How to Fix Instagram Not Letting You Follow in 2025

  • By Muhid Suleman

    Muhid Suleman

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    Muhid Suleman, An expert writer from Pureprivacy's content team, Dedicate to make data privacy simple and accessible for you. Muhid, Our Content Wizard, weaves tales about online privacy using simple and user friendly procedures. He firmly believes that online privacy is your right and a big deal in the digital jungle.

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  • 3 January 2025
  • 9 mins read

Can't follow someone on Instagram in 2024? You are not alone. Many Instagrammers experience this issue when attempting to follow new accounts. And it's quite frustrating!

In this blog post, we'll look at the common causes of this problem and offer practical methods to help you overcome it and begin following freely.

Why Does Instagram Not Let You Follow Others?

To avoid spam and keep the platform clean, Instagram restricts how many profiles you can follow. There are two primary limitations: the 7,500 account maximum for total follows, and a time-based limit on the number of follows you may complete in a brief time. 

You may have reached one of these limits if you're having problems following people, or there may be a brief issue with the app. 

Consider seeing how many people you now follow, suspending to follow, or logging out and back in. You can reach out to Instagram for help if the issue still exists.

4 Ways to Fix the Instagram for Not Letting You Follow Anyone

Don't panic if you can't follow someone on Instagram because your account has been reported for engaging in "inauthentic activities." You can attempt the following short solutions to get back your ability to follow others on Instagram:

Switch to a Different Internet Connection

Occasionally, the IP address of your internet connection may be the ban's focus. Therefore, consider using an alternative internet connection to log into the Instagram app. 

For example, if you've already exhausted your mobile data, utilize your WiFi network to access Instagram and see whether you can follow others now.

Use a Different Device to Log in

If suspicious behavior hasn't been reported against your account, trying to access Instagram from a different device occasionally works. 

Thus, log out of your account and then use a different device, such as a tablet or PC, to log back in.

Thread from reddit

Use Facebook to Follow Others

Facebook owns Instagram. Therefore there is a strong integration between the two services. 

Because the majority of Instagram users also have Facebook accounts, you can follow them there if you can't follow them on Instagram. Follow these steps:

Step 1: Navigate to "Settings" after opening your Facebook profile.

Step 2: Follow and Invite Friends you want to follow.

Step 3: Follow contacts to achieve this.

Step 4: Next, choose "Connect to Facebook" under the "Suggested" tab. All your Facebook friends with Instagram accounts are now visible to you.

Reddit discussion about not able to follow someone

Report the Issue to Instagram Support

If you still see a notification such as "Action blocked," you can request support within it or through the app's settings. This is how you do it:

Step 1: Open the Instagram app and select "Settings."

Open the Instagram app and select "Settings."

Step 2: Press the "Help" and then “Report a Problem" button.

Press the "Help" and then “Report a Problem" button.

Step 3: To report the issue, follow the on-screen instructions. 

While attempting the methods to regain your following functionality, it's crucial to understand that these fixes might not address the root cause of the restriction. 

Access may be temporarily restored, and continuing "inauthentic activities" may result in a permanent ban. Use a service such as PurePrivacy for long-term privacy and security. 

Connect to PurePrivacy to Protect Your Social Media

PurePrivacy is an app designed to help you take control of your online privacy and security. It examines your social network configurations, suggests enhancements for increased privacy, and assists you in deleting your data from the internet. 

It also has features to stop targeted advertisements and block trackers.

How Does PurePrivacy Work

Recommendations to Improve Privacy

Analyze your current social media settings and permissions to identify areas where you can tighten up your privacy. 

It provides tailored recommendations for specific changes you can apply to your privacy settings. This improves your safety profile and allows you to make intelligent decisions.

Auto-Delete Search History

With PurePrivacy, you can quickly and easily remove your search history from various social media sites. 

It safely removes your search history, guaranteeing the privacy of your online actions and encouraging a higher level of online secrecy.

Auto-Delete/Hide Posts

With this feature, you can keep private or outdated content hidden from the public eye so that only you can access it. 

To remove unwanted postings from the social media network altogether and make sure they are no longer accessible, you can use the Permanently Delete Postings option.

Get Privacy Settings across all Social Media platforms

With PurePrivacy’s first-ever social media privacy manager, you can auto-scan & fix privacy settings on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Spotify, LinkedIn, Google and YouTube. In just $5.83/month, connect your social accounts with our app & get automatic social privacy settings and recommendations.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

  • Why am I unable to follow on Instagram?

    Plus

    It is the overall limit for your Instagram account. So, if you've followed 7,500 people on Instagram, you won't be able to follow anyone anymore, and you'll see an error message indicating that you've reached the limit.

  • Why can't I follow somebody on Instagram? Can I try again later?

    Plus

    This commonly occurs when you have been excessively liking photos, following or unfollowing persons, commenting too much, or sending direct messages in a short amount of time. Instagram uses multiple tactics to prevent spam and abuse on its site.

  • How do I fix the Instagram follow block?

    Plus

    You should stop following strangers and other mutual friends too quickly. It happens when you have probably followed too many people and surpassed the limit. You'll now have to wait a set amount of time before Instagram allows you to follow more profiles.

  • Simplify your online presence today

    With PurePrivacy, make sure all your personal data remains safe without a hassle!

Fix the Bugs & Follow People on Instagram!

Instagram may be restricting you from following users for several reasons. 

You can identify the problem by examining your internet connection, adhering to restrictions, and looking for any possible blocks. 

A quick app refresh, a new authorization, or a cache clean can frequently fix small bugs. 
If none of these fixes work, contact Instagram for more help.