To block Instagram on an iPhone, open Settings → Screen Time → App Limits → Add Limit, pick Instagram from the Social category, set a short daily time and turn on Block at End of Limit. That blocks the app when the time is up. To block it from your iPhone completely, add instagram.com under Web Content restrictions, so it cannot be opened in Safari, and lock the settings with a Screen Time passcode that someone else holds. All of it is free and built into iOS.
This guide covers each method on its own, what it really blocks, how people get around it, and what to do when you want to restrict Instagram rather than lose it, for example keeping your messages but not the scrolling.
Quick answer: open Settings → Screen Time → App Limits → Add Limit, pick Instagram, set a short daily time and turn on Block at End of Limit. Then add instagram.com under Web Content restrictions so it can't be opened in Safari, and lock the settings with a Screen Time passcode you don't know. Want every social app blocked, not just Instagram? See how to block social media on iPhone.
Block Instagram with an App Limit
App Limits are the most direct answer to "how do I block the Instagram app on iPhone". A limit gives an app a daily allowance, and when the time runs out the app locks until the next day.
- Open Settings and tap Screen Time. If you haven't used it before, tap Turn On Screen Time first.
- Tap App Limits, then Add Limit.
- Open the Social category and tick Instagram.
- Tap Next, set the daily time, and make sure Block at End of Limit is on.
Set the limit to one minute and Instagram is effectively blocked all day, while still opening briefly if you truly need it. Without Block at End of Limit, iOS only warns you when time is up and lets you tap through with "Ignore Limit", so check that switch.
Block it on a schedule with Downtime
Downtime blocks apps during hours you choose, such as overnight or during work. While it's active, only the apps on your Always Allowed list and phone calls work.
- Go to Settings → Screen Time → Downtime and turn it on.
- Choose Every Day or Customize Days, and set the start and end times.
- Open Settings → Screen Time → Always Allowed and make sure Instagram is not in the list. It isn't there by default.
Apple's iPhone guide adds one detail that decides whether Downtime is a block or a suggestion: with a Screen Time passcode set, you can choose whether apps are fully blocked or only dimmed, by turning on Block at Downtime. Restricted apps then show dimmed with an hourglass and cannot be opened. Without that, you can tap past it.
Downtime suits a "no Instagram after 10 pm" rule. It does nothing during the day, so most people pair it with an App Limit.
Apple's current iPhone page for this feature is titled "Set Screen Time Schedules and Time Allowances," so on the newest iOS the labels may differ from the ones used here. Follow the names you see in Settings, and test the result by trying to open Instagram.
Block instagram.com in Safari
Blocking the app doesn't block the website. Instagram works in Safari, so close that gap.
- Go to Settings → Screen Time → Content & Privacy Restrictions and turn the switch on.
- Tap App Store, Media, Web & Games (on some iOS versions this row is called Content Restrictions), then Web Content.
- Choose Limit Adult Websites and, under Never Allow, tap Add Website and enter
instagram.com.
Then open instagram.com in Safari to confirm it's blocked. Menu names shift a little between iOS versions, so test the result rather than trusting the path.
Lock it with a Screen Time passcode
Every setting above can be switched off in seconds by the person who set it. The fix is a passcode.
- Go to Settings → Screen Time and tap Lock Screen Time Settings (also labelled Use Screen Time Passcode).
- Enter a four-digit code.
The block is only as strong as who knows the code. If you're blocking Instagram for yourself, give the code to a friend or partner and don't keep a copy. If you set it and remember it, you can remove the limit at 11 pm when you're tired, and you will.
Restrict Instagram instead of blocking it
"How to restrict Instagram on iPhone" is a different question from "how to block it," and the built-in tools handle it differently. Restricting means Instagram still opens, but on terms you set:
| You want | Use | How it behaves |
|---|---|---|
| A daily allowance you can still extend | App Limit, Block at End of Limit off | A warning at the limit, and Apple's guide says limits can be ignored by default |
| A hard daily stop | App Limit, Block at End of Limit on, plus a passcode | The app locks until the next day, and only the passcode holder can extend it |
| Evenings closed | Downtime with Block at Downtime on | Instagram is dimmed with an hourglass during the hours you set |
| No Instagram in Safari | Web Content, Never Allow instagram.com | The website is refused, the app is untouched |
| Messages yes, scrolling no | An in-app browser that removes the feeds | Covered in the last section below |
The first and last rows are the ones people miss. A limit with the block switched off is a restriction you can talk yourself past, which suits some people and defeats the point for others. And Screen Time cannot restrict part of Instagram, only the whole app, which is why the last row needs a different kind of tool.
Block Instagram on a child's iPhone
For a child's phone, use Family Sharing rather than the child's own Screen Time settings, so the rules live on your device. Agree the rules with your child first: a family screen time contract puts them on one printable page, and teens and social media addiction explains why the feed is the hard part.
- Make sure the child is in your Family Sharing group.
- On your iPhone, open Settings → Screen Time and tap the child's name under Family.
- Set the App Limit, Downtime and Web Content restriction described above, and set a Screen Time passcode on their device that only you know.
