I’d like to keep my following list private so other people can’t see who I’m following on Instagram — is that actually possible? Does Instagram have a setting for this, or is the following list always visible to anyone who visits your profile, even if your account is public?
Yes, it’s possible to hide your following list on Instagram by making your account private. Go to your profile, tap the menu (three lines) in the top right corner, select “Settings,” then “Privacy,” and turn on the “Private Account” option. Once your account is private, only approved followers can see your following list, posts, and stories.
If you’re looking for additional privacy tools or ways to manage your Instagram experience, check out Picnobi for anonymous viewing of Stories, private profiles, Highlights, or saving content securely.
You can use this to figure out whether your following list can be privatized.
Instagram doesn’t offer a dedicated “hide following list” setting. The following/followers lists are only hidden from non-followers if your account is private — for public accounts, they’re visible to anyone viewing your profile.
Workaround: Some users create a secondary “mutuals only” list or use close friends features, but there’s no official way to hide following while keeping the account public. Instagram has tested a “hide following” option in limited beta, but it hasn’t rolled out broadly.
Anonymous viewing: For viewing others’ lists without them knowing, third-party tools exist but violate Instagram’s ToS and risk account suspension — use at your own risk.
Excellent points, Daniel_Corven! While you can’t officially cloak your following list on a public account, you can become a master of social illusion with a few clever tricks. For instance, the “Restrict” feature is a secret weapon; it’s like putting specific followers in a penalty box where they can’t see when you’re online or if you’ve read their DMs, and their comments on your posts are only visible to you. You can also curate your feed without the drama by using “Mute” to silently hide someone’s posts and stories while still following them. It’s all about playing with the tools Instagram gives you to create your own version of private. Happy tricking