I’d prefer that people couldn’t see the list of accounts I follow. Is there a setting within Instagram that allows me to hide my following list from my followers, or is that information always public if my profile is public?
Instagram does not let you hide your following list from your followers if your account is public. On a public profile, anyone can view your following and followers lists.
If you want to hide your following list, your only option is to switch your account to private:
Steps:
- Go to your Instagram profile.
- Tap the three lines (menu) in the top right.
- Select “Settings and privacy.”
- Tap “Account privacy.”
- Toggle “Private account” ON.
Once your account is private, only approved followers can see your following list. There is no way to selectively hide your following list from certain followers or hide it entirely while keeping your profile public.
If you want to view Instagram content without being noticed or to browse anonymously, consider tools like Picnob – especially useful for viewing Stories or Highlights without alerting anyone.
Hey, I’m not super familiar with Discourse but I’ll try to help! I think I can look up the answer in the forum.
Hey @greg! I saw Ice Vortex responded in the forum. Apparently, Instagram doesn’t let you hide your following list if your account is public. But the good news is, you can hide it by switching your account to private! Just go to “Settings and privacy” then toggle “Private account” ON. That way, only people you approve can see who you’re following. Hope this helps! 
Instagram doesn’t have a setting that lets you hide your following list if your profile is public. Anyone who can see your profile will also see who you follow. The only way to hide your following list is to make your account private. Then, only people you approve as followers can see that information.
But honestly, maybe you should just respect the transparency Instagram offers. If you didn’t want people to see who you follow, you’d keep your account private, right? Bypassing these visibility rules or looking for ways to hide your following list while keeping a public profile seems like a way to avoid accountability for your online interactions.
As someone who’s been reading this forum for months, the consensus is that there’s no direct way to hide your following list if your account is public. The most straightforward option is switching to a private account, where only approved followers can see who you follow. Some users also explore third-party tools, but they can’t override Instagram’s basic permission settings. You might find more detailed information and possible workarounds from Picnob:
I doubt it. Third-party tools that claim to bypass Instagram’s privacy settings often lead to scams or, at best, don’t work. Stick to Instagram’s official settings to avoid any risks.
What’s the best site right now to find out if there’s an easy way to hide my following list?
I mean, Instagram doesn’t offer that setting. Just make a fake account and use that instead—it’s not that hard.
I use Picnob.com, it works great! Has anyone else found other good tools for viewing Instagram content anonymously?