{"id":33854,"date":"2026-09-18T08:09:49","date_gmt":"2026-09-18T08:09:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/folnova.com\/when-unfollow-someone-instagram\/"},"modified":"2026-09-27T07:59:13","modified_gmt":"2026-09-27T07:59:13","slug":"when-unfollow-someone-instagram","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/folnova.com\/en-au\/when-unfollow-someone-instagram\/","title":{"rendered":"When can you unfollow someone on Instagram?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>You can unfollow someone on Instagram if you are no longer interested in the account and do not want to see its posts anymore. First, think about what you want to change: seeing less, less contact or no contact. Do you want to keep following someone but see fewer posts? Choose mute. For unwanted contact, restrict or block is more suitable.<\/p>\n<p>Below, you can read how to choose, what unfollowing changes and what to consider with family, friends or colleagues.<\/p>\n<nav aria-label=\"Table of contents\">\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"#wanneer-ontvolgen\">When does unfollowing someone on Instagram make sense?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#ontvolgen-of-dempen\">Unfollow or mute on Instagram: what should you choose?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#ontvolgen-en-relaties\">Unfollowing family, friends or colleagues on Instagram<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#gevolgen-ontvolgen\">What happens when you unfollow someone on Instagram?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#beperken-of-blokkeren\">When is it better to restrict or block someone on Instagram?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#feed-opruimen\">Tidying up your Instagram feed: which accounts should you unfollow?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav>\n<h2 id=\"wanneer-ontvolgen\">When does unfollowing someone on Instagram make sense?<\/h2>\n<p>Unfollowing makes sense if you would not follow an account today. Your interests and contacts can change. So, something unpleasant does not have to happen first.<\/p>\n<p>Suppose you followed an account for a trip to Ghent. The trip is over and you no longer need the tips. You can then stop following it. The same applies to a brand you no longer find interesting or an old acquaintance you no longer have contact with.<\/p>\n<p>Are you hesitating because of one unpleasant post? You could wait a little. Do you mainly dislike that one post, or have you been viewing the account without enjoying it for some time? This can help you choose between seeing less for a while and stopping following.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"ontvolgen-of-dempen\">Unfollow or mute on Instagram: what should you choose?<\/h2>\n<p>When you mute someone, you hide some of their posts or stories but continue following the account. When you unfollow someone, you stop following them. Consider these questions when choosing:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Do you want to see fewer posts or stories but keep following?<\/strong> Choose mute.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Are you no longer interested in the account?<\/strong> Choose unfollow.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Are you receiving unwanted comments or messages from that person?<\/strong> Consider restricting them. Unfollowing alone is not intended for this.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Do you want to stop contact through that account?<\/strong> Then blocking is more suitable.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Do you want to make something clear about your contact with each other?<\/strong> A conversation may be clearer than unfollowing someone.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>A fictional example: your sister posts lots of sports stories. You want to keep following her but do not need to see every training update. Muting is suitable then. Do you follow a sports brand that no longer interests you at all? Then unfollowing is the more obvious choice.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"ontvolgen-en-relaties\">Unfollowing family, friends or colleagues on Instagram<\/h2>\n<p>With an unknown creator, you usually do not need to explain anything. Someone you see often may take being unfollowed personally. So, also think about your contact outside Instagram.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/hooleft.me\/blog\/is-it-rude-to-unfollow-someone-on-instagram\">HooLeft article about etiquette when unfollowing<\/a> emphasises that unfollowing may carry more weight in close relationships and shortly after an argument. This is a social consideration, not a fixed rule.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Family or a close friend:<\/strong> do you only want to see fewer posts? Muting may be suitable.<\/li>\n<li><strong>A colleague:<\/strong> consider whether you want to keep seeing their personal posts, separate from your working relationship.<\/li>\n<li><strong>An old acquaintance:<\/strong> consider whether you still want to follow the account now, not just whether you used to be in contact.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Shortly after an argument:<\/strong> do you mainly want some space? You could wait before unfollowing, as it may come across as a message.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You do not have to announce it. If someone asks, you can briefly explain why you stopped following them. For example: \u201cI want to follow fewer accounts and make my feed less crowded.