Instagram has lots of cool features beyond its photo filters and hashtags. But can you see who views your Instagram profile?
Scrolling through Instagram can be great inspiration. You’ll find ideas for everything from selfie captions to fashion choices, thanks to friends, family and influencers with interesting photos. (If you’re wondering “What is Instagram?” you’re missing out!) Your pictures might even be that inspiration for someone else—or they might be a way for old friends to see what you’re up to. But whether people view your profile out of nosiness or admiration, can you see who views your Instagram profile?
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Does Instagram Have Profile Views?
So can you see who views your Instagram? The short answer is no. Instagram doesn’t allow users to see who views their profile. So if you look through someone’s profile and don’t like or comment on a post, there’s no way for them to know who sees their pictures. “Similar to Facebook, users are unable to see who has viewed their profiles regardless of the type of profile they own: personal, business or creator,” says Reggie Azevedo Filho, who works for the social media management platform Traject Social. This goes for both users with accounts and people without accounts who use the web to browse Instagram publicly.
Instagram Business accounts will display stats about the volume of traffic but don’t show specific profile information, according to Alex Heid, chief research and development officer at SecurityScorecard. Business accounts specifically show the number of people who visited your profile in the past seven days, or how many people saw your posts in their feed, according to an Instagram representative. This number includes anyone you may have restricted on Instagram.
Can you see who views your Instagram stories?
Yes, you can see who views your Instagram stories. If you share more Instagram stories than posts, you’ll have better luck finding out who’s viewing your content. Users who view stories appear in a “viewers list” for 24 hours after the story is live for the original poster to see. “This grants you insights into the specific audience members who have viewed your photo, video or story post for the same period of time your post is active,” Azevedo says. After 24 hours, the list disappears, but if you save your stories, you can still see the number of people who saw them (and who). You must be logged in to see this information. And if you are somebody with a lot of followers and you get too many notifications from posting a story—whether likes or comments—you can always turn on Instagram quiet mode to post in peace.
Can you see who viewed your Instagram video?
Videos you post on your Instagram story follow the same rules as photos on your Instagram story: You can see the list of viewers for 24 hours after the story is live. However, it’s a little different with videos posted as Instagram reels or videos that are part of a regular post. On an Instagram post, you can see how many people have viewed your video. Each person counts as one view, no matter how many times they have watched it. You can’t see who specifically did nor did not view it, only the number of viewers.
On Instagram reels, the information is similar. It tracks number of plays rather than number of viewers, but you still can’t see exactly who has watched your reel.
Is there a third-party app that lets me see who views my Instagram profile? (How to See Who Views Your Profile)
Facebook acquired Instagram in 2012, so there’s some overlap in privacy settings. So, like Facebook, no third-party apps will tell you who looks at your Instagram profile, just like there’s no way to find out if anyone screenshots your Instagram story. “Anything advertising a feature that shows who viewed your profile would not be a legitimate service and should be avoided, as it is likely just an app that is there to collect data for those who use it,” Heid says. There’s no indication that Instagram will ever decide to allow users to see who views their profile. Next, learn how to tell if someone blocked you on Instagram.
Sources:
- Reggie Azevedo Filho, with social media management platform Traject Social
- Alex Heid, chief research and development officer at SecurityScorecard
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