How to hide your followers and following list on Instagram
Updated October 14, 2026
The short answer
You can’t hide just your followers or following list on a public Instagram account: there’s no setting for it. The only real way is to make your account private, then remove or block anyone who already follows you and shouldn’t see them.
How do you make your Instagram account private?
A private account’s followers and following lists, posts and stories are only visible to people you’ve approved. Everyone else sees your profile picture, bio and the counts, and nothing behind them.
- Open Instagram and go to your profile.
- Tap the menu (☰) in the top corner, then Settings and privacy.
- Tap Account privacy and turn on Private account.
- Tap Switch to private to confirm.
- Your follower and following counts stay visible to everyone. Only the lists are hidden.
- Everyone who already follows you keeps full access. See the next step.
- Private accounts don’t show up in Explore, Reels recommendations or hashtag pages, so think twice if you use Instagram for work.
How do you stop existing followers seeing your lists?
Going private only stops new people. To cut off someone who already follows you, remove them. Instagram doesn’t tell them, but they’ll have to send a follow request to see your profile again.
- Go to your profile and tap Followers.
- Search for the person.
- Tap Remove next to their name and confirm.
- On a public account this does nothing for privacy: they can still open your lists without following you.
How do you hide your lists from one person?
Blocking is the only way to hide your lists from one person while your account stays public. They can’t find or see your profile at all, and Instagram doesn’t notify them. Open their profile, tap ⋯, then Block.
Can you stay public and still hide who you follow?
If your main account needs to stay public, follow the accounts you’d rather keep to yourself from a second account that’s private. Go to your profile, tap your username at the top, then Add account. Set the new one to private straight away.
What doesn’t hide your lists?
- Restrict. It hides their comments and your read receipts, but they can still see who you follow.
- Close Friends. It only controls who sees certain stories.
- Apps that promise to hide your following list. No outside app can change your Instagram privacy settings, and the ones that ask for your password put your account at risk.
What can other people see on a public account?
If your account is public, anyone can open your Following list, and tools that read public profiles, such as Red Flag Follows (redflagfollows.app), can show the accounts you followed most recently, newest first. Curious what that looks like? Check your own username: the first checks are free.