Are you curious about someone's private Instagram profile? Maybe you want to stalk your crush, or maybe you just want to see what your frenemy is up to.
Whatever the reason, you can view private Instagram profiles with a little work—and I'm here to help.
In this article, I'll walk you through how to find out who's following your crush on Instagram, how to view their private profile, and how to check who they're following back on their private profile.
How to look at someone's private Instagram
There are a few different ways to view private Instagram profiles, but none of them are particularly easy. I'll explain each method in detail below. But first, a quick word about privacy:
Instagram is private by default, meaning only people you follow can see your profile. To view someone's private profile using any of these methods, you'll need to be following them on Instagram first.
But if you don't mind putting in a little work, there are some tools available to help you out. Here are four different methods to look at someone's private Instagram profile:
Method 1: Ask permission or request to follow them
You can always ask permission from someone before viewing their private Instagram profile. You can do this by direct messaging them on the social media platform or messaging them on other platforms like Facebook or Twitter.
When you message them, just let them know that you want to view their private Instagram profile and ask if they are okay with it. If they agree, then you can view their private Instagram profile!
If that doesn't work, you can request someone else who is connected to them as a friend or family member to follow their profile and invite you along for the ride.
This method has a much better chance of working because it requires less direct communication with the person who owns the private account.
Method 2: Make a fake account
If you tried the first method and still got rejected, then you could try making a fake account.
This method is the easiest but also the least reliable. It only works if the person you want to view is not using two-factor authentication (2FA) on their account, so it's best to try this on accounts that are publicly visible.
You can use these tricks to make your fake profile seem genuine in order to get accepted quickly:
Take note that creating a fake account isn't always the best option. Many people are able to spot a fake account, so if you can't come up with any good reason for why you need to create one, then it's probably not worth the effort.
Method 3: Use other people’s accounts
This is a pretty simple method, but it’s also not always reliable. If you want to view private Instagram profiles, the way to do this is to use someone else’s account.
This means that you need to find an old account that has been inactive for a while or borrow a friend's account who's connected to the person you want to view the private profile of and then use that as your login information when looking at their profile.
The problem with this method is that Instagram can be very good at detecting if someone else is using an old account. If they start seeing unusual activity on an inactive account, they will likely shut it down and report it as spam or abuse.
Because of this, this method may not work for you if you don’t have access to any old accounts that are no longer active on Instagram.
Method 4: Use third-party apps
If you're looking for a way to view private Instagram profiles that don't require any technical savvy, third-party apps are your best bet.
There are several different types of these programs, but they all have the same basic function: to help you access private Instagram accounts.
But you need to be cautious when using these third-party apps. Some of them are legitimate and can help you find the account that you’re looking for.
Others, however, are scams designed to steal your personal information or money. Because of this, it’s important to do some research before using third-party apps.
Is it possible to view a private account’s followers?
Yes, but only if you are a member of that account's friends list. If you are not a friend of the account, then you will not be able to see its followers.
When an Instagram account is set to private, it hides all of the user’s information from non-followers.
This includes their follower list—so you won't be able to see that information if someone has made their account private. However, there are things you can do so that you can still obtain this data.
How to see private Instagram followers
There are various reasons why you might want to see a private Instagram profile.
Maybe you're an aspiring model, but you want to know who's following you so that you can follow them back. Maybe your best friend just got a new job and wants to see if anyone from work is following him or her.
Whatever the reason, figuring out how to do this can be tricky.
As we mentioned previously, if you are not a friend of the user and they have made their account private, then you will not be able to see their followers. However, there are some ways to get around this:
Method 1: See if they have any mutual followers with you
If you have a mutual follower, there's a chance that the person has also been following this person's private profile.
To find out, open the profile of your mutual follower and look for the list of people they follow. If you see the private profile in that list, then there's a good chance that the person has been following it.
If you don't see the private profile in the list of people they follow, then there's no way around this. If you want to see who's following them, then your only option is to add them as a friend and hope that they accept your invitation.
If you do add someone as a friend, don't immediately ask them if they've been following the private profile.
This can come across as pushy or rude. Wait until you start chatting with them, and then casually mention that you're curious about who they were following before they followed you.
Method 2: Try using a friend’s account
This method is a bit more complicated, but if you have a friend who uses the same Instagram account as you, it can be a great way to see private accounts.
This method requires that you and your friend both follow each other on Instagram (or any other social media platform).
Once you have found what you were looking for, you will need to ask your friend again if he/she can log back into his/her account so that he/she can see what he/she has been following too!
Method 3: Use Google to search for their followers
Google is your friend. This method is the easiest by far since you can use Google to search for a private Instagram account's followers. All you have to do is enter in the username of the person whose account you want to see.
This will show a list of all their followers, and if they are not private, then it will also show you their profile picture and bio! But if they are private, then all you will see is the number of followers they have and their usernames.
This method is also useful for finding out accounts that someone has been following but not vice versa.
How to view private Instagram stories
When you're trying to view a private Instagram story, the first thing you need to make sure of is that they are following you and vice versa.
If they aren't, then there's no way for them to see your profile, and even if they have a mutual friend with you, this won't help either because mutual friends cannot view private stories on Instagram.
Have a look at someone’s private Instagram profile
Now that you know how to view private Instagram profiles, it's time to get out there and start looking!
You can use the steps above to find the people you want to follow, but don't forget to look for new and interesting accounts as well.
Use your newfound knowledge of how to view private Instagram profiles as a tool to help you find new people who share your interests and passions.
So what are you waiting for? Go out there and use this method to find some awesome new people on Instagram!