\u201d Use that explanation only if it is also your reason. If there is something going on between you, it is better to address it.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"gevolgen-ontvolgen\">What happens when you unfollow someone on Instagram?<\/h2>\n<p>You stop following that account. The other person is not automatically removed as your follower as a result. Unfollowing is also not the same as blocking: it does not cut off access to your profile or contact with you.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Can the other person notice?<\/strong> Yes, for example by checking whether you are still in their followers list. So, do not assume that unfollowing will go unnoticed.<\/p>\n<p>With a private account, following again may mean that you have to send another follow request. Keep this in mind if you only want to see less for a while.<\/p>\n<p>Having trouble stopping following someone? Read <a href=\"https:\/\/folnova.com\/en-au\/can-not-unfollow-instagram\/\">what you can do if unfollowing on Instagram does not work<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"beperken-of-blokkeren\">When is it better to restrict or block someone on Instagram?<\/h2>\n<p>Do you want less unwanted contact rather than fewer posts in your feed? Consider restricting or blocking. Unfollowing only changes who you follow.<\/p>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.meta.com\/nl-nl\/safety\/topics\/safety-basics\/tools\/stay-safe\/\">Meta\u2019s explanation of restricting on Instagram<\/a> that person can no longer see your online status or read receipts. Their comments are also less visible.<\/p>\n<p>Restricting may be suitable if someone keeps making unpleasant comments and you want to reduce contact. Read more about <a href=\"https:\/\/folnova.com\/en-au\/restricting-someone-on-instagram\/\">restricting someone on Instagram<\/a> before you choose.<\/p>\n<p>If you want to stop contact through that account, blocking is more suitable. If there are threats, you do not have to have a conversation first. Save messages that you may need to report the behaviour.<\/p>\n<p>Are you wondering whether someone has blocked you? Read <a href=\"https:\/\/folnova.com\/en-au\/how-do-you-know-if-someone-has-blocked-you-on-instagram\/\">how to tell whether someone has blocked you on Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"feed-opruimen\">Tidying up your Instagram feed: which accounts should you unfollow?<\/h2>\n<p>Your feed is the overview where you view posts. Start with a few accounts whose posts you often scroll past. You do not have to go through your entire following list straight away.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Choose a few accounts you are unsure about.<\/li>\n<li>For each account, ask yourself: would I follow this again today?<\/li>\n<li>Consider whether you do not want to see the posts at all anymore, or only less often.<\/li>\n<li>Choose unfollow or mute and check later whether you miss anything.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Do you also use Instagram for work or post content as a creator? Follow a client or another creator because you value their posts or contact, not just to be followed back. A follower count shows how many accounts follow you. It does not say how many people actually view your posts or pay attention to them.<\/p>\n<p>You do not need to keep a set number of accounts. Choose based on what you want to see, so you encounter fewer posts that are not relevant to you. Once your account is working as intended, you can explore our <a href=\"https:\/\/folnova.com\/en-au\/product-category\/instagram\/\">Instagram services<\/a> to compare packages for <a href=\"https:\/\/folnova.com\/en-au\/product\/buy-instagram-followers\/\">followers<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/folnova.com\/en-au\/product\/buy-instagram-likes\/\">likes<\/a> for your public profile or content.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When does unfollowing someone on Instagram make sense? Read what unfollowing changes and when muting, restricting or blocking may be more suitable.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24011,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[845],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33854","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-instagram"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/folnova.com\/en-au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33854","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/folnova.com\/en-au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/folnova.com\/en-au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/folnova.com\/en-au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/folnova.com\/en-au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33854"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/folnova.com\/en-au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33854\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":62780,"href":"https:\/\/folnova.com\/en-au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33854\/revisions\/62780"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/folnova.com\/en-au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24011"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/folnova.com\/en-au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33854"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/folnova.com\/en-au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33854"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/folnova.com\/en-au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33854"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}