Everyone likely has that friend or family member on Instagram who makes annoying daily posts. Blocking someone can feel like too much of a drastic step, making the mute function a far more preferable option.
Muting someone won’t stop you following an account, therefore avoiding any awkward confrontations, but instead simply hides their posts from your timeline. You even get the options to mute posts, stories and/or notes.
Reversing the process is very easy too, so it’s possible to mute someone just for a few weeks if you do want to see their posts again in the future.
The process of muting accounts on Instagram is very simple to do, and we’ve detailed a step-by-step guide below to help you out. This guide is for use with a smartphone, but you can check out our Troubleshooting section further below for our guide while using a PC.
What you’ll need
- An Instagram account
- A smartphone or PC
The short version
- Head over to the Instagram account you want to mute
- Click on Following
- Select Mute
- Choose to Mute posts, stories and/or Notes
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Step
1Head over to the Instagram account you want to mute
We located the Instagram account by clicking on the magnifying glass icon on the bottom taskbar, and then using the search bar. However, you can also navigate to an account by simply pressing on its profile picture if you spot it on your timeline.
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Step
2Click on Following
The Following button can be found underneath the main profile picture on the account. It sits to the left side of the Message button.
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Step
3Select Mute
A new pop-up window should appear with the Mute option located on the third highest row. Click on it.
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Step
4Choose to Mute Posts, Stories and/or Notes
You’ll now get the option to mute Posts, Stories and Notes. You can either select all of these options, or toggle them individually. This may be useful if you don’t like their posts popping up on the timeline, but don’t mind having the option to view their stories.
And if you ever want to unmute the account, you simply need to click on the toggle again by repeating the same steps.
Troubleshooting
Muting someone on Instagram via PC is largely the same as on a smartphone. Simply visit the account you want to mute, select Following at the top, select Mute and then click on Posts and/or Stories.
There is no official way for someone to find out that you have muted them on Instagram. However, they may be able to work out that you have muted their Stories if you never show up as a viewer despite being active.
