After seeing a message on others’ profiles, users are reporting seeing ‘user not found’ on Instagram, despite not being blocked. There are a few reasons behind seeing it. So, we’ll explain what the message means and potential ‘user not found’ fixes.
Instagram fans have been a little confused after seeing the message, even when they know they haven’t been blocked. Luckily, there are a couple of ways to potentially fix the error if it shouldn’t be there.
What Does The Message Mean On Instagram?
The message does not always mean you have been blocked. It could mean you’ve spelt something wrong, an account has been deactivated or your app simply needs updating.
Lots of people automatically assume that ‘user not found’ means that person has blocked you from seeing their profile and posts. Before you start an argument in the group chat or block them back for revenge, consider the other reasons it might have happened.
According to Remote Tools, the issue may not be on your end at all. If the person has temporarily deactivated their account or even deleted it, then the ‘user not found’ Instagram message will appear on their profile. This will be the same if their account has been suspended or deleted by Instagram.
Of course, it can mean that you’ve been blocked. Just make sure you’ve explored the other avenues before presuming the worse. That’s quite an accusation to make of a friend if you didn’t do your research properly.
Potential User Not Found Fixes
If you know that the account hasn’t been deleted, deactivated or suspended, then you’ll want to know what you can do to fix the issue.
First things first, make sure you’ve typed in the username correctly if you’ve looked through the search. It sounds silly, but it’s such as easy mistake to make — particularly if your friend has a million numbers in it or it’s longwinded.
If you’re certain you’ve searched it correctly or tapped it through a follow or liked list, then it could be the version. Sometimes, the ‘user not found’ Instagram message appears if you’ve not updated the app to the latest version. Check you’ve done that, and updating can potentially fix the issue.
Next, clear your Instagram cache in your settings as it could be storing old data. If the account recently changed their username then this can help make sure you see the new version.
If it’s a case of you can see the profile but the message is appearing, then restarting or re-downloading the app should fix it. This is usually a glitch and should resolve itself pretty quickly and easily. However, if you can still see their profile picture but nothing else, this normally means the account no longer exists. Check back in a couple of days and you should find that’s gone as well.
The best thing to do is not immediately presume the worst. Try all of these potential fixes first and check whether they’ve gone on a social media detox. Only after all of that should you presume that you’ve been blocked.
For fixing that, we suggest building bridges or even apologising. Reach out that olive branch and get back to seeing your friend’s posts!
