Instagram Follow Limits 2025: Complete Guide

Instagram Follow Limits at a Glance

How Many People Can You Follow Per Day?

Established Accounts (6+ months old)

If your account is at least 6 months old with regular activity:

• Safe limit: 100-150 follows per day
• Maximum limit: 200 follows per day
• Recommended: Stay under 150 to be safe

New Accounts (Under 6 months)

Instagram restricts new accounts more heavily:

• Safe limit: 50-100 follows per day
• Maximum limit: 150 follows per day
• Recommended: Stay under 100 during first 3 months

Very New Accounts (Under 1 month)

Brand new accounts face the strictest limits:

• Safe limit: 20-50 follows per day
• Maximum limit: 100 follows per day
• Recommended: Build account activity first before mass following

How Many People Can You Follow Per Hour?

Instagram tracks your activity in hourly intervals.

Safe Hourly Limits

Why Hourly Limits Matter

Following 100 people in 10 minutes looks like bot behavior. Following 100 people spread over 10 hours looks natural.

Bot-like behavior triggers blocks:

• 50 follows in 5 minutes
• Consistent follows every 30 seconds
• Mass following after long inactivity

Natural behavior is safer:

• 10-15 follows per hour
• Random timing between actions
• Mixed with other activities (liking, commenting)

The 7,500 Total Follow Limit

Instagram caps everyone at following 7,500 accounts maximum.

What Happens at 7,500

• You cannot follow anyone new
• No error message—button just doesn't work
• Unfollow someone to follow someone new
• Limit applies to all accounts equally

Managing Near the Limit

If you're approaching 7,500:

1. Audit who you follow
2. Unfollow inactive accounts
3. Unfollow accounts that don't follow back
4. Prioritize accounts you actually engage with

What Happens If You Exceed Limits

Temporary Action Block

First offense symptoms:

• "You can't follow accounts at the moment" message
• Follow button stops working
• Usually lasts 24 hours

How to recover:

1. Stop all following immediately
2. Wait 24-48 hours
3. Resume slowly (50% of normal rate)
4. Gradually return to normal over a week

Extended Blocks

Repeated offenses:

• Blocks can last 1-7 days
• Each offense increases block duration
• Multiple blocks can lead to permanent restrictions

Severe consequences:

• Account flagged as spam
• Reduced reach and visibility
• Potential shadowban
• Account suspension in extreme cases

Instagram's Other Action Limits

Following isn't the only limited action.

Likes Per Day

Comments Per Day

Unfollows Per Day

DMs Per Day

How to Follow Safely: Best Practices

1. Space Out Your Activity

Don't: Follow 100 people in one sitting

Do: Follow 10-15 people per hour throughout the day

Example schedule:

• 9 AM: Follow 10 accounts
• 11 AM: Follow 10 accounts
• 1 PM: Follow 15 accounts
• 3 PM: Follow 10 accounts
• 5 PM: Follow 15 accounts
• Total: 60 safe follows

2. Mix Actions Together

Instagram expects natural behavior. Mix following with:

• Liking posts
• Leaving comments
• Watching Stories
• Scrolling your feed
• Posting content

Bad pattern: Follow, follow, follow, follow...

Good pattern: Like, follow, comment, scroll, like, follow, Story, follow...

3. Avoid Automation Tools

Third-party automation tools often violate Instagram's limits:

• They follow faster than humans
• Patterns are detectable
• Account bans are common
• Not worth the risk

Safer alternatives:

• Manual following with breaks
• Official Instagram scheduling tools
• Focus on content over follow/unfollow

4. Build Trust First

New accounts should focus on trust-building before aggressive following:

First month:

• Post regularly (daily if possible)
• Like and comment on posts
• Respond to any engagement
• Follow slowly (under 50/day)

Months 2-3:

• Gradually increase following
• Continue regular posting
• Engage authentically
• Monitor for warnings

After 6 months:

• Full limits available
• Established trust with algorithm
• Less likely to trigger blocks

5. Watch for Warning Signs

Slow down if you notice:

• Actions failing to register
• Temporary blocks on any feature
• Reduced reach on posts
• Missing notifications
• Follow counts not updating

Why Does Instagram Have These Limits?

