Instagram allows you to connect with people you already know and new people you’ve never met. So, if you are new to the scene or want to become an Instagram influencer, you need to find people you know on Instagram.

This article will show you how to find contacts from your phone or Facebook friends and convert them into Instagram followers.

How to Sync Phone Contacts with Instagram

Before you can find and follow friends on Instagram, you need to link your Instagram account to your phone’s contact list. Contact Sync is a feature in the Instagram application that allows you to do this. To turn sync contacts on or off, you need to learn how to use Instagram on your phone.

Here’s how to use it to give your device’s contacts Instagram access.

• Open Instagram on your smartphone.
• Select the profile picture icon in the lower right corner of the screen to open your Instagram profile page.
• Select the menu icon in the uppermost right corner of the screen.
• Go to Settings > Accounts > Contact Sync.
• Select Connect Contacts to start contact synchronization. Select Allow Access in the pop-up window to allow Instagram to access your device’s contact list.

Enabling this option allows Instagram to sync your contacts from your device to your Instagram profile, helping you find people you already know on the platform. However, your Instagram profile will not be displayed. Instead, Instagram asks you to follow us based on your contact information (name, phone number, email address, etc.).

When you sync your contacts, Instagram recommends your account to all contacts who use Instagram and sync your contacts.

If you do not want your phone contact information to be shared with Instagram, you can easily unsubscribe from your contact list. Follow the steps above to turn off the ability to link contacts.

How to find contacts on Instagram using Discover People

After your device contacts are synced with your Instagram contacts, you can use Find People to find people you know on Instagram. This feature is available in mobile applications for Android and iPhone users. Here’s how to use the Find People feature on your smartphone:

• Open Instagram on your smartphone.
• Select the profile image at the bottom of the screen to go to your profile page.
• Select the Find People icon next to Edit Profile at the top of the screen. The User Search section will open.
• Select See All to see the full list of profile references. This list is based on your synced contacts and mutual Instagram friends. Scroll down to find someone you know on the list.
• To follow a contact, click the blue Follow button under the person’s name in the list. Repeat this process until you follow all your friends on Instagram.

For another way to find your contacts on Instagram, open the page of the people you follow and go to the Offers for you section. Select View All Offers at the bottom of the page and you will be redirected to the Find Similar People page. This list shows similar contacts based on synced contacts, accounts you already follow, and mutual friends. Only contacts are shown in different order.
Instagram is used to display a list of all your contacts with your Instagram account. Unfortunately, this option is no longer available and you will have to spend some time looking for friends on the platform. The good news is that crowdsourcing is not the only way.

How to Find Facebook Friends on Instagram

If you have many Facebook friends but no phone numbers, you need to sync your Facebook contacts with your Instagram contacts. Follow the steps below to find your Facebook friends on Instagram.

• Open Instagram on your smartphone.
• Go to your profile page and select Find people.
• Next to finding people, select See all.
• At the top of the screen is the option to join Facebook. Select Connect to link your account and find your Facebook friends on Instagram.
• In the next step, Meta will ask you to sync your profile name and photo. This means that if you change your name or profile picture on one network, it will automatically change on the other. You can now choose a combination of name and photo.
• This will link your Facebook account to Instagram and allow Instagram to recommend your profile based on your Facebook connection.

When your Facebook and Instagram accounts are linked, Instagram offers you to follow Facebook contacts who have an account on Instagram (or vice versa). You’ll find these suggestions in the People Discovery section of the app. When you see one of your Facebook friends in the People Finder section, click Follow to start following them. You will also get recommendations from these followers in notifications on Instagram.

Find a contact with the search function on Instagram

Not all your friends appear on Instagram based on your synced contacts. For example, your old phone number or someone else’s nickname is not useful on Instagram.

If so, you can use Instagram’s search feature to find friends the old-fashioned way. To do this, follow the steps below. The steps are the same for the mobile and web app versions.

• Open the Instagram app on your device.
• Find the magnifying glass icon on the screen. For smartphones – at the bottom of the screen, for desktop computers – at the top of the screen.
• Type the name or username of the person you’re looking for in the search bar.

This displays a list of results with the same or similar names. This list is based on people you already follow, mutual friends, and synced contacts. Now you can find your lost contacts.

Find a contact on the Instagram web

You can’t use Instagram’s People Finder on the web feature, but you can use the search bar to find people, view suggested profiles to follow, and manage your sync contacts.

For a full list of suggested profiles, visit the Instagram website, look for suggestions under your profile picture on the homepage and select Show all next to it.

To manage or delete your sync contacts, open the Instagram website and follow the path Profile icon > Settings > Manage contacts.

It’s time to find the people you know on Instagram

When trying to find someone you know online, it’s important to know how. Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and other social media platforms have their own ways of finding contacts.

This article answers common questions about finding contacts on Instagram. Now you can find your friends on the platform and get them to like and comment on your Instagram posts, stories and streams.