With so many social media sites, it’s easy to stay connected, but it’s also easy to block someone. Perhaps it’s an ex-partner, a nosy distant cousin, or someone with questionable political beliefs. Regardless of why someone is blocked, it might be tough to tell if you are the victim of the block button. While it is possible that the person you are attempting to contact has deactivated or deleted their account, it might be difficult to determine. Instagram, or any other social media platform for that matter, does not notify you when someone refuses to allow you to view their content, so how do you check if someone blocked you on Instagram?

Method 1: Do an Instagram search

The first step in determining whether or not someone has blocked you is to conduct a fast search on their profile. You have not been blocked if the profile is public and you can access their posts. If you see the profile with the message “This Account is Private,” it means you have not been blocked. Send the individual a follow request so you can see what they’re up to. If you see the person’s profile and the number of posts they’ve shared, but the posts don’t appear in the display area, it means they’ve blocked you from seeing their posts. If the profile does not appear after a search, it is because the account has been deactivated or deleted. If you’re attempting to contact them, send them a brief text to check how they’re doing.

Method 2: Examine your own profile

Instagram does not delete old comments or tags from your own profile, even if you are blocked. If you can’t locate them after searching but see their comment on your post, go to their profile and look them up. If, like the first method, the link takes you to their page where you can see their post count but no photos are displayed, you have been blocked.

Method 3: Do a browser search

On every internet browser, the link to everyone’s Instagram profile is Instagram.com/username. If you know the username of the person you’re looking for, replace “username” with their real handle. If you’re logged in, you’ll receive an error message that says “Sorry, this page isn’t available,” which means you’ve been blocked. It’s possible that the account has been deleted or deactivated, so log out of your account and do the search again in an incognito browser to be sure. If you can see the profile, you can be certain that you have been blocked. If not, the account has most likely been deleted.

Method 4: Check your messages

If you have been blocked, Instagram will hide any past message thread you have had with this person for both of you, so check your direct messages if you have any doubts. If you can still see your chat, you’re good to go. If not, it’s possible you’ve been blocked. Check group messages that you both have in common to see whether their name displays to see if they have deactivated or deleted their account. If you can still see them as a group participant but not elsewhere else, they have blocked you.

Method 5: Follow them again

Whether you can see this person’s profile, see if you can follow them. You will be unable to follow them if you are blocked. A quick tap of the “Follow” button will not work, and you will see the button but will be unusable. They will not get any notifications that you have tried.

Method 6: Make use of a different Instagram account or device

The simplest way is to check from another account. If you have a second account, look it up or have a close friend do a fast search for you. If everything appears to be in order from the other account, you have been blocked. If you’ve realized that you’ve been blocked, you should think about why. People usually don’t block other users without a reason, so while it may be difficult to stomach, consider what may have caused this. Did you say anything disrespectful or inappropriate? Perhaps something upsetting to them or a group of individuals with whom they identify? The internet is eternal, and a screen does not protect you from the outside world. Let us all be more conscious of what we put out there and how we promote ourselves in the future.

Conclusion

Instagram does not notify you when someone blocks you, but you can check if someone blocked you on Instagram using several easy techniques. If you realize that you were blocked by someone close to you, ask them to unblock you. If your relationship with someone has worsened or they refuse to unblock you, you must accept their decision—whether you agree with it or not. Finally, when you block someone on Instagram, the individual is instantly blocked from your side as well. So you don’t need to respond by blocking them.