How to Block and Unblock Someone on Instagram Using iOS, Android, or PCs

In this post, I’d like to explain the easiest methods of blocking and unblocking someone from Instagram. These methods are good for Android devices, IOS, and PCs. Also, I would like to address FAQ about blocking or unblocking somebody from the service.

Hello everyone. It is your friend Frankie here again to give you a little more information about the app we all love, Instagram.

Are you getting tired of hateful comments on your posts or constantly getting rundown with irritating DMs (you know the ones: “follow for a follow back” or “I want to friend you“) from your followers on Instagram?

If they can do anything, these people certainly have a knack for getting on your nerves, don’t they? Have you considered blocking them before? You would be lying if you said that you have not. Otherwise, you wouldn’t find yourself sitting at this article.

Today, I’d like to explain the best methods to block someone from Instagram and how to unblock accounts if you have mistakenly cut off communication with a family member or friend.

Hey, you might even start missing those mean comments on your posts and all those invasive direct messages. There’s no rule against it.

So, let’s not waste any more time and get right into answering your questions of how to block or unblock somebody from Instagram.

Frankie’s Take:

In the paragraphs to come, I want to show you how easy it is to block someone on Instagram. Also, there’s good news. Nobody ever receives a notification about being blocked when you choose to do this.

3 Methods of Blocking/Unblocking Someone on Instagram

There is not a single method of restricting someone for viewing your stories in posts, or reaching out to you through DM, or showing them how kindhearted you are by permitting them to do these above actions again. The truth is, there are THREE!

Yes, you read that right.

Think about it: all of those followers have several ways to reach out and troll you through story replies, direct messaging, or commenting on your posts. I suppose it’s only fair that you have multiple options to block them as well.

It would appear that the Instagram development team understood this assignment well.

Now, you might be wondering what these three methods are. So here’s the short answer:

1. Through the Settings
2. Through Their DMs
3. Through Their Profiles

The only concern is going to be the operating system that gets used to achieve these goals: Android, iOS, or PC platforms.

Allow me to teach you how to block people on your Instagram with the trusty Nokia 8810.

Alright, maybe I wanted to troll you a bit too. I got you!

Wait – or – maybe I can do a post on how to block and unblock someone on Instagram from a Nokia type phone after you manage to install the app somehow. LOL

Well, back to your concern. I will direct you on how to block someone using all three devices or operating systems for all three methods.

So, let’s get right to the three effective methods of blocking and unblocking people from your Instagram.

1. Through the Settings

When we say settings, we do not mean the settings for your phone. Rather this refers to the feature within Instagram.

How does that work?

Here’s a step-by-step guide on blocking or unblocking someone from your Instagram through the settings using either your Android device, IOS phone, or PC.

Android

1. Tap on your profile icon in the bottom right corner of the home page.
2. Click on the three dashes appearing in the top right of your profile.
3. Locate Settings and push it.
4. From the multiple options that appear, you need to locate Privacy. Worry not, you can always explore all of your options in this menu after you block those pesky contacts.
5. In Privacy Settings, click on Blocked Accounts.

Now, you can do this however you wish.

To Block Contacts:

1. Click the (+) sign at the top right corner and search for the account that you wish to block. Tap on the Block command that appears on the right of their account name.
2. To automatically block any other account that the user creates, you can choose Block All Accounts of [USERNAME] at the bottom to confirm.
3. You could also block a user’s existing account by tapping the small circle that appears next to the Block [USERNAME] Only option.

And just like that, you have blocked someone.

To Unblock Contacts:

1. Locate the account you wish to unblock in the list of blocked accounts
2. Click on the Unblock prompt next to their name

iOS (iPhone or iPad)

1. Begin by tapping on My Profile (small icon with your profile picture in the bottom right corner).
2. Click on the three horizontal dashes displayed in the top right corner.
3. From this menu, choose Settings.
4. Click on Privacy and then locate the option for Blocked Accounts.

To Block Contacts:

This is similar to Android procedures.

1. Click the (+) sign in the top corner and search for the contact you want to block
2. Select the Block prompt that appears to the right of their name
3. That’s it – you have removed those followers from viewing your posts and stories.

To Unblock Contacts:

You will again need to find the account you want to unblock and click on the appropriate prompt.

1. Go to the blocked accounts list and locate the user you wish to unblock.
2. Using the appropriate prompt, click Unblock next to the username.

PCs

1. Start by opening Instagram on your browser.
2. Don’t do anything else you cannot access a list of blocked accounts on the Instagram web page. Any action from here will be in vain. Take your phone off charge and follow the prompts above to block or unblock the account.

