Can people see if you stalk them on instagram

Let’s be honest, we’re all guilty of the occasional Instagram snoop!

We like to pretend we’re private detectives, snooping through people’s profiles, checking out their photos, and generally just being curious.

It’s nothing to be ashamed of but you’re probably wondering if people can see when you look at their Instagram.

Related: How to Know Who Viewed Your Instagram Video or Story

After all, the last thing you want is to be is called out but a former colleague or partner.

Good news – the short answer is no, people won’t know if you look at their Instagram photos, but this doesn’t apply to Stories or videos.

Let’s start with when people can see when you look at their Instagram…

Instagram Stories are a relatively new feature. They enable users to post fleeting photos, complete with captions and filters. 

Related: How to Edit Vertical Video for Instagram and IGTV

Instagram Stories work a little differently than the rest of the platform and you can actually see a list of users that viewed your story.

These users will be listed no matter their privacy settings. 

So, if part of your Insta-snooping involves browsing stories, be prepared to have your identity known!

Most of Instagram, however, is fair game.

From day one, Instagram hasn’t told users when somebody visits their profile or views one of their photos.

This means you can scroll through somebody’s photos and they’ll be none the wiser.

Yes, Instagram’s algorithm will know (that’s how they recommend similar content in the search tab) but that information won’t be passed on to other users.

The only content you need to watch out for are videos.  Keep in mind that a view counts as 3 seconds or more of watching, so if you accidentally stumble across a two-year-old video of your ex, make sure you get out of there quickly.

To summarize:

People will know if you watch one of their videos, or view one of their Stories. These are best avoided if you want to remain undetected.

However, people won’t know if you view their profile page or their photos so you can snoop there to your heart’s content.

Of course, whatever you do, don’t accidentally hit “Like”!

Can I check who viewed my Instagram profile?

Unfortunately, Instagram hasn’t yet introduced a feature that allows you to easily check who views your Instagram profile. We hope this much-needed feature will appear in the future because it will make the Instagram app safer and more transparent.

For now, users must resort to various workarounds to see who stalks their Instagram profiles and to get rid of unwanted Instagram stalkers. Here we provide a few of those methods.

Methods to discover Instagram stalkers

Here are a few of the most popular methods to see who stalks your Instagram profile.

Check your Instagram profile interactions

The first and easiest thing to do is simply to check your profile interactions. Just click on the heart icon in the top right. Here you can see who liked and commented on your Instagram post, or has followed you.

Keep in mind that here you won’t be able to see who viewed your Instagram posts or stories. However, if people you find suspicious persistently like or comment on your Instagram pictures or stories, it is a strong indication that they are stalking you. Moreover, if a user interacts with your content but doesn’t follow you, it is also a red flag. It means that such users have to visit your profile to see your Instagram photos or stories because they don’t see your content on their feed. And that is what Instagram stalkers often do.

Check who views your Instagram stories

Another way to find out who your Instagram stalkers are is checking who viewed your stories. When you open your story, just click on the viewers at the bottom left. Now you can see all the users that viewed your story.

Again, if Instagram users don't follow you, they need to make an effort to check your stories, that is, to open your Instagram profile and click on your profile picture. They can’t see your Instagram stories in their feed. Seeing unrecognized people regularly viewing your stories without following you is a strong indication of stalking.

Instagram first shows your stories to the most relevant Instagram users — your close friends and people with whom you have the most interaction. When you open the viewer list soon after publishing your story, it ranks the viewers chronologically. However, the ranking algorithm changes when your Instagram story reaches a certain number of viewers. Then people who interact with your stories and posts typically get ranked first, while the least active ones go to the bottom of the list. So if you regularly find unrecognized users among your top viewers, it is likely that they are Instagram stalkers.

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Check your Instagram followers

Another thing to do is to analyze your Instagram follower list more thoroughly. To do this, just tap on your profile photo on the bottom right of the screen and then tap on the follower number. Here you can see all your Instagram followers.

If you see anyone you don’t recognize, open that user’s account and check it. Here are a couple of signs of a fake account:

• the user has very little or no activity.
• the user doesn’t have any photo or other info allowing you to identify the person.

We recommend deleting fake accounts because potential Instagram stalkers can hide behind them, increasing the risk of Instagram scams. Moreover, we advise removing all the accounts that you don’t recognize and find interesting. When it comes to your social media following, quality is more important than quantity, and the latter usually comes with additional threats.

(Don’t) use third-party apps

Another way to identify your Instagram stalkers is by using a third-party app. Tons of these apps are available. Most show who follows or unfollows you, likes your post, or blocks you. Some of them even boast that they can show who views your profile.

While third-party apps may sound like a convenient method, we advise avoiding their use. None of these apps give you accurate and reliable results. The problem is that major social networks don't share visitor data, so third-party apps don’t have accurate info on user behavior and often show random data.

Moreover, most of these types of apps are free, so they often sell user data to third parties and flood their users with ads to monetize their activity. They also frequently require you to share your Instagram account with them. So, they can see your Instagram data if you agree with such requests. Therefore, third-party apps will likely create additional threats rather than give you some valuable insights.

Use Instagram Insights

You can always use Instagram Insights, which provide you with detailed statistics of your Instagram activity. Here you can see the level of engagement and other interactions. However, this feature is only available if you have a business or creator Instagram account.

How to block Instagram stalkers

The first method to deal with stalkers is blocking them. To do this you should:

1. Go to your follower list by clicking on the Instagram profile picture on the bottom right and then tapping on the follower number.

2. Find an Instagram account you want to block and tap on it. Then tap the three dots on the top right.

3. Choose “Block” and follow the instructions on your screen.

If you wish to report an Instagram stalker or a suspicious Instagram account, just follow the instructions above and tap “Report” instead “Block.”

Another less nuclear option is to remove followers without blocking them. You need to:

1. Go to your followers list by clicking on the Instagram profile picture on the bottom right and then tapping on the follower number.

2. Tap “Remove” next to the follower you wish to remove.

You can also simply prevent a person from seeing your stories. All you have to do is to:

1. Go to your story and click on the follower list.

2. Tap the three dots next to the follower’s name.

3. Here choose “Hide your story” to hide a story from this person. You can also block and remove Instagram followers here. The latter option means that the removed follower won’t see your content.

You can even hide your Instagram stories and posts from selected users. To do so:

1. Tap on your Instagram profile picture on the bottom right.

2. Tap the three stripes on the top right.

3. Choose “Settings.”

4. Choose “Privacy.”

5. Go to “Story.”

6. Go to “Hide story from.” Here you can choose Instagram users that you want to hide your Instagram stories from.

In the same section you can also choose your close friends by tapping on the “Close friends” section.

When you post an Instagram story, you can then decide whether it will be visible only to this group of trusted people or to anyone.

How to avoid Instagram stalkers

One of the most reliable options for avoiding stalkers is making your profile private. To do so, go to the “Privacy” section by using the workflow above and tap on the toggle next in the “Private account” section.

Note that now your posted Instagram content won’t be visible to people who don’t follow you.

In the same “Privacy” section, you can tweak other Instagram privacy settings. For example, you can hide your activity status in the “Activity status” section or limit various unwanted interactions in the “Limits” section.

Stay safe and make sure to avoid other Instagram threats.

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Can you tell if someone stalks you on Instagram?

Can you see who looks at your Instagram?