Top 10 Instagram Privacy Tips You Need to Know

Instagram is a great place to share, but it's important to keep control over your personal data. Here are the top 10 tips to lock down your privacy in 2025.

1. Set Your Account to Private

The most effective step is switching to a Private account. Go to Settings > Privacy > Account Privacy and toggle "Private Account". Now, only people you approve can see your posts and stories.

2. Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

Protect your account from hackers. With 2FA, even if someone steals your password, they can't login without a code from your phone or an authenticator app.

3. Manage Your "Close Friends" List

You don't need to share every story with everyone. Use the "Close Friends" feature to share more personal moments with a select group of trusted people.

4. Control Who Can Mention You

Stop spam bots from tagging you in random contests. changing your settings to allow mentions only from "People You Follow" or "No One".

5. Hide Your Activity Status

Don't want people to know when you're online? Turn off "Show Activity Status" in your message settings. This prevents the green dot from appearing next to your name.

6. Remove Third-Party App Access

Check "Apps and Websites" in settings. Remove any old quizzes or tools you no longer use that still have access to your data.

7. Block and Restrict

Don't hesitate to Block users who harass you. For a softer approach, use "Restrict" – their comments will be invisible to others, and they won't know you've restricted them.

8. Review Story Settings

You can hide your stories from specific people without blocking them. Perfect for keeping nosey acquaintances at bay.

9. Turn Off Contact Syncing

If you don't want Instagram to recommend your account to everyone in your phone contacts (like your boss), turn off "Connect Contacts".

10. Audit Your Location Data

Be careful with geotags. Avoid tagging your home address or current location in real-time. Post it later ("latergram") to keep your movements private.