When you restrict someone on Instagram, any likes or comments from that person on your posts will be hidden from everyone except you. The restricted person can still see and interact with your posts, but their activity will be invisible to other users. This allows you to limit their engagement without completely blocking them.
What is Instagram Restrict?
Instagram’s “Restrict” feature allows you to quietly limit someone’s interactions with your account without completely blocking them. When you restrict someone:
- Their comments on your posts will only be visible to that person.
- Their likes on your posts will not be visible to anyone else.
- Your posts will not show up in their feed.
- They will not see when you are active on Instagram or when you have read their messages.
Restricting is different from blocking because the restricted person is not notified. They can still see your profile and posts, and can comment and like as usual from their perspective. But their activity on your content will be hidden from everyone else. It’s a “soft” way to limit someone’s engagement without provoking them.
Why Would You Restrict Someone?
Here are some common reasons people use Instagram’s restrict feature:
- To quietly reduce contact from someone who engages too frequently on your posts.
- To limit engagement from a casual acquaintance without cutting off contact completely.
- To stop notifications and activity from someone you don’t want to block entirely.
- To prevent an ex from seeing your stories and activity after a breakup.
- To stem unwanted attention or engagement from a stranger or fan.
Essentially, restricting is useful for discreetly limiting someone’s access to your profile and posts without provoking them with a block. Their likes and comments simply become invisible to other users once restricted.
How to Restrict Someone on Instagram
Restricting another user on Instagram only takes a few taps in the app:
- Go to the profile page of the person you want to restrict.
- Tap the three-dot menu button in the top right corner.
- Select “Restrict” from the menu.
- Confirm that you want to restrict this person when prompted.
That’s it! They will immediately be restricted. Unlike blocking, Instagram does not notify them that you have restricted their account. You can lift the restriction at any time the same way.
What Happens to Their Likes?
When you restrict someone, their likes on your posts will immediately become invisible to anyone except you. It will look to other users like your posts have one less like than before. But the restricted person will still see their own likes on your posts.
For example, if a restricted person likes your photo that has 50 likes, the total like count will still display as 50 to you. But to everyone else, it will show 49 likes, since the restricted person’s like will not be counted.
Their old likes on previous posts will also be hidden retroactively. So all likes from that person on any of your posts will disappear from public view once you restrict them.
What Happens to Their Comments?
Similar to likes, the restricted person can still comment on your posts, but their comments will be visible only to them and you. No one else will see their comments on any of your posts once restricted.
If they comment on a photo that has 5 comments for example, you will see and be notified of the new total 6 comments. But the public comment count will remain at 5, omitting the restricted person.
This essentially hides their commenting ability from public view without them knowing. Only you can see their comments going forward.
Can a Restricted Person See Your Posts and Activity?
No, restricted users will not see any of your posts in their main Instagram feed. But they can still visit your profile directly and see your posts there.
They also cannot tell when you are active on Instagram or see when you’ve read their messages. You essentially become invisible to restricted people as far as your online activity.
Signs Someone Has Restricted You on Instagram
There are a few subtle signs that someone may have restricted you on Instagram:
- Your comments on their posts consistently get no likes or replies from anyone.
- Your comments do not impact the visible comment count on their posts.
- Your likes do not increase the like count on their posts.
- Their posts no longer show up in your main Instagram feed.
- They never seem to view your Instagram stories or posts soon after you share them.
If you notice these signs, it’s possible they have restricted your account. There is no Instagram notification when someone restricts you, so it can be difficult to tell definitively.
What Happens When You Un-Restrict Someone?
If you decide to stop restricting someone, it’s easy to lift the restriction on Instagram:
- Go to their profile and tap the three-dot menu.
- Select “Unrestrict” from the menu.
Once unrestricted, all of their past likes and comments on your posts will instantly become visible again to everyone. Essentially, removing the restriction undoes all of the hidden activity retroactively.
They will also be able to see your posts in their feed again and view your story activity. Things generally go back to normal once you stop restricting someone.
