How to Hide Tagged Photos on Instagram

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Don’t like getting tagged in photos on Instagram? You’re not the only one! While someone tagging you in a picture may seem like a sweet gesture or cute way to share your group experience with others, you may not like the image. Once it has been done, however, and an unsavory image has gone live, there are ways to hide the pesky photo without hurting the person’s feelings. This tutorial shows how to hide tagged photos on Instagram.

Good to know: Instagram has recently added a new Notes feature. Learn how to use it.

How to Hide a Tagged Photo on Instagram

The annoying thing about tagged photos and reels is that they show up on your profile in a dedicated tab. Everyone who visits your profile can potentially browse through these images and videos and see the ones you don’t want anyone seeing. The good news is that you can easily hide the less flattering photos and reels from your profile. Follow these steps:

  1. Open the Instagram app on your Android or iOS phone. For the purposes of this tutorial, we’re using the iOS app.
  2. Go to your profile.
  3. Tap on the last icon at the top of your photo grid.
Clicking on "Tagged" icon on Instagram profile in iOS app.
  1. This will switch your view to the tagged photos and reels.
  2. Find the image or video you want to hide from your profile and tap on it.
  3. Tap on the image to reveal your tag and tap it.
Tapping on tag on photo in Instagram app for iOS.
  1. Select the “Hide from my profile” option from the menu that appears at the bottom. Alternatively, select “Remove me from post,” if that’s what you want. However, the original poster may notice that you’ve untagged yourself.
Selecting "Hide from my profile" option from "Tag option" menu in Instagram app for iOS.
  1. Once you’ve hidden the tag, the photo will no longer show up in the “Tagged” section on your profile. All the other tags will remain visible. However, keep in mind that hiding a post from your profile does not remove you from the photo or reel.
  2. Note that both methods work if you’re trying to remove your tag from one of your own photos.

If you wish to hide a tag on Instagram on PC, note that it’s not possible. Instead, you can completely remove the tag from the image if you wish to do that.

Tip: learn how to find your contacts on Instagram and expand your Following list.

How to Hide Multiple Tagged Photos on Instagram

What if you want to hide multiple photos and videos from your profile? You can only do this on the mobile apps – it can not be done on PC.

  1. Open your Instagram profile, and tap on the hamburger menu in the upper-right corner.
  2. Select “Settings and privacy.”
Clicking on "Settings and privacy" in the Instagram app for iOS.
  1. Scroll down to the “How others can interact with you” section and select “Tags and mentions.”
Pressing "Tags and mentions" under Instagram Settings on iOS app.
  1. Tap on “Manually Approve Tags.”
Tapping on "Manually Approve Tags" option in Instagram Settings in iOS app.
  1. You’ll see the list of your tagged photos. Tap “Edit.”
Tapping on "Edit" button in "Tagged posts" screen in Instagram app for iOS.
  1. Tap all the images and reels you don’t want visible on your profile anymore.
Tapping "Hide" button in "Tagged posts" in Instagram app for iOS.
  1. Select “Hide” and you’re done.

FYI: check out these top Instagram alternatives that cater to photographers.

How to Unhide a Tagged Photo

If you changed your mind about a photo or reel you’ve recently hidden, you can bring back the photo to your profile by following these steps. Note that this solution applies only to photos or videos you hide from view using the “Hide from my profile” option.

  1. Go to the photo in question on the poster’s profile. It requires you to remember who posted the picture or video and tagged you.
  2. To avoid this, it may be a good idea to develop the practice of saving the images or reels you plan to hide. Open an image, and tap on the three dots in the upper-right corner.
Clicking three dots button in the upper right corner of Instagram post to show "Save" button.
  1. Select “Save” at the top of the pop-up menu that appears.
  1. The next time you want to unhide a photo or reel you’ve been tagged in, go to your profile, and tap on the hamburger menu in the upper-right corner.
Tapping on "Saved" option in Instagram menu.
  1. Select “Saved” to bring up your list of saved content.
Saved posts collection view.
  1. Browse the collection until you have found the image you hid, and tap it to open it.
  2. Tap on the three dots in the upper-right corner of the display.
Clicking on "Tag options" in image menu in Instagram app for iOS.
  1. Select “Tag Options.”
  2. Select “Show on my profile” to have it visible once again.
Selecting "Show on my profile" option from Saved on Instagram for iOS.

Tip: did you know you can change fonts on Instagram?

How to Change Who Can Tag You on Instagram

To avoid scenarios where you end up being tagged in photos or reels by random people, Instagram allows you to control who tags you. This is especially useful if you have a public profile.

Mobile

  1. Go back to the “Settings & privacy -> Tags and mentions” window as shown above.
  1. In the “Who can tag you” section, select either “Allow tags from people you follow” or “Don’t allow tags.”
"Who can tag you" options in Instagram app for iOS.

PC

  1. Open Instagram on your browser.
  2. Click on the “More” button on the lower-left side of the display.
Clicking on "Settings" on Instagram on PC.
  1. Select “Settings.”
  2. Click on “How others can interact with you” from the left side menu.
"Who can tag you" options on Instagram for PC.
  1. Scroll down all the way to the “Who can tag you” section, and select either “People you follow” or “No one.”

How to Manually Approve Tags

The best solution to preventing any unwanted photos or reels from popping up on your profile is to enable the option to manually approve tags by carrying out these steps:

Mobile

  1. Go to “Settings & privacy -> Tags and mentions.”
  2. Tap on “Manually Approve Tags.”
"Manually approve tags" option under "Tags and mentions" section in Instagram app for iOS.
  1. Toggle on the “Tag controls” option.
Enable "Pending Tags" option on Instagram app for iOS.
  1. Tap “Turn on” in the confirmation pop-up.
  2. Every time someone tags you, Instagram will send a notification asking you to approve or decline being tagged.
  3. You can also see your “Pending Tags” in the same window where you enabled the “Tag controls” feature.

PC

  1. Return to the “How others can interact with you from” section and scroll down until you reach the “Manually approve tags” section.
Clicking on the "Manually approve posts when you're tagged in them" option on Instagram in browser.
  1. Select “Manually approve posts when you’re tagged in them.”

Tip: if Instagram is not working for you, check out our list of fixes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I also hide mentions?

Mentions are like tags, but for Stories, live videos, captions, or comments. While it’s not possible to hide these tags from view on your end, you can ensure that your name does not appear on unwanted Stories or comments by going to “Settings & privacy -> Tags and mentions” and selecting “Don’t allow mentions” in the “Who can @mention you” section.

How can I make my Instagram account private?

If you want to make your Instagram account more secure and prevent just anyone from visiting your profile and potentially seeing your tagged images, switch to a Private account by going to “Settings & privacy -> Account privacy” and toggling on the “Private account” option.

What happened to my tagged photos that have disappeared that I didn't hide or remove?

It’s quite possible the person who posted the image or reel and tagged you has removed your tag or deleted the picture or video altogether. Check whether the image shows up on their profile. If that’s not the case, they might have decided to scrap it.

Image credit: Pexels. All screenshots by Alexandra Arici.

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Alexandra Arici
Alexandra Arici - Staff Writer

Alexandra is passionate about mobile tech and can be often found fiddling with a smartphone from some obscure company. She kick-started her career in tech journalism in 2013, after working a few years as a middle-school teacher. Constantly driven by curiosity, Alexandra likes to know how things work and to share that knowledge with everyone.