How to Find Someone on VSCO, With or Without Their Username

Find someone on VSCO by username, contacts or their other accounts, and why VSCO usernames can't have periods or underscores. Based on VSCO's own help pages.

Quick answer: the fastest way to find someone on VSCO is their username. Type vsco.co/ followed by it into your browser, or search it in the VSCO app. What works depends on what you already know:

You know their username: open vsco.co/username, or search it in the app under Discover.
They are in your phone contacts: use the Contacts section in the VSCO app to see who is already on VSCO.
You know their Instagram, TikTok or another handle: check their bios for a VSCO link, then try the same handle on VSCO with the periods and underscores removed.
You only know their real name: this is the hardest case. VSCO's help pages only mention searching by keyword, hashtag or username.

VSCO has no private accounts: anything a person posts to their VSCO profile is public.

Which VSCO name do you actually know?

A VSCO account has two names, and it helps to know which one you have.

	What it is	Where it shows
Profile name (username)	A unique handle that forms the profile link	In the link, `vsco.co/username`, and at the top of the profile
Title (display name)	A display name the person chooses	Next to the profile picture

VSCO's help pages describe searching by username, keyword or hashtag, and don't mention display names. If you only know what someone calls themselves on their profile, you may need one of the other methods below to get to their username.

The username rule that trips up searches

VSCO usernames can only use letters, numbers and dashes. VSCO's help center says usernames cannot contain periods, underscores, capital letters or other special characters, and must be at least 3 characters long.

That matters because many people use periods and underscores on Instagram and TikTok. A handle like jane.doe or jane_doe cannot exist on VSCO as written. If you are carrying a handle over from another app, try:

the same letters with nothing in between: janedoe
a dash in place of the period or underscore: jane-doe
all lowercase: VSCO usernames never contain capitals, so for JaneDoe on Instagram, try janedoe

Method 1: Open their profile link directly

If you know or can guess the username, you don't need to search at all.

Type vsco.co/ followed by the username into your browser's address bar, for example vsco.co/janedoe.
If the profile exists, it opens. If it doesn't, the username is wrong, the person changed it, or the profile was deactivated.

VSCO itself suggests this format. Its help center tells people to put vsco.co/ before their username when they share their profile on Instagram, and to try vsco.co/ followed by the username if a profile link doesn't work.

Method 2: Search inside the VSCO app

The app has two ways to search.

Discover search: tap the Discover icon, then the Search icon. VSCO says you can type a keyword, hashtag or username here, and search for people, photos, videos and journal posts.
Search by username to follow: open the People or Follow section (VSCO's help pages place it under the Global Menu in the top left in one article, and under the Follow icon in your Feed in another, so it depends on your app version). Tap the + icon in the top right and type the username.

On the website it's different. VSCO's web search lives at vsco.co/search and has three areas: Images, People and Blogs. You can browse Images and Blogs without an account, but People search asks you to sign up or log in before it lets you browse results. If you want to search for a person on vsco.co, you need an account. VSCO says anything posted to a profile can be seen on vsco.co, so opening a profile link directly (Method 1) is the way around that.

Method 3: Find people from your phone contacts

If the person is in your phone's address book, VSCO can show you whether they are on VSCO.

Open the People section in the app (see Method 2 for where it is).
Tap Contacts.
Tap Follow next to anyone you want to follow.

If the Contacts list is empty, VSCO says to open your phone's Settings and allow VSCO to access your contacts. This only finds people who are in your address book. VSCO's help pages describe no way to type in a phone number or email address and look someone up.

Method 4: Find their VSCO through their other accounts

VSCO encourages people to link their profile from elsewhere: its help center explains how to add a VSCO link to an Instagram bio, website or blog.

Check:

Instagram and TikTok bios: look for a vsco.co/ link or a VSCO handle in the bio.
Link pages: a Linktree or similar page can list the accounts a person uses.

If you know a handle they use elsewhere but can't find a link, run it through WhatsMyName App. It checks hundreds of sites at once, for free and without an account, and shows where else that handle is registered. Some of those profiles may link to their VSCO.

VSCO often blocks automated checks, so a username tool can't always confirm a VSCO account by itself. When that happens, take the handle and open vsco.co/ followed by it yourself, remembering the period and underscore rule above. Our VSCO search guide has more on checking a VSCO username.

Method 5: Look through Suggested Profiles and For You

If you are trying to find someone you think is already on VSCO, the app's own recommendations sometimes surface them.

