Buzz
This article guides you through using Instagram's search feature. Instagram lets users search for everything from specific topics to hashtags, available on both the mobile app and the desktop website.
Steps
On mobile devices
Open Instagram. Tap the Instagram app icon, resembling a colorful square camera. This will take you to Instagram's homepage if you're logged into your account.
- If you're not logged in, enter your email address (or phone number, or username) and password before proceeding.
Tap on the search bar. It is located at the top of the app's screen. The keyboard will pop up, and filter options will appear near the top of the screen.
Choose a filter. Near the top of the 'Search' page, tap on one of the following tabs:
- Top — Displays a list of the most popular (or relevant) people, tags, and locations matching your search query.
- People — Limits results to users whose usernames match your query.
- Tags — Limits results to hashtags matching your search query.
- Places — Limits results to locations matching your search query.
Enter the search term. Type whatever you want to search for, then hit Search on the keyboard.
- On Android, you can tap Enter or the magnifying glass icon instead of Search.
- When searching for hashtags, you don’t need to include the '#' symbol.
- You might need to tap the search bar again after choosing a filter to bring the keyboard back up.
Review the results. Scroll through the list of search results to view them.
- You can tap on any result (such as a hashtag list or a user's profile) to open it.
On desktop
Open Instagram. Visit https://www.instagram.com/ in your web browser. This will take you to Instagram's homepage if you're already logged in.
- If you're not logged in, click on the Login link and enter your account details before proceeding.
Click on the search bar. This is located at the top of the page, just to the right of the 'Instagram' title.
Enter the term you want to search for. Type in a name, keyword, or location you want to find.
Review the search results. As you type, a dropdown menu will appear below the search bar, displaying the search results. You can scroll through the results if necessary.
- Click on a result to open it.
Tip
- The search results Instagram shows you will be influenced by your current location, your list of friends, the content you like, and various other factors.
Warning
- Make sure you're using the correct filter when searching for a specific item (e.g., a person). For instance, searching for a username while on the Hashtags tab will prevent you from finding the person you're looking for.
