Have you ever been in a situation where you thought someone might have blocked you on Instagram? You aren’t alone. This is a common concern among users, and, to be honest, it could get frustrating since blocking someone can be very confusing, especially if you are not sure what happened to this person’s account. Thankfully, there are some incredibly easy ways to figure out if someone has blocked you on Instagram.
Instagram doesn’t send you a notification when someone blocks you, so it could take a little bit of work to figure out what happened.
In this article, we will explore a few different ways to help you understand if you may have been blocked.
Table of Contents
What Happens When Someone Blocks You on Instagram?
If someone blocks you on Instagram, a few things will happen in relation to your account:
- You cannot view their profile, posts or stories
- You can’t do a search on their username to see what they posted
- You might notice some differences when reviewing previous conversations
- You cannot tag them in posts or comments
- You cannot see their comments on other people’s posts
These changes will help you identify the signs of being blocked.
Method 1: Search for Their Profile
The first and simplest method to see if someone has blocked you is to look at their profile.
How to do this:
- Open Instagram and go to the search tab
- Enter their exact username in the search box
- Examine the search results closely
What to look for:
- If you do not see the account in search results, they likely have blocked you
- Type their exact username in the search bar
- Try also searching for their displayed name
Important Note: Occasionally, profiles do not appear in search results as a result of strict privacy settings or because the account has been deactivated. So this isn’t 100% accurate on its own.
Method 2: Check Your Direct Messages
Your message history can provide you with crucial indicators on whether you’ve been blocked.
What to look for:
- Go to your inbox on Instagram
- Locate your conversation with that person
- After you have found their conversation, you will be able to see their profile picture and name.
Signs you might be blocked:
- Their profile picture is absent or displays a default avatar
- Their name reads as “Instagram User” instead of their actual name
- If you try sending a new message, it will not go through right away.
Why this happens: When individuals block you, Instagram automatically removes their profile information from your thread to maintain their privacy.
Method 3: Look at Old Comments
If you used to comment with this person, you will be able to easily see if they blocked you.
How to do this:
- Find posts that they commented on in the past
- Take note of their username in their comment
- Check multiple posts, just in case
What blocked comments look like:
- Their username in the comment may not be clickable
- The comment may display “unavailable”
- They may not have a profile picture in their original comment
This works great if you have a prior history of engagement with this specific user on Instagram!
Method 4: Check Tagged Photos
Tags can also provide insight into whether a person has blocked you. Follow these steps to check:
- Go to your profile and check photos you were all tagged in
- Click on the username in the tag, and try to view the tagged photo
- Look to see whether or not the tagged photos still appear on your profile
Factors to consider that point to the fact that you were blocked include:
- The username in tags is no longer clickable
- The tagged photos of the person disappear from your profile
- You cannot tag them in a new post
Method 5: Use a Web Browser
This is one of the most reliable ways to check if you’re blocked.
Steps to follow:
- Open any web browser (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, etc.)
- Don’t log into Instagram
- Type: instagram.com/theirusername (replace with their actual username)
- Press Enter
What the results mean:
- If you can see their profile in the browser but not on your app, you’re blocked
- If the profile doesn’t exist in the browser either, they may have deleted their account
- This method works because you’re viewing as a guest, not from your blocked account
Method 6: Ask a Friend or Use Another Account
This is the most sure way to confirm if you’ve been blocked.
Options to try:
- Ask a mutual friend to search for the person’s profile
- Create a new Instagram account and search from there
- Log into Instagram from a different device with a different account
What this tells you:
- If others can see the profile but you can’t, you’re definitely blocked
- If nobody can find the profile, the account might be deactivated or deleted
- This method gives you the clearest answer
Things to Remember
Don’t jump to conclusions: There could be other reasons why you can’t find someone’s profile:
- They might have deactivated their account temporarily
- They could have changed their username
- Their account might be set to private with very strict settings
Stay respectful: If you confirm that someone has blocked you, it’s best to respect their decision. Don’t try to contact them through other accounts or ask friends to message them for you.
Check multiple signs: Use more than one method to be sure. One sign alone might not mean you’re blocked.
Read more: How to See Instagram Photos that are Private
Final Thoughts
There are ways to easily find out if someone has blocked you on Instagram without all the uncertainty. Try these easy tips for an answer either way. The best approach is to use a combination of several of the methods, especially if you are using a web browser along with asking a friend to check as well.
Keep in mind that being blocked sometimes is just a part of social media. People block other people for many different reasons and it is important to respect their decision. Focus on the positive connections you have and don’t let one blocked account take away from your experience of the platform.
If you find out that you have in fact been blocked, use that as a chance to connect with other friends and make new ones on the app!
