Are you wondering why Instagram says users were not found whenever you are visiting someone’s profile or searching for them?
Instagram is the most popular social media platform you can find right now. It has recorded over 500 million daily active users. You can post pictures, send and receive messages, watch IGTV, sell products and also find new people.
But when it comes to searching for someone on Instagram, you may sometimes see a “User Not Found” error message. It’s not a big issue but can be boring to see that.
When Instagram shows users not found message then either a person has deleted their account or blocked you or deactivate their account or changed their username or Instagram suspend his/her account.
So, today you will learn to fix Instagram user not found problems in the most simple way possible. In addition, we will also talk about different things that cause this issue.
Table of Contents
What Does “User Not Found” Mean on Instagram?
There are many things that you need to look after if you see a “User not found” message while finding people on Instagram or stalking their profile.
One reason can be different from another and also have a different meaning of it.
But one of the common reasons why you can’t find a profile on Instagram is because of a changed username, deleted account, disabled account, suspended account, and blocked account.
So, now let’s see how do these reasons are linked with user not found the problem.
Reason 1: Person Has Deleted their Account
The first reason is when you see the “User Not Found” error whenever searching for someone’s Instagram profile then a person has deleted his/her account.
When someone deletes their Instagram account then you will get a “user not found” error message.
One of the most simple ways to find if someone has deleted their Instagram account or not is to search for their username. You can also go to your followers and following section and check their username if only a person is following you or you are following his/her.
So, if you can’t locate the account from the “Following” or “Followers” section then a person has deleted their account.
Other than this, if you search for their username from the search bar then you again can’t find their account.
But, if someone’s account is tagged somewhere or you’ve messaged them before then you will see a “User not found” error whenever you try to visit their profile if a person has a deleted account.
Reason 2: Person Changed their Username
The username of your Instagram is like an identity. When someone wants to see your profile then they first click on your username.
If your account is matched with your username then he/she can easily view your account or profile.
But, if the username which you’ve linked to your account is wrong or changed over time then nobody can locate your old Instagram account.
You don’t have to make huge changes to your username like creating a new one. Simply slightest the change in character will disconnect your current account with your old username.
For example, if you change your password of your Instagram then you can’t access your account with an old password. Your account is there which you can access but you have to enter a new address (password).
So, it works similar to your Instagram account too. If someone changed their username then you can locate their actual account using the old username instead you will see “user not found”.
Reason 3: Person Has Blocked You
Another reason why Instagram says users not found when you are visiting someone’s profile is because they have blocked you.
When someone blocks you on Instagram then you can’t view their profile if you are searching their username from the search bar.
However, if you are talking to that person and his/her profile is still in your DMs or chat section then you can visit their profile but you can’t access their content. It means you can see their post, followers, following, or anything that person has on his/her account.
Other than this, if a person is still in your recent section then you will again encounter a “user not found” error message.
So, unless a person unblocks you on Instagram, you can’t chat with them or view their profile.
Reason 4: Person Has Deactivated his/her Account
Another possible reason what does “User not found” in Instagram means is because of the deactivated account.
If someone disables or deactivates his/her account then their profile will be hidden from Instagram.
Once their profile is hidden then nobody can view their profile and its content.
For example, if you don’t want to delete your Instagram account but also don’t want someone to view your profile then you can disable the account. It will usually hide your profile and shows an error message “User not found”.
In this way, you can re-active your account anytime you want without creating a new one.
The same thing also goes for the Facebook account. When you deactivate your account then users can’t view your profile pictures or any posts from your account.
Reason 5: Instagram Has Suspended his/her Account
If you see a “User not found” error while looking for someone then maybe his/her account is suspended by Instagram.
In other words, Instagram permanently bans a person’s account for violating their community guidelines and policy.
When someone works away from the guidelines of Instagram such as posting inappropriate content, bullying someone, disturbing by sending unwanted messages, spreading violence or terrorist act or harmful content then it will lead to a permanent ban.
Likewise, you can’t actually receive a message regarding your ban because Instagram rarely notifies or give a warning about it.
If it records multiple reports about your breaking policy action then your account will be deleted (which means suspended forever).
So, if a person’s account is suspended which you are searching for then you will likely see “User not found”.
How to Fix “User Not Found” on Instagram?
If you can’t find user on Instagram then there are a few things that you can follow to make sure that you find the right account or profile which you are looking for.
So, take a closer look at the following important things to fix “user not found” on Instagram.
1. Use Valid Username
First thing you have to make sure that you are using the correct username of a person. If you searching for someone with the wrong username instead of their real one then you can’t find their account or profile.
Instagram does show the profile that matches to your search result or the name which you are looking for. But sometimes, it doesn’t totally show all the profile or account that matches to your searched name.
In this case, you have to use the username to find the real account of someone on Instagram.
So, if a person has changed his/her username then go find it first.
2. Search Username through Your Mutal Friend
Another thing you can do if you can’t real account of a person on Instagram is to ask your friend who is connected to that person.
If your friend is following that person but you can find their account then let them know their real profile.
Sometimes, when a person changes their username for some reason then it will be difficult for people to search for them. So, if someone is already linked to the person which you are looking for then ask them about their username.
3. Search Profile Through other Social Media
The next thing you can do if you see the “user not found” error message on Instagram is to search for a person through their other social media account.
A person to whom you are looking for may have a Facebook or Twitter or Snapchat. So, basically, when they changed their username then they will update their account info in other social media accounts too.
So, if you know any of the social media accounts of that person then simply visit one of them and find out their actual Instagram account.
4. Send a New Message
This is the trickiest part of all of the above solutions to fix the “user not found” issue.
