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How to find people in your contacts on instagram


How to Find Your Contacts on Instagram

By: Jenn Herman and Eric Butow and Corey Walker and

Updated: 11-14-2022

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If you're new to Instagram, you may be wondering where to start. Instagram (and its daddy, Facebook) is happy to help you make connections. You can find people in a few different ways.

Finding your Facebook friends

Facebook has a vested interest in making Instagram grow, so it tries to encourage you to round up your Facebook friends and bring them over to Instagram. It’s an easy way for you to find people.

To find friends on Facebook, follow these steps:

  1. Go to your Instagram profile page by tapping your photo at the bottom right of your phone’s screen.
  2. Tap the person with a plus (and possibly a red number) at the top left.
  3. Tap the Facebook link at the top of your screen.
  4. Confirm your Facebook login by tapping OK.The screen displays how many Facebook friends you have on Instagram.
  5. Tap either Follow All or Follow.To follow every one of your Facebook friends on Instagram, tap Follow All. If you’d rather be more selective, especially because you'll likely be promoting your product or service, you may want to follow friends one by one. Simply tap Follow next to each friend you’d like to connect with, and keep scrolling and following!

Instagram displays all Facebook friends who are available to follow on Instagram.

Some of your friends may have set their accounts to private. In this case, you see Requested after you tap Follow. They need to approve you before you can view their profile and posts.

Syncing your contact list

Instagram can also connect you with the contacts stored on your phone or tablet. After you activate this feature, your contacts are periodically synced with Instagram’s servers. Instagram does not follow anyone on your behalf, and you can disconnect your contacts at any time so that Instagram cannot access them.

This feature may be best as a one-and-done in the beginning versus a constant connection for privacy purposes.

To connect your contacts, follow these steps:
  1. Go to your Instagram profile page by tapping your photo at the bottom right of your phone’s screen.
  2. Tap the small person with a plus (and possibly a red number) at the top left.
  3. Tap the Contacts link.The next screen tells you that Instagram will find people you know, and you're given the option to follow them.
  4. To proceed, tap Connect Contacts.Another pop-up asks whether Instagram can access your contacts.
  5. Tap Allow Access.
  6. A pop-up appears asking you to allow Instagram access to your Contacts. This is your last chance to cancel your decision to allow Instagram to access your contacts.
  7. Tap OK.The pop-up goes away, and the Contacts screen appears.
  8. Follow all your contacts on Instagram by tapping Follow All, or choose which contacts to follow by tapping Follow next to each one.

Instagram can pull contacts from your phone’s saved contacts for you to select to follow.

If you change your mind at some point and want to disallow Instagram’s access to your contacts, tap the wheel icon on your profile page, scroll down to Settings, and then tap Contacts. Tap the Connect Contacts toggle to return it to white, which terminates Instagram’s access.

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How to Find Your Contacts on Instagram

Quickly build up a following of friends

Instagram allows you to connect with people you already know and new people you’ve never met. So whether you’re new to the platform or are already on your way to becoming an Instagram influencer, you’ll want to find people you know on Instagram.

In this article, we’ll teach you how to find contacts from your phone and your Facebook friends and turn them into your Instagram followers.

Table of Contents

    How to Sync Your Phone Contacts on Instagram

    Before you can find and follow people you know on Instagram, you need to connect your Instagram account with your phone’s contact list. Contacts Syncing is the feature that allows you to do that on the Instagram app. To switch contacts syncing on or off, you’ll need to learn how to use Instagram on your smartphone.

    Here’s how to use it to allow Instagram to access your device’s contacts. The instructions are the same for iOS and Android.

    1. Open Instagram on your smartphone.
    2. At the bottom-right corner of the screen, select the profile picture icon to open your Instagram profile page.
    1. In the top right corner of the screen, select the Menu icon.
    1. Select Settings > Account > Contacts Syncing.
    1. Select Connect contacts to enable contacts syncing. In the pop-up window, select Allow Access to give Instagram permission to access your device’s contact list.

