How to Hide Your Following List on Instagram Without a Private Account
Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms in the world, with more than two billion monthly active users. People use it to share photos, videos, Reels, and stories, but also to connect with friends, celebrities, and brands. While it’s fun and engaging, Instagram also raises serious privacy conces.
One of the most common questions users have is: “Can I hide my following list on Instagram without making my account private?”
By default, Instagram allows anyone to see who you follow and who follows you, unless your account is private. However, not everyone wants their social circle exposed. Maybe you don’t want strangers to judge your interests, friends, or the influencers you follow. Perhaps you want to keep your professional and personal circles separate. Or maybe you simply value your privacy.
In this guide, we’ll dive into everything you need to know about hiding your Instagram following list without switching to a private account. While Instagram does not give a direct setting to hide your following, there are several smart workarounds you can use to protect your privacy.
Why Would You Want to Hide Your Following List?
Before we get into the solutions, let’s explore the reasons why people care about this feature.
Privacy Conces: Not everyone wants the world to know their interests or social connections.
Avoiding Judgment: Some people fear criticism for following certain influencers, celebrities, or pages.
Preventing Stalking: Public following lists can make it easier for stalkers to track your behavior.
Professional Reasons: If you use Instagram for business, you might want to separate professional contacts from personal ones.
Relationship Issues: Some users don’t want partners, exes, or friends monitoring who they follow.
Whatever the reason, controlling visibility of your following list is about digital boundaries and control over your own online identity.
Can You Hide Your Following List Without a Private Account?
The short answer is: No, Instagram doesn’t currently allow you to completely hide your following list on a public account.
However, that doesn’t mean you are out of options. There are several workarounds and tricks that can help you achieve a similar effect. These include restricting specific people, blocking unwanted viewers, using the Close Friends feature, and being strategic about your profile setup.
5 Workarounds to Hide Your Following List Without Going Private
1. Block Specific Users
If there are particular people you don’t want snooping on your following list, blocking them is the most effective solution. Once blocked, they won’t be able to view your profile, posts, followers, or following list.
Steps:
Go to the profile of the person you want to block.
Tap the three dots in the top right coer.
Select Block.
This method is direct but extreme. It completely cuts off interaction, so it’s best for people you absolutely don’t want accessing your profile.
2. Restrict Users Instead of Blocking
If blocking feels too harsh, Instagram’s Restrict feature offers a subtler option. Restricted users won’t see when you’re online or when you’ve read their messages. While they can still technically see your following list, this limits overall interaction and visibility of your activity.
Steps:
Go to the user’s profile.
Tap the three dots.
Choose Restrict.
It won’t completely hide your following list, but it adds an extra layer of privacy.
3. Limit Followers Through Manual Control
Another way is to carefully manage who follows you. Since following lists are mutual (you can see theirs, they can see yours), one approach is to remove followers you don’t trust.
Steps:
Go to your Followers list.
Tap Remove next to people you don’t want seeing your account.
This is effective if your goal is to limit specific groups of people without making your account fully private.
4. Create a Second Account
Some users manage their privacy by creating a secondary Instagram account (often called a “finsta”). Use your public account for casual or professional connections, and a private or alteate account for close friends.
This way, your public account won’t reveal sensitive connections, while your private account can remain selective.
5. Control What Others See With Close Friends
Instagram’s Close Friends feature is primarily for Stories, but it can indirectly protect your privacy. If you only share personal updates with your Close Friends, strangers will have no context for who you follow, reducing the importance of your following list.
It’s not a perfect solution, but combined with the other methods, it can help you stay more private.
Why Doesn’t Instagram Allow Hiding Following Lists?
Instagram is designed around social visibility. The platform thrives on openness—who follows whom is part of the social dynamic that keeps people engaged. From Instagram’s perspective, hiding following lists could reduce discoverability and engagement, which goes against their business model.
Still, user demand for privacy is growing. Many users have requested this feature, and while it hasn’t been implemented yet, Instagram could add more privacy controls in the future.
Pros and Cons of Each Workaround
| Method | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Blocking | Completely hides following from blocked users | Too harsh, ends all contact |
| Restricting | Subtle, limits interactions | Doesn’t fully hide following |
| Removing followers | Selective control | Time-consuming for many followers |
| Secondary account | Complete separation of audiences | Requires managing two accounts |
| Close Friends | Adds control over content visibility | Doesn’t directly hide following |
Best Practices for Instagram Privacy
Even if you can’t fully hide your following list without going private, you can adopt best practices to protect your privacy:
Be selective about who you let follow you.
Regularly audit your followers and remove unwanted ones.
Use Instagram’s built-in features like Restrict, Block, and Close Friends.
Limit how much personal information you share in posts, captions, or bios.
Stay updated with Instagram’s new features—privacy settings are constantly evolving.
Conclusion
While Instagram doesn’t offer a direct way to hide your following list without making your account private, there are still effective workarounds to protect your privacy. By using features like blocking, restricting, removing followers, and creating secondary accounts, you can control who sees your social connections.
Remember, Instagram is designed for openness, but your digital boundaries are in your control. With the right strategies, you can enjoy the platform while keeping your privacy intact.
