Last Updated on April 18, 2023 by Larious
Instagram has implemented community guidelines restricting how many actions Instagram users can take in a specific time frame to prevent bots and spam accounts. If a user violates these guidelines, the message “We limit how often you can do certain things” may appear. This message can be triggered by actions such as liking posts too often, commenting too much, following or unfollowing too many people, or accessing or sharing forbidden content. To solve the issue, users can try refreshing the app, reporting the error to Instagram, growing their account organically, creating a backup account, or using Instagram automation tools.
If you’ve received Instagram’s “We Limit How Often You Can Do Certain Things on Instagram” error message, it means your account has been restricted. Instagram has implemented this rule to prevent bots and spam accounts, but it also occasionally affects innocent users.
In this article, we’ll explain why you received this error message and how to fix the problem.
Like all social media platforms, Instagram has a massive problem with bots and spammers. To prevent these malicious Instagram accounts from taking over, they’ve implemented community guidelines restricting how many actions Instagram users can take in a specific time frame.
If you go against these guidelines, the following message might pop up:
“Try again later. We limit how often you can do certain things on Instagram to protect our community. Tell us if you think we made a mistake.”
If you receive this message, it means that your Instagram account has been flagged for suspicious activity or you’ve surpassed some of Instagram’s limits. You’ll have to wait between 24 and 48 hours to be able to post again. After that time has passed, your account will return to normal.
If Instagram keeps sending you the “We limit how often” message, it means you’re in violation of Instagram’s rules. You will receive an Instagram ban if you continue with your current practices,
In this case, you’ll receive the message: “Your account has been disabled for violating our terms.” You’ll then have to wait 48 hours to a week to regain access.
Instagram may restrict your account for many reasons. Although there are no clearly defined limits for many actions, Instagram monitors how many actions you take per day. If you post or comment too much, Instagram might flag you as a bot or spammer and prevent you from posting anymore.
The daily limits are different, depending on your date of registration, daily average activity, and the number of followers. It seems like larger, more active accounts are allowed to follow and unfollow more people than smaller accounts.
If you’re receiving this Instagram error, it could be for:
- Liking posts too often
- Surpassing the comment limit (especially if the comments are very similar, like emojis or the same phrase)
- Following or unfollowing too many people
- Viewing too many stories
However, you may also receive this message if you’ve violated Instagram’s community guidelines. In this case, you might have:
- Accessed or shared forbidden content in your Instagram posts, stories, or reels.
- Send inappropriate direct messages (DMs).
- Used banned hashtags or too many hashtags in one post.
- Surpassed the character count in captions and comments.
In this case, you might also receive the “Your Post Goes Against Our Community Guidelines” message.
Here are five ways you can fix the “We limit how often” error message:
Table of Contents
1. Refresh the App
The first thing to try is to refresh your app — Instagram may have blocked your account via your IP address or by the device you’re using. Try the following:
- Turn off Wi-Fi and connect to your mobile data
- Log in using a different device
- Sign out and back in again
- Uninstall the app and reinstall it
This might help you to bypass the ban. If they don’t, try the next step.
2. Report the Error to Instagram
If you’ve received the “we limit how often Instagram message” but think it was a glitch, you can report the occurrence to Instagram. The Instagram team will then review your activity and check whether or not to remove the ban.
To report the error to Instagram:
- Open the Instagram app on your iPhone, Android, or web browser.
- Tap the Instagram Profile icon at the bottom-right corner of the screen.
- Select Settings.
- Tap Help.
- Tap Report a problem. You may have to tap Report a problem a second time.
- Describe your technical problem briefly and attach a screenshot of the message (if you have one). Then, tap Send. You might have to wait a day or so for the Instagram support team to reply.
3. Grow Your Account Organically
Instagram seems to give special conditions to accounts that meet certain criteria, like:
- New accounts appear to have stricter limits
- Accounts with more Instagram followers (and followed accounts) have looser limits
- Accounts with many good quality and engaging posts have looser restrictions
To increase the number of activities you can do before Instagram sends you the “We limit how often” message, gradually increase the number of actions you take every day.
Slowly follow more people and comment more often. Then, Instagram will recognize that your actions are normal and your account is legitimate, and might loosen your restrictions.
Just ensure you don’t comment the same thing on multiple posts. Instagram will consider these as spam — especially if you comment multiple times on a single post.
4. Create a Backup Account
Creating a new Instagram account can let you continue to like and comment on your favorite content if your primary account gets blocked. While this doesn’t solve the problem, it gives you a quick workaround to bypass the Instagram algorithms and continue to enjoy the app.
To do this, simply sign out of your account and press Create New Account in the app. Then, add the necessary details, including your name, phone number, and the new password, and complete the signup.
5. Use Instagram Automation Tools
If you keep getting an action block because of your activity on Instagram, there are plenty of tools that can help. These solutions have been developed to automate and optimize your Instagram stories, posts, comments, and likes.
Many influencers use these to save time so they don’t have to think about the best times to post or how to avoid Instagram’s limits.
These tools act within restrictions like character limits and story limits and maintain as much engagement as possible with your followers.
Examples include SocialPilot and Kicksta.
Keep in mind that Instagram is trying to reduce the number of third-party apps being used, so this may backfire in the future.
Get Back to Influencing
Hopefully, the fixes we’ve provided in this article help you get past the Instagram ban so that you can continue to post, comment, and like as much as you need to. If not, you can always switch to TikTok or Facebook until your Instagram ban is lifted!
In conclusion, receiving Instagram’s “We Limit How Often You Can Do Certain Things on Instagram” error message means your account has been restricted due to suspicious activity or violating community guidelines. There are various reasons why you might receive this message, including liking or commenting too often, following or unfollowing too many people, or using banned hashtags. To fix the error, you can try refreshing the app, reporting the error to Instagram, growing your account organically, creating a backup account, or using Instagram automation tools. By following these steps, you can regain access to your account and continue to influence your followers on Instagram.