Now, if you’ve previously chatted with that person then you can find your conversation in the “Direct Message” section.
So, whenever you try to view their profile and see a “user not found” message then there is a high chance that person has changed their username or blocked you.”
Therefore, simply send them a new message and let them know that you are looking for their account.
But remember, your message may be transferred to that person or may not reach to his/her inbox.
When Someone Blocks You on Instagram Does It Say “User Not Found”?
Yes, if someone blocks you on Instagram then you will see “User not found” whenever you visit their profile. It appears that you are not allowed to see their profile then they restrict you.
But if you try to see someone’s profile who has blocked you through the Instagram web on PC then you will see an error message “Sorry, this page isn’t available. The link you followed may be broken, or the age may have been removed.”
How to Unblock Someone on Instagram to Fix “User Not Found” Error?
If someone has blocked you on Instagram then you can’t see any of their post along with the followers and following.
When a person can’t see any content then they usually think that they have landed on the wrong account.
But it’s not.
So, if you can’t find a real account of a person or see “No posts” then a person has blocked you. Likewise, there is no way to unblock if an Instagram user is not found.
However, if you’ve blocked someone then you also can’t see their post or content.
So, in this section, you will learn to unblock people on Instagram so that you can view their posts, IGTV, and more.
Step 1: Open Instagram
First of all, open the Instagram app and access your account using login credentials.
Step 2: Go to Your Profile
After that, Tap on your “Profile” icon from the bottom right corner of the screen.
Step 3: Tap on Three Lines
Next, tap on “Three Lines” from the upper right corner.
Step 4: Tap on Settings
Now, select the “Settings” option from the drop-down menu.
Step 5: Select Privacy Option
After accessing the settings section, now tap on the “Privacy” option.
Step 6: Tap on Blocked Accounts
Next, scroll down and tap on the “Blocked Accounts” option under the Connection section.
Step 7: Tap on Unblock Button
Finally, tap on the “Unblock” button on the right side of the user.
Now, you can easily what a person is posting these days on his/her account. In addition, you can also view their stories from now on.
Why Can’t I Find Someone on Instagram If I’m Not Blocked?
If someone hasn’t blocked you on Instagram but still you can’t find their profile or user then maybe they have disabled or deleted their account. Besides, they can also change their username that is different from the previous one.
Moreover, when Instagram suspends someone’s account for a certain time then you can’t find their profile.
Therefore, the best thing you can do in this condition is to visit a mutual friend and search for their main profile.
How to Check If Someone Blocked You on Instagram?
The most simple way to check if someone blocked you on Instagram is to visit their profile. If you see the “User not found” error message then they have blocked you.
On the other hand, if you are still not sure about the block then you can check their account profile from another account. If you can see their post or profile then you have your answer.
However, if you can see their profile but you can’t like or comment on their post then they have blocked you.
Why Can’t I Find an Instagram User?
When you can’t find a user on Instagram then they have blocked you or changed their username. Besides, they can also disable or delete their account which is why you can’t access their account.
If you are not sure about the correct username then visit their Facebook or Twitter profile. There you may find the actual username of their Instagram account.
Why “User Not Found” on Instagram But Can Still Message?
If you see “User not found” but can message them then a person has blocked you. When someone blocks you on Instagram then you can’t see their posts, stories, following, and followers but you can send them a message.
Other than this, if you have previously talked with that person through direct message then you can still chat with them even though you can’t find their profile.
When someone changed their username or has a suspended account then it won’t affect your chat messages. The only problem is that they can’t see your new message when you send it them in case of account deletion and suspended.
Why Instagram “User Not Found” But Can See Profile Picture?
If you see a “user not found” error while searching for someone’s profile but can see their profile pictures then maybe they have changed their username or have a suspended account or disabled their account.
But, if a person has deleted their account then you won’t even see a profile picture.
What Does It Mean “User Not Found” on Instagram with No Posts Yet?
When you see a “No Posts Yet” along with the “user not found” message then a person has blocked you on Instagram.
When someone blocks you then you can’t view any content or post or stories.
Other than this, “No Posts Yet” is also a sign of not uploading any post on the account. So, if you can see a person following or followers as well as bio then a person didn’t have published any pictures on their account.
What Does It Mean “User Not Found” on Instagram When Logging in?
When you receive an error message “User not found” during the login time then you may have entered the wrong username or password.
If you provide the incorrect login credentials then Instagram can’t recognize your account and leave an error message.
So, make sure that you have the correct username as well as password while accessing your account.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to Find a ‘User Not Found’ on Instagram?
You can search for an Instagram user by their exact username from the search bar. If you can’t find their account and see “User Not Found” then the user has permanently disabled their account.
How Do You Know If You Have Been Blocked on Instagram?
If someone blocks you on Instagram then you can’t see their any posts or following or followers on their account.
Can the Person Who Blocked Me on Instagram Still See My Profile?
Yes, if someone has blocked you on Instagram then they can still see your profile but can’t view your posts.
What Does It Mean When Instagram User Not Found But Can See Bio?
If Instagram says “user not found” but you can see someone’s bio then a person has blocked you.
Does the User Not Found Means Blocked on Instagram?
User not found on Instagram means a person has deleted their account or disabled their account or changed their username or blocked you or has a suspended account.
Conclusion
It can be a really frustrating thing to not find someone’s account when you are searching for them. You may have been thinking about viewing their posts but “user not found” came in the way.
So, don’t lose your temper too fast, and first, start to search for their changed username. If the username is not the issue then you just have to forget his/her account in case they have deleted it or disabled it or suspended it.
If you have any queries then feel free to ask in the comment section. Also, visit Fixing Guides for more Instagram-related articles.