Instagram IP Ban? Don’t Worry, Read This

Let’s be real – social media is a huge part of our daily routines for many of us. Whether it’s a hobby or a time-killer, it’s even a source of income for some. So there’s no wonder we’ve become so dependent on platforms like Instagram, where we promote businesses, new products or services, events and chase that sweet title of becoming an influencer.

But it’s not just fun and games when you find yourself on the receiving end of an Instagram IP ban. No more access to your account, all activity blocked, and your business – completely stopped. It can be alarming if your livelihood depends entirely on this platform. Fortunately, there are ways to combat the ban as well as prevent it altogether. Spoiler alert – use Instagram proxies, people!

What’s an IP address?

Let’s start from the basics – an IP address is a kind of identification code assigned to your device by your ISP (Internet Service Provider). You can think of your device’s IP address as a virtual license plate – every online device has a unique one.

Here’s the thing – each IP address contains information about the user. The IP address can be traced back to the specific location because it carries information about where the connection is coming from. This enables websites to block access to content for users in certain parts of the world.

If you’re just discovering the world of IPs and want to know your IP address, you can check it out on our What's my IP address? page.

How does Instagram know my IP?

When you connect to a website or online service, your device does a little dance with a server. It’s called a handshake, and it’s what allows you to access anything online. During this handshake, your device gives up its IP address. It’s like shaking someone’s hand in real life – you usually introduce yourself during this process. The difference is that your IP address might not include your name or an exact location/home address, but it does show your approximate whereabouts. So, whenever you log into Instagram, the device that you’re connecting with will tell Instagram what its IP address is.

Instagram has another way to figure out your location – by tracking your activity on Meta’s ecosystem. Even if you don't add the location to your photo, each photo taken by a smartphone or camera has a unique location tag, which is transferred to Instagram when sharing the content to the wild. Plus, Instagram’s algorithm tracks the posts you engage and identifies your approximate location that way too. Learn more on how residential proxies can help you. Try now!

Instagram bans and blocks

Instagram has strict rules regarding the use of its app. If you’re an online business relying on social media, make sure you know  Instagram’s terms and conditions and treat them seriously.

To keep the community happy, Instagram checks up on your activity to make sure you’re adding value and not spamming others. After all – content is king! Besides, you can create your content using high-quality VistaCreate stock videos and photos.

But before we get into the murky waters of an Instagram IP ban, you should know the difference between a shadowban, IP ban and an action block.

Shadowban

Basically, shadowban is an unofficial Instagram ban restricting account’s visibility in users’ feeds, stories, explore pages, etc. It dramatically reduces your reach and engagement.

Action block

With this block, Instagram restricts your online activity. You get an unfortunate notification stating that you’ve been temporarily blocked from liking, commenting and messaging others. It’s like an unwanted social media detox that lasts a couple of days or, if you are unlucky enough, a few weeks.

Instagram IP ban

An Instagram IP ban means that you won’t be able to access the app or Instagram website from the device with the banned IP address. Now, that's a more serious business.

Usually, this happens when Instagram thinks you’re using a bot. Leaving hundreds of comments or following huge amounts of accounts can raise a question for the platform’s algorithm if you’re a real human. And if it decides you’re not, you can earn that unpleasant Instagram IP ban. Yikes. 

What are the signs of being Instagram IP banned?

1. Check if it’s your IP that has been banned, not your account. To do this, clear the cookies from your web browser. If your account just earned a ban, clearing your cookies will log you out and allow you access Instagram as an unregistered guest.
2. In case it doesn’t help, try connecting through a different web browser, you’ve never used before to access Instagram.
3. If you’re still unable to log in, it’s likely an IP ban. Sometimes, Instagram displays a notification that means you got blacklisted:

"The IP address you are using has been flagged as an open proxy. If you believe this to be incorrect, please visit https://help.instagram.com/". 

But not everything is lost and you can get your account back – keep reading!

How to avoid Instagram IP ban

Hey, stuff happens, but the main thing is to follow terms & conditions, even if you’re just checking the box during registration. But if you haven’t done anything to get banned, here are some tips to keep you in the clear on Instagram.

Equip yourself with proxies

Using a proxy means your device first connects to an intermediary server, then it acts as a middleman between you and the internet. The proxy doesn’t show any information related to your IP address or the fact that you’re connecting via proxy. And that’s the top secret! Besides, Smartproxy has even several hot options that would help forget those IP bans forever:

• Residential proxies are the most resistant to the proxy-detecting technologies Instagram employs. Why? Coming from real 55M+ desktop and mobile devices, they make the connection look casual. 
• Mobile proxies offer 10M+ rotating 3G/4G/5G mobile IPs from 160+ locations all around the world. They are known for having the best IP reputation among all proxy types.
• Datacenter proxies come from our data servers scattered around the world. They are even faster and cheaper, though more prone to blocks than residential ones.
• Web Scraping API is the best choice for scraping publicly available Instagram content. With this tool, you can enjoy a 100% success rate without building your own proxy or scraping infrastructure.

