How Do You Know if Someone Deactivated Their Instagram

  • By Muhid Suleman

    Muhid Suleman

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    Muhid Suleman, An expert writer from Pureprivacy's content team, Dedicate to make data privacy simple and accessible for you. Muhid, Our Content Wizard, weaves tales about online privacy using simple and user friendly procedures. He firmly believes that online privacy is your right and a big deal in the digital jungle.

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  • 3 January 2025
  • 8 mins read

Ever typed in a familiar Instagram username and encountered a notice stating that the page is unavailable? This post will guide you about the clear signs of a deactivated Instagram account, helping you determine if your friend took a temporary break or left the platform permanently.

5 Ways of Knowing If Someone Deactivated Their Instagram

Deactivating an account on Instagram can change how you interact with others on the network. If you think someone has deleted Instagram, there are several options for discovering it. Let’s find out the ways:

  1. Search The Username

Start by searching for their username. If an Instagram account no longer appears in your feed, search for it on Instagram. A deactivated account will not appear in search results. 

Step 1: Use Instagram's app or website. 

Step 2: Type their username into the search bar. 

If their account appears with their image and followers, it still exists. However, if you don't see any results, it's possible that they deactivated it.

  1. Check Their Profile Activity

Check their profile for recent activity. Search for posts, comments, and likes. If you can't see anything there, it could be because they deactivated.

Remember that a temporary deactivation implies that their login remains active but their profile is inaccessible. A permanent deletion permanently removes the user's Instagram username.

  1. Check Your Direct Messages

Instagram DMs can also tell you whether a certain user deactivated or deleted their account. This works only if you've already messaged them.

To look for a deactivated or deleted account on Instagram messages, follow these steps:

Step 1: Tap the Messages area in the top right corner of your Instagram site.

Step 2: Use the Search tab in the direct messages to find that person's name or username.

Step 3: Go to the profile that you believe matches the results. A deactivated account doesn't have a profile picture and will display the username "Instagram User". Messages sent to these accounts will not be delivered.

  1. Check from Another Instagram Account

When an Instagram user deactivates their account, it becomes unreachable to everyone else on the platform. Nobody can see or find it. 

On the other hand, if someone has blocked you, other users can still find them by searching.

Ask a close acquaintance to look for an account that you believe has been deactivated. If they cannot discover it, it indicates that the account has been deactivated or erased. 

If the account is viewable to everyone else, you've likely been blocked on Instagram.

  1. Ask them Directly

If you are still confused about someone's Instagram account status, you can contact them directly if you are familiar with them. They may have deleted or disabled their account for private reasons. 

Example: many users remove or deactivate their Instagram accounts as a result of cyberbullying or having their accounts taken over. A person may have deactivated since they already had a fresh Instagram account.

It is also expected that Instagram temporarily disabled their account. While it can be difficult to check whether or not someone has deactivated their Instagram, there are ways to investigate. 

However, there are many creeps and stalkers on Instagram that are using fake profiles to impersonate someone and stealing data. And, it’s better to follow basic security measures on social media platforms to avoid impersonation attacks. 

When it comes to protecting your personal information, you can use an all-in-one privacy app like PurePrivacy to secure your data from prying eyes and online web trackers. So, put your privacy first, and then use the above methods to check if someone's Instagram account is genuinely deleted.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

  • Have they blocked me or deactivated Instagram?

    Plus

    Search for their username: If you look for the username and see "No posts yet" with a blank account setup profile, it suggests they deleted their account. If the message "No users found" appears, they have most likely blocked you.

  • Can I see a deactivated Instagram account?

    Plus

    When someone deactivates their Instagram account, their profile is removed from view, and their followers are unable to see their posts or actions. Their username will be removed from the list of persons they follow. Essentially, their account becomes dormant, and their followers will no longer get account-related updates.

  • Can someone find a deactivated Instagram account?

    Plus

    Instagram does not provide "admin" capabilities. Instagram retains data for quite a while after you delete it, for legal compliance, law enforcement, and other reasons. So, in the appropriate circumstances, someone might find it.

  • Do people's Instagram tags disappear when they deactivate their accounts?

    Plus

    You can always tag persons you do not follow or who do not follow you. However, if you tag someone in a photo and they deactivate or delete their Instagram account, they will no longer be tagged in the post, but the shot will remain.

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In Conclusion 

While there is no one ideal way to know, the two main ways to find out whether someone deactivated their Instagram account are to search for their username and check your direct messages. 

If both methods return nothing, their account has most likely been discontinued; however, they may have changed their username or blocked you.