2. Through Their DMs

Maybe you feel like going through the settings and searching for the account you wish to block is too much effort. If someone is causing you a headache, we have a more accessible option available.

Take a look at the instructions below and block people directly from the DM feature of Instagram.

Android

1. Tap the messenger icon in the top right of your feed.
2. Tap the person you wish to block.
3. At the top of this chat you’ll see their username. Click here.
4. Tap on “i” icon

As before, you will have a couple of options.

To Block Contacts:

Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on Block.

To Unblock Contacts:

If the account has already been blocked, you will find an Unblock prompt instead of the Block option.

All you need to do is click Unblock and confirm this action to allow this user access to your account again.

iOS

1. Go to the DMs section
2. Click the chat of the person you want to block
3. Tap on “i” icon

To Block Contacts:

Locate the Block command and click it. You will need to confirm this choice.

Your headache is already starting to feel better.

To Unblock Contacts:

Find the Unblock command and choose that. Click once more to confirm.

Feel free to block them again if the headache starts coming back.

PCs

Begin by clicking on the messenger icon at the top right corner of the feed. Select the chat of the person you want to block from your account At the top of this chat look for their username. Instead of clicking directly on it, click the (i) icon right at the end of their username instead.

To Block Contacts:

1. From the menu that appears, select Block.
2. You will need to confirm this action.

And just like that, this person is forbidden from your profile.

To Unblock Contacts:

Unblocking is easy, you just select that prompt and confirm from this same menu.

3. Through Their Profile

If you are having trouble finding the chats of the person sending you all the shade, no problem. You can also restrain them from following you and sending you messages in another way. Here is what you do:

Android

Start by visiting their profile by clicking on the username and a comment section, or on their story, or by searching for their profile and the search bar available.

You can then tap the three vertical dots appearing in the top right of their profile.

Now, the choice is up to you.

To Block Contacts:

1. From the menu appearing, you can click on Block.
2. You’ll see a prompt asking to only block this account or any of the accounts they may create, and you can choose as you please.

To Unblock Contacts:

Look for an Unblock command in that pop up menu.

And with a click, the door to your account swings open to this user once again.

iOS

1. Open the profile of the user you wish to block.
2. Find 3 horizontal dots next to the bell icon in the top right. Click on that.

Now, you have to choose.

To Block Contacts:

You will want to select Block, which will appear as the second option in this menu.

You have the option to choose whether to block that account exclusively or all of the user accounts that may be associated with them.

To Unblock Contacts:

Find the Unblock command second on this list. Click and confirm.

PCs

1. Log into your Instagram on your PC or laptop.
2. Locate the profile of the user you wish to block, by clicking on their username in a comment or searching for it and the available bar.
3. Tap the three horizontal dots at the end of the username.

Then choose.

To Block Contacts:

Click on Block This User option (which might be first on the list).

Confirm the action by choosing Block again.

To Unblock Contacts:

Click to Unblock This User (which is likely to be first on the list.)

Confirm this action.

What is the Bottom Line?

If you want to know which method works best for unblocking or blocking someone on your Instagram, here’s a cheat sheet to help you.

Have you happened to browse through your blocked list in the settings, as I’m sure some people do, and remember that you have an account to block? If so, this first method seems appropriate for you.

You instead might open a DM that is spamming your inbox every day. With a few clicks in the right spots, you can block this annoying follower using the second method. Of course, if you are receiving hateful comments on posts and wanting to block them right away, the third method is the most straightforward and simple in this regard.

How to Mute/Unmute Someone’s Instagram Story

Blocking might make sense for somebody who is repeatedly bugging you, but encountering the stories and posts of somebody you don’t wish to see is another matter.

The latter might have several reasons. If you have some irritating cousin who uploads the same jokes they told two years ago, or a distant aunt who is in the habit of always posting fake news such as the coronavirus is over, or even pointless evidence on why she believes the earth might be flat, the following action is appropriate. You can’t block them because you might get scolded by your mother for it.

Instead, you can avoid their stories by putting them on mute. Any idea how to do that?

Let me demonstrate through a six-step procedure.

To Mute Someone:

1. Start by opening the story of the person you wish to put on mute.
2. Then, click the three dots in the top right corner next to the username.
3. In the menu that appears, select the Mute option.
4. Decide whether to mute their stories, or stories and posts together. Congratulations! The deed is done.

To Unmute Someone:

1. Visit the profile of the person and click on Following.
2. Select the Mute option, and then move the tab to on for stories and/or posts.
3. These steps remain the same for Android and iOS devices, whichever you use. Muting is not available on the PC, however, so you will have no choice but to deal with it.

