Remove a follower on Instagram

Before you start

• Your Instagram account must be set to private to remove followers.
• Removing a follower does not notify them.
• Consider blocking if you want to stop someone from following you and interacting with your content.
• Removing followers affects your privacy and who can see your posts and stories.

Steps on mobile

1. Open the Instagram app and tap your profile picture to go to your profile.
2. Tap Followers at the top of your profile.
3. Scroll or search to find the follower you want to remove.
4. Tap Remove next to their name.
5. Confirm by tapping Remove again.

Steps on desktop

1. Go to instagram.com and log in to your account.
2. Click your profile picture on the left to go to your profile.
3. Click Followers at the top of your profile.
4. Find the follower you want to remove.
5. Click Remove to the right of their name.
6. Click Remove again to confirm.

Common problems

Cannot remove followers because account is public.

Set your account to private in Instagram settings to enable follower removal.

Follower still appears after removal.

Refresh your followers list or log out and back in to see the update.

Follower is not notified but may notice they no longer follow you.

Removing followers does not send notifications, but they may notice if they check your profile.

FAQ

Can I remove followers if my account is public?

No, you must set your account to private to remove followers.

Will the follower know if I remove them?

No, Instagram does not notify users when they are removed as followers.

How is removing a follower different from blocking?

Removing a follower just removes them from your followers list, while blocking prevents them from seeing your profile and interacting with you.

Official source note

This guide is based on Instagram's official help article about removing followers from private accounts.