How to View Private Instagram Profiles?

Not everyone likes to keep their Instagram accounts public for the whole world to see. Some individuals prefer to keep a private account, which is often a better idea. However, this privacy gets in the way when you want to view private Instagram accounts, whether they belong to a former partner or friend.
Don’t worry, though – some techniques will let you look at private profiles, even if they’ve been private for a long time. When an account is private, you cannot see its Reels, photos, stories, and followers. Using special tricks will immediately let you see private Instagram profiles and get all the information you need from someone.
In this post, we will take a look at all the different methods that make it possible to spy on a private Instagram profile so you can choose the best option.

👤️ What Do Instagram Private Accounts Look Like?

A private Instagram account is a profile the owner locked to prevent anyone who doesn’t follow them from seeing their content. The photos and reels posted by private accounts don’t appear in search results, and you cannot instantly follow these profiles. You will send a “follow” request and wait for the owner to accept or deny it.
But why do so many people put their accounts in private mode on social media platforms?
Well, there are a few good reasons, including:

• Keeping Harassment Away – Having a private account on Instagram comes in handy in cases where you want to avoid harassment. Instagram users can be pretty mean, and this includes both people who know you and people who don’t. Behind a screen, users give themselves the freedom to say whatever they want, not keeping in mind that they are talking to a real person with real feelings. So, when someone is worried about harassment, they decide to keep a private account to prevent others from seeing their photos and videos.
• Maintaining Some Privacy – Most people set their Instagram profiles in private mode with privacy in mind. They want to prevent certain individuals from knowing their whereabouts, or they simply want to keep things a secret from potential employers or family members. This is especially the case if you post more inappropriate photos and don’t want your parents or people from your past to see them.
• Preventing Content Theft – Whether you post professional photos or you share your paintings with the world, there’s one thing that would seriously ruin the experience for you: content theft. Many accounts steal posts from pages and repost them without any credit. Seeing a random page get engagement for your hard work can be quite frustrating, especially when you are doing your best to get the same number of likes but without any success.

While it may not look like it to you, having private Instagram photos can sometimes be worth it. For example, having a private profile is okay if you’re on Instagram for personal use only and don’t intend to become an influencer or start a business. At the same time, it’s useful if you are applying to a college or you are already in college and don’t want others to see posts that might give you a bad reputation. Furthermore, if you are applying for jobs, keeping your Instagram content away from prying eyes will make sure your profile isn’t a deciding factor during the hiring process.

📌 Reasons for Checking Private Instagram Accounts

Verifying an Instagram username only to find out that the account is private can be a disappointment. If it’s a random person you saw in a comment section, it’s not a tragedy. However, if you want to see the Instagram of someone you know in real life, the account’s privacy can be a huge obstacle you might want to break with any method available.
But why would someone be so willing to dissect someone else’s Instagram account? Believe it or not, there are some good reasons why a person will want to check private account photos, such as:

• Checking on an Ex-Partner – Yes, yes, we know what you will say if you are not in this category – why would someone be desperate about seeing the private Instagram posts of an ex-partner? Surely, your first thought is probably that any person who wants to spy on their previous partners never moved on from that relationship. Now, that doesn’t mean that it’s not true, but in some cases, checking an ex’s private Instagram is tempting out of pure curiosity. If the relationship ended a long time ago, someone might naturally be curious about how their ex is doing, whether they found a new partner, a new job, and so on.
• Checking on Your Current Partner – Being in a relationship with someone who keeps a private Instagram account will surely raise some suspicions. It’s rare that a partner will do this in your face, but it can happen. Since you believe your boyfriend or girlfriend probably has something to hide from you, such as an affair, becoming a private Instagram viewer gets very tempting.
• Verifying Your Child – Children with accounts on social media sites generally hate it when their parents keep tabs on them, and it’s hard to persuade them to keep a public account or at least accept your follow request. It’s especially harder when you have a teenager with a strong personality. However, wanting to check on a child’s Instagram account makes perfect sense for safety reasons.
• Checking on a Potential Employee – If you own a business, you don’t want to hire individuals who will make your company look bad. While people hate it when the team of a job they applied to wants to check their accounts, this can often come in handy when businesses try to avoid associating with controversial individuals.
• Verifying Malicious Accounts – Some accounts exist solely to mess with others. These pages may take photos and videos from other creators and make fun of them by editing them, adding insulting texts, and so on. More often than not, they will try to avoid reports or having screenshots taken by keeping the profiles private. In this case, it makes perfect sense to want to see these accounts and take action against them.

🤳🏽 How to View Private Instagram Profiles?

If you want to view private Instagram stories, photos, or videos, there are a few easy methods you can try. Now, they might not always work, but these options are safe and have a better chance of keeping you in good relations with someone compared to attempting to spy on them anonymously with third-party apps.
That being said, here’s how to see private Instagram accounts:
1. Send a Request to Follow
As you may know, the only way to see a private account on Instagram is by following it. The person behind the profile may be someone you know in real life but had no chance to connect with on social media before or someone who removed you as a follower.
Your best option here is pretty obvious – if you want to check what someone posts on a private Instagram account, you will have to send a follow request. This is easy, as you just have to go to their profile and tap the Follow button. Once you do this, you will have to wait to see if the account owner accepts your request.
2. Request to Follow Through Mutual Followers
Simply sending a follow request may not work in all cases. The person who owns the private account may not recognize you or may be drowned in follow requests, making it hard for yours to be noticed.
But don’t worry, it’s still not over. If you have mutual followers, specifically followers who know both of you, you can ask a mutual connection or friend to talk to the private account owner. It will establish more trust and let you gain access to someone’s photos and videos.

❗️ What Are the Risks Associated with Third-Party Apps?

When you are so eager to view private Instagram accounts, you may even be tempted to use third-party apps. These let you stalk on anyone anonymously, making it easier to keep track of everything the person is doing.
One of the easiest ways to use third-party apps is by checking other social media accounts. Chances are the owner of the private account uses other sites as well, and sometimes, they share the same content on all platforms. The most common one is Facebook, as lots of users sync their Instagram with Facebook. However, they may also have a presence on other platforms, so make sure to check.
However, you might also be able to use third-party tools to see what someone posts on a private Instagram. You probably saw a lot of ads for such apps, and you didn’t know whether to trust them or not.
Many apps bring safety features that keep you anonymous while you stalk other users, but they are not always trustworthy. You have to bear in mind that many apps are not free, while others offer very limited versions that might not be as effective. Not to mention that some may actually reveal your activity, which may get you in trouble with the person you are spying on.

❇️ The Bottom Line

Using a private Instagram account makes sense in some cases. It can be used to protect one’s privacy and avoid harassment and content theft. You may want to spy on someone because they are an ex-partner or because they are someone you care about and want to keep safe. Whatever the reason is, the best way to gain access to their posts is by requesting to follow them or asking mutual followers to talk to them.