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Social media can be a hive of drama. Sometimes, you just want to be able to block someone so you don’t have to interact with them anymore. If they’ve already blocked you, you might end up at their mercy — they can unblock and harass you whenever they want, then block you again to keep you from responding. Fortunately, this guide can teach you how to block someone who has blocked you on Instagram.

If you’re an avid Insta user, you owe it to yourself to check out this handy, step-by-step guide. Next time someone causes trouble in your comment section or starts bugging you in your DMs, follow this process to wash them right out of your hair.

How to Block Someone Who Has Blocked You on Instagram -- Step by Step

Blocking is a way for you to protect yourself. If someone is harassing you, block them. If they’ve beaten you to the punch, you can still learn how to block someone who has blocked you on Instagram by:

1. Open the Instagram app.

Instagram’s web equivalent lacks a lot of the functionality of the app. You’re better off going into the application itself in order to take care of your blocking needs.

2. Track down the person you want to block.

To block someone, you usually need to find their profile first. If you’re asking yourself how to block someone who has blocked you on Instagram, chances are you don’t have access to their profile anymore. There are a few things you can do about this:

Look for their username using the search bar.

If they’ve really blocked you, you won’t see it. If they’ve only blocked you recently (within a few hours or so), you may still be able to find it.

Look for past comments.

If this person has left past comments on your posts, you may be able to find them that way. These comments will be hidden once you’ve been blocked, so it’s highly likely that you won’t be able to find their username. If they’ve changed their username rather than blocking you, you can spot them this way.

Go into your Direct Messages.

Even if someone has blocked you, their messages will still turn up in your DMs. Find a DM from them, and you’ll be able to figure out how to block someone who has blocked you on Instagram.

3. If you've found their profile, block them from there.

In the offending user’s profile, tap on the kebab (three dots) menu in the top right corner. It will show you a list of options, including “Report…” and “Block.” You can choose “Block” from here, and the user will be barred from seeing or interacting with your account.

If they’ve been harassing you, impersonating your account, or otherwise breaking Instagram’s terms of use, you should report them in addition to blocking them. Tap on “Report…” to begin the process.

4. If you've found one of their old DMs, block them from there.

In the direct message itself, tap on the “i” icon in the top right corner. This will show you some options related to that message. At the bottom, you should see the option to block the sender. Tap on the red “Block” link, and you should be all set!

5. Keep an eye on comments and DMs in the future.

It’s possible that the person who blocked you may try to unblock you and hassle you again. If you’re not able to block them, keep an eye out in case they start commenting on your posts or trying to message you again. If they do, block them then.

6. Don't interact with trolls and hecklers.

Even if someone isn’t a troll, or doesn’t appear to be intentionally trying to get a rise out of you, you don’t need to interact with content that bothers you. Block people who post personal attacks, aren’t interacting in good faith, or are trying to stalk, harass, or intimidate you. Don’t reply — this will likely only escalate the situation. Just block, report, and move on.

How to Find Out Who Blocked You on Instagram

Have you been asking yourself, “Can I block someone who blocked me on Instagram?” If so, you may also want to know how to find out who has actually blocked you. It might not be who you think — sometimes, you don’t even need to have interacted with someone for them to decide to block your content.

Here’re three ways to find out if you were blocked:

Compare the app to the site.

1. Open the app.

Make sure you’re logged in to the correct account.

2. Search for the person you suspect has blocked you.

Using Insta’s search function, type in their username. Can you see their account? If they’ve commented on your posts, check and see if their comments still appear. If you can find the person by searching, and their comments still show, they haven’t blocked you.

3. Visit the Instagram website.

Go to Instagram.com. At the end of the URL, type “/[person’s username],” and hit enter. This should take you directly to their profile page. If you’re able to see their profile on the website, but not in the app, then they have blocked you.

See if they're active elsewhere.

Visit other people’s profiles through the Instagram website, or on a different Insta account. See if the person you suspect of blocking you has been active on other people’s content, but not yours. If so, you’ve probably been blocked.

Try following them.

If someone has blocked you recently, their profile may still be visible to you. Try following them by tapping on the blue “Follow” button. If you aren’t blocked, this will work without an issue. If you are, Instagram will show you an error page.

Log into a different account.

If you keep running into problems when trying to see if one of your accounts has been blocked by someone, try logging into a different Instagram account. If you’re able to see profiles, posts, and comments on one account and not the other, one of them has been blocked.

Blocking, Muting, and Hiding

In addition to unfollowing, Instagram offers three ways for you to control what you see and whom you interact with. Here’s how they differ, and what they’re used for:

Blocking will keep the blocked account from being able to see your profile, comment on your posts, or message you. It’ll be as if you didn’t exist to them. This is best reserved for people who harass you or other parties that you don’t want to allow any access to your content.

You can also specifically block comments from a person, without blocking them entirely. This will let them see your profile and post in your comment section, but their comments won’t appear to anyone but themselves.

Muting is best if you don’t want to block someone, but also don’t want their content to appear in your feed. Have a friend who posts way too many pictures of their breakfast? Muting is an option. You’ll appear on their feed, but their posts won’t show up on yours. You’ll still be able to see their posts if you visit their profile, however.

Hiding allows you to keep specific people from viewing your Instagram Stories. By adding their names to a “Hide” list, your Stories will appear to everyone but those people.

"Can I Block Someone Who Blocked Me on Instagram?" Yes! Here's How:

If you’re struggling with hostile comments or trolls, it helps to know how to block someone who has blocked you on Instagram. This can make sure that you’re able to regulate your comment section and direct messages. Here’s how to do it:

  1. Try to access their profile. If you’ve only been blocked for a few hours or so, you may still be able to.
  2. Tap on the menu icon in the upper right.
  3. Select “Block.”
  4. Don’t forget to report harassment, impersonation, or other violations of the terms of use.

Or, if that doesn’t work:

  1. Go to your direct messages.
  2. Tap on the “i” icon in the upper right.
  3. Tap on “Block.”

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