Alexis Kestler
Do you ever wish you could easily unfollow tons of accounts on Instagram? Maybe you went on a follow spree and now want to prune your Following list. Or perhaps you want to unfollow inactive accounts or those no longer posting content you like.
Whatever the reason, unfollowing accounts in bulk can be tricky. Do it too fast and Instagram will slap an "action block" on your account, preventing you from unfollowing more or taking most other actions.
But don‘t worry! In this detailed guide, I‘ll show you how to safely unfollow accounts quickly and efficiently.
By the end, you‘ll know:
- The #1 method to unfollow people rapidly without being action blocked
- What to do if you don‘t have access to the best unfollow features
- Exactly how many accounts you can unfollow per day without risk
- Why Instagram limits mass unfollowing and more
Let‘s get started!
Use The "Least Interacted With" Filter to Unfollow Quickly
Here‘s a cool trick I‘ve been using to unfollow tons of accounts fast:
Use Instagram‘s "Least Interacted With" filter under your Following list!
This shows accounts you‘ve engaged the least with over the past 90 days. That includes likes, comments, story replies, etc.
Instagram figures if you haven‘t bothered to interact with certain accounts lately, you must not care about them.
So they allow you to unfollow more heavily from this filtered view without penalizing you. It‘s like Instagram is saying, "Go ahead, remove followers you clearly have no interest in."
How to Use Least Interacted With
Using the Least Interacted With filter to rapidly unfollow people is easy:
- Open Instagram and go to your profile
- Tap on "Following" to view your full Following list
- At the top, select the "Least Interacted With" tab
You‘ll now see up to 50 accounts you‘ve interacted with the least over the past 90 days.
Scroll through and unfollow any you want gone from your feed!
Once you‘ve unfollowed accounts from the current view, pull down to refresh it. This will load a new batch of 50 accounts to prune from.
Rinse and repeat! Over the course of a day, you can safely unfollow ~200 accounts using this method before needing to take a break.
It‘s way faster than unfollowing manually from your main following list.
My Experience Using This Trick
I tried this out myself on a test account recently.
I was able to unfollow over 150 accounts in an hour without any issues. No warnings or action blocks from Instagram at all!
However, when I tried rapidly unfollowing the same amount from my general Following list, I got action blocked within 15 minutes.
So really take advantage of the Least Interacted With filter when you need to do some major pruning. It‘s by far the fastest way to clean up your Following list.
Just be sure to space out your unfollows over the course of a day rather than doing them all at once. I like to do a few rounds of pruning, taking short breaks between each to mimic natural behavior.
For example, I‘ll unfollow 50 accounts, use Instagram as normal for 15 minutes, then unfollow another 50. Doing this avoids raising red flags.
What If You Don‘t Have "Least Interacted With"?
Unfortunately, the Least Interacted With filter hasn‘t rolled out to everyone yet. It‘s slowly expanding to more users over time.
If you don‘t have it, don‘t panic. You can still unfollow people quickly. It just requires a bit more caution on your part.
Without Least Interacted With, your safest option is to unfollow from your Following list sorted by "Date Followed."
Here‘s how:
- Go to your Following list
- Tap "Sort By" at the top
- Select "Date Followed"
From here, you can choose to sort by earliest or latest followed accounts.
- Sort by latest to unfollow your newest follows
- Sort by earliest to unfollow those you‘ve followed the longest
The downside is you can only unfollow about 10-15 accounts per hour from this view without risk of being blocked.
I recommend doing spurts of 5-10 unfollows at a time, mixed with normal Instagram use in between. Comments, likes, browsing – this makes your behavior appear more human and boosts your "trust score."
A higher trust score means Instagram will cut you more slack with unfollowing limits before acting.
What‘s The Max You Can Unfollow Per Day?
Wondering how many accounts you can realistically unfollow each day without being action blocked?
It depends partly on your account‘s trust score at the moment, but here are some general guidelines:
- 200 per day is a safe number for most accounts
- 500 per day may be doable if your trust score is very high
- 1000+ per day is risky no matter what
I recommend starting with no more than 200 unfollows daily from the Least Interacted filter.
See if you trigger any warnings or temporary action blocks. If not, you may be able to increase gradually over time. But don‘t get greedy!
Remember – spacing out your unfollows is just as important as the total amount.
Don‘t do all 200 in one sitting. Instead, break it up into bursts of ~50 accounts over the course of the day.
This steady, human-like unfollowing pattern keeps Instagram‘s algorithms happy.
Why Does Instagram Limit Bulk Unfollowing?
If all this talk of limits and getting blocked has you scratching your head, let‘s discuss why Instagram cares so much.
There are two key reasons Instagram restricts rapid unfollowing:
1. Prevent Automation
Instagram is on a constant mission to limit fake engagement from bots and services. They want to keep things between real human users.
