Don’t be scared with “Instagram user not found” error when you click on an Instagram profile and it responded the “user not found” at the top. This surprising message doesn’t mean the user account is blocked or deleted.
Do not forget when Instagram choose to block a user account temporarily or permanently such a user will be notified and followers will see that the user has been blocked.
Instead of the Instagram profile to return “user not found” it’d rather return “Account blocked or Account suspended or Account banned.
The main action placed on the Instagram profile will be revealed (Instagram might not stay the reason publicly but would surely send a message containing the reason why the account is banned or blocked or suspended).
However, if you are doubting why you “User not found Instagram” message, here are some of the reasons that could result to the not found error.
Instagram User not Found
Here are some of the reasons why you see “user not found” on Instagram when you click on the Instagram user’s profile.
1. Instagram Username Changed
When you click on an Instagram profile picture and it shows user not found it could mean that the user have changed their Instagram username.
When a user changes Instagram handle, the old profile will definitely return “user not found”. So, the only way you can see this on Instagram is if there is a change of Instagram username.
Since Instagram allows users to change their username and password, such a user can change his or her username to another thing most especially when the user wants to rebrand.
You can also proceed to search for the user on Instagram as well using the Instagram search, type the name of the user, and click on the search button.
2. Instagram Account Temporarily Disabled
When a user go against the community terms and conditions the user account can be temporarily disabled and the account will definitely return “user not found”.
When this happens to an account on Instagram the account information will disappear. The account will not be able to gain a new follower and old followers will not be able to unfollow the account.
When the Instagram account is disabled temporarily, the account will be hide from the public and whenever either the account followers or new member click on the profile picture, the account will return “not found” or temporarily blocked.
3. Instagram Account Suspended or Banned
A banned or suspended Instagram account will also return “Instagram user not found” pending the time the account will be released after a cross check or if the account user decided to appeal and win the appeal.
It’s not always common to see Instagram accounts banned or suspended though except the account user isn’t following the community guidelines.
This is similar to Facebook account suspended or banned procedure. Once this happens, you won’t be able to post on Instagram, etc.
However, you can wait for sometimes and check back whether the account has been restored. Otherwise, the Instagram account will be deleted permanently.
You can also use the Instagram search to see whether the user has another Instagram account and follow back. However, when you see user not found on Instagram, the username will no longer be available on the platform. So you won’t be able to search for the user using the username.
It’s now best to search for the user’s real name using the search box to see whether the user is back on Instagram again.
4. User has Blocked me
When you search for a user on Instagram or click on the user profile and it returns “not found” this doesn’t mean the user has blocked you. As long as you are still able to see the account, the user didn’t block you.
However, when you are blocked from seeing a certain Instagram account or the Instagram user turns the account from public to private, it won’t return “user not found” rather you will not be able to see information about the account profile.
It’s not a common thing to see “Instagram user not found” when you click on an account profile if the profile hasn’t violated Instagram community guidelines, the Instagram username is not rebranded, and the account wasn’t suspended or banned.
However, if you are currently undergoing the “user not found” on Instagram wthout any of the above reasons, kindly state it in the comment section.