    Enabling the option allows Instagram to sync the contacts from your device with your Instagram profile and helps you find the people you already know on the platform. However, it won’t exactly show you their Instagram profiles. Instead, Instagram will give you suggestions on who to follow based on their contact information (names, phone numbers, email addresses, etc.).

    When you sync your contacts, Instagram will also recommend your account to any of your contacts who are on Instagram and have their contacts synced.

    If at any point you want to stop sharing your phone contacts information with Instagram, you can easily disconnect your contact list. Simply follow the steps from above, and switch off the option to connect contacts.

    How to Use Discover People to Find Your Contacts on Instagram

    Once you have your device’s contacts synced with your Instagram contacts, you can start using the Discover people feature to find the people you know on Instagram. This feature is available on mobile apps for both Android and iPhone users. Here’s how to use Discover people on your smartphone:

    1. Open Instagram on your smartphone.
    2. Select the profile icon at the bottom of the screen to go to your profile page.
    3. At the top of the screen, next to Edit profile, select the Discover people icon. This will open the Discover people section.
    1. Select See all to see a complete list of profile suggestions. This list is based on your synced contacts and mutual friends on Instagram. Scroll down and find the people you know on the list.
    1. To follow contacts, select the blue Follow button under the name of the person on the list. Repeat this procedure until you’ve followed everyone that you know on Instagram.

    To use another way to find your contacts on Instagram, open the page with the people you follow and scroll down to the Suggestions for you section. When you select See all suggestions at the bottom of the page, you’ll land on a similar Discover people page. This list will display similar contacts based on your synced contacts, the accounts you already follow, and mutual friends. Only the contacts will be displayed in a different order.

    Instagram used to show you a list of all your contacts with an Instagram account. Unfortunately, this option is no longer available, and you’ll have to spend a little longer to find friends on the platform. The good news is that the Discover people feature isn’t the only method you can use.

    How to Find Your Facebook Friends on Instagram

    If you’re someone who has a lot of Facebook friends but doesn’t have their phone numbers, you should try syncing your Facebook contacts with your Instagram contacts. To find your Facebook friends on Instagram, follow the steps below.

    1. Open Instagram on your smartphone.
    2. Go to your profile page and select Discover people.
    3. Next to the Discover people, select See all.
    4. On top of the screen, you’ll find an option to Connect to Facebook. Select Connect to link your account and find your Facebook friends on Instagram.
    1. In the next step, Meta will ask you to Sync your name and profile photo. This means that changing your name or profile photo on one of the networks will automatically change it on the other. You can select Sync name and photo or Not now.
    1. Instagram will then ask you to sign in to your Facebook account. This will connect your Facebook account to Instagram and allow Instagram to make profile suggestions based on your Facebook contacts.

    Once your Facebook and Instagram accounts are linked, Instagram will recommend you to follow your Facebook contacts who have an account on Instagram (and vice versa). You’ll find these suggestions in the Discover people section of the app. When you see one of your Facebook friends appear in the Discover people section, tap Follow to start following them. You’ll also start receiving these follower suggestions in your notifications on Instagram.

    Find Your Contacts Using Instagram Search

    Not all of your friends will appear on Instagram based on your synced contacts. For example, an old phone number or someone’s nickname won’t be useful to Instagram.

    If this is the case, you can try finding your friend the old-fashioned way—using the search function on Instagram. To do that, follow the steps below. The steps are the same for mobile and web app versions.

    1. Open the Instagram app on your device.
    2. Find the magnifying glass icon on the screen. For smartphones – at the bottom of the screen, for desktops – on top of the screen.
    3. Type the name or username of the person you’re looking for into the search bar.

    You’ll then see a list of results with the same or similar name. The list’s based on the people you already follow, mutual friends, and your synced contacts. You should now be able to find your missing contacts.

