or click explore and search their username to go to their profile.
  2. Click more options in the top right.
  3. Click Restrict to restrict their account or click Unrestrict to unrestrict their account.
Related Articles
Find Additional Help
English (US)
+
Meta © 2024