How to Follow Someone on Instagram: A Step-by-Step Guide

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Plus, what to do if you can't follow people on IG

Written by Nicole Levine, MFA

Last Updated: October 9, 2025 Fact Checked

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How to Follow Someone

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Troubleshooting

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Finding People to Follow

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Video

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Q&A

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Tips

Using Instagram can be confusing sometimes, especially when you're new to the app. Following people is a major part of the site, and can become hard if you just joined. Luckily, this wikiHow teaches you how to follow friends, celebrities, and organizations on Instagram. We'll also show you how to find people to follow and troubleshoot problems that arise.

Follow Someone on Instagram: Quick Steps

Tap the magnifying glass at the bottom of Instagram.
Search for the person you want to follow.
Tap the person's username in the search results.
Tap the Follow button.

Section 1 of 3:

How to Follow Someone on Instagram

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1
Open the Instagram app by tapping the icon on your phone. The icon looks like a camera and should say “Instagram” underneath it. You will usually find it on your Android or iPhone's home screen.^{[1]
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- If prompted, select your Instagram account and log in.
- If you are brand new to Instagram, you will need to create an account before you can follow people.
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Type the name of the person you want to follow in the search bar at the top of the screen. Tap the Search bar to activate your keyboard, then start typing the person's name. As you type, you will see some matches in the search results. https://help.instagram.com/741619032578266
- If you don't know who you want to follow on Instagram, jump down to Finding People to Follow to learn how to find people you know or might be interested in following.
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Tap the name of the user you want to follow. This takes you to that Instagram user's profile.
- If the user you’re looking for doesn’t show up, ask them what their Instagram username is.
- If you want to follow a celebrity, business, or organization, but can't find their account, try searching for their Instagram username on Google.
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Tap the Follow button at the top of their profile. What happens next depends on the Instagram user's profile settings:
- If the person you want to follow has a publicly visible profile, you'll start following the user immediately.
- If their profile is private, you will see "Requested" on the Follow button until the Instagram user approves or denies your follow request.^{[2]
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Section 2 of 3:

Why can't I follow people on Instagram?

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You may have followed too many people too quickly. Instagram may prevent you from following people for a brief period of time if you've followed too many people in a short period of time. If you've gone on a following spree recently, wait a few days before trying to follow people on Instagram again.
- Sometimes Instagram will allow you to follow people again the same day, but it often takes several days for the restriction to be lifted.
- Instagram also only allows you to follow 7,500 people total. If you’ve already hit that limit, you won’t be able to follow anyone new until you unfollow some people.^{[3]
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The person you're trying to follow may have blocked you. If you know an Instagram user's username but cannot view their profile, they may have blocked your account. To check, ask a friend if they can see the person's profile. If they can see it, you're likely blocked.
- If you're blocked, you'll still be able to see that person's likes and comments on public posts and posts by Instagram users you follow.https://help.instagram.com/447613741984126/
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Your account may have been restricted. If Instagram thinks you posted something that goes against their community standards, they may have placed restrictions on your account. Here's how to check:^{[4]
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- Tap the profile icon at the bottom of Instagram to open your profile.
- Tap the menu ☰ at the top-right corner.
- Tap Account Status under "More info and support."
If you tapped Follow on an Instagram profile but aren't seeing that person's posts in your feed, they may not have approved your follow request yet. You can check by returning to their profile–if the Follow button now says "Requested," your follow request is still pending.^{[5]
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Section 3 of 3:

Finding People to Follow on Instagram

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1
Find Instagram users from your contacts. You can sync your phone or tablet contacts with the Instagram app to find people on Instagram you already know. Once your contacts are synced, you'll see recommendations of people from your contacts to follow periodically on Instagram. Here's how to set it up:^{[6]
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- Tap the profile icon at the bottom of Instagram to open your profile.
- Tap the menu ☰ at the top-right corner.
- Tap Follow and invite friends under "How others can interact with you."
- Tap Contacts or Follow Contacts.
- Toggle on "Connect contacts".
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Using the "Discover" feature. The Discover option on your profile displays a list of Instagram users it thinks you might like to follow. The Discover list is based on any synced contacts, mutual friends, and people that Instagram users similar to you follow. Here's how to get there:
- Tap the profile icon at the bottom of Instagram to open your profile.
- Tap the icon of a + with a person's head and shoulders. You will see it next to the "Share profile" button.
- Tap See all next to "Discover people."
- Tap a profile photo to check out a user's profile, or tap Follow to start following.
Tap the magnifying glass icon at the bottom of Instagram to view the Explore page, which displays Instagram posts that might interest you. Tap any of these posts to open a larger version. You can then tap their username to see what else is on their profile, or just tap Follow above the post you selected.^{[7]
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Community Q&A

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Question

How can I follow a user who has a private account?

Community Answer

You will have to send a request and wait for them to respond. You'll know they accepted your request when you can see their posts.

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Can my followers see who I am following?

Community Answer

If your account is public, anyone can see who you are following. If your account is private, only people who follow you can see who you are following.

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Can I use Instagram to follow someone without posting anything?

Amy Harrison

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Yes, you can join Instagram just to follow someone, but you will still need to complete the registration process.

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Tips

If you would like to require authorization before other Instagram users can follow you and view your photos and videos, tap the Profile tab, tap the “⋮” at the top right, then scroll down and tap the button next to “Private Account.”

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