If you are looking for ways to hide your Instagram account and protect your privacy, this guide can help you do that. Let us take a look at how you can do that.
Why would you want to hide your Instagram account?
To protect your privacy: social media platforms pose a major threat to individual privacy. Instagram is no exception. Anyone can follow you and learn about you based on your Instagram posts and activity. To protect your privacy, you should hide your Instagram account. To control who sees your content: When you post something on Instagram, anyone can see it, like it, or comment on it. If you are uncomfortable with unknown people or people you do not approve of seeing your content, it is best to hide your Instagram account. To avoid cyberbullying: Cyberbullying has become a menace. There are several unfortunate incidents that have happened in real life due to cyber bullying. By hiding your Instagram account, you can also protect yourself from cyberbullying.
6 Ways to Hide Instagram Account
There are several ways to hide your Instagram account and protect your privacy. You need to use several methods together to hide your account. Follow this guide to learn about them and implement them on your Instagram account.
Make Your Account Private
One of the easiest ways to protect your privacy and hide your Instagram content is to make your account private. By making your account private, you can control who follows you and sees your content. Your posts and stories will then only be visible to existing followers and new followers you approve. Here’s how to make your Instagram account private on Android:
Click on the Profile icon at the bottom right of the homepage. Then click the hamburger menu at the top right of the profile page. Select Settings and Privacy. Scroll down to the Who can see your content section and tap Account Privacy. Toggle the button next to Private Account to make your account private.
To make your Instagram account private in a web browser:
Click the More button at the bottom left of your Instagram page. Select Settings. On the settings page, click Who can see your content. Check the box next to Private account under Account privacy. Click Switch to private on the pop-up which appears.
That’s it. You have made your account private. Now follow the method below to completely hide your Instagram account after making it private. Making it private alone will not hide your profile.
Change Your Username and Name
With this step, you make your account unrecognizable to people who spam you or make you uncomfortable. This gives your Instagram account a complete makeover and makes it hard for people to find your account. You will need to replace your existing username with a new one and change the name. You’ll also need to change your profile picture so that it’s unrecognizable. Changing your bio also goes a long way in making your profile a new one. When you click the “Edit Profile” button both on your mobile device and in your web browser, you’ll see options to change your username, name, and profile picture. Follow the next method to hide your profile further.
Disable Contact Syncing
When you create an Instagram account on your phone, the contacts on your phone are synced. This does two things. First, you will see account suggestions from your contacts that you can follow. Second, your account will show up in your contacts’ suggestions. This makes it difficult to hide your account from people in your contacts. To hide your account, you need to disable contact sync so that your account is not shown to anyone in your contacts. How to disable Instagram contact sync on Android:
Click the profile icon at the bottom right of the home screen. Then click the hamburger menu at the top right of the profile page. Select Settings and Privacy. In Settings, under Your Account, tap Account Center. This will open the account center. Under Account Settings, tap Your Information and Permissions. Select Upload contacts. Turn off the button next to Connect contacts to disable it.
Turn off Similar Account Suggestions
This is the fourth step to hide your Instagram account. You can do this only through a web browser on your PC. The option to disable similar account suggestions is not available in mobile apps. The similar account suggestions feature means nothing more than that your account will be suggested to other people if they follow accounts similar to yours. Also, based on the accounts that you follow, accounts that you can follow are also suggested to you. To disable suggestions for similar accounts:
Click the More button at the bottom left of your Instagram page. Select Settings. Click Edit Profile. Uncheck the button next to Show account suggestions on profiles. Click Submit to save the changes.
Block Accounts You Want to Stay Away From
If you do not want your account to be discovered by other accounts, you can simply block them. If you see accounts that spam or make you uncomfortable (with stalking, for example), block those accounts. Blocking accounts makes it difficult for the blocked accounts to follow you and see your content unless they have an alternative account. Blocking an account is a simple process on Instagram. Simply open the account’s profile page and click the icon with the three dots in the top right corner. Select Block. Check the button next to Block (account) and any other accounts they may have or create, and tap Block to confirm.
Deactivate Your Instagram Account
If you do not find the above methods helpful, your only option is to deactivate your Instagram account. This is a direct method if you want to opt out of Instagram. You will not be able to access your Instagram account or follow others after deactivating it until you reactivate it. To deactivate your Instagram account:
Click the profile icon at the bottom right of the home page. Then click the hamburger menu at the top right of the profile page. Select Settings and Privacy. In Settings, under Your Account, tap Account Center. This will open the Account Center. Tap the Personal Data tab. Select Account ownership and control. Tap on Deactivation or Deletion. A list of your Instagram accounts is displayed. Select the account you want to deactivate or delete. The Deactivate or Delete your Instagram account page opens. Check the button next to Deactivate account and click Continue. Now enter your account password and click Continue to deactivate your account.
Hiding Your Instagram Account to Protect Your Privacy
These are the different methods or steps that are required if you want to keep your Instagram account secret or hide it from acquaintances. If you follow the above steps, it will be impossible for other people you know to find your account and follow you unless you tell them your username.
