Instagram Privacy & Hashtags?

[Anum]

So I've been wanting to put my Instagram on private, but my question is, if i put my profile on private but still use hashtags, can people who don't follow me still find my picture through that hashtag and like my picture?

[Stella]

When your account is set to "Private", it means that only your friends could see your pictures, even if you use hashtags (just like in Facebook). If it didn't work this way, there would be no sense in even having a "Private" setting.