What Happens When I Block Someone on Instagram?

I would say that blocking someone on Instagram or continuing to use your phone when someone is talking to you are essentially the same things. The difference is, one is carried out virtually while the other happens face to face.

Blocking someone from Instagram may affect their likes, comments, tags, and direct messages. Here is how that works:

Likes and Comments 

When you block someone, they can no longer see your posts or stories.

Their likes and comments get removed from all photos that have been put on your feed.

The blocked account is still able to see your comments on public groups, however.

Tags

Anyone with a blocked account cannot mention your username or tag you in stories or posts.

Messages

Any previous conversation that you’ve had with the blocked individual does not vanish from your inbox.

If you and the black person happened to be in the same group, you will not receive their messages unless you agree to that.

If you do, you’ll continue to receive their messages within that group, but your profile beyond the messages in that group remains vanished for all intents and purposes from this individual.

If you are embarrassed by the fact that the person might find out, relax. They cannot find out until they search for your account, because they will get no notifications from the app telling them that they have been blocked.

How Do You Know If Someone Blocked You?

Naturally, you might be wondering if you get no notification about being blocked, how will you know if someone does this to you? There are two ways that you can find out. The first is searching for their account.

If the account is private and you cannot locate it, or if the account is public and you can’t see their follower count, following count, profile picture and posts, it is very likely that you have been blocked.

The second option to discover if you have been blocked is to type in instagram.com/username. In this sense, you would replace the term username with that person’s specific handle. If you get a page apologizing that this content is not available, you have been blocked.

There’s a more information about this, I have an entire guide on how to find out if somebody has blocked you on Instagram. Take a minute and check it out.

Frequently Asked Questions

Undoubtedly you still have some questions. Don’t worry come up because and we promise a complete guide that is exactly what we mean. Here you’ll find answers to some of the most frequently asked questions so you can make sure that you have all the information you might need.

When you block someone on Instagram, do they know about it?

No, they won’t. They might notice your absence from their feed and randomly come across my article to test some methods of finding out if someone blocked them, but there is no direct notification telling them that they have been blocked.

What happens when you block someone on Instagram, but you have a public account?

If you block someone from a public account, it’s the same as if you did it from a private account. They will no longer see your posts or your stories. You will vanish from their account unless they are a creep and create another account simply to stalk you.

Can a blocked person still see my profile?

The shortest answer here is yes. But the full answer is not really. While a person can see your profile when they search for it, they cannot access your posts or your stories anymore. They can see previous comments that you make on other profiles for mutual friends, however.

Is removing a follower the same as blocking them?

Somewhat. Again, the answer is not fully complete because while removing and blocking both ultimately produce the same result, they do have their own differences. Removing a user is muchc more subtle and unaggressive method of ceasing communication rather than blocking someone. They will merely be removed from your following list, but still have the option of viewing your posts when they search for it, or comment on those posts if the account is public.

With private accounts, I would say that removing someone or blocking someone is the same.

Does blocking someone on Instagram make them unfollow you?

Absolutely. Blocking someone automatically removes them from your followers list. Which is why it is similar when you have a private account to just choose to Remove This User as the same level of security for your posts exists then. If you do unblock them, you will have to follow one another again. This DOES NOT apply to those with public accounts.

Do messages disappear when you block someone on Instagram?

No. Any conversations that happened before you blocked an individual will remain in the inboxes of both of you. The difference is that you will not be able to communicate in this way moving forward. If the person you have blocked sends you a message you will not receive them ever, even if you later unblock the individual.

What if you don’t want to block someone from Instagram fully?

There are actually several options that can help you here. You have the option to:

Remove them – this works great for public account holders.

Hide content – This allows private account holders to limit how far their stories go by putting them on a hidden list.

Close Friends List – Similar to hiding your stories from other accounts.

Restricting them – it is a great tool to avoid getting notifications from spammers. Comments on restricted accounts are only visible to them and no one else.

Each of these might affect the access to your content differently, but none of them shuts a user off entirely from accessing your account like blocking them will.

Conclusion

Did you have fun with this article?

Now, you have three distinct methods for blocking someone on Instagram, including blocking them from the settings, your direct messages, or through their profile.

You also learned some concepts like removing accounts, restricting them, and hiding your stories. You also got a taste of how to find out if you yourself has been blocked from accessing Instagram content.

Now, we are at the end. If you have any questions or concerns, you can always leave them in the comment box below. I read all of these and will respond wherever it is needed.

Until next time.

Frankie Caruso

PS – Remember that blocking someone does not mean that they cannot spy on you. I wrote a guide all about how to spy on Instagram (and also how to defend yourself.) You should check it out.