In this age of social media craze, there seems to be a new acronym coming up every waking moment. 

Some are often turned into trending hashtags, while others are used to simply mean something that would otherwise be too long to write. 

You may want to join the trend, or you just want to type and send a message as fast as possible, whatever the case, there are probably times you’ve wondered what certain abbreviations mean, one of them being NFS.

Depending on the context of the conversation or discussion, or the circles in which this abbreviation is used, NFS can stand for different things ranging from ‘Need For Speed’ in gaming, to ‘No Filter Sunday’ in images or fashion, to ‘Not For Sale’ in business, to ‘Not For Sharing’ in food or media. 

In this article, I have compiled as many meanings of NFS on Instagram as we could find.

Meaning of NFS on Instagram

1. NFS – Not For Sale

This is considered the original meaning of NFS across social media platforms and is also one of the most commonly used NFS references on Instagram. 

It can be used by almost anyone, from businesses to Influencers, Content creators, advertising entities, and artists among others.

Businesses and advertising entities may post a product and attach NFS – Not For Sale to indicate that the item is not on the market. 

This can be for one of many reasons; 

• To indicate that the item has been bought and is no longer available for sale
• Maybe it is a prototype and the post is just for advertising purposes, 
• Or maybe the product is being used to showcase another which is on sale; for example, using a beautiful art sculpture to display jewelry or clothes.

Influencers, Content creators, and artists can use #NFS – Not For Sale when they share something nice that they own or have made, like a painting, piece of clothing, or even food; but is not for purchase.

Also, fashion designers or stars may post something like a photo of their jewelry collection, or while putting on nice shoes but tag the shoes NFS – Not For Sale to indicate that they are not up for grabs. 

They are perhaps just posting so their fans appreciate their nice jewelry or how nice they look wearing those shoes.

Collectors; people who gather specific types of things, can also use this hashtag to post photos showcasing their proud collections.

2. NFS – Need For Speed

If the discussion is among gamers, car enthusiasts, or automotive sports circles, and NFS comes up, then the high chance is it stands for Need For Speed. 

This abbreviation can refer to the racing game series ‘Need For Speed’ or in reference to fast cars or motorbikes to simply mean a desire to go fast.

It is believed to have started from the movie Top Gun’s most popular quote:

Maverick: I feel the need…

Maverick and Goose: … The need for speed!

Nevertheless, this is also a common meaning for NFS, in fact, a quick search on Instagram for #nfs on a regular day, will yield more than 60% of the top results about cars. This tag can also be attached when posting photos of cool fast cars.

3. NFS – No Filter Sunday

Supposing you are ‘hanging out’ on Instagram on a Sunday, and you come across several posts or stories of fairly regular photos with the tag NFS, then you are probably looking at No Filter Sunday posts. 

This tag is used by people sharing media on Sundays, most especially photos but can also be videos, captured with simple cameras; regular phone cameras, without editing or applying any filters effects.

Filters are tools used to adjust brightness, contrast, zoom, color, and other visual features of images and videos. 

Typically, media shared on Instagram is edited to appear a certain way, depending on the preference or mood of the one posting.  

4. NFS – No Filter Story

This can be used in two ways. 

The first one is similar to the previous meaning of No Filter Sunday, but media tagged NFS – No Filter Story will be posted on any other day of the week. The media will still be without filtering or editing.

The second way #NFS – No Filter Story is used on Instagram is when posting non-edited Instagram stories on any day of the week even Sundays. 

Also read: 3 Ways To Stop Instagram Auto Scroll in 2023

5. NFS – No Filter Squad /NFS – No Filter Selfie /No Filter Skin 

As aforementioned, media shared on Instagram is usually edited with filters to have different visual effects. The hashtag NFS – No Filter Squad, is used by a group of people who never use filters on any of the media they post. 

They use this tag to identify themselves and to portray confidence in their looks as people who are naturally beautiful and don’t require any ‘editing’.

#NFS – No Filter Selfie is used by Instagrammers on self-portrait photos that have not been modified using Instagram filters or any other image editing Apps. 

Cosmetic brands or businesses can also use the NFS – No Filter Selfie tag on images of their clients to advertise the advantages of their products, for example, someone selling hair oil may post a #NFS – No Filter Selfie image showing how their oil makes hair dark and curly.

NFS – No Filter Skin tag can be used by individuals to show their naturally glowing skin or faces, or skincare brands may also use it to show the effects of their products on the client’s skin or face.

6. NFS – No Filter Sky

Whereas ‘No Filter Story’, ‘No Filter Squad’, ‘No Filter Skin’, ‘No Filter Sunday’, and ‘No Filter Story’ is generally used for media about people, the NFS – No Filter Sky tag is used for media of nature.

It is attached to photos and videos of beautiful landscapes, mountains, panoramas of oceans or lakes, and pictures taken from airplanes, all without any special effects.

Sometimes you will find stunning shots of the orange hue of sunrises and sunsets from different locations on Instagram with the tag #nfs; In that case, this abbreviation is most likely referring to No Filter Sunset or No Filter Sunrise.

7. NFS – Not For Sharing: 

Another commonly used denotation for NFS on Instagram is Not For Sharing. This can be used to mean different things. 

It can be with pictures of a nice-looking meal you are about to have but don’t want to share, thus the hashtag.

