We all have blocked someone on Instagram right? As easy as the process is to block someone, unblocking someone on Instagram is also quite simple. There are a couple of ways to do so which I’ve explained step by step in the guide down below including things you should keep in mind when trying to unblock someone on Instagram.
When you block someone, they completely disappear from your feed, search, suggestion, Instagram reels, and everywhere. If you’ve messaged them in the past and they try to reply to a message on Instagram that you sent in the past, they won’t know that you have blocked them.
But if someone is tech savvy, they will be able to tell if you have blocked them on Instagram.
How To Unblock Someone On Instagram Mobile App
There are three different ways you can unlock someone on Instagram mobile app:
- By accessing the list of blocked accounts from your Insta account settings.
- If you have exchanged messages in the past, you can unlock someone on Insta from direct messages.
- Search for their exact username and tap the unblock button.
You can follow whatever method suits you. If you decide to search their account and unblock it (which seems the easiest process), you might not find their account. The reason is you can have a different username as opposed to the display name you see predominantly.
If you are not aware, once you block and unblock someone you will have to follow them again. If it’s a private account, you will have to request them and if it’s a public account, you just follow them.
For anyone wondering does Instagram notify if you screenshot a story or block/unblock someone, the answer is NO.
In both scenarios, the user will know that you are following them again and you might have to let them know what happened.
Please be advised that the following instructions apply to both iPhone and Android phones or tablets.
Unblock Someone Without Username From Settings
- Open your Instagram app and open your profile by tapping on your bottom-right corner profile icon.
- Tap on the burger menu icon (three lines in the top-right corner) and open “Settings”.
- Go to “Privacy” > “Blocked accounts”.
- This will list all the Instagram accounts you have blocked in the past and are currently blocked.
- Tap on the “Unblock” button next to the account you would like to unblock.
- Finally, tap on “Unblock” on the confirmation window that pops up.
That’s how you can unblock someone you’ve blocked on Instagram without a username. If you are wondering how to see blocked Instagram accounts, the above steps are exactly how you do so.
How Do You Unblock Someone From Instagram Direct Messages
- Tap on the direct messages icon in the top-right corner of your Instagram app.
- Find and locate the account that you would like to unblock and open the messages.
- You will see a prompt at the bottom of your screen – “You blocked this account”.
- To unblock that user, simply tap on the “Unblock” and confirm it on the next pop-up dialog box.
Once the account is unblocked, you will see that the text box to write messages will be made available to you.
Search for their Instagram Username
Before you get frustrated trying to search for the Instagram user that you previously blocked, let me make it clear that you need the exact username and not the display name. Some unique display names might appear on the search but if the account you are looking for is not appearing in the search results, you will have to revert to using other methods.
To unblock someone on Instagram using the search feature, do the following:
- Tap on the search icon among the different menu icons at the bottom of your Instagram app.
- Enter the exact username that you are trying to unblock and tap on the search icon.
- If found, tap on the account and you should see the “Unblock” and “Message” button side by side.
- Tap on “Unblock” and finally confirm it as well.
- Wait for the confirmation message informing you about the completion of the unlock process.
- Refresh the page by swiping down and you should see all their content if their account is public.
How To Unblock Someone On Instagram Using a Computer
Unblocking someone using a computer desktop browser is not the most preferable since the options are limited.
The reason I say it is limited is that you have to either have exchanged messages with them in the past or know their exact username. There is no way you can access the Instagram block list using a computer so it might not be the most convenient way to find the user either.
Regardless, here’s how it’s done on a computer desktop browser.
From Direct Messages
- Go to Instagram.com on your desktop browser and log in.
- Access your direct messages by clicking on the message icon in the top-right corner.
- All of your conversations will be listed on the left, scroll through and find the Instagram account you are trying to unblock.
- You will see a message at the bottom of your conversations – “You blocked …..”.
- Click on the “i” icon and finally click “Unblock”.
- Confirm that you want to block that user on the next dialog box.
That’s how to unblock someone on Instagram website via direct messages.
From Search
- Enter the exact username on the search bar at the top and open the account.
- Tap the “Unblock” button and finally click on “Unblock”.
- Wait for the confirmation that the account has been unblocked as you can see in the screenshot below.
That’s how you can unblock someone from the Instagram website using a computer browser.
FAQs
A couple of reasons you cannot unblock someone on Instagram you previously blocked is either they have deleted/deactivated their account or they have blocked you as well.
When you unblock them, you will have access to send them messages or follow them. They will not receive any kind of notification unless you decide to follow them or send them a direct message.
Yes, you can block or unblock anyone on Instagram at any time you prefer. There are no limitations to how many times or a time frame to use the block or unblock feature.
Open the Instagram app, go to your profile, and tap on the settings icon. Go to privacy > Block accounts and you will see everyone that is on your Instagram block list.