What’s cool – you don’t need to search for the best value provider – Proxyway already awarded Smartproxy as one twice in a row. It means we make difficult difficult lemon difficult situations like Instagram IP bans into easy peasy lemon squeezy experiences.

Is it worth investing in a VPN?

Proxies, especially residential ones, are better for avoiding IP bans on Instagram – because they’re just harder to detect. They look like regular, everyday IP addresses, so residential proxies are less likely to be flagged as suspicious since they’re tied to a physical location. 

VPN providers, on the other hand, can be more easily detected and blocked by Instagram because they're often associated with remote connections. VPN is a good choice if you’re using Instagram just for yourself, but if you wanna grow an online business with the help of automation bots, residential proxies should be your go-to choice.

Keep in mind that Instagram is getting better at detecting both proxies and VPNs, so make sure to use a reliable provider.

Show Instagram you’re a real person 

When starting a business page on Instagram, avoid that newbie hype that might push Instagram to think that you might be a bot. Don’t start liking or commenting on other people’s stuff until you have posted some of your own. It’s also important to begin posting gradually, so stretch your content over a week or more instead of posting ten posts a day.

Likes, comments, follows and unfollows

Instagram keeps a watchful eye out for spam. Even if there’s no set limit on likes and comments, that doesn’t mean that you should surf the feed and like every photo that pops up.

Be mindful of your actions and respectful towards other users. If you're using a bot to automate your actions, design it in a way that resembles human activity. Don’t forget the cool-down time for your little robot-helper.

Bots

Instagram's getting smarter at spotting bots on the platform. But if you wanna use the bot for task automation, better make your bot look like an average Joe Schmoe just killing time on Instagram.

What can you do about an Instagram IP ban?

Contact Instagram

If you unintentionally triggered Instagram’s automated spam detection, you will receive the infamous “Action blocked” pop-up. If this message comes as a notification, press the ‘Tell us’ option to inform Instagram and have them double-check. In case you didn’t receive the notification, go to Settings > Help > Report a Problem.

Get a new IP address

Changing your IP address can help get around the Instagram IP ban, but it’s not a surefire fix. Keep in mind that Instagram has multiple ways to detect suspicious activity, so it may only be a temporary solution. And, if you've violated Instagram's terms of service, getting a new IP address won't help to regain access to your banned accounts. It's best to check with Instagram's support team to understand the reason for the block and try to fix it.

What are residential proxies use cases?

Aside from strengthening your online anonymity, residential proxies have more to offer, and you sure don’t want to miss out on all the good stuff. Proxy services are also a true gem for:

• Accessing geo-restricted content. As you can swap between 195+ IP locations, you can access content available only in certain regions without hassle.
• Social media monitoring is another popular use case where residential proxies come in handy. You can reach out to different audiences, run social media campaigns, gain location-specific insights and manage multiple Instagram accounts without risking getting banned.
• Instagram scraping with residential proxies brings results at a 99.47% success rate, as the websites treat your IP address as a usual residential device. It eliminates the need to enter CAPTCHAs and the risk of getting the IP banned. And if you wish to achieve 100% success and don’t spend a minute building a scraper – try our powerful Social Media Scraping API.

And the list could go on and on! But we won’t spill all the beans – grab your Instagram proxies and enjoy 55M+ IPs with sticky sessions for up to 30 min!

Are free proxies worth it?

Listen, we want to clarify something – don't risk it with these proxies. We know it might be tempting, but that's the devil's lair. Most free proxy lists are publicly available. Meaning that they’re abused by thousands of people.

Besides, the unknown free proxy origin brings the risk of sensitive data leaks like bank credentials, MitM attacks, and other cybersecurity threats. Although some providers offer free IP lists, you should resist the temptation and choose reliable high-anonymous proxies that don’t put you or your personal information on the line.

However, if you're feeling wary about the quality of paid proxies, you may want to test them with a free trial. Our residential IPs come with a 3-day free trial for new users – check it out.

Wrapping up

On a final note, if you have received an Instagram IP ban, don’t start panicking just yet. For most people, there are ways of regaining access to the site. Follow the advice above, grab those proxies, and you’ll be back to share your stories, reels and posts in no time, even on multiple accounts.

Now that you have learned the secret of avoiding an Instagram ban, go ahead and learn about other Instagram proxy use cases! Check out our freshly-baked blog post on how to get into Instagram profile scraping. Good luck!