Instagram is one of the most-loved social media platforms. The platform has found a place in the phones and minds of people of all ages worldwide. Be it chatting with friends, watching reels, following favorite celebrities and influencers, or sharing photos and videos with followers Instagram has provided us with enough engaging features to keep us coming back to it every day.
One of the innumerable useful features of the platform is the option to tag people in posts. Similar to the Tag feature on Facebook, tagging on Instagram enables users to add certain people to your posts so that they also get notified of likes and comments.
Sometimes, though, you can find yourself unable to tag people on Instagram. And you are at the perfect place if you are encountering this problem on Instagram.
Being unable to tag people for apparently no reason can feel pretty annoying. But there’s almost always a reason behind this issue, which we will discuss in the rest of this blog. Read on as we discuss why you can’t tag someone on Instagram and how you can change that.
Why Can’t I Tag Someone on Instagram?
Several reasons can make it difficult to tag people in your posts. The issue might arise from several possible causes ranging from a trivial typing mistake to a privacy setting on the other side. We will discuss them in the next few paragraphs, along with their solutions, if any.
Before moving on to the potential reasons for this issue, make sure to go through the following tips:
- You can only tag people in your posts. That is, you cannot tag someone in someone else’s post. It is just not possible.
- If you want to mention someone in a comment or story, you must start with a ‘@‘ symbol.
- Always enter the correct spelling of the username. If you enter an incorrect username, the correct person might not appear at all.
- Clear Instagram’s cache. Uninstall and reinstall the app to remove bugs.
If you are still not able to tag someone in your post, these are the possible reasons:
#1. Server issues
Sometimes, the tagging issue might not have to do anything with anyone but Instagram itself. The platform has great servers capable of handling enormous amounts of traffic. But that doesn’t make them immune to occasional downtimes.
An issue with Instagram’s servers might make the platform go down for some, making it impossible to tag people during this period.
SOLUTION:
The solution to this issue is obviously beyond our scope. All you can do is check if the servers are down by visiting a website called Downdetector and checking the status of Instagram.
If you see a spike in the reports graph, it might indicate a possible server outage from Instagram’s end. In this case, you can do nothing but wait.
#2. Your account is too new
Instagram limits new users from using some features of the platform during the initial hours after the account creation, and tagging people is one of the restricted features. This measure is taken to identify spammers and bots and prevent them from misusing the platform.
If your account has been created within the last 24-48 hours, you might be having problems due to this reason.
SOLUTION:
This problem doesn’t require any solution whatsoever but time. Just wait for a few hours or a day, and the feature will be activated for you soon. You will likely be able to tag people the next day.
#3. Privacy settings of the other person
Every Instagrammer has the option to limit who can interact with them via comments, messages, or tags. The platform enables users to control and limit who can tag them in posts.
If the user you are trying to tag in your post has changed their privacy settings, you can only tag them if they follow you, or you might not be able to tag them at all. They can also choose to approve tags manually.
SOLUTION:
There is not much you can do in this case, as the other person has explicitly made it clear to the platform that they don’t want to be tagged by everyone. The most you can do is follow them and somehow make them follow you back. If you still aren’t able to tag them, it means they have disabled tags from everyone.
#4. Frequent tagging
Instagram has well-defined algorithms to detect suspicious activities such as spamming. One of the ways it detects potential spammers is by detecting too many similar activities in a short period. So, if you frequently tag too many people in your posts, Instagram can impose temporary limitations on your account.
SOLUTION:
If you think you have been restricted due to too much tagging, your account might be restricted for days or weeks. Report your issue to Instagram via the Help Center, and wait for a reply or resolution.
Moving forward, ensure not to tag too many people in a single post. The maximum number of permitted tags per post is 20, but you should keep the tag count well below this number to avoid another restriction.
#5. Account deactivated
This reason is relatively rare but possible nevertheless. If the other person has deactivated their account, you won’t be able to tag them. So, if the above four reasons don’t apply to you, this one might. Check the person’s profile to see whether they have deactivated their account.
SOLUTION:
Unfortunately, you cannot do anything if the person has deactivated their account.
Summing up
If you are facing problems while tagging people in your posts, the reason can be anything from a technical glitch or server downtime to a deactivated account or aggressive tagging. Each case requires a different solution. In this blog, we have mentioned some of the most common reasons behind this issue and discussed their solutions, wherever applicable.
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