If you’re confused about what “user not found” means on Instagram, then you’re on the right page.
During registration, Instagram allows users to select a username with a combination of letters, digits, and symbols.
And some users are likely to change their username during the course of using the app which will in turn make it difficult to find them unless they have their name or profile picture intact.
If you are trying to find a user on Instagram and are seeing a message that says “User Not Found” it means that the account you are looking for either does not exist or is not currently available.
In this article, we’re going to see different reasons why Instagram will show you the “user not found” error.
What does a user not found mean on Instagram
This error usually means any of the below:
- The account has been temporarily or permanently deactivated or disabled
- The Instagram account has been deleted
- The Instagram user has changed their username or profile link
- You followed an incorrect account link or typed an incorrect username
- You’ve been blocked
When Instagram deactivates a user account, it is temporarily disabled and is not visible to other Instagram users. The users can reactivate their account by following the instruction provided by Instagram – This occurs when a user goes against Instagram policies.
Also, If the user has deleted their Instagram account, it is permanently removed from Instagram and cannot be recovered.
In addition, if a user has changed their username on Instagram, their profile link automatically adjusts to the new one, unlike Facebook which allows you to choose a static username.
If you click on the former Instagram profile link, it’ll redirect you to a “user not found” page.
Finally, you can also be greeted with this error if the user has recently blocked you from viewing their profile.
In some cases, you might be able to see their bio but the error will be shown below, the solution to this is to search for the user from a different Instagram account.
FAQs
Does user not found on Instagram mean blocked?
Yes, a user not found error on Instagram either implies that the user has blocked you or they’ve changed their account username.
How do you know if you have been blocked on Instagram?
A sure way to know if you’ve been blocked on Instagram is by searching for the profile using the Instagram search.
If the profile doesn’t show in the search then you’ve been blocked. Endeavor to confirm that the account is visible to other Instagram users before reaching a conclusion.
What does it mean when Instagram says a user is not found?
It simply means the account has been temporarily or permanently deactivated from Instagram.
Conclusion
If you are seeing a “User Not Found” message and cannot find the user’s account, it is likely that the account no longer exists or is not currently available.
If you think you may have typed in the wrong username, try searching for the user again using a different spelling or variations of their name.
If you are still unable to find the account, it is possible that it has been deactivated or deleted.
