How to tell if someone has you blocked on instagram

Photographed by Lauren Maccabbee.

On social media, blocking someone is the ultimate passive aggressive act. That's because even though blocking is considered secretive — no notifications are sent as a signal — it's incredibly easy to figure out if someone has blocked you. There is minimal sleuthing required: It wouldn't even be enough to fill a half-hour mystery show, let alone 15 minutes of one.

Plus, in most cases, it's pretty easy to get a sense of when someone might block you — after a break-up, a fight with a friend, or an insensitive post.

For those times when you harbor a blocking suspicion, but want to confirm it, this guide to all your social media apps should help. It does not, however, promise to get you unblocked. Those are amends you'll have to make on your own.

You never receive any notification alerting you when someone has blocked you on Instagram. However, you will not be able to find the profile, posts, or Story of the user who blocked you. So, if you're wondering if you've been blocked, search for the account in question on your phone and then using a friend's phone. If you see them on your friend's phone but not yours, you have your answer. Alternatively, if you don't want to involve a friend, you can create a second Instagram account and search for them that way.

Another clear sign of a block: If you can't see the person's account but you can see their comments or likes on posts from accounts you both follow. (These don't disappear just because that person has blocked you.)

If you want to block or unblock someone on Instagram, simple go to their profile > Settings > Block or Unblock.

Blocking someone on Facebook is different than unfriending them: They will no longer be able to see your profile or send you a friend request or message.

As with Instagram, the person who is blocked does not receive any notification. However, you can tell you have been blocked if you don't see someone's profile when you search for it on your account, but can see it when you search from a friend's account. When you are blocked, you will not see posts from the person who blocked you when they write on a mutual friend's profile.

To block someone on Facebook, head to Settings > Blocking > Search for the profile of the person you want to block > Block. Return to that same section to unblock someone.

Twitter makes it even easier to know when you have been blocked: Although you will not receive a notification, you will see a message letting you know you have been blocked when you try to visit the timeline of someone who has blocked you. So, if you have your suspicions, simply go to the account to confirm or disprove them.

If you're the one doing the blocking or unblocking, go to someone's profile > Menu > Block. To unblock them, go to their profile > tap Blocked > Unblock.

If you find yourself suddenly unable to send a friend Snaps or Chat messages, consider yourself blocked. There is always the off chance that the person has deleted their account entirely, but as with Instagram and Facebook, a simple search for their profile from a friend's account or a second Snapchat account should give you your answer.

To block someone on Snapchat, go to an existing chat with them or open a new one. Tap Menu > Block friend. To unblock them, go to your Settings > Blocked > Tap the "X" besides their name.

Do you suspect that someone you recently quarrelled with has blocked you on Instagram?

Instagram does not allow you to see a list of people who have blocked you by default. In fact, the platform won't even notify you when someone blocks you.

There are, however, some methods you can use to find out if someone has blocked you on Instagram. We'll discuss six of those in this article.

Why Someone Might Block You on Instagram

People might block you on Instagram for several reasons, including:

  • Spamming their messages.
  • Tagging them in irrelevant posts.
  • Leaving inappropriate comments on their content.

If you've broken a real-life friendship or relationship, the other person might also have blocked you so they can move on.

Have I Been Blocked on Instagram?

So, how do you find out if someone you know has blocked you on Instagram? Below are six methods you can try.

1. Searching for Their Username

Whenever you search for someone's username or Instagram handle in the Instagram search bar, you will not see their account if they have blocked you.

You will be able to view their profile and all of their posts if you're not blocked. If they have turned their profile from public to private, you'll see the message: "This Account is Private."

If the profile does not appear on a search, the person has either deactivated their account or blocked you.

Remember, though, that people can change their usernames on Instagram. So, there is a possibility that the person you are searching for has done this instead.

2. Searching Through Your Profile

If you are blocked, you can't comment on the person's post or send a direct message to them. However, your previous comments and conversations do not disappear. So, if you remember commenting on any of their posts or exchanged conversations via DM, open it up and go to their profile.

If you see their profile with no recent posts, you have likely been blocked. Since you can find out if someone has changed their username in this way, you'll certainly have been blocked if their changed name doesn't show up in the search bar.

Upon setting up your Instagram account, you're assigned a unique URL that includes your username.

Replacing the username in the profile link with the account handle of the person who you suspect has blocked you should take you to their account—if it exists.

If you open Instagram in your browser and search for their profile with a direct link, you'll either see their profile directly, or the message: "Sorry, this page isn't available."

Account Doesn't Show up with Unique URL on Instagram

To confirm if the account exists or not, log out of Instagram and search the same URL in a new tab. You'll see the same message if the account is deactivated. If you see their profile this time, however, they have blocked you.

When someone changes their username, the URL name automatically changes too. So, if they have changed their username recently, this method won't help you locate their profile.

4. Checking From Another Instagram Account

Account Doesn't Show Up In Instagram Search

You can check whether the account you believe has blocked you exists by checking from other mobile or Instagram accounts. You can share the username with a friend to see if it shows up in their search.

If it doesn't show up, then the account is deactivated or they have changed their username; if it shows up with the same username, you have been blocked.

5. Looking Through Shared Instagram Group Chats

If you're in a group chat with the other person, you can see if they've blocked you through that channel.

The other user will show up in the list of chat members. However, if you can't access their profile, they've blocked you.

6. Trying to Follow the Same Account Again

If the person you're searching for shows up without any recent posts and photos, try following them again.

The other person will not have blocked you—or might have unblocked you—if you can follow them again straight away. Alternatively, you either mistakenly unfollowed the profile or were removed from their list of followers.

If the other person has blocked you, you'll see an error message and cannot follow them again.

Now You Know How to Check if Someone Blocked You on Instagram

Instagram doesn't notify you when someone blocks you on Instagram, but you can use some simple methods to check. If you discover that you were blocked by someone you're close with, ask and see if they'll unblock you.

If your relationship with someone is tarnished or they refuse to unblock you, it's important to respect their decision—whether you agree with it or not.

Lastly, when someone blocks you on Instagram, the person gets automatically blocked from your side as well. So, you don't need to retaliate and block them back.