Suggested Profiles: tap the Feed icon to find Suggested Profiles. VSCO doesn't explain how it picks them.
For You: VSCO says its For You feed recommends creators and photos based on your style, aesthetic and the content you view.

This is a long shot for a specific person, but it costs nothing to look.

Method 6: Try a Google search

VSCO profiles and images can appear in Google. VSCO's help center says that it can't remove profiles or images from Google or other search engines once they are public.

Try searching the person's name or a handle with the word VSCO, for example "jane doe" vsco. Be ready for nothing useful: when we tested a search for a common first name limited to vsco.co in November 2026, Google returned no VSCO pages at all. Treat this as a last resort.

Can you find someone on VSCO by phone number or email?

Not directly. VSCO's help pages describe no search by phone number or email address.

The only contact-based option is the Contacts section in Method 3, which works from your own address book, not from a number or email you type in.

Why you can't find someone on VSCO

If you're sure the person uses VSCO but nothing comes up, check these:

You're using their Instagram handle as is. Periods, underscores and capitals are not allowed in VSCO usernames, so the exact handle can't exist on VSCO.
They changed their username. VSCO lets people change their username in the app and on the web. Their old link may no longer lead to them.
They deactivated their profile. VSCO lets people deactivate just their profile and keep the account. Once they do, other members can no longer open it. A deactivated username also can't be taken by anyone else, so you won't find a new person under it either.
They blocked you. VSCO says blocking doesn't remove anyone from search results, so their profile may still come up. VSCO's blocking article says a blocked person can't view the content on the blocker's profile, although its Discussions FAQ says blocking doesn't stop someone viewing a profile. VSCO doesn't notify anyone when they are blocked.
You're searching People on the website without an account. The web People search shows nothing until you log in.
They don't use VSCO. Not everyone with a curated Instagram has one.

Is VSCO private? What you can and can't see

VSCO has no private profiles. VSCO's help center says there isn't a setting to hide a whole account or Grid, and anything posted to a profile can be seen in the app and on vsco.co.

There are two exceptions where photos are not on the public profile:

Galleries: shared by link, and Pro and One members can add a password. You need the link, and the password if there is one.
Spaces: invite-only rooms for a group or project. You can't see inside one without an invite.

Can someone see that you looked at their VSCO?

VSCO doesn't describe any feature that tells a person who viewed their profile. Paid VSCO One and Pro members get Insights, which VSCO says track profile and post views and daily trends. VSCO describes those as view counts and trends, and its help pages don't mention a list of who the viewers were. For what does and doesn't notify people on VSCO, see can you see who viewed your VSCO.

Use this responsibly

Finding a public profile is normal. What you do with it matters.

Follow the person and let them decide whether to engage. Free accounts can start only three conversations a day with people who don't follow them, and that limit is there for a reason.
If someone is making you uncomfortable, block them. VSCO says a blocked person can't follow you or message you.
If someone is pretending to be you, see what to do when someone is using your username.

For more on how our tool handles data, see whether WhatsMyName App is safe to use.

Frequently asked questions

How do I find someone on VSCO without their username?

Check whether they are in your phone contacts using the Contacts section of the VSCO app, look for a VSCO link in their Instagram or TikTok bio, or try a handle they use elsewhere with periods and underscores removed. VSCO's help pages only mention searching by keyword, hashtag or username.

Can I search VSCO without an account?

Partly. On vsco.co you can browse Images and Blogs search results without an account, but People search asks you to sign up or log in. You can still open a profile directly by typing vsco.co/ followed by the username, since VSCO says profile posts can be seen on vsco.co.

How do you check who you follow on VSCO?

Open the People section in the VSCO app and tap Following. The same section has your Followers, Suggested profiles and Contacts.

How do I connect my VSCO to Instagram?

Add your VSCO link to your Instagram bio. VSCO says to type vsco.co/ followed by your username, for example vsco.co/janedoe.

Can someone see if I viewed their VSCO?

VSCO doesn't describe any feature that shows who viewed a profile. Paid members get Insights with profile view counts and trends, and VSCO says that data is private to them.

Does VSCO have private accounts?

No. Every VSCO profile is public. Photos can be shared more privately through a Gallery link (Pro and One members can add a password) or an invite-only Space, but neither hides the profile itself.

Why can't I find someone on VSCO?

Common reasons include using an Instagram handle with a period or underscore (not allowed on VSCO), a changed username, a deactivated profile, being blocked, or trying People search on the website without logging in.

Related guides

WhatsMyName App is built on the open-source, community-maintained WhatsMyName dataset.

How to Find Someone on VSCO (With or Without Their Username)