How to Mute Someone on Instagram: Posts, Stories and Notes
Instagram has four separate mutes: posts, stories, notes and messages. The steps for each, how to unmute, and why nobody finds out you muted them.
To mute someone on Instagram, go to their profile, tap Following, then Mute, and pick Mute posts or Mute posts and story. Instagram's Help Center gives the last step as "Tap Mute [username], then tap Mute Posts or Mute Posts and Story" on their profile. You still follow each other, and they aren't told. Notes and messages have their own mutes, though. The Help Center says muting posts or stories "will not apply to notes" they share.
We read Instagram's Help Center as Google shows it on October 23, 2026. We didn't mute anyone on a live account.
What are the four ways to mute someone?
| What you mute | How |
|---|---|
| Posts, or posts and story | Their profile, Following, Mute |
| Stories only | Hold their story circle, Mute |
| Notes | Hold their note in Messages |
| Messages | Their name at the top of the chat |
Instagram Help Center pages on muting, as Google showed them on October 23, 2026.
How do you mute someone's posts?
- Open their profile. Then tap the Following button.
- Tap Mute. You'll see the choices for posts and stories.
- Pick what to hide. Mute posts, or mute posts and story together.
You still follow them, so they keep seeing your content. A Reddit thread puts it simply: "Instagram doesn't notify someone when you mute them."
How do you mute someone's story?
The Help Center's steps are short: "At the top of feed, tap and hold the profile picture of the person whose story you'd like to mute," then "Select Mute, then tap Mute stories." Zeely, citing the Help Center, says muted stories "appear at the end of the bar at the top of Feed without the colorful ring" after that.
How do you mute notes and messages?
For notes, the Help Center says to "Tap Messages at the bottom," then "Tap and hold a note" and "Tap Mute notes." It's separate from the posts mute. Muting someone's notes "will not apply to stories or posts they share," so you'll still see those in your feed.
For messages, open the chat and tap the person's name at the top. Then mute the conversation there.
How do you unmute someone?
Go back the same way and switch the mute off. For posts, that's their profile, Following, then Mute again. For stories, tap and hold their circle at the end of your story tray. Notes and messages unmute where you muted them.
Can you tell if someone muted you on Instagram?
Not reliably. Nobody gets a notice when they're muted, and a muted account still follows you. Fewer likes from one person could have many causes.
What's the difference between mute, restrict and block?
| Option | What changes |
|---|---|
| Mute | You stop seeing them |
| Restrict | They can't see you're online |
| Block | They can't find your profile |
Instagram's guide to Restrict, Mute, Block and Report of November 22, 2024, and its Help Center, as Google showed them on October 23, 2026, and Proton VPN.
Restrict works on the other side. Instagram says "The restricted person won't see when you're online," and Proton VPN adds they "won't know if you've read their messages" either. Our guide on how to block someone on Instagram covers blocking in full, and the one on telling if someone blocked you covers the other side.
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Frequently asked questions
How do you mute someone on Instagram?
Go to their profile, tap Following, then Mute, and choose posts, or posts and story.
Does Instagram tell someone you muted them?
No. They aren't notified, and they keep following you.
How do you unmute someone on Instagram?
Go to their profile, tap Following, then Mute, and switch it off. For stories, tap and hold their circle in the tray.
Does muting someone's posts mute their notes?
No. Notes have their own mute, in Messages.
Can you tell if someone muted you?
Not reliably. Instagram doesn't show it anywhere.
Sources
- Instagram Help Center pages on muting posts, stories, notes and messages, as Google showed them on October 23, 2026
- About Instagram, guide to Restrict, Mute, Block and Report, November 22, 2024, as Google showed it on October 23, 2026
- Zeely, Kontentino, CNET and a Reddit thread of July 6, 2025, as Google showed them on October 23, 2026
- Proton VPN, July 14, 2026, read October 23, 2026
- Google results for "how to mute someone on instagram," US, October 23, 2026 (our read)
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