“User not found” is an Instagram error message many users find quite confusing when trying to access someone’s profile on the social platform.
Because they don’t expect the message to be seen in the first place, there is nothing much to speculate on except a nagging feeling that the person must have blocked them.
In reality, however, the reason for this annoying error message “User Not Found on Instagram” could be something else – a technical hiccup, a change in the username, the account is temporarily disabled, it is no longer available.
Also, it could be as serious as the account has been banned or as silly as you have mistyped the username.
Possibilities are many. Let us find out each of them below.
Read on what “User Not Found on Instagram” means, possible reasons for this, and how to fix this issue.
What does it mean when it says user not found on Instagram?
Several reasons – individually or in the collection – could prompt the error message which unfortunately is commonly seen. The message in its simplest form means that the person you are trying to reach out to by entering her/his username is presently unavailable or permanently nonexistent on the social platform.
Possible Reasons For Instagram User Not Found Error message
You have mistyped the user name (Spelling Mistake)
This is one of the most common reasons Instagram shows User Not Found error. And this is not Instagram’s fault. It is a human tendency to mistype letters – especially if you are not sure about the correct spelling.
So make sure what you typed before encountering the error message is correct. If you clicked someone’s profile from a tagged post and saw this message, this may be due to the fact that the admin of the tagged post mistyped the username.
How to Fix
You can ask the admin if the username entered is spelled correctly or you can use common sense to see if the spelling looks obviously wrong. If the person you’re trying to reach on Instagram has a digital presence elsewhere, such as on a website, then you can visit the website and find if a link to their Instagram profile is available there.
Spelling error is surely the dumbest of all other reasons and it can be rectified instantly. But not all accounts are unavailable just because of mistyping. Read on!
The user name has been changed (by user)
Sometimes despite entering the correct spelling, this error message could surprise you, and this could be a sign that this Username is actually not in work presently.
Quite often, people change their username because they have found a better variant, or they have any issues with the existing username.
Instagram may need a review done before someone wants to change a user name, especially if the account reaches a lot of people. Otherwise, the change may be instant. If a user wants to reuse a username he used earlier, it may be available if it is still there on Instagram. More HERE
How to Fix
Going back, you can use free username availability tools to check if the username has been changed. You can use the search feature to search for the person by typing a few variants of the name they can use.
The account has been disabled (by user)
You may see the warning message “User Not Found” if the user has temporarily disabled the account.
People temporarily disable accounts for many reasons. Some of the reasons include they lose interest in the content people share, they need to shift to more important activities that matter more than posting on Instagram, etc.
How to Fix
If the account has been temporarily deactivated by the user, it’s up to the user and not you to reactivate all over again. So you have to wait.
The account has been blocked (by Insta)
If the account has been permanently deleted by the account holder, you can encounter the error message. Some users temporarily disable their account hoping they would get started yet again later, while some delete their accounts and never return. Or they create a new account.
How to Fix
If the account has been permanently deleted by the user, you can not do anything. The user wants to get removed and Insta just completed their request. So, there’s nothing else to be done by a third party.
The account has been disabled (by Insta)
Some accounts can be banned/disabled by Instagram itself. Some of the reasons for this include –
- An account is getting a significant number of likes and followers unexpectedly and abnormally. This may be a signal that the account is using robots or promotional tools.
- Excessive postings show a sign of manipulation and spamming effort.
- Posting content that is copyright protected
- Posting content that violates the terms and conditions of the platform
- User complaints etc.
How to fix
The profile you are trying to access if banned by Instagram, can not be made publicly available until the social platform removes the ban. If you are trying to reactivate your Instagram account which is banned, you can reach out to them for a possible solution. Here is a Help article on this.
Infographic: User Not found on Instagram:
Conclusion
Sometimes, updating your Instagram to the latest version can also solve the issue. If it does not, then the reason you are seeing the ” User Not Found on Instagram” message may be because of the above-mentioned reasons.