Instagram, one of the world’s most popular social platforms, connects people through photos, videos, and stories. However, unwanted followers—particularly strangers—can invade your privacy or disrupt your experience. Fortunately, Instagram offers several features to help you control who follows you. This guide explains how to prevent strangers from following you and manage your account settings for enhanced privacy.

1. Make Your Account Private

Switching to a private account is the most effective way to control who follows you. When your account is private, only users you approve can see your posts and follow you.

Steps to set your account private:

1. Open the Instagram app and go to your profile.

2. Tap the three horizontal lines (menu) in the top-right corner.

3. Select Settings and Privacy.

4. Tap Account Privacy and toggle on Private Account.

Once your account is private, any new follower requests must be manually approved, ensuring strangers can’t automatically access your content.

2. Remove Unwanted Followers

If you have unwanted followers, you can remove them without notifying the person.

To remove a follower:

1. Go to your profile and tap Followers.

2. Find the user you want to remove.

3. Tap the Remove button next to their name.

They won’t be notified, but they will no longer have access to your posts and stories unless they follow you again and you approve the request.

3. Restrict or Block Accounts

Instagram’s Restrict and Block features offer additional control over unwanted interactions.

Restricting an account:

– Limits the visibility of their comments on your posts.

– They won’t know they’ve been restricted.

How to restrict a user:

1. Visit their profile.

2. Tap the three dots in the top-right corner.

3. Select Restrict.

Blocking an account:

This completely prevents them from seeing your profile or interacting with you.

How to block a user:

1. Go to their profile.

2. Tap the three dots in the top-right corner.

3. Choose Block.

4. Manage Follower Requests Carefully

If your account is private, regularly review follower requests. Ensure you only accept people you know or trust. Declining requests from strangers helps maintain your privacy.

5. Control Who Can Find You

You can limit how easily strangers find your profile through settings related to phone number and email visibility.

Steps to manage contact settings:

1. Go to Settings and Privacy.

2. Tap Privacy and then Contacts Syncing.

3. Turn off Sync Contacts to avoid linking your phone contacts to Instagram.

This makes it less likely for acquaintances or strangers to find you automatically.

6. Adjust Story and Post Settings

Stories and posts often attract unwanted attention. You can customize your settings to restrict who sees them.

Story settings:

1. Go to Settings and Privacy > Story.

2. Use the Hide Story From option to exclude specific users.

3. You can also restrict story replies to People You Follow or Off completely.

Post settings:

You can limit who can comment on your posts by navigating to Settings and Privacy > Comments. Choose to allow comments only from Followers or People You Follow.

7. Avoid Public Hashtags and Locations

Public hashtags and location tags can attract strangers. Use them sparingly or avoid adding them if you want to maintain privacy.

Maintaining control over who follows you on Instagram is crucial for a safe and enjoyable experience. By switching to a private account, carefully managing follower requests, and using Instagram’s robust privacy settings, you can effectively prevent strangers from following or interacting with you. Regularly reviewing and updating these settings ensures your account stays secure and your content is shared only with those you trust.