By Ashley Donohoe Updated January 19, 2021
When you made an Instagram profile to showcase your company or interact with other professionals in your field, you may have initially opted for a personal account that you can choose to make private or public. While having an Instagram private account offers some security benefits, you might prefer to go public to make your content accessible to more users. Fortunately, Instagram makes it easy to switch your account from private to public. You also have the option to switch to a professional public account that can provide you with marketing and analytical tools.
Instagram offers both personal and professional accounts, and the privacy options and account features differ for these types.
MailUp mentions that some businesses might forego the professional account since it doesn't have a private option. Instead, they might prefer a personal Instagram account and make it private to protect their privacy, reduce spam and filter followers. However, Instagram public professional accounts include extras such as a contact button, permissions for others to help manage the account, and marketing analytical tools that aren't available for personal accounts.
While public accounts of any type are visible to any non-blocked user and make it easy to reach a large audience, private accounts require a follower request to view. Instagram warns some private posts can still be spread around the web since followers might take a screenshot or download the images and post them online for others to see.
To change your personal Instagram private account to public, Instagram advises you to use either the Instagram website or app. If you have multiple Instagram accounts for your work, be sure to switch to the right one before proceeding with the following steps based on your device:
Go to "Privacy and Security" and uncheck the "Private Account" box.Regardless of which device you use, you'll see a confirmation message in which you need to OK the change to make your Instagram account public. Keep in mind that you can go back to the same check box at any time to set a personal account to private again if you change your mind.
If you want to move forward with a professional Instagram account, select the "Account" option from the "Settings" in the Instagram app; this feature isn't available through the mobile or desktop website.
You'll find an option there to set up or switch to a professional account. If you proceed, you can expect to walk through several steps for filling out your new business profile and linking it to your Facebook page if you have one.
If you're on the other side as a user who wants to view someone's private account, Business Insider notes that the easiest option is to use the profile's "Follow" button to send a request to get access. Other options include running a search for the person's Instagram account name to see if any photos have been posted elsewhere or have someone you know who is a follower show you the post.
While you might see a website or app that claims to be a private Instagram viewer, beware of using such a tool. Upleap warns that a private Instagram profile viewer might be a scam that steals your information or infects your device. Even if you gain access to the private profile with one of these services, the images may be low quality or blurry.
References
Writer Bio
Ashley Donohoe started writing professionally online in 2010. Having a Master of Business Administration degree and experience running a small business, she is knowledgeable in the issues and decisions that small business owners face. Other places featuring her business writing include JobHero, LoveToKnow, Bizfluent, PocketSense and Study.com.
Free IG Story Templates
Business Email Address *
First Name *
Last Name *
How many people use your company's official social media accounts? *Select.
..None123 - 56 - 1011 - 5050+
Company *
Number of Employees *- Please Select -1 - 2021 - 100101 - 500501 - 10001001 - 50005001 - 1000010001+
Industry *- Please Select -AgencyAutomotiveConsulting/ServicesConsumer Packaged GoodsConsumer ServicesEducationFinancial ServicesFood & BeverageGovernmentHealthcareInsuranceManufacturingMedia & EntertainmentNon-ProfitOtherPharma & BiotechRetailTechnologyTravel/Hospitality/Leisure
Country *- Please Select -AfghanistanAland IslandsAlbaniaAlgeriaAmerican SamoaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntarcticaAntigua And BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBoliviaBosnia And HerzegovinaBotswanaBouvet IslandBrazilBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBrunei DarussalamBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCanadaCape VerdeCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaChristmas IslandCocos (Keeling) IslandsColombiaComorosCongoCongo, Democratic RepublicCook IslandsCosta RicaCote D'IvoireCroatiaCubaCyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFalkland Islands (Malvinas)Faroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuamGuatemalaGuernseyGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHeard Island & Mcdonald IslandsHoly See (Vatican City State)HondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIran, Islamic Republic OfIraqIrelandIsle Of ManIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJerseyJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKoreaKuwaitKyrgyzstanLao People's Democratic RepublicLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyan Arab JamahiriyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacaoMacedoniaMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoMicronesia, Federated States OfMoldovaMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNetherlands AntillesNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorthern Mariana IslandsNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPalestinian Territory, OccupiedPanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPitcairnPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarReunionRomaniaRussian FederationRwandaSaint BarthelemySaint HelenaSaint Kitts And NevisSaint LuciaSaint MartinSaint Pierre And MiquelonSaint Vincent And GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome And PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth Georgia And Sandwich Isl.
SpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSvalbard And Jan MayenSwazilandSwedenSwitzerlandSyrian Arab RepublicTaiwanTajikistanTanzaniaThailandTimor-LesteTogoTokelauTongaTrinidad And TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTurks And Caicos IslandsTuvaluUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited StatesUnited States Outlying IslandsUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuelaViet NamVirgin Islands, BritishVirgin Islands, U.S.Wallis And FutunaWestern SaharaYemenZambiaZimbabwe
Subscribe
Social network accounts, especially popular ones, are a tasty morsel for attackers. And it is easiest to hack what is poorly protected. Therefore, we regularly remind you that it is worth taking care of the security of your accounts, as far as social networks allow it.
Unfortunately, security and privacy settings are often difficult to understand.
Moreover, developers change them from time to time. For example, Instagram settings have recently been updated. We tell you what is useful in them and where to look for this useful. nine0003
New Instagram settings allow you to even more securely protect against unauthorized account login and identity theft.