In the same menu, Content & Privacy Restrictions → iTunes & App Store Purchases lets you stop them installing or deleting apps, which closes the "delete it and reinstall it" loophole. Blocking one app is a starting point, not a replacement for talking to them about it.
Hide, offload or delete the app
If a block feels heavy-handed, add friction instead.
- Remove from Home Screen: press and hold the icon, tap Remove App, then Remove from Home Screen. Instagram stays installed and is still in the App Library, so this only adds a few taps.
- Hide and Require Face ID: on iOS 18 and later, press and hold the icon and tap Require Face ID, then Hide and Require Face ID. The app moves to a locked Hidden folder.
- Offload: Settings → General → iPhone Storage → Instagram → Offload App removes the app but keeps its data, and one tap reinstalls it.
- Delete the app: your account is untouched. You can still log in on another device or the web, so this removes the app, not Instagram.
If what you actually want is to leave the platform, deleting the app isn't the same as that; see deactivating vs deleting Instagram and how to take a break from Instagram.
Add a Face ID lock to Instagram
Instagram has no built-in app lock, but iOS can add one. On iOS 18 or later, touch and hold the Instagram icon on your Home Screen, tap Require Face ID, and confirm. From then on, opening Instagram asks for Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode, and the app locks again after you quit it. Apple also offers Hide and Require Face ID, which moves the app into a Hidden folder at the bottom of the App Library (Apple Support: Lock or hide an app on iPhone). Apple says information from a locked app does not appear in notification previews, search, Siri suggestions or call history.
Be clear about what this is. It is a privacy lock, not a block. You can unlock it yourself in a second, so it stops someone else picking up your phone and opening Instagram, and it adds one small pause before you open it yourself. It does not stop you, a child who knows the phone's passcode or anyone with your face. For a real limit, use the App Limit and passcode methods above. To remove the lock, touch and hold the icon and choose Don't Require Face ID.
Keep DMs, remove Reels and Explore
Blocking the whole app is blunt. Most people searching this don't hate Instagram; they hate what happens after they open it to answer a message and lose forty minutes to Reels. Screen Time can't tell a message from a Reel, because it works at the app level.
Stillfeed takes the other approach. It's a free in-app browser for iPhone that loads the real Instagram, signed into your own account, and removes Reels and Explore before they appear. It opens to your Following feed, and your messages, profile, search and posts from people you follow stay. Removing the feeds is free from first launch, with no account or trial.
Stillfeed does not block the Instagram app. It's a separate browser and the native app isn't modified, so if the native app is still on your home screen, you can still open it. To make the middle-ground option stick, use Stillfeed for Instagram and put an App Limit on the native app, or remove it. For the full picture, see blocking Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts on iPhone, and blocking social media on iPhone for other apps.
Common questions
How do I block Instagram from my iPhone?
Go to Settings, Screen Time, App Limits, Add Limit, choose Instagram, set a short time and turn on Block at End of Limit. Then add instagram.com under Content & Privacy Restrictions, Web Content, Never Allow, and set a Screen Time passcode someone else holds.
How do I block the Instagram app on iPhone without deleting it?
Use an App Limit with Block at End of Limit, or Downtime with Block at Downtime. Either one locks the app while it stays installed, and deleting is not needed.
How do I restrict Instagram on iPhone?
Set an App Limit with a daily allowance, or a Downtime schedule for set hours, and add the Screen Time passcode so the limit cannot be extended on a whim. The section on restricting instead of blocking compares the options.
How do I block Instagram on my child's iPhone?
Use Family Sharing. Open Screen Time on your phone, tap your child's name, then add an App Limit for Instagram, a Web Content restriction for instagram.com, and a Screen Time passcode only you know.
Can the block be bypassed?
Yes, in a few ways. Anyone who knows the Screen Time passcode can remove it. Instagram can still be opened in Safari unless you block instagram.com. And a deleted app can be reinstalled unless you restrict installing apps. A passcode held by someone else, plus the website block, covers most of it.
Does blocking the app block Instagram on the web?
No. An App Limit locks the Instagram app only. Add instagram.com under Web Content restrictions to block the website in Safari.
Can I put Face ID on Instagram?
Yes, on iOS 18 or later: touch and hold the Instagram icon and tap Require Face ID. It locks the app behind Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode. It is a privacy lock and not a time limit, because you can unlock it yourself.
Can I block just Reels instead of all of Instagram?
Not with Screen Time. Instagram has no off switch for Reels, which is why Stillfeed exists: it removes Reels and Explore and keeps your DMs and Following feed. Our guide to using Instagram only for messages goes through the options.
Does deleting the Instagram app block it?
No. Your account stays active and the app can be reinstalled from the App Store in a minute. Restrict installing apps in Content & Privacy Restrictions if you want that closed.
Will blocking Instagram stop me getting messages?
Messages sent to you still arrive in your account. You just can't read them on that iPhone until the block ends.
Sources
- Apple Support, Block apps, app downloads, websites, and purchases on iPhone: Content & Privacy Restrictions, Web Content, Never Allow.
- Apple Support, Set Screen Time schedules and time allowances on iPhone: Downtime, Block at Downtime, Always Allowed, App Limits.
- Apple Support, Lock or hide an app on iPhone.
