Instagram boasts over 1 billion monthly active users sharing photos, videos, stories, and more. With such an enormity of content, most people don‘t see everything their network posts. Luckily Instagram offers powerful tools to curate your feed exactly how you like – including the ability to mute accounts.
A Quick Primer: What Does Muting on Instagram Do?
Muting allows you to secretly remove an account‘s posts from your feed and stories without unfollowing, blocking, or indicating anything changed on your end.
Here‘s a comparison to other common account management options:
| Action | Removes Follow? | Notifies User? | Allows Profile Visits? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mute | No | No | Yes |
| Unfollow | Yes | No | Yes |
| Block | No | No | No |
As you can see, muting strikes a balance between staying connected and limiting annoying content.
But when should you use it versus other options? Let‘s explore some top use cases.
3 Key Reasons to Use Instagram‘s Mute Feature
While muting excessively posting influencers is common, there are a few less obvious but equally practical applications:
1. Clean Up Clutter from Casual Connections
As your Instagram network grows over the years, you accumulate connections from old jobs, distant friends, past collaborators and more. Their content may not interest you anymore. Muting lets you tidy up your feed without resorting to mass purges.
Nearly 40% of Instagram users say their feed contains irrelevant content.
2. Conflict Management for Disagreements
We all have occasional spats and differences of opinion with those close to us. In the heat of the moment, blocking or unfollowing can worsen hurt feelings and damage the relationship. Muting allows a "pause" until tensions deescalate.
3. Life Changes Render Some Content Inappropriate
Major life events can dramatically alter what content resonates. For instance, fitness posts can become painful viewing for those with new physical limitations. Some use muting as a "snooze" until their situation improves.
Now that we‘ve covered top use cases, let‘s walk through muting step-by-step.
How to Mute Someone on Instagram: A 5 Step Visual Guide
I‘ll demonstrate on iOS, but these instructions work seamlessly cross-platform.
Step 1) Visit the Profile Page of the Account You Intend to Mute
First, navigate to the page of whomever you wish to mute. Ensure you currently follow them.
Fig 1. Instagram‘s home screen with a user‘s profile picture and name circled
Step 2) View Their Story or Stories Archive
Next, tap the colorful circle surrounding their icon to view stories or swipe up from the bottom for archived stories. If neither exist, tap "Following."
Fig 2. Viewing a user‘s Instagram story
Step 3) Access the Menu via the Three Dots
In the top right, tap the three dots next to the close button to reveal additional options.
Fig 3. The three dots icon opens Instagram‘s menu on stories
Step 4) Select "Mute"
The menu presents a "Mute" option. Tap it to pick what content you‘d like to mute.
Fig. 4 The mute option in Instagram‘s menu
Step 5) Choose To Mute Stories, Posts, or Both
Finally, decide if you want to mute just stories, posts & stories, or posts only. And that‘s it!
Fig. 5. Instagram‘s mute settings allow granular control
The user‘s muted content will instantly disappear from your feed and push notifications.
Muting Multiple Accounts
Fortunately, muting on Instagram is scalable. Repeat the above steps to mute as many accounts as you desire – your profile will give no indication.
Unmuting Someone When You‘re Ready
If you change your mind later on, restoring posts is easy:
- Return to their profile page
- Tap "Following"
- Select "Unmute" from the menu
And their content will repopulate your feed automatically.
I hope these instructions help you take control and curate the Instagram experience that brings you joy! Don‘t hesitate to mute liberally – it‘s your personal space after all.
What tips do you have for muting or overall social media wellbeing? I‘d love to hear from you in the comments!