To find your security settings:
Where to find the security settings in the Instagram app
The first rule of security for any account is to set a good, long, unique password. Attackers will not be able to quickly pick it up and will not find it in the databases that they managed to steal from other sites, which means they will not be able to hack into your account.
At least, if you do not give out your password yourself or it does not leak from the social network itself.
Turn on two-factor authentication to ensure that your password is leaked. Every time someone tries to log in on a new device on your behalf, the social network will request a one-time code from SMS or from a special application. Thus, you will always be aware of login attempts, and it will be impossible to hack your account without knowing the code. nine0003
To enable two-factor authentication:
How to set up two-factor authentication in the Instagram app
An added bonus - after enabling this feature, the social network will give you backup codes .
They will help you log into your profile if you don’t have a phone at hand that should receive SMS or on which an application for generating one-time codes is installed (yes, you can do this too - see this post for more details). Write down the backup codes and keep in a safe place.
Instagram developers figured out how to protect their users from phishing via email. Now in the application settings you can see what letters the social network has sent you over the past two weeks. If you received a letter supposedly from Instagram, but it is not in the application, you can safely send it to spam. nine0003
To see which social media notifications are real:
How to check in the app if you received a real email from Instagram
Another source of danger is third-party sites and apps. They are connected to expand the capabilities of the social network, for example, add photo filters or convenient marketing tools. However, if such an application is hacked or its authors are dishonest, your account can be used for criminal purposes. You can view the list of connected applications and sites and remove everything superfluous in the same section Security , in block Applications and websites .
Where can I find the list of apps connected to Instagram
Instagram allows you not only to keep your profile safe, but also to restrict access to your photos, videos, stories and other data. You can hide personal content from prying eyes, save yourself and friends from offensive comments, and prevent subscribers from sharing your stories and posts with others.
For this:
Where to find the privacy settings in the Instagram app
If Instagram is not a promotion site for you, but a place to share pictures and videos with friends, you can make your account private:
How to close your Instagram account
Now only followers you have approved will see your posts and stories. True, there are some nuances. Firstly, everyone who managed to subscribe to you before is automatically considered approved by the social network. If you do not agree with it, then you need to do this:
How to edit your Instagram followers list
Secondly, if you repost an Instagram photo to another social network, it will be seen by everyone who can see your posts on that social network. So if you do this often, don't forget to set up privacy on other social networks as well.
If you are an insta-blogger and it is not convenient for you to close your account, you can control access to specific content. For example, Instagram allows you to hide stories from individual users, publish some of them only to your list of close friends, and limit or even turn off the ability to respond to them. All this is done in section Privacy in block History . There you can also prevent readers from sharing your stories in messages and showing your posts in their stories. nine0003
How to control who sees your Instagram stories
To protect yourself and your followers from abuse and spam, you can automatically hide inappropriate comments using Instagram filters or your own.
You can configure this in section Privacy , in block Comments . There you can also prevent especially gifted spammers from commenting on your photos and videos.
How to get rid of spam comments on Instagram
The social network allows you to prevent outsiders from writing you private messages and adding you to groups. If you are annoyed by spam in direct or you think that messages are your private space, open in section Privacy block Messages and select Only people you follow for both items.
How to get rid of spam in direct and adding to the left groups on Instagram
If you don't want your readers to know when you're online, you can hide your online status from them. To do this, select in section Privacy item Network status and deactivate the switch.
True, after that you will also not be able to see information about the activity of other users.
How to hide your online status on Instagram
Finally, spammers and other annoying readers can be blocked or restricted from accessing your account. To do this, click on the objectionable profile three dots in the upper right corner and select Block or Restrict access .
How to block or restrict someone from accessing your Instagram
Restricted account holders will still be able to view your photos and videos and even leave comments on them, but only you and the author will see these comments. nine0003
You can also put the user in silent mode if you are tired of his stories and posts in the feed. This can also be done in his profile:
Setting the Instagram user to silent mode
Your friend will not know anything about it, and you can take a break from the flurry of his photos and look at them only when you are in the mood - his profile will remain visible to you. nine0003
Instagram, like any social network, by default sends more notifications than you need. To avoid annoying pop-up notifications that one of your friends has posted a photo for the first time in a long time, you can turn them off. To do this:
How to remove unnecessary push notifications in the Instagram app
Now you know how to protect your Instagram account and can customize it the way you want. It's time to remember about your accounts in other social networks. Here's what the security and privacy settings look like on Vkontakte, Facebook, Odnoklassniki, and Twitter. nine0003
October 31, 2021 Likbez Technologies
Just one swipe of your finger and you are there.
To improve the security of your conversations, Instagram* has a special Disappearing Message Mode that can be used in one-on-one or group chats. When this feature is enabled by any of the participants, it is automatically activated for the rest. You can understand this by the design - the theme will change to black. nine0003
All messages sent in this way disappear from the history after your interlocutor views them and closes the dialogue.
In a group chat, the message remains visible until all participants have read it and left the chat.
In addition, to protect privacy, Instagram* does not display message content in notifications on the lock screen, and monitors screenshots and screen recordings. If one of the interlocutors tries to do this, a corresponding note will appear in the chat, and other participants will immediately know about it. nine0003
You can only reply to disappearing messages in this mode. When switching to regular correspondence, they will be unavailable, which is logical. At the same time, as well as regular messages, these can also be complained about, even if they are deleted.
Signing out is not done with a button, but with a long gesture, so it's not entirely obvious at first glance.
To turn off disappearing messages, swipe up from the bottom and hold your finger on the screen. Release it when the progress bar turns from gray to blue.
