We all know Instagram as one of the most used social media platforms. It was initially launched in 2010, and since then, billions of users have existed. You can share media in the form of photos and videos on the platform.
You can find people and follow them to view whatever they post, and once mutually accepted, they can view your activity too. You can find and follow your friends, family, co-workers, or even people you don’t know personally but wish to consume the content they create.
With millions of users using Instagram daily, people are quick to disable their accounts or block others. You can find anyone through their username. The username you keep for your account remains your identity, and another account cannot use the same username as yours.
So this means that if someone searches for your username, your profile will be visible to them. However, they can only access the content you put on your account if your account is set to public. If your account is private, they can only see your posts and stories by sending you a follow request.
We have all searched for many users and gotten ahold of their accounts on Instagram. But, upon searching for a particular profile, at certain times, an error message pops up as “user not found.” Has it ever happened to you?
Does the user really not exist? Or, it does exist, but there’s a reason why we can’t find it. To know the answers to all these questions, stay put until the end of this article, as we present the reasons why you’re facing these issues and a detailed series of answers to them.
In this article, we will explore why you are getting the ‘user not found’ message when you are trying to access someone’s profile. Since we are updated with all the latest tech updates, we will throw a spotlight on the information we have gathered so far.
With that, let’s dive into what “user not found” means on Instagram.
What Does it Mean When “User Not Found” Message Pops Up On Instagram?
When you get the error message “user not found” on Instagram, it does not mean that the user does not exist. It can be one of the five cases: The user might have blocked you, The user might have changed their Username, The user might have deleted the account, The user might have disabled the account, or the user’s account might have gotten suspended.
Let’s dive deep into these cases below.
The User Might Have Blocked You
If, while looking at someone’s profile, you get the error saying “user not found,” there is a very high possibility of you being blocked by that user. The user can specifically block you from viewing their profile. All access you have, like viewing their posts, stories, and other activities gets revoked the moment they block you.
You won’t be able to find them if you directly search for them from the search bar. But, if they are already on your search list or their account was already in your DMs, then you can see their profile, but the moment you click on it, the error message “user not found” will pop up.
Similarly, if you are chatting with them and when the user blocks you, your messages will stop delivering, and upon refreshing, the error message “user not found” will pop up.
The User Might Have Changed Their Username
The prime reason why an error like “user not found” pops up is that the user might have changed their username, or you’re searching for the wrong username. This happens with the majority of people because they try to search for a username that doesn’t exist on Instagram.
If you are in touch with that person, ask them what their new updated username is and then search for it. You will be able to see the profile if you’re searching for the right and updated username.
The User Might Have Deleted Their Account
Users can easily delete their accounts with one click; it is fast and easy. Once the user deletes the account, it goes away permanently from the Instagram database, and when you try to search for it, it renders the error “user not found.”
Once the account is deleted, all the posts, stories, and activities relating to that Username get deleted, and you cannot access it in any way. But, if they’re already on your search list or their account was already in your DMS, then you can see their profile, but the moment you click on it, the error message “user not found” will pop up.
The User Might Have Disabled The Account
Another possibility you cannot see someone’s account is when they decide to deactivate it. Users who want to take a break from Instagram might disable their Instagram accounts. Unlike deleting the account and data permanently, by disabling the account, the data and activities get removed from Instagram temporarily until the user decides to re-activate the account. The data doesn’t get deleted from the Instagram server.
So, if the Instagram account is disabled, then upon searching, you won’t get any search results. But, if they’re already on your search list or their account was already in your DMs, then you can see their profile, but the moment you click on it, the error message “user not found” will pop up.
The good part is you can see their account once they log in back. This will also ensure that you are not blocked by the user.
The User’s Account Might Have Gotten Suspended
This is a very rare possibility for many people. If the user’s account does not follow the guidelines set by Instagram, Instagram has the right to delete the account without the user’s permission permanently. In simpler words, the account is deleted and does not exist anymore.
There may be a chance that they commented something negative or posted something that goes against Instagram rules. Someone can also report their comments or post, due to which Instagram can take down their account.
So if someone’s profile was recently suspended and you visit it, the “user not found” error pops up. But, if they are already on your search list or their account was already in your DMS, then you can see their profile, but the moment you click on it, the error message “user not found” will pop up.
Wrapping up
Instagram is our day-to-day social media platform. Almost everyone spends at least five minutes of their day scrolling through their account. Since there are so many people using Instagram, you may be curious to find someone’s profile only to see ‘user not found’ showing up on your screen.
When you get the error message “user not found” on Instagram, it does not mean that the user doesn’t exist. It can be one of the five cases: The user might have blocked you, The user might have changed their Username, The user might have deleted the account, The user might have disabled the account, or The user’s account might have gotten suspended.
All the possibilities can be assumed since there is no direct way to confirm which of the possibilities is actually true for that message to pop up on your screen!
As promised, we have mentioned all the reliable methods that help you understand what “User Not Found” means on Instagram. So, what are you waiting for? Go ahead and apply the above mentioned methods to see if you can relate them to the situation!
We hope this article was useful in understanding what “User Not Found” means on Instagram. If you cannot find anything, let us know in the comment section below, and we will help you find the right solution!
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Will I be able to tell if Instagram bans someone’s profile?
Yes, you can tell if Instagram bans someone’s profile. Their profile will completely get deleted from Instagram, and their posts and stories won’t be visible anymore. But there’s a small problem: while you can make out that the profile is deleted, you can’t be 100% sure if it was deleted by the user or by Instagram.
2. Why can’t I find a user on Instagram even if their account is still active?
The error message pops up if the user’s account is active on Instagram and you cannot find it or upon opening it from your search history or DMs. It simply means that that user blocks you. Others can see the user’s account, but you cannot.
3. Will I be able to send a message to an account that’s temporarily disabled?
Yes, you can send messages to a disabled account. But the messages won’t be delivered to the receiver until they enable the account. Also, there’s one condition you need to remember: you can only send a message to a disabled account if it was in your DMs before it was disabled. Otherwise, it’s not possible to send messages to a disabled account.
Also Read:
How to Know if Someone Deleted Their Snapchat Account
How to Check Someone’s Last Seen on Instagram
How to Add Snapchat Filters to Existing Photos
2 Comments