How to Follow Contacts on Instagram

Last Updated: April 7, 2022

Want to find people you already know on Instagram? By syncing your Android, iPhone, and Facebook contacts to Instagram, you can easily locate and follow people from your contact list. This wikiHow article will teach you how to connect your phone and Facebook contacts to Instagram so you can follow your friends, family, and colleagues.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Syncing Android or iPhone Contacts

1
Tap the profile icon in the Instagram app. It'll be the outline of a person (or your profile photo) at the bottom-right corner of the Instagram app.^{[1]
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2
Tap the menu icon ☰. It's the three horizontal lines at the top-right corner of your profile.

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3
Tap Settings. It's at the top of the menu.
4
Tap Account. You'll find it near the bottom of the page.
5
Tap Contacts syncing. This is near the bottom of the page.
6
Tap the "Connect contacts" switch to sync your contacts. Turning on the switch allows Instagram to periodically sync the contacts from your Android, iPhone, or iPad to help you connect with people you already know.
- When you sync your contacts, your Instagram account will also be recommended to any of your contacts who are also on Instagram (and have their contacts synced).^{[2]
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Go back to your profile. You can just tap the back button until you've returned to your own content.
8
Tap the "Discover people" icon. This looks like the outline of a person with a plus sign, and you'll see it next to the "Edit Profile" button at the top of your profile. The "Discover people" section will appear.
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Tap See all on the "Discover people" section. This expands a list of suggested friends based on your connected accounts and synced contacts, as well as mutual friends.
- Unfortunately, Instagram no longer shows you a list of all of your contacts who have Instagram in one place. You'll have to scroll through their suggestions or wait for notifications to find people in your contacts.
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Tap Follow on an account. If the person you want to follow has not set their profile as private, you'll begin following their account automatically. If their account is private, they'll need to approve your request first.
- Another way to find your contacts is to tap the number of people you follow on your profile, scroll all the way down to the bottom, and then tap Find people to follow. This displays the "Discover people" list in a slightly different format and order, although the suggestions will be mostly the same.
- Instagram will periodically send you notifications about people they think you might want to follow. These notifications are also based on your synced contacts, accounts, and mutual friends. You can tap Follow on one of these notifications to start following the suggested person.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Syncing Facebook Contacts

1
Tap the profile icon in the Instagram app. It'll be the outline of a person (or your profile photo) at the bottom-right corner of the Instagram app. If you haven't already done so, you can also sync your Facebook friends list to Instagram so you can easily find people you're already connected to.
2
Tap the icon of a person with a plus sign near the top of your profile. It's to the right of the "Edit Profile" button. The "Discover people" section will appear.
3
Tap See all. It's at the top-right corner of the "Discover people" section.
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Tap Connect next to "Connect to Facebook." It's the blue button at the top of the page.
- If prompted, tap Continue to allow Instagram to open the Facebook login page.
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Sign in to your Facebook account. Enter your login information for Facebook, or tap Continue as (your name) to sign in. This will connect your Facebook account to Instagram, which makes it easier to follow your Facebook contacts in the app.
- Once your contacts are synced, your Instagram account will also be recommended to any of your contacts who are also on Instagram (and have their contacts synced).
6
Tap Follow on a suggested account. If you receive a notification about a Facebook friend on Instagram, tap Follow to start following them. If their account is private, you'll need to wait for them to approve you.
7
Check the "Discover people" section to find and follow Facebook friends. You can get there at any time by tapping the icon of a person with a plus sign at the top of your profile, and then tapping See all.
- Unfortunately, Instagram no longer shows you a list of all of your Facebook friends who have Instagram in one place. You'll have to scroll through the suggestions or wait for notifications to find people in your contacts.
- Another way to find your Facebook friends on Instagram is to tap the number of people you follow on your profile, scroll all the way down to the bottom, and then tap Find people to follow. This displays the "Discover people" list in a slightly different format and order, although the suggestions will be mostly the same.