From the creeps, to the weirdos, to the reply guys, to the people who are just generally unpleasant, we’re very grateful to have the block feature on Instagram (and other social media sites).

Of course, in order for it to be effective, you have to know how to use it. It might also be helpful to know how to unblock someone on the occasion you need to do that, too.

You can now also remove a follower. This practice used to be called a “soft block,” or a “block-unblock.” We’ll also show you how to remove a follower below. But we’ll start with the blocking.

How to Block

1. Go to the profile you want to block

2. Tap the three dots in the top right corner

Tap the three dots to find the “Block” option
Credit: Screengrab / instagram

3. Tap “Block” in the menu that pops up

In the options that follow, tap “Block”
Credit: SCREENGRAB / INSTAGRAM

4. Read your options on the following pop-up

Read the prompt that follows and select a block option
Credit: SCREENGRAB / INSTAGRAM

We recommend choosing the top option to be on the safe side.

5. Tap “Block”

That person is now blocked. They won’t be able to see your posts, see your Story, or find your profile. They won’t be able to follow you or message you on Instagram, and they won’t be notified that you blocked them.

How to Unblock

Should you decide that this person has served their time on the blocked list, and you feel safe allowing them to see your profile again (or if you made an oops and accidentally blocked someone you didn’t mean to), you can Unblock them just as easily.

1. Navigate back to their profile

2. Either tap the three dots in the top right corner and then tap “Unblock” or tap the blue “Unblock” button under their display name and bio

Unblock via the three dots or the blue “Unblock” button
Credit: SCREENGRAB / INSTAGRAM

3. You’ll be prompted to read a pop-up explaining what Unblocking this person will allow.

Read the pop-up and if you still want to Unblock, tap “Unblock”
Credit: SCREENGRAB / INSTAGRAM

4. Then, if you still want to Unblock them, simply tap “Unblock”

Easy enough, right? Blocking is one of the primary tools you can use to keep yourself safe on Instagram and other social media. Somebody making you feel unsafe? Block. Somebody replying to your posts with rude comments? Block. Somebody just generally annoying you lately? Block.

Blocking keeps us safer online, gives us more power to curate our own digital space, and allows us to try and keep social media from hurting our mental health. Social media will always have pros and cons, but that doesn’t mean we can’t use the tools available to us to maximize the pros and limit the cons as much as possible.

How to remove a follower

1. Go to your Instagram profile

2. Find your followers list by tapping “Followers” at the top

3. Find the follower you want to remove by scrolling or typing their account handle in the search bar

4. Once you find their account, tap “Remove” on the right

How to remove a follower on Instagram
Credit: andy moser / instagram

5. When prompted, tap “Remove” once more. The follower will be removed from your followers list.

You can also remove a follower by going straight to their profile page, tapping the three dots in the top right corner, and tapping “Remove Follower” in the pop-up menu.