For example, by removing specific information, even if someone has your phone number, they won’t be able to find you on Instagram. Follow along with this guide, as we detail additional options that will help you stay hidden from prying eyes.

Remove Your Facebook Account From Instagram

To make sharing easier, Instagram allows you to link your Facebook account to the app (and vice versa.) If you want to prevent people from finding you on Instagram, we advise against it. Linking the two accounts means both apps will have access to the others’ friend list. So whenever a Facebook friend of yours creates an account on Instagram, your profile will show up as a friend suggestion. Since this is something we want to avoid, go ahead and remove your Facebook connection from Instagram. Once you unlink your Facebook account, you will no longer risk appearing as a friend suggestion for any of your Facebook friends joining Instagram.

Make Your Account Private

Setting your account to private is one of the easiest ways to make your profile less visible. Even if someone does eventually find you, they won’t be able to see your posts unless you give them express permission to do so.

Remove Your Phone Number from Instagram

Before you go ahead with removing your phone number from Instagram, keep in mind that you won’t be able to have the two-factor authentication feature enabled. You also need to have a verified email address for this to work, since Instagram does require at least one verified way to contact you in case of emergency. You can disable two-factor-authentication by going to “Settings -> Security -> Two-Factor Authentication” and turning it off from there. Once your phone number is removed, people who have saved your digits to their mobile won’t be able to find you once they activate “Connect Contacts.”

Turn Contact Syncing Off

Speaking of which, you’ve probably used the option yourself back when you were setting up your Instagram account for the first time. Still, if you wish to stay hidden, you should relinquish this functionality. You’ll need to use your mobile device for this.

Prevent Your Friends From Finding You in Similar Accounts

The person you’re trying to hide from can easily find you if they happen to follow an account similar to yours. To prevent this from happening, go to Instagram on your desktop browser. Strangely enough, you won’t be able to turn off this option from your phone or tablet. From here, it’s also possible to add or remove your phone number, in case you didn’t follow the steps described above.

Turn Your Online Status Off

If you want even more privacy, turning your online status off is a step in the right direction. To hide your online status from others on Instagram for mobile:

Block Certain Accounts

Want to make absolutely sure someone can’t find you no matter what? Block their account if you know their username.

Temporary Deactivate Your Account

The only way to be 100% sure someone will never find you is if you erase your account. But since that’s a bit drastic, you can opt instead to temporary disable your account and get some peace of mind. This means your photos, likes, and comments will be hidden until you decide to log back into the app.
Note: You can only deactivate your account once a week. To deactivate your account you must use Instagram on a PC or log into your account into a mobile browser. Image credit: Ibadah Mimpi via Pexels. All screenshots by Alexandra Arici.