How to Make Your Instagram Account Private
Choose who can follow you and see your posts. Here’s where to find the private-account setting in the Instagram app.
Open your profile menu, choose Account privacy, then enable Private account and confirm if prompted.
Before you start
Use a personal account. Professional accounts need to switch account type first. Making an account private does not remove existing followers.
Follow the steps
Open your profile menu
Tap your profile picture at the bottom right, then the three-line menu at the top right.
Open your profile menu. · Tap to enlarge Find Account privacy
In Settings and activity, scroll to Who can see your content and tap Account privacy.
Find Account privacy. · Tap to enlarge Turn on Private account
Turn on Private account, read the confirmation, then tap Switch to private. Check that the switch stays on.
Private account is now on. · Tap to enlarge
Try a tool
Blur & Hide →Blur, pixelate or cover selected areas of a photo or screenshot. Make several edits, check the result and download a new image.
A couple of useful details
Does this hide my whole profile?
No. Basic profile information can remain visible. Review your bio and profile picture separately.
Can existing followers still see my posts?
Yes. Review your followers and remove anyone you no longer want to have access.
Can I make it public again?
Yes. Return to Account privacy and disable Private account. Check the confirmation before changing it.
Something not quite right?
Help us keep this guide accurate. A quick flag is enough.
Your report is sent to the Social How-To editorial team.