Instagram is the most important photography social network, with more than 1.2 million monthly active users spread all over the world. Although it is an app designed so that people can share their most emblematic (or funny) moments, using image, video and audio content, you should also know that the app has a certain focus on Privacy.
IG features that promote privacy are several, but today we want to talk about one in particular: private profiles, a feature that prevents people from seeing a profile's posts unless they are following the account. More exactly we will explain how you can view private profiles on Instagram using up to 5 methods and 3 different tools.
View private Instagram profiles (without programs)
There are multiple ways to view private Instagram profiles, and they are the most creative and colorful, to tell the truth. On the one hand, we have the methods with programs, which tend to take more time and you may need to pay a subscription to a certain tool to run them, and then there are the methods without programs, which are faster and easier to run.
We will first talk about the methods without programs, so that you can see if any of these work for you in your situation. And of course, if they do not seem effective enough to you, we recommend you consult the section on Programs to view private Instagram profiles which we add below.
Method #1: Follow the user
Let's start with the most direct and obvious solution. Follow Instagram profile that it is in private is the easiest way to see its content, if you have no problem with doing so, of course.
Although of course, this method will not work if your intention is to "spy" on the profile, that is, to see its content without the other person noticing. Even so, it was worth mentioning for the sake of those new users who still don't quite understand the dynamics of this social network.
Method #2: View private profiles with someone else's account
It is quite certain that you know a person (friend, family member, colleague...) who already follows the private profile you want to see. If so, you can do two things.
The first is to ask your friend to review the profile for you and send you screenshots of the posts, thus achieving view private instagram profile without being discovered and without having to follow the user from your own account. On the other hand, your second option would be to ask the person to lend you their phone with their Instagram account for a few minutes to see the account you want to “spy on”.
Method #3: Using a fake account
Following a similar logic to the previous method, this trick consists of using an account with invented data to follow and "spy" on a private Instagram profile; something that while it may not be illegal, is clearly unethical. Still, if you believe that the end justifies the means, this method may work for you.
The method is as simple as it sounds: you just have to create a new account, put a credible name and why not?, add a couple of photos. Virtually any image on the internet that contains a face can be used as a profile photo. Even using the photos and name of someone known to the profile owner can help make the new account more credible (although this action is already at your own risk, we do not recommend it).
The last thing left is to search for your target on the social network, press the button Continue and wait for the request to be accepted to see the private posts. Simple as that.
Method #4: Search on Google
If the person made their account private not long ago, then you still have a good chance of finding their latest photos with Google image search. And it is that this tool saves practically all the photos of all the web pages of the world, so posts made by the profile owner before making it private are still stored on Google's servers and available to users.
To see them, all you have to do is do a quick search in Chrome, entering the name of the user that is your target followed by the word “Instagram”. Then, on the results page, go to the tab «Images»; You will be able to see all the photos that the person posted before making their account private.
Method #5: Search on other social networks
The user you want to spy on may have their Instagram account private, but maybe not their Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat, Pinterest, etc. accounts. If your goal is only to see the photos that a person posts, and you don't care so much that they come from a specific social network, just check their accounts on other platforms!
Best programs to view private Instagram profiles
Of all the programs to view private Instagram profiles on the internet, I can assure you that more than 80% are useless, and a complete waste of time. The only ones you can really “spy” an IG profile with are those from parental control; a software application that you install on your children's (or partner's, if you like) smartphone to keep an eye on the content they view and post on social media.
The downside with these programs, of course, is that you need to install it on your target's device, something that may be impossible if the person is not very close to you. But there is no alternative, they are really the only programs to see private Instagram profiles that work. With that said, let's take a look at the top 3 options you can use.
uMobix
In general, one of the most complete and recommended mobile spy tools, both for Android and iOS. uMobix gives you information every 5 minutes about your children's activity on Instagram, including several screenshots in each report. In addition, it allows you to block inappropriate content.
mSpy
With mSpy you can see the messages sent and received through the spied account, view posts and shared links, and track the location of the device by GPS. In short, an advanced parental control software that also allows you to spy on other social networks such as WhatsApp, Snapchat and Tinder.
cocospy
Another cross-platform parental control software. This allows you to spy on WhatsApp, FB Messenger and, of course, Instagram. Cocospy for Instagram allow spy on sent and received messages, in addition to contacts.