Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms on the planet, always edging ahead of the competition one way or the other. That said, being the most popular does come with a few drawbacks. 

In this article, we’re looking at how many people you can unfollow on Instagram at once and the general rules around unfollowing on Instagram. 

Also read: Why can’t I reply to messages on Instagram?

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Unfollowing rules on Instagram

When it comes to following and unfollowing, Instagram considers them the same thing. Since there’s a daily limit on how many people you can follow on the platform in a given time period, that same limit also applies to unfollowing. 

That said, Instagram is rather vague about these rules and doesn’t disclose the official limits, let alone define a set of rules around the activity. What we do know, however, is that these rules vary from account to account based on factors the following factors:

• Account activity
• Number of followers
• Account engagement
• Account age
• Type of account

Generally speaking, for accounts older than three months, there’s a limit of up to 150 follows or unfollows. For newer accounts, the limit is around 100. Limiting these to 10 per hour is recommended to keep your account growth organic. For accounts older than a year, this limit is up to 200. 

Also read: How to download Instagram reels?

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Alternatives to unfollowing

Unfollowing an account pretty much completely removes them from your feed. That said, there are a few alternatives to unfollowing people on Instagram.

Muting

If you mute someone on Instagram, you won’t see any of their actions on the app, including any stories, posts, comments and likes. This way, you can continue following someone and check up on their profile whenever you want without them inadvertently showing up on your feed.

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Restricting

Restricting is a bit stricter action than muting. Restricted users can still see your profile, posts and comment on them, but that comment will only be visible to you and them. You can then choose to make that comment public or delete it altogether. 

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Blocking

Blocking is the most strict action you can take against an account on the platform. It removes the account’s ability to search for you on Instagram, let alone see your profile, posts or stories. 

For more information, check out our in-depth privacy guide for Instagram. 

Also read: Is there a character limit to direct messages on Instagram?