How to Know if Someone Restricted You On Instagram

Do you suspect that someone has restricted you on Instagram? Read this article to find out how to know if someone restricted you on Instagram and what happens when you are restricted.

With many photo-sharing apps springing up from every corner of the internet these days, one would expect newer apps to have relegated Instagram to the back seat by now.  It’s impressive that it remains head and shoulders above its rivals.

It’s really hard to tell how Instagram has kept newer apps at bay, but I’d like to believe it’s because they keep fascinating users with new, exciting features. For instance, Instagram has recently added an option to restrict people on the app.

Whoever it is you’d like to restrict, it’s now possible on Instagram. And it’s amazing!

Now, I know you’re probably wondering if there’s a way to know if anyone has restricted you on Instagram? Perhaps, you’d just like to know just to satisfy your curiosity. Or you’d like to return the favor?

Whatever your reason is, I won’t judge you, and in this article, I’ll be showing you different ways to know if someone restricted you on Instagram.

What Does Restrict Mean on Instagram?

If you restrict a user on Instagram, their comments on your posts will only be visible to them. In addition, they won’t be able to interact with you through comments, DMs, or even tag you in posts.

Instagram Restrict is an optional feature that helps manage which comments are visible on your posts by hiding comments from specific accounts. While the restricted account won’t know when a comment is hidden, they’re free to keep commenting as usual without realizing that no one can see it apart from you.

If you wish to read or respond to their comment, you can tap ‘See Comment’ to approve it for visibility on your post.

How To Know if Someone Restricted You on Instagram

To know if someone restricted you on Instagram, you can use a different account to check if your comments on a post are visible, send a message and see if it gets sent or seen, and check the activity status of the person from a different account to see if it’s visible.

1. Check Your Comments

To know if someone restricted you on Instagram, switch to a different account and open the post where you commented. If you can’t find the comments you’ve made from your main account, they have probably restricted you.

Instagram automatically hides comments from accounts that have been restricted.

2. Check Your Messages

The second method is to send a message to the user that you think has restricted you. If the message is not sent nor seen for a long time, that means the person has restricted you.

3. Check the Activity Status

Lastly, you can check the activity status to determine if you’ve been restricted. Switch to a different Instagram account and if you are able to see the online and offline status of the user, this simply means that the user has restricted your old account.

How To Restrict Someone on Instagram

There are many reasons you may want to restrict someone on Instagram. The person could be bullying or harassing you, making rude comments, or just giving you a hard time on Instagram.

To restrict an Instagram account, go through this process:

1. Go to the Instagram profile of the person you want to restrict.

2. Tap on the three dots icon in the upper right corner of their profile.

how to restrict instagram user

3. Select Restrict from the menu.

how to restrict instagram account

4. The user will now be restricted.

Restricted users can still see your posts, but they won’t know when you’re online or when you’ve read their messages. Their comments will only be seen by them and they won’t be able to tag you in any posts or comments.

Instagram ‘Restrict’ FAQ

What Happens When You Restrict Someone on Instagram?

When you restrict someone on Instagram, won’t be able to view when you’ve been active on the app, and their comments on any of your posts will only be visible to that person, though you can choose to show certain comments to other people if you like.

The Instagram restriction is an effective way to keep your account private from someone you aren’t comfortable with, without blocking them outright.

They’ll only be able to view your posts if you have a public account and if they’re logged in.

If you have a private account and you restrict someone, the person won’t be able to view anything on your profile that isn’t already public, regardless of whether they’re logged in.

Moreover, the other person will also not be able to find your posts or stories in search or see your activities in the app’s Explore section.

When you restrict someone, they won’t receive a notification about it. If that person tries to send you direct messages or tag you in comments or photos, those messages will appear as requests for you to approve. You can choose to accept or deny the request at any time.

Restricting people is a good idea if you want them to have limited access to your Instagram profile.

How Can I Restrict Someone on Instagram?

To restrict someone on Instagram, go to their profile and tap on the three dots icon in the top right corner. From the menu that appears, select Restrict. The user will now be restricted without even knowing.

Once you’ve restricted someone, you can remove the restriction at any time, or report them for violating Instagram’s Community Guidelines or Terms of Use.

Who Can Restrict Me on Instagram?

Anyone can restrict you on Instagram. It’s not just people you follow, or who follow you back that can restrict you. Any user on Instagram can restrict you at any time without you finding out.

Your friends and even your family members can restrict you. That’s why it’s so important to understand the Restrict option on Instagram and how to use it safely.

Instagram Restrict vs Block. What’s the Difference?

Whether you’re dealing with a bully, an ex, or just a nuisance, Instagram gives you the option to remove someone from your life with two different blocking options: “Restrict” and “Block”.

Both of these features will make people disappear from your Instagram experience in different ways.

How does Instagram block work?

When you block someone, they can’t see your profile, posts, and story. They also can’t send you direct messages. If they search for your profile, they won’t be able to find it. They won’t see any of your posts or story even if they try to search for them.

The only thing they’ll see is that you’ve blocked them. They’ll also know that you’ve removed them from your contact list and that you may have deactivated your account.

How does Instagram restriction work?

When you restrict someone on Instagram, they can still view your profile if it’s public. However, their comments on your posts will only be visible to that person, they can’t send you messages and tag you in posts, and they won’t be able to view when you are online or offline.

Wrapping Up

Though some users may have simply forgotten that they had even restricted you in the first place, it can still be an uncomfortable situation to realize that you aren’t welcome back into their lives on Instagram.

While you can always try and mend relationships with those who have restricted you, some users may be completely unreachable; the only way to find out for sure is to use the above methods and find out for yourself.

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Ali Mahdi

Ali Mahdi is the founder of CyberTips and a seasoned software developer. His expertise lies in programming, cryptocurrency trading, and social media marketing. In addition to CyberTips, Ali has written for other prominent blogs in the past for 5+ years, including iDrop News, Redmond Pie, iPhone Hacks, and iDownloadBlog.