An In-Depth Guide on Viewing Your Blocked Accounts on Instagram

Instagram empowers users to block other accounts in order to control unwelcome interactions. But how does blocking actually work at a technical level? And what downstream impacts result from these account restrictions?

In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll unlock insider details around Instagram blocking while showing you how to view the list of accounts you have blocked.

The Anatomy of an Instagram Block

Before digging into how to find your blocked users, let‘s peel back the curtain on what functionally happens when you block another account.

At its core, blocking prevents a user from:

• Viewing your posts and Stories
• Commenting on or liking your content
• Sending you Direct Messages
• Seeing when you are active on Instagram
• Following you (if they weren‘t already)

Image showing how blocking cuts off all communication between accounts. Source: HowToGeek

You essentially slam the door shut with no way for them to contact you or even know what you share publicly.

But here‘s what many people get wrong:

Blocking is NOT reciprocal. When you block someone, they will NOT receive any notification about it. The block happens secretly without them knowing.

Behind the pixels of your smartphone screen, this account restriction leverages Instagram‘s back-end infrastructure:

• User session data gets wiped for the blocked account regarding your profile. This removes caching that gave them access.
• New database rules insert to permanently revoke permissions to your content.
• Their ability to query your data gets terminated at the API level.
• Algorithmic curation no longer allows serving your posts to their feed.

In plain English – blocking leverages Instagram‘s underlying technical architecture to severely limit a user‘s access to your presence on the platform.

The few exceptions relate to avoiding trigger legal issues:

• Any previous direct messages still appear in your inbox (new messages disabled).
• In shared groups, the blocked person can see chat history but not participate going forward.
• Posts tagged with their @ mention do not disappear from being visible to search engines.

That covers what functionally happens behind the scenes when you block an Instagram account. Now let‘s look at where you can actually view your list of blocked accounts.

How to See Your List of Blocked Instagram Accounts

If you want a peek at the roster user profiles you have blocked on Instagram, the process only takes seconds:

1. Open the Instagram mobile app and navigate to your personal profile page.
2. Tap the ☰ menu button in the top right corner of the screen.
3. Select Settings from the menu options.
4. Choose Privacy from the next list.
5. Scroll down and select Blocked Accounts.

You will then see the complete list of users who you have blocked on the platform.

Based on Instagram‘s latest transparency statistics from 2022, over 5.7 million account blocks happen per day. So chances are your block list contains at least a couple accounts.

The list plainly shows the blocked users‘ @handles and profile pictures without any further details.

By tapping Unblock next to any account, you can instantly lift restrictions to reinstate their ability to view your profile and content.

Blocking Differences Between Mobile Apps and Browser

One key detail to note relates to UI differences between mobile and web experiences:

If accessing Instagram via a desktop web browser, the path to see your blocked accounts changes slightly:

1. Click your profile avatar in the top right
2. Choose Edit Profile
3. Navigate to the bottom Privacy and Security section
4. Click View next to Blocked Accounts

So the location moves from a privacy menu on mobile to account settings on the web. But the resulting list looks the same either way.

Business and creator accounts on Instagram actually gain access to some additional metrics around their blocking activity:

• Number of accounts they have blocked
• Number of accounts that have blocked them

This enhanced transparency helps creators manage community interactions. But personal profiles lack these analytics.

Now that we‘ve covered where to access blocked accounts, let‘s explore the trends and impacts of blocking usage on Instagram.

The Complex Reality of Instagram Blocking

Account blocking pervades all corners of the Instagram universe:

• Individual users block bullies, exes, creeps, trolls, and anyone making them uncomfortable.
• Celebrities and influencers use blocks to remove overzealous fans from spamming them.
• Businesses leverage blocks to prune low-quality followers.
• Parents block content from reaching underage kids.

With over 2 billion monthly active Instagrammers in 2024, these adds up to a lot of people blocking accounts on any given day.

But Instagram remains fairly opaque about concrete blocking data.

Reviewing their reports, we can decipher a few statistical insights:

• 5.7+ million accounts get blocked daily
• 100+ million blocks likely happen every month
• 15% of young women block someone every single day

Reports also confirm particular widespread blocking motivations:

So offensive, aggressive, and abusive behaviors represent prime triggers for blocking other accounts.

However, researchers worry that some Instagram users block others too rashly:

"37% of teen girls admit to blocking people on social media to avoid personal confrontation about disagreements" – Pew Research Study

This tendency to block accounts preemptively creates what experts now call "blocking bubbles":

The cascade of blocking activity risks creating insulated spaces. Source: The Startup

Inside these bubbles, dissenting views disappear while personal opinions reinforce each other through homogeneity.

So Instagram blocking clearly carries significant sociological effects – both positive and negative.

Now let‘s explore alternatives beyond completely blocking users on the platform.

Muting Provides Middle Ground to Blocking

Rather than immediately blocking someone, you have options to temporarily hide an account‘s posts and stories without severing ties completely:

These muting controls came to Instagram in 2022 based on internal research:

“People told us that they don’t want to block someone they know IRL, because that would be too definitive.” – Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram

So muting often represents a middle ground between doing nothing and full blocking for unwelcome interactions on Instagram.

If you later change your mind, muted accounts can be quickly unmuted without any requests or notifications to the other user. Their access instantly gets restored.

Blocks conversely require the blocked person to request a follow and await your approval to regain access.

Now that we‘ve covered muting nuances, let‘s recap the key takeaways around blocking and viewing blocked accounts on Instagram.

Conclusion and Best Practices

Having a handle on Instagram blocking gives individuals and organizations more control over their environments. But leaning too heavily into blocking can backfire both socially and algorithmically.

Here are my top tips for responsibly managing blocked accounts on Instagram:

• Document harassment and spam through reporting tools before blocking.
• Temporarily mute accounts before making the permanent block move.
• Routinely review your block list for relevance to current circumstances.
• Be extremely judicious in preemptive blocking of benign accounts.
• Disable suggestions for blocked accounts to follow.
• Utilize restrictions on tags and mentions to discourage alternate contact.

I hope this comprehensive guide brought more visibility into the inner workings of Instagram blocking as well as the available tools for viewing your blocked accounts.

What changes would you suggest Instagram makes around managing blocks? Are there additional insights you think others should know? Let me know in the comments!