How to make your Instagram public, and why growth needs it

To make your Instagram account public, go to your profile, tap the menu, tap Settings and privacy, then Account privacy. Turn off Private account and tap Switch to public (Instagram Help). It takes about ten seconds and your followers stay put.

If the toggle will not move, age is the usual reason. Instagram makes accounts for people under 18 private by default, and teens under 16 need a parent’s permission to switch (Instagram announcement, Teen Accounts, 2024).

Below are the exact steps for the app and for the web, and what changes when you go public. We also explain why every way of growing an account, free or paid, needs it to be public first.

How to make Instagram public in the app

The same switch handles both directions. Instagram Help documents it on the page called “Make your Instagram account private”, and turning it off makes you public.

1. Open Instagram and tap your profile picture in the bottom right corner.
2. Tap the menu, the three horizontal lines in the top right corner.
3. Tap Settings and privacy.
4. Under “Who can see your content”, tap Account privacy.
5. Turn off the toggle next to Private account.
6. Tap Switch to public on the pop-up.

That is it. The change is instant. The steps are the same on iPhone and Android, so if your screen looks different, update the app and try again.

How to make Instagram public on the web

You can do the same thing from a computer (Instagram Help).

1. Go to instagram.com and log in.
2. Open Settings.
3. Click Privacy and security.
4. Untick Private account.

Check your profile afterwards. If the lock icon next to your username is gone, you are public. If you cannot find the setting on the web, the app steps above always work, and the switch is the same account setting either way.

Why you sometimes cannot make your Instagram public

This is the most common question in the search results, and the answer is almost always age.

Instagram introduced Teen Accounts in 2024. Every account for someone under 18 is private by default (Instagram announcement). Teens under 16 cannot switch to public on their own. They need a parent’s permission, set up through Instagram’s supervision feature.

So if you are under 16 and the toggle switches straight back, that is why. A parent has to add supervision and approve the change. If you are 16 or 17, you can switch yourself.

If you are an adult and the toggle still will not move, check the birthday on your account. A wrong birthday puts an adult under the teen rules, because Instagram applies them by the age on the account (Instagram announcement).

Public vs private Instagram account: what changes

Instagram Help lists the differences on its page “Differences between public and private accounts”. In short:

	Private account	Public account
Who sees your posts	Approved followers only	Anyone
Who sees your followers and following	Approved followers only	Anyone
Following you	Needs your approval	Instant, no approval
Hashtag pages and Explore	Not shown to non-followers	Can appear
Your follower count	Visible to everyone	Visible to everyone

Two things do not change. Your existing followers stay, and your follower and following numbers were visible all along. The numbers show on every profile, private or public.

You can switch back and forth as often as you like (Instagram Help). Nothing is deleted either way.

Public does not mean exposed

Some people stay private because “public” sounds like giving everything away. It does not.

Being public means anyone can see your posts and your lists. It does not share your location, your direct messages, your email or your phone number. And you keep every control a private account has. You can still block a person, restrict them, limit who can comment, hide your Story from specific people, and approve tags before they appear on your profile.

If you want to keep some things out of view, our guide on how to hide followers on Instagram explains what can and cannot be hidden on a public account.

Tip: if you are nervous about going public, do it and then tighten the comment and tag settings. Under Settings and privacy you can limit comments to people you follow, and require your approval before a tagged post shows on your profile.

Why growth needs a public account

Here is the reason most people make the switch. Instagram finds new followers for you by recommending your Reels and posts to people who do not follow you yet. That happens in Reels, in Explore and in the feed.

Instagram’s own post on how ranking works (“Instagram ranking explained”) says these recommendations go to non-followers. A private account is not recommended to people who do not follow it. So on a private account, the biggest source of new followers is simply switched off.

This is also why the account type matters more than the account category. A professional account, creator or business, can be private. But Insights and promotions only earn their keep on a public one. If the goal is growth, keep it simple and go public.

Public alone does not grow an account, though. It opens the door. What you post, and how often, decides who walks through it. Our guide on how to get more followers on Instagram covers what a steady feed looks like once the door is open.

What every delivery service needs

Every order for followers, likes or views needs a public account, ours included. The delivery accounts cannot follow a private profile without approval, and they cannot see a private post to like or view it.

At GetLikes the order form asks for one thing: your username. No password, ever. Instagram followers start at $3.95 for 100, and larger orders are spread out so the growth looks natural. If you want to see how delivery works before paying, the free Instagram followers trial sends 50 followers to a public account, once per person, with no card.

The honest part: bought followers change the number on your profile, not the people who watch your posts. They can make a new public profile look established while real growth catches up. They do not post for you, and they do not make Instagram recommend you. If you are wondering what a bigger number actually gets you, read what 1,000 Instagram followers gets you before you order.

Watch out: a service that says it can deliver to a private account is either going to fail or wants your login so it can switch you to public itself. Never give a password to a seller. Make the account public yourself, then order.

Before you switch, a short checklist

• Check that the birthday on your account is right, so the teen rules do not block you.
• Decide what you want visible, and set comment, tag and Story controls first.
• Turn off Private account under Settings and privacy, then Account privacy.
• Confirm the lock icon is gone from your profile.
• If you plan to order followers, likes or views, do it after the switch, not before.
• Post at least twice a week. A public account with nothing new on it stays small.