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What’s the most you’ve ever unfollowed on Instagram in one hour? Five people, maybe ten?
Do you know the limits on unfollowing Instagram users?
There are two different types of limits:
- per day and another
- per hour.
Read this blog post to learn what these rules are so that you don’t break them by accident!
PS: If you need an app that gets rid of fake/ghost followers from your Instagram account, InstagramSpamGuard does it best.
Is there an unfollow limit on Instagram?
There once was a time when you could unfollow everyone on Instagram without consequence.
This ability to unfollow was then abused by users on Instagram so Instagram decided to place limits on how many you can unfollow per day on the platform.
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Why does Instagram have an unfollow limit?
These gradual limits have been getting stiffer over the years as Instagram is pushing users to spend on ads.
The following as well as other actions have also been affected and thus it’s become harder to grow a following on Instagram using the follow-unfollow method.
As someone who’s been growing hundreds of Instagram accounts using the follow/unfollow method, I’ve noticed that spammy accounts tend to have lower unfollow limits than those accounts whose actions on the platform appear more natural.
This is the reason why I’ve always encouraged my readers to always start slow.
If you unfollow too many people on the first day, your account is likely to start experiencing action blocks that could affect all other functions including following, liking, and sending DMs.
Related: Test if your Instagram has been shadowbanned
Instagram unfollow limit per day
So, how many people can you unfollow on Instagram per day?
My current experiments are showing that if you’re planning to unfollow on Instagram every day for 30 days, it is safe to unfollow up to 180. This means you’ll be able to unfollow around 5400 users every month.
But I like to play it safer, so, as of now, I’m unfollowing 150 per day.
When I’m unfollowing manually (Instagram app), this is how my arrangement looks:
- 50 unfollows/day the 1st week
- 100 unfollows/day the 2nd week
- 150 unfollows/day the 3rd week
When using automation:
- 15 unfollows day 1
- 20 unfollows day 2
- 25 unfollows day 3
- 30 unfollows day 4
- 35 unfollows day 5
- 40 unfollows day 6
- 45 unfollows day 7
… and so on until I reach 150 unfollows/day. It takes me about 4 weeks to reach the maximum number of users I can follow per day with this system.
Let’s break it further down and see how many we can unfollow per hour.
Related: How to see who unfollowed you on Instagram
Instagram unfollow limit per hour
I like to spread my unfollows through 12hrs. So, in this case, the maximum number of unfollows per hour is 13. Let’s see how that plays with my gradual system.
When unfollowing manually (Instagram app):
- 5 unfollows/hr the 1st week
- 8 unfollows/hr the 2nd week
- 13 unfollows/hr the 3rd week
When unfollowing using automation:
- 1 unfollows/hr day 1
- 2 unfollows/hr day 2
- 2-3 unfollows/hr day 3
- 3 unfollows/hr day 4
- 3-4 unfollows/hr day 5
- 4 unfollows/hr day 6
- 4-5 unfollows/hr day 7
… and so forth until I reach a maximum of 13 unfollows per hour
If you follow these settings you should be safe from unfollowing blocks. But what happens when you’re already caught in it?
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How long does unfollow block last on Instagram?
So, just in case you’ve been blocked from unfollowing on Instagram, you should wait about 24-72hrs before attempting to unfollow again.
However, in certain cases, you may have to wait a whole week before you can start unfollowing once again,
When you experience a follow block, I recommend that always start from the beginning (as described above).
Related: How to use more than 30 hashtags on Instagram
FAQs
Instagram Unfollow Limits of 2023
Instagram has implemented new unfollow limits in 2023 to prevent spam and bot activity. The exact limit varies depending on the age of the account, the number of followers, and other factors. However, in general, users can unfollow up to 200 accounts per day and 6,000 accounts per month.
Why did Instagram introduce unfollow limits?
Instagram introduced unfollow limits to prevent spam and bot activity on the platform. In the past, some users have used automated tools to unfollow large numbers of accounts at once, which can be disruptive to the community and violate Instagram's terms of service.
How do unfollow limits affect my Instagram strategy?
Unfollow limits can affect your Instagram strategy if you rely on mass unfollowing to clean up your follower list or increase your engagement. If you exceed the daily or monthly limit, Instagram may temporarily or permanently restrict your account, which can limit your reach and visibility on the platform.
Can I exceed the unfollow limits on Instagram?
No, it is not recommended to exceed the unfollow limits on Instagram. If you exceed the limit, Instagram may flag your account and temporarily or permanently restrict your actions, which can affect your visibility and engagement on the platform.
How can I stay within the Instagram unfollow limits?
To stay within the Instagram unfollow limits, you can unfollow accounts gradually over time instead of all at once. You can also use Instagram's built-in features, such as the "Following" list and the "Least Interacted With" feature, to identify inactive or low-engagement accounts to unfollow.
What happens if I exceed the Instagram unfollow limits?
If you exceed the Instagram unfollow limits, Instagram may temporarily or permanently restrict your account. This can limit your reach and visibility on the platform and affect your engagement with other users.
Can I get my account un-restricted if I exceed the Instagram unfollow limits?
If your account is restricted due to exceeding the Instagram unfollow limits, you can wait for the restriction to be lifted, or you can contact Instagram's support team to request a review of your account. However, there is no guarantee that the restriction will be lifted.
UPDATE!
It appears Instagram is continuously reducing the actions you can perform on the platform.
In the last couple of weeks, we’ve seen lots of cases where people got the action block prompts after unfollowing more than 100 users per day.
At this point, we can only recommend keeping your unfollow actions below 100 per day.
We’ll update this post in the near future as we continue testing the limits.
If you have any further questions, please leave a comment in the comments section below, and I’ll be happy to respond on time.
Until next time!
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