Seeing the “User not found” issue while searching for someone on Instagram?
Or maybe you’ve tried searching for their username and come up empty-handed?
This message may appear when you try to access their profile from the direct message feature if you have already sent them messages and they are in your Instagram chat history.
There are several possible explanations for this, and it is not always indicative of being blocked.
If you’ve ever been puzzled by the error message “User not found” on Instagram, I’m here to help you sort it out. I’ll go over all the possible causes and solutions.
What Does Instagram Mean When It Says “User Not Found?”
Instagram’s “User not found” error indicates that the user has either changed their username, blocked you, deleted or disabled their account, or the account has been temporarily suspended.
When you visit someone’s Instagram profile page on the Instagram app or try to search for their Instagram posts, you will receive this error message.
Does this suggest that the user has been blocked?
It’s important to note that “User not found” doesn’t always imply that your account has been suspended; there are five possible explanations for this error:
- The user’s email address and username have both been updated.
- Your account is blocked.
- User account Deleted permanently.
- The user account was temporarily deleted.
- Their account has been frozen.
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1. The User’s Mail Address And Username Have Both Been Updated.
When you get a “User not found” warning, it’s most likely because someone has changed their username (also known as their Instagram handle).
When a user on Instagram changes their username, you will be unable to find them using their former handle since it will look like their account no longer exists.
It’s unlikely that popular social media accounts will have to deal with this situation because they don’t change their Instagram handles regularly.
Whether they’ve changed their username, how can you tell if it’s the real thing and not an impostor?
Look into their other social media accounts to see if they’ve made any changes.
Other options include searching your friend’s list of “followers” or “followers” if you have mutual followers or both following the same profile.
Their former username is gone, but their profile photo and name should still be there.
In this case, Instagram will show you the user’s updated profile and new username if you’ve previously interacted with them via chat.
However, if you open their profile from the chat history and still see this notice, it means you have been blocked, which I will describe in the next point…
2. Your Account Is Blocked.
A user blocking you on Instagram is the most typical cause of the “Username not found” issue.
It’s possible to view someone’s profile in your recent searches, but when you try to click on the profile, you’ll get an error notice like the one shown in this screenshot.
The profile you suspect of blocking you can still receive messages from you even if you have a conversation history with them.
When you click on their Instagram profile, you’ll see the “User not found” error message.
It’s usually a good idea to double-check before drawing any conclusions, so don’t rush to judgment.
Your profile should still be viewable even if the individual has blocked you.
The best approach to confirm that you have been blocked is to visit the person’s profile from another Instagram account that you have access to.
Your other account will show their profile generally if you’ve been blocked.
3. User Account Deleted Permanently.
We can’t rule out the possibility that the individual simply deactivated their Instagram account.
As soon as a person deletes their Instagram account, all of their posts and comments are deleted as well.
The deleted Instagram account will not appear in Instagram search results or listings of “followers” and “followed by” Instagram profiles.
A lookup from another account is the most reliable approach to determining whether a user has truly deleted their Instagram account.
A user’s account may have been deleted or temporarily disabled if they receive the error message “User not found” on Instagram. After this, I’ll go over this possibility in more detail in the section.
4. User Account Temporarily Deleted.
If you’d like to take a break from Instagram, you can put your account on pause.
When this happens, their account will no longer appear in search results or in the listings of other individuals they follow or follow.
When a person temporarily disables their account, you’ll receive a “User not found” message, similar to what you’d see if the user had permanently deleted their account.
A user’s profile will be hidden until they want to reactivate it, which may take some time if they don’t.
5. Their Account Has Been Frozen.
If a user violates Instagram’s community guidelines or rules, their account may be suspended.
You won’t be able to tell if an Instagram account has been suspended by looking at the account’s profile picture, unlike Twitter, for example. Instead, you will see “User not found,” as if this profile never existed.
Remember if the person you’re looking for has a history of breaking Instagram’s rules and having their account banned.
There is nothing you can do for an Instagram user who has suspended their account, even if they have appealed for it to reopen.
Where Have All The Instagram Accounts I’ve Searched?
Have trouble tracking down an Instagram user? It’s possible they have removed their account or blocked you.
To discover someone who has blocked you on Instagram, use the search option, but they’ll be hidden from your view.
Using a different account, search and search their username to see if they’ve blocked you or not.
Finally, you should be able to locate their profile.
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There Must Be Something Wrong With My Instagram Account Because I Cannot Discover Someone Who Has Blocked Me.
If the person you’re looking for hasn’t blocked you, then it’s extremely probable they’ve changed their Instagram handle.
Otherwise, they may have deleted or disabled their Instagram account; in rare cases, the profile has been suspended on the platform.
To find the person you’re looking for, you’ll need to search up their Instagram friend list and see if they’re listed there.
Is Someone On Instagram Blocking You?
It is possible to tell whether someone has blocked you by visiting their profile and seeing the notice “User not found”; if you’ve previously exchanged messages with that person, this is a good indicator.
To be confident that someone has blocked your access to their page, you can try viewing their profile from a different account and check if the issue persists.
If you are on their profile when they have blocked you, there is no way for you to leave a like or comment on their posts.
Conclusion
This error is common on Instagram since there are so many possible reasons you can’t locate a user.
Check the issue on another Instagram account to make sure it wasn’t a mistake you made in the first place.
If your username is long or complex, you may have just mistyped your Instagram username, but this rarely happens.
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