How to See Who Views Your Instagram Profile

Instagram is one of the most widely used social media platforms these days, with over a billion monthly active users logging on daily to check out images/videos posted by friends, family, or their favorite celebrities. While there is a large population of Instagram users who post stuff daily, there are quite a few who just lurk around without posting all that much or use the platform as a means to stalk other users. If you’re an avid Instagrammer with a public profile, it’s quite likely that you’ve wondered ‘Can I see who views my Instagram profile?’ more often than you’d like to admit. So, how does one track who views their Instagram account? Can you keep a tab on your Insta stalker? Let’s find out.

How to See Who Views Your Instagram Profile (Updated March 2023)

Well, to be precise, there isn’t any straightforward way for you to check who views your Instagram page. Instagram doesn’t have an in-built feature to let users check who’s viewed their profile and there’s a very good reason behind that – user privacy. Facebook-owned Instagram has all the data you’d need to check who viewed your profile, but it won’t share it with you because that could lead to a significant drop in user engagement on the platform.

Why do you ask? Well, since a significant number of Instagram users spend their time just checking out other profiles without posting anything on their own profile if Instagram releases data regarding their activity, there’s a very high chance that they’ll stop using the app as much, which is definitely bad for business. Even though these users don’t engage with other people on Instagram, they still consume the same number of ads as everyone else and if they’re called out for their activity they might stop using the platform altogether.

Using Third-Party Apps to See Who Viewed Your Instagram Profile

So are there any third-party apps you could use to see who viewed your Instagram profile? Yes, there are an absolute ton of apps, both on the App Store and the Play Store, that will have you believe that you can see who views your Instagram account and find your Insta stalkers by giving them access to your Instagram account. But, do they work? Definitely not.

1. SocialView for Instagram

SocialView for Instagram is one of the iPhone apps that claims it can show you who viewed your Instagram profile. However, if you go through the reviews on the app’s page, you will find that it actually doesn’t work.

2. Profile+

Profile+ is another app that says it can show you who views your Instagram profile. However, this app doesn’t work either. In fact, it tries to make you pay to unlock features such as ‘who viewed my Instagram profile’ even though it won’t work. The app simply shows a list of users you have blocked, which is something you can see on the official Instagram app anyway.

3. Follower Analyzer for Instagram

Follower Analyzer is another app that claims it can show you who views your Instagram profile when in reality it doesn’t do anything of the sort.

These apps just pretend to work and show a list of random Instagram usernames which keep changing every time you open the apps to make users feel that they’re doing something. More importantly, these apps run the risk of being a major privacy threat as they collect all your account data as soon as you log in with your Instagram account and give them access to the data.

What’s more, you can even have your account banned by using such apps, so it’s better to not rely on third-party apps to see your Instagram stalkers.

Why Don’t Third-Party Apps Work?

The most damning reason why these apps don’t work is quite straightforward. Instagram’s data policy clearly states that it only shares a user’s name, Instagram username and bio, profile photo, and email address with third-party apps that have not been vetted by the company. Additionally, Instagram’s Graph API, which was introduced earlier this year, is much more restrictive than the older Instagram API platform, which means that apps that haven’t been approved by Instagram to use the API lose the ability to access the API altogether. So, now that third-party apps are out of the question, how can you see who viewed your Instagram profile?

Note: There are a lot of scammers out there who claim that they can tell you who has viewed your Instagram profile in exchange for money, or sometimes by asking for your account credentials. Beware of such fake claims, and don’t pay random people money with the hopes of gaining access to information that Instagram simply doesn’t let anyone see.

Using Instagram Stories/Highlights to See Who Views Your Instagram Profile

Even though Instagram doesn’t give users access to a feature with which they can check who’s visiting their profiles, it does have one that allows users to see who all viewed their Stories and Highlights. The feature can, therefore, be used to check who all have recently visited your profile. In order to make use of this feature to reveal your Insta stalkers all you need to do is tap on the profile picture icons lined up in the bottom left corner of your recent Instagram Stories. This will bring up a list of all the users who’ve checked out your story, including users who don’t follow you.

This feature will also let you block any users who you don’t want to share your Stories with by tapping on the menu button to the right of the user’s name and selecting the ‘Hide Story’ option, so you can easily block any Instagram stalkers you may have.