Services that automatically follow/unfollow accounts on your behalf are strictly prohibited under Instagram‘s terms.
If their systems detect you unfollowing tons of accounts automatically, they‘ll take action to block you. This warning encourages ceasing use of any automation tools.
Repeated blocks could eventually result in a permanent ban if you continue automated unfollowing.
2. Reduce Spammy Behavior
Mass-unfollowing hundreds of accounts in hopes of increasing your own followers promotes engagement between irrelevant accounts.
It may cause unwanted notifications as you follow then immediately unfollow back. Instagram considers this type of behavior spammy.
They want you to build connections with accounts you genuinely care about – not just chase numbers.
By keeping bulk unfollows in check, Instagram aims to reduce engagement between accounts with completely unrelated interests just looking to grow their follower count.
Follow These Tips to Avoid Issues
Here are some tips to safely unfollow accounts without triggering blocks:
Use Least Interacted With – Take advantage of this feature when possible as it allows much faster unfollowing.
Vary your actions – Don‘t just unfollow. Remember to also like and comment during each session. This boosts your trust score.
Space out unfollows – Avoid big spikes by limiting yourself to 50 unfollows per hour and taking short breaks between spurts.
Be selective – Don‘t just mass unfollow everyone. Carefully evaluate each account to decide if you really want to remove them.
Use the mobile app – Unfollow on your phone, not desktop. The mobile environment is harder to automate so you can get away with more actions.
Stick to these best practices, and you should be able to do some major Following list clean-up without issue!
What To Do If You Get Action Blocked
Even if you‘re careful, you may occasionally still get slapped with an action block. Don‘t panic. Here are some tips:
Wait it out – Most action blocks lift automatically within 24 hours. Be patient and don‘t try any actions until it resolves.
Request a review – You can sometimes appeal the block through the app and get unblocked faster, but this isn‘t guaranteed.
Use Instagram normally – Once unblocked, take time to like and comment before unfollowing more. Rebuild your trust score first.
Verify your account – Linking your personal Instagram account to a phone number or email can help boost your trust score.
Change your behavior – If you keep getting blocked, reassess your unfollowing habits. You may need to slow down and be more selective.
A single block here and there won‘t get you banned. But repeated blocks for mass unfollowing might cause Instagram to eventually disable your account.
Tread carefully and opt for quality over quantity when pruning your Following list.
Should You Use An Unfollow App?
You may be tempted to use an automated app that unfollows accounts for you. I strongly advise against this.
Automated unfollowing apps often claim they can help you unfollow thousands of accounts per day without getting banned.
In reality, they work for a short time before getting accounts blocked. Then they require you to buy a monthly subscription for new workarounds.
These apps almost always violate Instagram‘s terms by automating actions. Even "smart" apps that try mimicking human behavior get it wrong.
Don‘t risk your account getting banned. Manual unfollowing takes a bit more time but is the only safe, sustainable option.
Analyze Your Following List
Aim to unfollow intentionally, not indiscriminately. But how do you decide who exactly to remove? Here are some ideas:
Sort by least interacted – Unfollow accounts you rarely or never engage with first.
Remove inactive accounts – Unfollow users who haven‘t posted in months.
Assess engagements – Unfollow accounts whose content never gets many likes or comments.
Check relevance – Unfollow users posting about topics you‘ve lost interest in.
Weigh value added – Be ruthless. If an account no longer teaches, inspires, or entertains you, say goodbye.
Be choosy about who you keep following. See your Following list as a privilege that must be continually earned through valuable content.
Curate your feed with accounts that spark joy and enrich your life. Shows that the unfollow button needn‘t be feared but rather embraced.
Should You Pay Someone to Unfollow For You?
You may come across services that promise to manually unfollow accounts for you to avoid limits. But I don‘t recommend these either.
Yes, they are safer than automated apps since a human is doing the unfollowing. But paying someone else to prune your Following list seems wrong.
Curating whom you follow should be a personal endeavor based on your unique interests and values.
No one else can accurately evaluate each account to determine if it‘s still relevant for you or not.
Doing your own unfollowing also helps you become more mindful about who you interact with on Instagram. That leads to a healthier relationship with the app overall.
Learn to Embrace the Unfollow Button
Follower count obsession leads us to accumulate hordes of irrelevant accounts on Instagram. Break free of this mindset!
View unfollowing not as a shady tactic but a way to intentionally design your feed.
Approach it from a place of openness and abundance, not scarcity. Trust that by focusing on quality over quantity, the right followers will come.
May seeing that unfollow button spark excitement at the thought of optimizing your Instagram experience. Each tap brings you one step closer to your ideal feed!
I hope you now feel equipped to effectively unfollow accounts with confidence – the safe way. Just be patient, stay active on Instagram between spurts, and don‘t get greedy.
Wishing you the very best on your unfollowing journey! Drop me a comment below if you have any other questions.
