Instagram User Not Found: 5 Quick Fixes

It can be frustrating trying to keep up with friends or family, but instead, keep getting the user not found Instagram error message. The worst part about it is that you don’t even know why it’s happening.

There’s no need to worry though, IG user not found is a common error that can be easily diagnosed. In this article, I’ll go over the reasons why you’re getting the user not found Instagram error message and how to fix it so you can get back to connecting with your people.

In addition, I’ll show you a simple way to check if the person blocked you, which is a definite reason why you’d see the user not found on IG error.

User Not Found Instagram Error

User Not Found Instagram Error

There are a few reasons you are seeing the user not found Instagram error message. You either have the wrong username, the person blocked you, deleted their account, or their account may be suspended or disabled.

Let’s break down each of these reasons in detail so you can know for sure what’s going on.

Then I’ll give you tips on how to easily fix each of them so you can quickly remove the IG user not found error and get back to your regularly scheduled stalking, I mean connecting with friends.

Wrong Username

If you’re getting the Instagram user not found message, one of the first things you should do is check your spelling. It seems like a no brainer, but you’d be surprised how often this is the reason people can’t find each other on social media.

We’ve all been there, trying to type in a name quickly and accidentally hitting the wrong key. So before you start thinking the person blocked you on Instagram, check your spelling.

Sometimes the username is just slightly off, so if you’re not sure, try a few different variations.

It’s an easy fix that will save you a lot of time and frustration.

The User May Have Recently Changed Their Username

It’s also possible that the person you’re looking for has recently changed their username on Instagram. If this is the case, you won’t be able to find them with their old username even though you have the correct spelling.

When an Instagram username is changed, the servers unlink the old username to the profile you are trying to access. This means that when you try to go to their profile – it returns the IG user not found error because it doesn’t recognize the old username as being in use by any user.

The only way to resolve this is to get the new username for the profile you are trying to access which will remove the error.

QUICK TIP: People often interlink their social media accounts, so if you can view any of their other account feeds like Facebook or twitter then you can check their info section to see if they also updated their new Instagram username and voila! You’re back in the game.

If you have no other way of reaching the person, try doing a search on Google or another search engine for their new username.

The Person Blocked You

If you’ve been blocked by a user on Instagram then you’ll be blocked from seeing their profile even if you have the correct username.

When you try to go onto their profile you’ll get a “User not found” error because they will have added your username into their block list on Instagram.

Everyone else will access the users’ profile just fine, only you will get the “User not found” error.

A quick way to verify if you’ve been blocked on Instagram is to use your desktop computer, log out of your account and then try to view their profile page.

You’ll be prompted to log in again, but this time you should click the “Not Now” option at the bottom of the login screen.

This will take you to the profile page, but you may not be able to see any of the photos or videos if their profile is set to private.

If this works, and you can see their account, then I’ve got some news for you that you’re probably starting to realize: you’ve been blocked.

If you’re in denial still, then get a hold of someone you know, a mutual friend of the account holder you are trying to access, and then double check to see if they can access the Instagram profile without any errors.

If they can and you can’t, then unfortunately, it definitely looks like you’ve been blocked. No denial here this time.

The only way around this is to create a new account and try to add them from that. But, if they’ve blocked you once then there’s a high chance that they will block your new account as well.

In this case, it might be best to move on and leave them alone.

Their Account Got Deleted

If an account has been deleted then it will no longer be accessible on Instagram even if you have the correct username. You’ll see the Instagram user not found error when you try to access it – this is similar to what happens if the user has chosen to disable their account.

If you do suspect that an account has been deleted, then again double check with someone you know, perhaps a mutual friend of the account holder you’re trying to access, and see if they can access the profile without any problems.

If the account is indeed deleted, then the username now becomes available for anyone to freely acquire it and begin using it from their profile.

This, of course, means that if the original user decides to create a new Instagram account, they will not be able to reuse their original username, as it is now owned by someone else, and will have to select from another available name instead.

Their Account Got Suspended

If an Instagram account has been suspended then you will get a “user not found” error when you try to access it.

Usually an Instagram account is suspended because the owner has violated one or more of Instagram’s guidelines.

Instagram’s guidelines prohibit the posting of inappropriate content including leaving vulgar or hateful comments on an Instagram user’s page.

Instagram accounts that get multiple violation reports from the community will be suspended.

You may, however, notice one key difference between a suspended account vs a deleted account:

1. A deleted Instagram account is removed from Instagram servers entirely, and is completely unavailable.
2. A suspended account, however, is only temporarily hidden from the public. (Instagram may still choose to eventually delete the suspended account if they deem it necessary).

This means that a suspended Instagram account may be re-activated by its owner in the future, since it has not been permanently removed from Instagram servers.

Suspended accounts can often be restored within a matter of hours after they have been suspended – however they must first correct the reason(s) why they were suspended in the first place.

Their Account Got Disabled

Instagram users may voluntarily choose to disable their own accounts. For example, if someone feels that they’ve been harassed on Instagram and wants to take a break from using it for a while then they can disable their account.

When you try to access an Instagram profile that has been disabled (or is ‘offline’) then you will see a “user not found” error.

An Instagram user can also re-activate their own disabled account whenever they choose. This will resolve the “User not found” error and you will once again be able to see the user’s Instagram profile.

IG User Not Found Alternate Access Method

If you are sure you have the correct Instagram account username and want to double check, then you can simply create a new backup Instagram account yourself, and then try to access the target’s account from there.

If it works, then the username was indeed correct and you will be able to access their Instagram profile from your alternate account. This, of course, means your original Instagram account was blocked by the user.

Otherwise, if it also doesn’t work (and you’re sure you have the right username) then it means that the username is legitimately not in use anymore, either temporarily or permanently.

Alternatively, you can even try finding someone on Instagram without their username.

Conclusion

We went through all the possible reasons on what does “User not found” mean on Instagram.

As you can see, there are several possible reasons why an the Instagram User not found error occurs when you try to access their profile. We’ve discussed all of the most common ones here – but if none of these seem to match your situation then it’s worth checking out Instagram’s help center for troubleshooting issues.