Since Instagram Stories expire after 24 hours, you’ll have to check the list on a daily basis (in case you upload that often). But if you want to get a long-term overview of who’s been visiting your Instagram profile, you can check the same list on your Highlights, which also displays a list of all the users who’ve visited your profile (provided they played the Highlights).

Using Instagram Business Accounts to See Who Views Your Instagram Profile

You can also see who viewed your Instagram profile by making use of an Instagram business account. Having an Instagram business account will give you access to important information about who’s been visiting your Instagram page but there’s a catch.

With a business account, you’ll be able to access valuable insights about the users visiting your profile, including their location, age range, gender, and the time that they’re online. However, the insights won’t reveal the names of all the individual users who’ve visited your profile.

If that’s the kind of data you’re interested in, you can easily convert your personal Instagram account into a business account. To do so, you’ll have to navigate to the Instagram Settings and tap on the ‘Switch to Business Profile’ option, then connect your Instagram account to a Facebook Page that you administrate.

Instagram will then prompt you to choose which contact information you wish to pull from your Facebook page as Instagram business accounts require users to have at least one contact info. Your new Instagram business account is now good to go. It’s worth noting that Instagram Insights don’t pull historical data and starts collecting data only after the Instagram business account is set up.

How to See Who Viewed Instagram Stories

Unlike your profile, you can see who viewed your Instagram Stories, but within 48 hours of posting the story. After that, Instagram hides the users who viewed your Instagram story. Here is how you can check the viewers.

1. Open the Instagram app and tap on “Your Story” in the top-left corner. After that, swipe up to see who viewed your Instagram story. Keep in mind, by tapping on “Your Story” you can only see viewers within the first 24 hours.

2. If you want to check who viewed your Instagram Story under 48 hours then you need to create a “Story Highlight”. Move to your profile and then tap on the “+” button in the top-right corner. After that, select “Story Highlight”.

3. Next, choose the recent story and tap on “Next”. After that, enter a name for the highlight and tap on “Done”.

4. Now, open the Story Highlight from your profile and swipe up. You can now see who viewed your Instagram Stories, but this must be done within 48 hours. In the screenshot below, it’s not showing the viewers list because 48 hours have already passed.

How to Make Your Instagram Account Private

Now that we’ve explored all the ways in which you can see who views your Instagram profile, let’s talk about how you can prevent someone from viewing your profile. The answer is quite simple. You can prevent unknown users from checking out your Instagram by making your profile private.

To convert your Instagram profile from public to private, you’ll need to navigate to the settings menu in the Instagram app and toggle the ‘Private Account’ option. It’s as easy as that. Do note that switching to a private account won’t have any effect on your existing followers, so you’ll need to weed out unwanted followers or Insta stalkers individually after converting to a private account.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q. Can you see who views your Instagram profile?

No, you can’t see who views your Instagram profile. Even if you move to a business account, you can’t get the names, only the metrics as to how many people viewed your profile. It’s strongly recommended to stay away from apps and services that promise to let you see the viewers of your Instagram account. None of them work at all.

Q. Is there any app that lets you check who views your Instagram account?

No third-party or first-party app or service can show you who viewed your Instagram account. So do not pay for an app or service that promises you the same.

Q. Can you check who viewed your Instagram story after 24 hours?

Yes, you can check the viewer’s list after 24 hours of posting the story. For that, you need to create a Story Highlight which I have mentioned above. However, you can only see the viewers list within 48 hours.

Q. Can someone see how many times you viewed their Instagram profile?

The answer is no. No one can see how many times you viewed others’ Instagram profiles.

So Can You See Who Views Your Instagram Profile?

So, if you’ve been wondering whether you can see who viewed your Instagram profile, well, you can’t. The only workaround, which involves checking who’s viewed your Instagram Stories and Highlights, isn’t accurate as it only shows all the users who viewed your Stories or Highlights and doesn’t account for all the users who went through the posts on your timeline. Third-party apps, as I’ve already explained, are no good, and using them is definitely a waste of your time and money. In case you want more information about the users visiting your profile and can do without getting their names, then you can also convert your personal account to a business account. And finally, if not knowing who’s visiting your Instagram ID bothers you all that much, you can switch to a private account.