Preventing Spam

Without limits, spam accounts could:

• Follow thousands daily
• Create fake engagement
• Manipulate the algorithm
• Ruin user experience

Encouraging Authenticity

Instagram wants genuine connections:

• Quality over quantity
• Real engagement
• Meaningful interactions
• Not follow/unfollow games

Protecting Users

Limits protect users from:

• Spam followers
• Fake engagement
• Bot accounts
• Harassment at scale

The Follow/Unfollow Strategy: Is It Worth It?

Some try to grow by following many accounts, waiting for follow-backs, then unfollowing. Here's why it's problematic:

Short-Term Gains

• Quick follower increases
• Low effort
• Feels productive

Long-Term Problems

• Triggers action blocks frequently
• Attracts low-quality followers
• Damages engagement rate
• Wastes time on disinterested people
• Instagram actively fights this tactic

Better Alternatives

Focus on sustainable growth:

• Create valuable content
• Engage authentically in your niche
• Use relevant hashtags
• Collaborate with others
• Be patient

Recovering From an Action Block

Step 1: Stop All Activity

Immediately stop:

• Following/unfollowing
• Liking
• Commenting
• DMing

Continue only:

• Viewing content passively
• Responding to DMs from others

Step 2: Wait It Out

• First block: 24 hours minimum
• Repeat block: 48-72 hours
• Severe block: 1 week

Don't try to test if the block lifted early—this can extend it.

Step 3: Resume Slowly

After the block lifts:

• Day 1-3: 25% of normal activity
• Day 4-7: 50% of normal activity
• Week 2: 75% of normal activity
• Week 3+: Return to normal

Step 4: Avoid Future Blocks

Identify what triggered the block:

• Too many follows in short time?
• Using automation tools?
• Aggressive follow/unfollow?

Adjust your strategy to stay under limits.

Instagram Limits by Account Type

Personal Accounts

Standard limits apply:

• 150-200 follows per day
• 7,500 total following
• Same hourly restrictions

Creator Accounts

Same limits but often:

• Slightly more trust from Instagram
• Faster recovery from blocks
• Better support options

Business Accounts

Same limits, plus:

• API access for official tools
• Action limits still apply to manual actions
• No special following privileges

Summary

Instagram's follow limits for 2025:

Key takeaways:

1. New accounts should follow conservatively (under 100/day)
2. Space out follows throughout the day (10-20 per hour)
3. Mix activities to appear natural
4. Avoid automation tools that violate limits
5. Focus on quality over quantity

The best growth strategy isn't gaming follow limits—it's creating content worth following.

For more Instagram growth strategies, explore our Instagram tools and Instagram growth strategy generator.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many people can I follow per day on Instagram?

Established accounts (6+ months) can safely follow 100-150 people per day, with a maximum of around 200. New accounts should stay under 50-100 follows per day. Exceeding these limits risks temporary action blocks.

What is Instagram's total follow limit?

Instagram caps all accounts at following 7,500 accounts maximum. Once you reach this limit, you cannot follow anyone new until you unfollow someone. This limit applies equally to all account types.

How many people can I follow per hour on Instagram?

Safe hourly limits are 5-10 follows for new accounts, 10-15 for established accounts (1-6 months), and 15-20 for mature accounts (6+ months). Following too many too quickly looks like bot behavior and triggers blocks.

What happens if I exceed Instagram's follow limit?

You'll receive a temporary action block, typically lasting 24-48 hours. Repeated offenses lead to longer blocks (up to 7 days), account flags for spam behavior, reduced reach, and potential account suspension in extreme cases.

How do I recover from an Instagram action block?

Stop all following activity immediately, wait 24-48 hours minimum, then resume slowly at 25% of your normal rate. Gradually increase over 2-3 weeks. Identify what triggered the block and adjust your strategy.

Do new Instagram accounts have lower follow limits?

Yes, new accounts face stricter limits. Accounts under 1 month should stay under 20-50 follows per day. Accounts 1-6 months old can follow 50-100 per day. Build trust with regular posting and engagement before aggressive following.