    Find Contacts on Instagram Web

    While you can’t use the Discover people feature on the Instagram web, you can still use the search bar to find people, see suggested profiles to follow, and manage your synced contacts.

    To see the full list of recommended profiles, go to the Instagram website, find Suggestions For You under your profile picture on the homepage, and select See All next to it.

    To manage or delete your synced contacts, open Instagram web and follow the path Profile icon > Settings > Manage Contacts.

    Time to Find the People You Know on Instagram

    When trying to find someone you know online, knowing how to go about it is essential. Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and other social media platforms have unique ways of locating your contacts.

    In this article, we included the answers to FAQs related to finding your contacts on Instagram. You should now be able to find your friends on the platform and get them to like and comment on your Instagram posts, stories, and reels.

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    Anya is a freelance technology writer. Originally from Russia, she is currently a full-time Remote Worker and Digital Nomad. With a background in Journalism, Language Studies, and Technical Translation, Anya couldn't imagine her life and work without using modern technology on a daily basis. Always looking out for new ways to make her life and location-independent lifestyle easier, she hopes to share her experiences as a tech- and internet-addict through her writing. Read Anya's Full Bio

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    How to find a person on Instagram by phone number

    Surely you did not know about one interesting trick in Instagram - the social network can find a person by phone number. Let's tell you how you can quickly find a person's account on Instagram, knowing his phone number.

    October 02, 2021 Miscellaneous

    3 minutes, 3 seconds to read

    nineteen7221

    Miscellaneous

    The search is easy, but requires compliance with important conditions:

    How to find a person on Instagram

    Instructions for enabling synchronization:

    1. Add the phone number of the person you need to your contacts;

    2. Log in to your account and click on the "three stripes" icon in the upper right corner;

    3. Select "Settings" > "Account" > "Account Sync" nine0003

    4. In the Connect Contact List section, move the slider to the right

    Now you have synchronized your contacts with Instagram and the service will save all numbers, including the contact of the user whose account you are looking for. It will search its database. If the recorded phone is linked to a page, it will be displayed in the list of synchronized ones.

    How to check the list of linked numbers:

    1. Wait for the synchronization to complete and go to the "Settings" of the application again nine0003

    2. From the list of sections, click "Interesting People". The profiles of the people in your phonebook with their associated numbers will be displayed first.

    3. Find a user account by name and profile picture.

    Please note that other users will be able to find your account in the same way.

    How to remove or hide a number on Instagram

    There are several proven ways to remove your phone number from Instagram so that other people cannot find your profile: nine0003

    • Do not link the page to your mobile number. We do not recommend using it because you will need a phone number to recover your account or password.
    • Link your profile to a virtual number. We also do not recommend using the method, since you can easily lose access to such a number.
    • Connect your account to a phone no one knows about. Use the SIM card with the new number to bind the number and get the verification code, then put it in a safe place. In the event that you need to restore your account, the SIM card will be at your fingertips. nine0044

    Do not forget about the main rule: if you do not use the number for a long time, the operator will deactivate it. Specify in advance about the conditions necessary to save the number, such as account replenishment / calls / SMS.

    The “confusion” of the latter method justifies its effectiveness: you will be able to remain anonymous, and at the same time not lose access to your Instagram page.

    Why can't I recognize Instagram by number

    • The user does not have a page in the application
    • the page is linked to another number;
    • other avatars/account names or fake pages are linked in the list of connected contacts. As a result, it is impossible to determine which page belongs to your friend.

    You can find the Instagram of any user by phone number in a few simple clicks. Don't forget, if you've linked a different number to hide the real one, Instagram's smart algorithm still knows who your friends are. nine0003

    How to find a person on Instagram by phone number

    Connecting with people is one of the main goals of social networks and online networks. And since networking starts with finding the people you want to connect with, it's important to know how to do it. Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, Instagram and all other popular social media platforms have different methods of finding people.