It can also be affixed to posts of personal information or news that you do not want other users to ‘share’ or repost.  

Though why anyone would post anything on a social media site but not want to ‘share’ it, is beyond our understanding.

Sometimes the #NFS – Not For Sharing is applied on posts that the person putting them up is not willing to give more information, explanation, or details about.

8. NFS – Not Feeling Social

If you text someone to start a conversation with them and they reply with NFS, high chance is they are using this acronym to stand for Not Feeling Social. 

This is just a polite way of saying that they don’t feel like talking at the moment and it would be best to give them space.

This short form can also be used in a post as a way of telling your followers to not reach out for the time being and to give you some ‘me time’. 

9. NFS – New Friends

This one is used on all social media platforms not just Instagram. It is one of those old-time meanings of NFS that means that you are either looking for new friends or have just become friends with someone. 

It can be tagged to a photo as a shout-out while mentioning the person with whom you are referring or in a post that anyone can see and can contact you if interested in being friends with you.

10. NFS – New Fashion Style / Next Fashion School

Just like you hear it, the #NFS – New Fashion Style is for introducing new fashion trends or styles that are taking the world by storm at that particular time or season. It could be footwear, jewelry, bags, clothes even hairstyles. 

The tag NFS – Next Fashion School is probably best understood by those in the fashion world. It is often used to refer to what fashion shows, designs, runways, covers, and photo shoots among other fashion lingos; are coming soon. 

Unless you are interested or have an idea about fashion and design, you most probably won’t find this tag a lot or at all in your discussions.

11. NFS – No Funny Stuff

People will use #NFS – No Funny Stuff, as a reply to a DM as a disclaimer that one is not interested in drama, hooking up, or any shady business.

It could also be tagged to a post to caution people from commenting with unwanted or crude replies. 

It can also be used by businesses advertising their merchandise especially natural or homemade products to tell people that their goods are legit and have no chemicals added. 

12. NFS – Not Following Specified. 

We are not sure if there is an ‘Instagram police’, but this one surely sounds like it would come in handy if there was. 

When someone uses the #NFS – Not Following Specified, it means that they are following someone but the person is not following them back, and for some reason, they feel it is important to mention it.

13. NFS – Not For Sure

This one is used by a lot of people mostly youngsters who find the idea of writing the whole statement a long process and think this can be a short and sweet response. 

Whoever is using this short form; whether young or old, could mean one of the following things:

They are either not sure about what answer to give that won’t get them into trouble, especially in discussions regarding sensitive topics like politics and religion. 

It could also be in reply to a question asked where someone needs to think more about their response or do some research before giving their final stand. 

It can also be used in the context of trying to clarify to someone that something is not a done deal.

For example, supposing you are discussing a ‘for’ or ‘against’ topic with friends, and one of them mentions that you are ‘for’, you can reply with NFS to stand for Not For sure meaning that it is not a given that you agree, your answer can change any time. 

NFS – Not For Sure, may also be your saving card if you want to amend a stand you made in a discussion or debate. Just use it to mean, that when you took that stand you were not very certain in your decision or answer.

14. NFS – No Followers Syndrome

In the current state of the social media world, followers are everything. People will most times do or post anything just to attract followers. 

However, some are not fazed by how many or few followers they have or get. 

Those are the people you will find using the #NFS – No Followers Syndrome on Instagram, just to put it out there that whatever they are posting is simply for enjoyment, and has absolutely nothing to do with gaining followers. 

Some people will use this tag as a way of declaring that they are past the obsession of ‘how many followers or views am I getting on my posts’.

Also read: Why Instagram Follower Count Might Be Stuck

15. NFS – Not Feeling Sober

As you have probably already guessed, #NFS – Not Feeling Sober is used in posts or texts by someone who is not clear-headed at that particular moment. 

It is mostly associated with being intoxicated by alcohol or drugs but could also be used by someone who is just too tired and is currently not thinking clearly.

16. NFS – Not For Screenshots

Though not that widely used on Instagram, you may still find this tag on one of the posts. This means that the owner of the post prefers that you don’t take snapshots of whatever they are posting, most especially if the intention is to repost them.

17. NFS – National Food & Safety or National Food Safety

Commonly used by Instagram accounts of businesses in the food trade to assure old customers or attract new ones by declaring that all necessary rules and regulations; depending on the country, of course, are kept by the business. 

18. NFS – Network File System

Used mostly in gaming and computing communities and discussions, Network File System is used to refer to a way of sharing and accessing files across computers by using a network and not a physical connection. 

19. NFS – No Further Stay

As already established, Instagram is not just about informal stuff, even formal entities and businesses use this platform. 

NFS – No Further Stay, is used in matters relating to immigration to mean that one is not authorized to prolong their stay in a certain nation. 

FAQs

In Conclusion

I have given most of the used variations of NFS on Instagram so it will be easier to reply to texts or participate in conversations and not feel left out. 

However, I recommend that you find out what the discussion is about and among what communities before you wrongly use this short form, to avoid misquoting, embarrassing yourself, or becoming the joke of the conversation; as we all know social media can sometimes be brutal.

For any comments, questions, or suggestions, please use the comments box below. Remember to subscribe to my Youtube channel and newsletter for more tips and tutorials.