Any App Can View Private Instagram Account?

It's not unusual for a person to have a strong desire to view a private Instagram account. If this is you, you'll be pleased to learn you're not alone. Most of us have come across a private account on Instagram – the type that's protected by a code that prevents you from seeing anything posted by the account owner unless you're given access.

Can you View a Private Instagram Account?

It's not too hard to imagine a situation where you'd want unrestricted access to such an account. Maybe it belongs to one of your business competitors, and you're keen to discover what they've been up to lately. Or maybe you're doing some research and want to fetch data from their profile.

Whatever the reason, encountering that "Private Account" notification can be annoying and frustrating. But don't fret. With creativity and some help from third-party tools, you can view any protected content on Instagram.

Can I View a Private Instagram Account?

Instagram is a popular social media platform that brings people together to share tips about life, business, and careers. It's an especially useful way for businesses to promote themselves and expand their customer base.

Many consumers and producers alike view Instagram as an extension of their brand and seek to establish a recognizable persona on the app. And these personas should not be accessible by just anyone without the account owner's permission or invitation. A private account helps them maintain that persona.

Running a private account on Instagram may also arise out a desire to keep work and personal life separate. It also helps one avoid annoying people and spammers or marketers who might bombard them with messages for products they don't need.

But, is it possible to view a private Instagram account? The answer is yes.

There are several proven tricks and tools you could use to view just about any private profile on Instagram. Let's see how each works.

(a) Follow the Page

The easiest way to unlock private content is by following the page. When you make a follow request, the account owner needs to accept the request before you're allowed to view anything on their profile. If the person is an active Instagram user, they'll probably see your request after a few hours or days and perhaps give you the nod. This instantly gives you unfettered access to anything they've shared with their followers.

(b) Try Google

If you don't want to send a follow request and wait without any idea as to when the request will be approved (or if the owner will accept it at all), you may want to try Google.

This trick is anchored on the idea that internet search engines don't forget. Although one can establish access restrictions as soon as they've joined Instagram, a good number of users do it after they've successfully established their brand. Google keeps all the posts they made when the account was public and provides this information with a quick search. All you need to do is enter their name, include "Instagram" in your query, and then hit the search button.

If a Google search doesn't yield much, you could also check their other social media accounts. Most people run multiple social media accounts, especially those who want to tap different markets and impress users who prefer one platform over the other. A person's Instagram bio can give you leads that may help you find their other social media accounts much faster.

You can also pick a photo – if you've been lucky enough to find one – and do a reverse image search which might land you on their Facebook or LinkedIn pages.

You could discover a library of photos or some other useful information this way, which might be enough for your needs.

(c) Deploy the Trojan Horse

If you want to be more covert, you could deploy the Trojan Horse, which involves creating a "fake" Instagram profile that is based on information other than your actual info and appears legitimate in the eyes of the target. You could then tender a follow a request and wait for approval.

For this trick to work, you need to be creative and take steps to impress the owner of the private account and influence their decision. For example, let's say they are an elite trader and like sharing tips on how to succeed in that profession through a private Instagram account.

Lodging a follow request via your real account probably won't work, especially if it's not populated with trading information or some other related details. As such, you could create a new account that resembles that of an elite trader, complete with a dozen videos on key topics in the world of trading. You could even add a litany of trending industry nuggets and throw in an opinion or two about the current state of the market, all of which would create the impression of a user the private account owner would like to link to.

(d) Try Instagram Viewer Sites

If you don't want to deal with all the hassle of scouring social media channels or creating fake accounts that may go against your ethics and values, you might want to try dedicated Instagram viewer tools that will do all the work for you.

There are more than a dozen Instagram viewer sites that claim to help you unlock just about any private account on the platform. Some go as far as promising complete anonymity while you do so.

However, a fair proportion of these tools don't work, and most shouldn't be trusted. You could end up giving away valuable personal data that can be used to infiltrate your social media accounts.

For this reason, most people use these tools with a grain of salt. We don't recommend these sites, but if you do it's important to proceed with caution. At a minimum, you should do thorough background checks and crawl online sources in search of reviews and other pieces of information that might give you a better idea of what you're dealing with.

Go Legit

If you're having trouble viewing a private Instagram account, we recommend going legit by sending a follow request and waiting for approval. You can also try looking for their public posts or find them on other social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook.

If this doesn't work out, some third-party apps may be able to help you view someone's private Instagram material. However, it's important to exercise due diligence before using such tools.

Are there some private Instagram accounts you've managed to crack? How did you do it? Let's engage in the comments section below.