If you can’t follow someone on Instagram, your follow request may still be pending. A block, a temporary restriction or a technical issue could also be the cause. You can also follow a maximum of 7500 accounts. First, check whether following fails for one person or everyone. Also note the message you see. This will help you look for the cause more effectively.
Choose your situation below and see what you can do.
Can’t follow on Instagram: check what you see
Does the button stay on Follow, or does a message appear? Also check whether you can open the profile normally. Find what you recognise in the table.
| What do you see? | What could be the cause? | What should you do first? |
|---|---|---|
| For one private account, it says Requested, Applied or Request pending. | Your follow request is waiting for approval. | Leave the request in place and wait. |
| You can’t follow or open one profile. | You may be blocked, but something may also have changed with the account. | Check the username and see whether you have blocked that person yourself. |
| For multiple accounts, it says Try again later or Action blocked. | Instagram may temporarily restrict following. | Stop trying to follow and read the entire message. |
| You already follow 7500 accounts. | You have reached the maximum number. | Review which accounts you no longer want to follow. |
| The button does not change or switches back, without a message. | Something may be going wrong with the app, your connection or the processing of your request. | Check your connection and reopen the app. |
Not sure whether it only happens with that one person? Try one other account you already wanted to follow, but only if you do not see a warning. Do not test a whole list of accounts.
You can’t follow one person on Instagram
Your follow request is waiting for approval
For a private account, the owner must approve your follow request. Does it say Requested, Applied or Request pending? Then your request is still open. That is not an error in itself.
Leave the request in place. Pressing the button repeatedly will not speed up approval. You cannot see why someone has not responded yet. Perhaps that person has not viewed your request yet.
You or the other person has set a block
If someone has blocked you, you cannot follow that person. However, an unfindable profile does not prove that you have been blocked. The username may have changed. The account may also no longer be available.
First check that you have the correct username. Then see whether you have blocked that person yourself. Want to remove that block? Read how to unblock someone on Instagram.
Has the other person blocked you? You cannot remove that block yourself. Creating a new account to get around the block is not a solution.
Can you follow someone but not mention them in a photo? Then it is a different problem. Read why you can’t tag someone on Instagram.
You can’t follow anyone on Instagram and receive a message
Do you see Action blocked or Try again later? The latter means Try again later. Instagram may be preventing you from following at that moment. Read the entire message, because there may be more information below the first line.
Have you just followed or unfollowed many accounts in a row? That may be related to the restriction. The message does not always explain exactly why you can no longer follow.
For now, stop following and unfollowing. Does Instagram mention a timeframe or does the message provide a clue? Follow that guidance. Without such a clue, it is not possible to say how long you need to wait. Do not try again every few minutes.
There is no fixed daily number you can rely on
According to the explanation of following problems by Famoid Instagram does not publish an exact daily number of accounts that you may follow.
Therefore, do not rely on an online schedule showing a supposedly safe number per hour or per day. Such a number does not indicate whether Instagram will allow your next follow action.
The Instagram follow limit is 7500 accounts
According to the official explanation of the Instagram following limit you can follow a maximum of 7500 accounts. This includes all the accounts you follow combined, not the number you may follow per day.
Check your profile to see how many accounts you follow. Be careful not to look at your follower count: those are the accounts that follow you.
Have you reached the limit? Review which accounts you no longer want to follow. For example, think of an old hobby account whose posts you no longer read. Do not suddenly unfollow many accounts and then immediately follow many new accounts again.
Well below the limit? Then this maximum is not the cause. Check the message you receive or try the checks below.
Instagram following isn’t working: check your app and connection
Are you not receiving a message about a blocked action and have you not reached the following limit? Work through these steps. They can help you identify a technical problem, but cannot remove a block.
- Check your connection. Open a regular website. Does it fail to load too? Then check your wifi or mobile connection.
- Close Instagram completely and reopen the app. First check whether the profile now loads normally.
- Check whether an update for Instagram is available. Check this in your phone’s official app store.
- You could also try Instagram in your browser. Does it work there? Then the problem may be with the app. Do not use the browser to get around a reported restriction.
- Stop if the same error appears again. Note the message instead of repeatedly pressing Follow.
Do not use apps that automatically follow accounts or promise to remove a following block. Do not give such services your password either.
Can you also not reply to messages? Note that separately. For this, read what you can do if you cannot reply to Instagram messages.
Report a following problem to Instagram
Does following continue to fail, the checks do not help and you see no clear cause? Report the problem to Instagram. Look in the help section for the option to report a problem. The name and location of this option may vary between app versions.
Cannot find the option? Check which other help options your version has. Sometimes the error message itself offers a way to request help.
Include in your report:
- whether following fails for one account or multiple accounts;
- the exact text of the error message;
- when the problem started;
- whether it happens in the app and in the browser;
- which checks you have already completed.
If possible, attach a screenshot. Make private information unreadable and never share your password or login codes. A report lets you explain the problem, but it does not tell you when it will be resolved. Once your account is working as intended, you can explore our Instagram services to compare packages for followers and likes for your public profile or content.
