The problem with creating a public social media account is that while you and most of the internet might have good intentions, there will always be some who want to ruin it for the rest of us. This is done by harassing users with nasty or inappropriate comments or private messages.
Thankfully, Instagram has provided several tools to users who might need to deal with some of their followers, such as blocking them and preventing them from leaving comments on their posts. If you are interested in learning how to block a user and better protect your account from trolls and abuse, here are several methods you can check out.
How To Block Someone On Instagram Completely
This is the most straightforward method currently available and it will block the user from seeing your profile or interacting with you in any sort of way. This is a complete block and will also result in you unfollowing that user in the process (if you were following them to begin with).
- Load the profile of the user you want to block and tap the three dots at the right corner of the screen
- This will pull up a bunch of options, but select Block if you want to block them
- You will then be asked to confirm you want to block them. Select Block again and you will then see a confirmation that the user has been blocked.
If you’d like to unblock that person on Instagram, you can check out our comprehensive guide here.
How To Block Someone On Instagram Partially
If you’d rather not block someone outright but you’d rather them not be able to leave nasty or inappropriate comments on your posts, then here’s how you can do it. Note that this method only prevents them from commenting but they’ll still be able to view your posts, Stories, and message you.
- Go to your Instagram profile, tap the icon with the three lines at the top right corner of the screen and select Settings
- In the Settings menu, go to Privacy
- Select Block Comments From
- Type in the name of the user you want to block comments from and tap the Block button next to their name
- Repeat this process for all the users you want to block comments from
How To Set Your Instagram Profile To Private
For those who’d rather not go through the trouble of blocking users or blocking comments from users, the next best thing would be to set your Instagram profile to private. What this does is that whenever someone wants to follow you, you’ll need to approve that user. This gives you a chance to vet that person and see if that account belongs to someone you know and that it isn’t a spam account.
Of course, this does not mean that these users are “perfect” because friendships can turn sour, but at the very least it protects you from strangers online from harassing you.
- Go to your Instagram profile, tap the icon with the three lines at the top right corner of the screen and select Settings
- In the Settings menu, go to Privacy
- Under Connections, select Account Privacy
- Tap the toggle next to Private Account to make your account private
- Repeat the process above if you’d like to make your account public again