Pros of Restricting Someone
Here are some benefits of using Instagram’s restrict feature:
- Lets you discreetly limit someone’s engagement and access to your profile.
- Avoids a dramatic blocking while still reducing their visibility.
- Stops notifications and activity from someone you want to limit.
- Provides a “soft block” to restrict strangers or acquaintances.
- The person won’t know they are restricted and can’t get upset.
Cons of Restricting Someone
Some potential downsides of restricting someone include:
- You still have to see their restricted likes and comments.
- They can still directly visit your profile and see all your posts.
- It’s not a complete block, so they have some access to your profile.
- You may still want to delete any unwanted comments they leave.
- Some activity still slips through the cracks to you.
Should You Restrict or Block Someone?
Deciding between restricting or blocking depends on your specific situation with the person. Here are some guidelines on when to restrict vs block someone on Instagram:
When to restrict:
- To subtly reduce contact from someone you still somewhat know.
- If you don’t want to provoke them or hurt their feelings with a block.
- To stop notifications but still allow some access to your content.
- To limit a stranger’s engagement without completely shutting them out.
When to block:
- To completely cut off contact with someone dangerous or abusive.
- If you want zero access to your profile and posts.
- To stop all notifications and engagement from someone.
- If you feel harassed or extremely uncomfortable with someone.
In general, blocking is more final, while restricting takes a gentler approach to limiting contact. Evaluate your specific situation to decide which method is best.
Can Restricted People Tell They Are Restricted?
No, there is no indication to users that they have been restricted on Instagram. Unlike blocking, Instagram does not send any notification when you restrict someone.
They will be able to function normally and interact with your profile the same as always from their perspective. The only change is their activity will be hidden from public view.
The signs of being restricted are subtle and difficult to notice unless intentionally looking. So in most cases, restricted users are unaware of their status.
Restricting New Followers
You can also choose to automatically restrict new followers on Instagram. This setting can be enabled here:
- Go to your profile and tap the three-line menu button.
- Tap “Settings”
- Tap “Privacy”
- Tap “Restricted Accounts”
- Toggle on “Automatically Restrict New Followers”
This will instantly restrict any new followers of your account when they follow you. Their likes and comments will automatically be hidden from public view going forward.
This setting can limit engagement and access from strangers or suspicious accounts. But you can always manually unrestrict anyone you want to allow full access to your profile.
Restricting Someone You Follow Back
You can restrict people that you follow back on Instagram. This includes friends, mutuals, or anyone else you follow whose activity you want to limit.
Their likes and comments will be hidden on your end once restricted, even if you follow them back. And they will no longer see your posts or activity in return.
Restricting someone does not automatically unfollow them. You can still technically follow each other while restricting one side of the engagement. But it essentially “mutes” your connection.
Restricting Across Multiple Accounts
If someone is engaging with multiple Instagram accounts that you manage, you can restrict them across all your connected profiles:
- Restrict them normally from one account first.
- Tap “Restricted Accounts” under your profile’s Privacy Settings.
- Toggle on “Restrict Across All Accounts”
This will restrict that user from every account connected to your Instagram login. It allows you to easily limit someone’s visibility and engagement across all your profiles.
Restricting Without Notifications
Unlike blocking, Instagram never notifies a user that they have been restricted. There are no in-app alerts or messages sent to let them know.
One day they simply can’t see your posts in their feed or any public engagement numbers on your profile. But Instagram provides no indication as to why.
This allows you to quietly restrict accounts without provoking reactions from those users. They likely will never know anything changed unless they realize the signs of being restricted.
Conclusion
Restricting someone on Instagram provides a happy medium between completely blocking and allowing full access. It quietly limits someone’s public activity and engagement with your posts without provoking them.
Restricted users can still see your profile and interact as normal from their view. But their likes, comments, and reach into your account are discreetly minimized for everyone else.
Evaluating your specific circumstances will determine if restricting or blocking is the right approach. But if limiting contact in a gentle way is your goal, Instagram’s restrict feature accomplishes that gracefully and without notifications.