    Table of contents

    Find people on Instagram by phone number

    Find someone by phone number

    Method 1: use the native option

    Method 2: let Instagram find your friends

    Warnings

    Stay in touch with your friends



    You can use any of the social networks to find people who share common interests with you , and add them or follow their updates.

    The most common method of finding people on social networks is to look for their usernames or legal names. But it's an inefficient method of finding someone you know because multiple people use the same username and username on the same app. Besides, it takes quite a long time. Searching for a person by phone number is a more efficient approach. nine0003

    Did you know: You can control and limit your Instagram posts and stories in four different ways.

    Finding people on Instagram by phone number

    Accessing your contacts or address book to find friends is a feature shared by Facebook and Twitter. However, few people know that people on Instagram can also be found by their phone numbers. It's pretty nifty and hidden in the Instagram app.

    If you don't remember the username, full name, or any of your Instagram friend's name(s), it's okay. You can find them and contact them by phone number - this only works if they have added it to their Instagram account. nine0003

    Disclaimer: This manual is for personal use only. If you use it to report, harass, stalk or harass strangers on Instagram, it is a criminal offense in several regions. Check the law in your country before continuing with this guide.

    Find someone by phone number

    First, you need to make sure that the person's number is saved in your phone's contacts phone book. Also, if you want to find more than one person, make sure their phone number is saved in your device's (Android or iOS) phonebook. Only then do the following. nine0003

    Method 1: Use the native option

    Step 1: Launch the Instagram app on your phone and tap the Profile icon in the bottom left corner of the app.



    Step 2: On your profile page, tap the Hamburger menu icon in the top right corner to open the profile option. Select Find people.



    Step 3: On the Find People page, go to the Contacts section and click the Connect Contacts button. nine0003

    Step 4: If this is your first time using this feature, Instagram will ask you to access your phone's contacts. Click "Allow" to grant Instagram access to your contact list.



    This will allow the app to access your contact list and identify people who are already on Instagram.

    Step 5: Once you've given the app access to your contact, Instagram will automatically sync the phone numbers from your phone to your account. nine0003

    All Instagram accounts associated with the phone number in your contact will appear in the Contacts section of the Find/Discover People page. Then you can move on to choosing who you want to follow.

    Note: Sharing your contacts with Instagram will automatically enable contact sync, meaning your contacts are periodically synced and stored on Instagram's servers.

    Step 6: If none of the phone numbers in your contacts list is associated with an Instagram account, the message "No contacts available" will appear. nine0003

    If you can't find your friends by phone number, there are only two reasons. Either they registered under a different number, or they didn't add a number at all.

    Method 2: let Instagram find your friends

    Step 1: Launch the Instagram app and go to the "Profile" section of the app.



    Step 2: Tap the Hamburger menu icon in the top left corner and select Settings at the bottom of the screen.



    Step 3: On the app's settings page, select Subscribe and Invite Friends.



    Step 4: On the next page, select Follow Contact and Instagram will display all the usernames (read: Instagram accounts) associated with the phone number in your contact list.



    Step 5: If none of the phone numbers in your contact list are listed on Instagram, the message "No contacts available" will appear on the screen. nine0003

    Whenever your contact joins Instagram using their phone number, or connects their phone number to their Instagram account, they appear in the Contacts section of the app.

    Warnings

    • Trying to find someone you don't know that well (personally) on Instagram using their phone number can be considered unethical.
    • You won't be able to find people who haven't linked their phone numbers to their Instagram accounts using the two methods above. nine0044

    Stay in touch with friends

    Now that you know how to connect and find people on Instagram by their phone numbers, start using that knowledge to connect with friends and family in your contact list.

    Watch this video tutorial from our Guiding Tech YouTube channel (in English):

    Next: Do you sometimes feel like someone blocked you on Instagram? Especially when their posts and stories stop showing up in your feed.

    Learn more