Restricting Someone on Instagram: What You Need to Know

Instagram offers a range of privacy features to enhance your experience on the platform. One such feature that has significantly improved the way people interact on Instagram is the Restrict mode. But what exactly does it mean to restrict someone on Instagram? And what happens when you do? In this article, we'll answer all your questions about the Restrict feature on Instagram.

What Does Instagram Restrict Mean

Instagram's Restrict mode is a subtle alternative to blocking someone. It allows you to limit how people interact with you on Instagram without unfollowing or blocking them. It's a safe way to avoid unwanted interactions without the person knowing. When you restrict someone, their comments and messages are hidden from your view.

For example, if someone is repeatedly harassing you with inappropriate comments, but you don't want to block them, you can restrict them. They can still comment, but only you can see it. Restricting someone gives you more control over your Instagram interactions in a harmless way. Let's explore in detail what happens when you restrict someone on Instagram.

What Happens When You Restrict Someone on Instagram

Let's dive into the specifics of what happens when you restrict someone on Instagram in terms of comments, messages, likes, followers, and more.

Can Restricted People See Your Posts, Stories, Etc.

Yes, restricting someone has no effect on the visibility of your posts, stories, Reels, or IGTV videos. Restricted accounts can still see your content, and so can you.

What Happens to Likes When You Restrict Someone

When you restrict someone, they can still like your posts, and those likes will be visible to everyone. Restricting someone does not hide their likes from others.

What Happens to Comments

Comments are one of the main areas affected by restricting someone. When you restrict a person, they can still comment on your posts, but those comments will not be public. Only you and the writer can see them. Technically, even you won't be able to see the comment directly. The comment will be hidden behind the “Restricted comment” text under the post. You will need to tap on “See comment” to view it.

Instagram now offers two options for managing restricted comments. You can either approve the comment so that everyone sees it, or you can delete it. The safest option is to neither approve nor delete the comment, keeping it hidden from everyone except the sender.

Will I Get Comment Notifications From Restricted Accounts

No, you will not receive notifications for comments made by restricted accounts. You will have to manually check the post to view restricted comments.

What Happens to Earlier Comments

Comments made by the restricted person before you restricted them will remain unaffected and will stay live on your profile. If you want to remove those comments, you will need to delete them manually.

What Happens to Activity Status

If you have enabled the activity status feature on your account, restricted accounts cannot see when you are online or when you were last online in messages.

Can Restricted Accounts Message You

Similar to comments, restricted accounts can still message you. However, these messages will go to the Message requests folder in your inbox. Even old chats from the restricted person will move to this folder. You will not receive new message notifications from the restricted account and will have to manually visit the Message requests folder to see the messages.

If you open a received message, the sender will not be able to see if you have read it. You will need to unrestrict the person to reply to the message, at which point the restricted person will see the read receipt.

In group chats, you will receive a warning that the group includes a restricted account. You can choose to stay or exit the group.

Can Someone Call or Video Call You When Restricted

No, restricted accounts cannot voice or video call you.

Does Restricting People Hide Followers and Following List

Restricting people does not hide your followers or following list. They can still see these lists.

Does Restricting People Have Any Reverse Effect

Restricting someone is a one-way street. It only affects the other person, allowing you to still see their posts, stories, and comment on them. However, you won't be able to chat with them until you unrestrict them. Additionally, restricting someone does not hide them from the “Who viewed my story” section. If you restrict someone and they view your story or vice versa, both of you can still see each other under the story views section.

Does the Other Person Know When You Restrict Them

Fortunately, no. The other person is not notified in any way when you restrict them. That's the beauty of the Restrict mode – you can avoid people silently.

Is There Any Way to Know if Someone Has Restricted You on Instagram

There isn't a direct way to know if someone has restricted you. However, you can ask a mutual friend to look for your comment under a post. If they can see it, then you aren't restricted. Keep in mind that the person might have approved the comment. You can also check for the green online symbol in chats, although this method is not foolproof as anyone can deactivate the activity status.

How to Restrict Someone on Instagram

You can restrict an Instagram user in four different ways, and all methods have the same impact as described above.

1. Restrict Someone From Comments Directly: Open the post with the comment from the user you want to restrict. On Android, touch and hold the comment. On iPhone, swipe left on the comment. Tap the information icon (i) and select Restrict from the menu. You can even restrict multiple accounts using this method by selecting multiple comments and then tapping the (i) icon.

2. Restrict Using Profile: Open the Instagram profile of the person you want to restrict. Tap the three-dot icon and select Restrict.

3. Restrict Using Messages: You can also restrict someone from within a message thread. Open the chat, tap on their name, and then tap Restrict.

4. Restrict From Settings: Another way to restrict someone is through the Instagram Settings. Go to Settings > Privacy > Restricted accounts. Search for the person you want to restrict and tap the Restrict button next to their name.

How to Edit or Remove Someone From Restrict List

You can find all the accounts you have restricted under Instagram Settings > Privacy > Restricted accounts. To unrestrict someone, tap the Unrestrict button next to their name. You can also open their profile and tap the Unrestrict button there. Alternatively, tap the three-dot icon on their profile and choose Unrestrict from the menu.

Restricting someone on Instagram gives you more control over your interactions on the platform. It's a valuable feature that allows you to protect yourself from harassment and unwanted communication. By understanding how to use the Restrict mode effectively, you can have a safer and more enjoyable experience on Instagram.