How to Make Your Instagram Account Private

Before you start

• You need to be signed in to the account you want to change.
• Creator and business accounts cannot stay private. If you do not see Private account, switch back to a personal account first.
• People who already follow you will still be able to see your posts unless you remove them.
• A private account does not hide your profile name, bio, or current profile photo.

Steps on mobile

1. Open Instagram and tap your profile picture.
2. Tap the menu in the top-right corner.
3. Open Settings and privacy.
4. Tap Account privacy.
5. Turn on Private account.
6. Tap Switch to private if Instagram shows a confirmation sheet.

Steps on desktop

1. Go to Instagram in your browser and sign in.
2. Click More in the bottom-left corner, then click Settings.
3. Click Account privacy.
4. Turn on Private account.
5. Confirm the change if Instagram asks.

Common problems

I do not see the private account option

Your account is probably set to Creator or Business. Switch it back to a personal account, then return to Account privacy.

My old posts are still visible to some people

Accounts that already follow you can still see your content. A private account mainly stops new people from seeing your posts unless you approve their follow request.

I changed the setting, but the app still looks the same

Close Instagram completely and reopen it. If the switch still looks off, update the app and check Account privacy again.

FAQ

Does a private account hide my profile completely?

No. People can still find your profile name and send follow requests, but they cannot see your posts or stories unless you approve them.

Can I make a business account private?

No. Instagram requires creator and business accounts to stay public.

Will my current followers be removed automatically?

No. If you want to stop someone from seeing your posts, remove or block that account separately.

Official source note

Instagram updates menu labels from time to time, but Account privacy is the setting that controls this change on both app and web.