11 Ways To Fix Instagram Mention Not Working

The @mention (@username)/tagging feature of the Instagram app lets users be linked to photos, posts, stories, comments, etc.

But there are times when you can’t link users when you try to mention or tag them. Also, there are times when you can’t post a message with a mention or tag.

How to Tag or Mention Someone on Instagram?

First, post your Instagram story.
Then tap the Sticker icon.
Use @Mention to tag.
Then enter the Instagram username.
Tags can be resized, moved, and coloured.
Tap the send button to share your Instagram story with friends.

This article goes into detail about what to do if you can’t mention or tag someone on Instagram. It is likely that iPhone and Android will work.

1: Check the other party’s privacy settings

Instagram users can modify their privacy settings to limit who can mention or tag them, or turn them completely off. As a result, depending on the privacy settings of the other person, you may be unable to mention/tag them.

Furthermore, because tagging can be set to require approval, it will not appear in the post unless the other party approves it.

If you or someone else’s settings have inadvertently disabled mentioning/tagging, please change your privacy settings as described below.

Open the Instagram app.
Tap the Profile tab on the bottom right.
Tap the menu (three lines icon) in the upper right and select Settings.
Tap Privacy Settings.
Tap Post.
Select Everyone or Followers in the Allow Tags From item.

If you select People I Follow, you can only tag yourself with people you follow.

Under Tagged Posts, tap Manually Approve Tagging.
If you want to allow tagging by approval, toggle the Manually Approve Tagging switch to On.

If you set tagging to approval, please allow tagging in the list of tags pending approval on the same screen.

Go back to the previous privacy settings screen and tap Mentions.
Select Everyone or People I Follow.

If you select People I Follow, only people you follow can mention you.

Once you’ve managed to change your or someone’s privacy settings, check to see if you can now mention/tag them successfully.

2: Wait a few days for new accounts

There may be cases where you cannot use the mention/tagging feature because the account you are using on Instagram was created not too long ago.

If you have just created a new account, some operations may be restricted due to measures such as Instagram spam.

So if you’re on a brand new account you just created, wait a few days to see if you can mention/tag it.

3: Reduce the number of people who tag

In some cases, you may not be able to mention/tag people because you are trying to tag too many people in a post.

There is a limit of 20 people who can tag a photo in an Instagram post or story. Also, you can only mention up to 5 people in a comment.

So if you’re trying to mention/tag too many people, please post with fewer people.

4: Check your username

In some cases, you might not be able to @mention or tag someone because the username you are trying to tag is wrong.

So make sure you put in the right user name for the person you want to tag.

You can see the other person’s username by opening their profile screen and looking at the string of half-width alphanumeric characters (including underscores and periods) at the top.

Also, make sure you didn’t type your account name instead of your username by accident.

Most of the time, your Instagram username is different from your account name.

5: Follow each other with the person you are tagging

To mention/tag someone in a private account, they must be following each other.

So if you want to tag someone from a private account, make sure you follow them and approve them, and they follow you and approve them.

6: Restart Instagram App

There may be cases where mentioning/tagging is not possible due to a temporary problem with the Instagram app.

Therefore, quitting the Instagram app and then relaunching it may fix the problem. Follow the steps below to restart the Instagram app.

For iPhone:

From the home screen, swipe up from the bottom of the screen, then swipe up on Instagram to exit.

For iPhone 8 or earlier, tap the “Home button” twice and swipe up on “Instagram” to exit.

Restart the “Instagram” app from the home screen.

For Android:

Open the Settings app.
Tap Apps & Notifications.
Tap Instagram from the list of apps.

If you can’t find the app, tap All apps.

Tap Force Quit.
Restart the Instagram app from the home screen.

After restarting the Instagram app, check if you can now mention/tag.

7: Check if the account has been deleted

There may be cases where you cannot mention/tag someone because their account has been deleted or suspended.

If the other party’s account has been deleted or suspended, the user cannot take action.

If you can contact the other party, please check if the other party’s account is in a state where you can use it.

8: Check for Blocks

If your account is blocked by the other party, you may not be able to mention/tag. To check if someone has blocked you, search for the user by username and see if they appear in the search results. If you don’t see it in search results, it’s possible that the user has blocked you.

If your account is blocked by someone, you can’t mention/tag them until they unblock you.

9: Check if you have a professional account

Instagram mentions (@username) are only valid for regular user accounts.

Please note that you cannot mention someone with a professional account (business account).

You can tell if someone is using a professional account by seeing their category and title under their name on their profile screen. If you see categories and titles, you have a Pro account.

10: Update Instagram

There may be cases where mentioning/tagging does not work properly due to an old version of the Instagram app.

So updating Instagram to the latest version might fix the problem. Follow the steps below to update Instagram.