10 Methods to find someone on Instagram

We are all well aware of typing in someone’s account name on Instagram’s search bar to locate their account. Any Tom, Dick, and Harry would suggest this fundamental method if you question them. If you know their username, you can quickly just throw their username on UserSearch.org, and sorted!

However, what if you suddenly feel the urge to find some of your childhood buddies from school or the nearby park where you used to hang out? And, you are unaware of their account names? Pretty tricky, right? Well, consider yourself lucky, as in this post, we will be discussing 10 of the best, most advanced, and unique ways to find someone on Instagram! Since your curiosity to know the different ways would is at its peak right now, let’s look at the different tricky, constructive, and advanced techniques. 

Instagram, the photo-loving social network.  But its pretty annoying if you need to find someone and you're not sure of their username!
Instagram, the photo-loving social network. But it’s pretty annoying if you need to find someone and you’re not sure of their username!

Search by Username

This is by far one of the most straightforward ways of finding someone on Instagram. As we all know, anyone on Instagram would want to have a unique, cool, and distinctive username. If you by any means know the target’s username on Instagram, then you can find the person in no time. All you need to do is enter the person’s username on the search field provided by the platform, and then boom! You will most probably be bombarded with a lot of similar usernames. You can then filter from them. But, If you are new to the Instagrams interface and don’t know how to use the search field, don’t panic! Just follow these simple instructions mentioned below. 

  1. Open the Instagram application on your phone or visit their website if you are using a browser. 
  2. On their homepage, at the bottom, you will find a magnifying glass icon. Click the icon, and it will take you to a search field. 
  3. Click or tap on the field and type in the desired username that you are looking for.
  4. Once done, the application will bring up all the results according to the search form.
If you do know the Instagram username, you can use the old fashioned search bar! that is..if you know the username.
If you do know the Instagram username, you can use the old-fashioned search bar! that is..if you know the username.

To narrow it down and make the search process more simple, it is always recommended to use search filters. Some of these filters include “Top,” “Accounts,” “Audio,” “Tags,” and “Places.” We will talk more about these filters later in the post. 

Search by first and last name

Searching by username can be a bit tricky and time-consuming if you do not know the target’s exact username. However, there is an even simpler option – Search by first or last name. It is the most common alternative and can be quite effective if you know the target’s full name or the first or last name. To search by first and last name, simply follow the below steps. 

  1. Using your smartphone or the browser application, launch Instagram. 
  2. Hover over the search bar and enter the target’s name. 
  3. The application will provide all the results relevant to the name that was entered, and you could take it from there. 

Unfortunately, this too can get minutely complicated. A lot of people on social media enjoy privacy and fail to input their names in the bio section on their profile. If you can’t find your target through their name, don’t lose hope. There are still a lot more methods to find your target. Let’s move on to the next method. 

Search by places

As long as you know the rough location, you can find a user just by the location, without using any external tools!
As long as you know the rough location, you can find a user just by the location without using any external tools!

If the search by username and search by first and last name does not bring up an accurate profile, then the best option is to rely on the search filters. Search by places is one among them. But, this method is time-consuming and is not as straightforward as the other two methods. You will have to navigate through each post on a specific place (if the place is tagged on their post) to find the targeted individual. To find out how to search by place, follow the below instructions. 

  1. Launch the Instagram application on your smartphone or browser. 
  2. On the search field that is provided, enter the city, town, or province where your target resides. 
  3. You will be bombarded with posts that are either top-liked or recent ones. You can filter the top and recent posts to narrow the search results. 

Keep in mind that you may even spend hours and hours on this method and yet walk empty-handed. If, and only if, the person that you are looking for is quite popular on Instagram, you might have some luck. 

Search by hashtags

If you know the kind of topics your user likes, there's a good chance they post to some relevant hashtags.  So, search Instagram by hashtag and check out the posts.
If you know the kind of topics your user likes, there’s a good chance they post to some relevant hashtags. So, search Instagram by hashtag and check out the posts.

Hashtags have become quite popular recently due to the fact that hashtags can make a post or a photo get viewed more if anyone searches that specific category. These hashtags can stand for something that an individual likes, supports, or/simply does on a daily basis. To effectively search for someone using hashtags, follow the below steps. 

  1. Open the Instagram application and tap on the magnifying glass.
  2. On the search field that is provided, simply enter a common hashtag that the target would have used in their post. 
  3. Select the hashtag from the list of results and search through every image until you find the individual. 

Always remember that this method is only effective if your target uses hashtags in their posts. If not, then this is not the method that is recommended for you. 

Search by following

Check a friend's followers, to quickly find them on Instagram.
Check a friend’s followers to quickly find them on Instagram.

This is by far the most interesting method to find a person on Instagram, on our list. If the person that you are looking for is well-known by any of your relatives or your friends, then you sure hit the jackpot! Simply go to a profile and hit the “Followers” or the “Following” option to reveal the accounts that that specific profile is following. Interestingly, there is another catch. If you are lucky, you might even come across other accounts that you may know and can follow them. If you are still skeptical about how to go about it, simply follow the below instructions. 

