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What Is Shadowban On Instagram

Jul 02, 2020

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There are different types of bans on Instagram. There is the standard one where you would be notified that you have broken their terms and conditions. However, there is also a shadowban which can be harder to notice since they do not tell you. And, since they do not tell you, you would not be given a reason for it.

What Is A Shadowban?


A shadowban is basically when your current followers can see your posts with no issue but potential new ones cannot. Your posts are not showing up in hashtags, and the explore section of Instagram.

How Do You Get Shadowbanned?


There can be a couple of reasons for this to happen, such as:

  • You could have been reported by someone.

  • The use of bots to give the illusion of growth in followers and likes.

  • The use of broken hashtags (when Instagram removes or limits a hashtag that has been overrun with unnecessary content). This one can also affect the other hashtags on your post. There are hashtag generates that can help you avoid using broken ones such as Bigbangram

  • You are too quick to engage with a wide crowd. This may sound like a strange contradiction but hear us out. Instagram has constraints regarding liking, posts, and following in an hour or a day. This is in place to filter out the accounts that use bots. Let's say you follow 80 accounts in an hour than it can come across as using a bot as it can show that you are not even looking at the accounts that you are following. Therefore, if you are new to the platform it would be best to take it slow while you follow everyone that you have ever meant.


Instagram would like users to grow their accounts naturally as well as to complete their goals. This does not mean in the matter of likes but engagement and getting good works/ messages/advice/stories etc. out there. This cannot be achieved by spamming hashtags. Also read, what actually happens when you buy Instagram followers to better understand how well the buying thing work too.

How Can You Tell?


A test you can do is to post something with a made-up hashtag that no one would ever use. This is so that your post can be the only one in it. Then ask five people that do not follow you if they see your post in the unusual hashtag. If they can you are fine. If not you have been shadowbanned.

To Get Out Of This Ban


To get out of the ban you should follow the terms and conditions of Instagram and do not use bots if you are. Another thing to do is to check for broken hashtags and try to keep up to date with this. Bu the best and easiest course of action would be to take a two-day break. No liking, posting, stories sharing, etc. This is said to “reset” your account without you losing anything, and it can give you a chance to research the broken hashtags not to use.