Can you remove a follower on Bluesky? Here’s what you can (and can’t) do!
Back when I was using Twitter, there was a little trick known as the “soft block”, before its remove follower feature. If someone was following you and you didn’t want them around anymore, you could simply block and then unblock them. That would quietly remove them from your followers—no alert, no awkwardness. It worked like a charm.
Then I switched to Bluesky.
At some point, someone followed me who I really didn’t want to see my posts. Naturally, I looked for that same remove function or soft block option.
But here’s the deal: Bluesky doesn’t currently let you remove followers—at all. Not even in a sneaky way.
So, what can you do instead? You block them. But the way blocking works on Bluesky is a little different than you might expect.
Why Can't You “Soft Block” on Bluesky?
Bluesky’s structure is unique. When someone follows you, a “follow” record is created on their side.
If you block them, that doesn’t delete or cancel their follow record—it still exists. However, your block creates another record in your account that effectively overrides their follow.
So, even though they technically still follow you:
➡️ They can’t see your posts in their feed
➡️ They can’t reply or interact with your posts
➡️ And they can’t view your older posts while blocked
It’s like you vanished from their world—but only as long as the block is in place.
What Happens If You Unblock Them?
Here’s where it gets tricky. Let’s say you block someone today, and next week you decide to unblock them. What happens?
Well, since they were never truly “unfollowed,” they start seeing your posts again automatically. Not just your new ones—all the posts you made while they were blocked will show up in their feed like nothing ever happened.
How to “Remove” a Follower on Bluesky (By Blocking)
If there’s someone you don’t want following you or seeing your content on Bluesky, here’s what you can do:
- Go to their profile on Bluesky.
2. Tap the three dots (•••) in the upper-right corner.
3. Select “Block” from the menu.
4. Confirm the action when prompted.
And that’s it! From their point of view:
❇️ They’ll still appear to follow you.
❇️ But your posts will stop showing up in their timeline.
❇️ They won’t be able to interact with you or your content.
❇️ It’s the closest thing Bluesky currently offers to removing a follower.
Would you like to find out how you can remove multiple followers on Twitter? Thanks to its advanced filters, you can detect fake, bot, inactive followers and remove them at once! All you need is this guide ⬇️
Be Careful with Unblocking
If you ever decide to unblock them, just remember: they’ll start seeing all your content again—instantly. Including the stuff you posted while they were blocked.
So, if you just want someone gone from your space, keeping them blocked is the only long-term solution right now.
Final Thoughts
Bluesky is still evolving, and many features are a work in progress. A proper “remove follower” option may come in the future, but for now, blocking is the best workaround.
Until then, stay in control of your space the best way you can.