  1. On your Instagram application, search for the account that could be associated with the target account. 
  2. On their profile, right next to their profile picture, hit the “Following” option. 
  3. Once done, the application will reveal the list of people that the account is following and you can search your target from the given list.

This method, too, has its own downfall. If the account you will utilize as a “middleman” to find the person you are looking for is private, then this method won’t be applicable.  This could sound a bit off. But, if you know the “middleman” account well, then you can directly message them on Instagram about the account you are searching for and ask for their assistance. 

Search by phone number

If you have the contact information of the targeted individual saved on your mobile phone, then this method could be effective. Though the process can be a little tricky, this method is amazingly accurate and works just fine. Before you can go forward with searching for someone by phone number, it is mandatory to synchronize your phone contacts with the Instagram application. To do that, 

  1. Open your profile on Instagram and tap the triple line icon at the top right of the page. 
  2. On the drop-down list, choose the “Settings” option and navigate to the “Accounts” tab.
  3. On the “Accounts” tab, find “Contacts syncing” and hit the option.
  4. Once inside the “Contacts syncing” tab, you will find a slider that enables the contact syncing option. Press it and your contacts will automatically sync with Instagram. 

Once you have finished syncing your contacts to the Instagram application, follow the below steps. 

  1. Open your profile again and enter it into the application’s settings tab
  2. Now, select the “Discover People” option apart from the other setting options. 
  3. You can either select “Connect contacts” or simply check the “All suggestions” tab to find the account that you are looking for. 

If the person used another number to sign up to Instagram rather than the number you saved on your phone, this method won’t work. 

Search by photo

For this method, you would have to shift from the official application and use some of the free tools that are available. There are hefty amounts of third-party tools and software that can aid you in finding a person on Instagram. All you need to have is a photograph of them saved on your phone or on your PC. Tineye is one of the best tools that you can find on the internet that searches accounts if you input their photo on the platform. This, by the majority, is known as a Reverse Image Search. 

Reverse Searching by the profile picture is a clever way of finding profiles.  But, you need a picture, to begin with! a few, ideally.
Reverse Searching by the profile picture is a clever way of finding profiles. But, you need a picture, to begin with! a few, ideally.

Not only on third-party software but even Google Images and Bing Visual search does also wonders. But, if you are specific about using only online software, then Pixsy, Reverse Image Search, and Tineye are the most effective of them all. Remember that some of this software is free and some require paid membership. And some are inclined towards enterprises, and some have huge public collections to choose from. Whatever may be the scenario, searching for a person by photo is the next advanced step if none of the methods mentioned earlier worked for you. 

Search by Facebook friends synchronization 

If you are unaware of the recent happenings, Mark Zuckerburg purchased Instagram in 2020. He is the current CEO of both Facebook and Instagram. Since both these social networking sites operate under the same banner, you can synchronize your Facebook contacts with Instagram. Follow these straightforward steps to sync your Facebook friends to your Instagram contacts.

  1. Open the Instagram application, hover over the profile, and open the settings option.
  2. On the list select “Discover people” and a new tab will open. 
  3. On the new tab, press the “Connect Facebook” option and log in to your Facebook account. 
  4. Your personal Facebook contacts will immediately sync with Instagram if the log-in is successful.  

Search by utilizing search systems

Almost to the end of the methods, we could suggest. But, a pretty strong contender on our list. What would you do if any of the methods did not work on Instagram or other third-party tools? Yes, your only and last option is Google. But, never underestimate the power of Google search engines. They are efficient, free to use, and highly credible for what it is. 

If we all recall our childhood, Google and other search bars have actually been a pillar in supporting and aiding in what we want. As the saying goes, “Old is gold,” as a last part of the left-out procedures, try a normal Google search. Search for the target’s username, first and last name, location and the user’s name, and so on. To be completely frank, if you still don’t find the person you are looking for then the only option left out of IOS is to check other social networking sites. 

Search other social media networks

As the last option, rely on other social media networks. Be it Facebook, TikTok or Twitter. Utilize the other social media platforms to find the user that you have been searching for. Reports confirm that nine in ten people from all over have passive as well as active social media accounts. Maybe not active users, but still, they have an account. 

Try to gather more information regarding your target. Because that information can be vital in providing the search results that you desire. Try to get their usernames from other social networking platforms and execute the same username in an Instagram search. This may or may not work out, but this is your last option available. Talk to people around the target location. Maybe they might know something about the target and could give you valuable information. 

Let’s recall

There are a lot of methods and procedures to find someone on Instagram. These methods are not as complicated as they sound. But, these are well-researched techniques that can surely provide you with the accuracy that you desire to find someone on Instagram. However, you need to invest some quality time if you really need to find a user on Instagram with whom you have limited information. But, if you have a handful of information, then feel free to try out the methods mentioned in this post.