How to block or unblock someone on Instagram from Settings or from the user’s profile

• You can unblock someone on the Instagram app from Settings or their profile.
• When you unblock someone on Instagram, they can message you and view your profile if it's public.
• Blocked Instagram users are unable to see your posts and stories, message you, or follow you.
• Visit Insider's Tech Reference library for more stories.

Instagram is a great place to share photos with your friends and family. But if you find yourself the target of harassment or trolling, the blocking feature can come in handy.

Instagram does not give users any sort of notification that they've been blocked or unblocked.

When you block a user, you are prohibiting them from messaging or following you and seeing your posts or stories. To block someone, you'll need to go to their profile page, tap or click the three dots to the right of their name, and select Block.

If you ever change your mind, however, unblocking someone on Instagram is just as easy – and only takes a few minutes.

How to unblock someone on Instagram

You can unblock someone on the Instagram app through Settings or the user's profile.

From Settings:

1. Open the Instagram app on your iPhone or Android.

2. From the Instagram homepage, tap your profile icon in the bottom-right corner.

3. Tap the icon of three horizontal lines in the top-right corner of your profile page.

4. At the top of the pop-up menu, select Settings, next to a gear-shaped icon.

5. On the Settings page, tap Privacy, next to an icon of a lock.

6. In the Connections section, tap Blocked Accounts.

7. On the Blocked Accounts page, tap the blue Unblock button next to the user you want to unblock.

8. In the pop-up, select Unblock. This will allow the user to once again view your profile, follow your account, message you, and like your posts if your profile is public. If you want to follow someone you've recently unblocked, you'll need to follow them again.

From their profile:

1. Open the Instagram app on your iPhone or Android.

2. Go to the user's profile you want to unblock, either by searching for their account, scrolling through your followers list, or tapping the name of an account that appears on your timeline.

3. Tap the blue Unblock button at the top of their profile, underneath their name and bio.

4. Select Unblock again in the pop-up to confirm. If you want to follow someone you've recently unblocked, you'll need to follow them again.

How to disable comments on Instagram on a post-by-post basisHow to know if someone has blocked you on InstagramHow to hide comments on Instagram Live in 5 simple stepsHow to mute people on Instagram in 3 different ways