This usually happen when you are looking someone’s profile in your DM (direct message), or when you click on someone’s tagged username from a post or comment. As the name suggest, user not found simply means that the user’s account you are looking for isn’t available.
There are several reasons why Instagram shows user not found error. The most common reason you could think of is that the user has blocked you but this is not always true. In this article, we have discussed all possible reasons for user not found issue on Instagram and how you can find out which one is correct.
Table of Contents
1. User must have changed their username
Instagram usernames aren’t permanent. If you aren’t happy with your username, you can easily change it from your profile settings. It’s possible that the user are you are searching for has changed his username and that’s why you are unable to find him in the Instagram search. Some people often change their username to hide themselves from others. It’s same like creating a new account.
Changing the username will make it hard for people to find them. There are several other reasons also but we aren’t going deep into that topic. Just for the issue of not find someone through a particular username, it’s possible they might have switched to a different username. In this case, you can try searching them with their name or finding their account from your mutual friends Instagram profile.
2. User has blocked you
This is the most common reason if you see user not found message. When someone blocks you on Instagram, you will not be able to see their profile. If you will open their profile from your DM or somewhere else, it will only display user not found. There are various ways you can confirm if a person has actually blocked you. We have already published an in-depth guide on this topic. As for this tutorial, we will tell you a simple method. You can use your friend’s phone to check if that user is active on Instagram or not. Simply, search the username and if their profile shows up, then it means you are blocked.
3. User has disabled his account temporarily
Sometimes people disable their account temporarily for personal reasons. When someone disable their account, their profile completely vanishes from the Instagram. This can also be the reasons for user not found issue. You might be seeing the profile which is temporarily disabled the user. All you can do is wait for some time until it gets activated again.
4. User has deleted his account
Another similar reasons could be that the user has permanently deleted his account from Instagram. People usually do this when they don’t want to use Instagram anymore or switch to a new account. If you see user not found message, it is quite possible that the account you are looking for no longer exists. Unfortunately, there is no way you can confirm if the profile is actually disabled for some time or deleted permanently.
5. Instagram banned the user account
If a person is found to violate some rules and regulations, Instagram can ban him temporarily as well as permanently. Some people use Instagram for spamming purpose and creating fake profiles, while many use unnatural ways to increase their Instagram followers and post reach. All these things could lead to the temporary or permanent ban of their account. So this is another reasons for user not found issue. If you open someone’s profile and you see this message, it may be possible that the user is banned by Instagram for violating some policies, rules, or regulations.
6. Username is incorrect
Last but not the least, it may be possible that the username you are trying to find is incorrect. This happens when click on a tagged username from a post or comment. There might be some spelling mistake in the username or the account isn’t active anymore. Whatever be the reason, you will see user not found message on your screen when you will try to open such profiles on Instagram.
We hope you find this guide helpful. Now you know all the reasons why Instagram shows user not found message. You can easily find out which one is correct for you. If you still have any doubt in your mind, you can share it in the comments below. Stay tuned with us for more interesting guides!
