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How do you deactivate a instagram account


How to deactivate your Instagram account

If you’re getting a bit tired of Instagram, you might want to consider deactivating your account. With Instagram, you have two choices: You can learn how to deactivate your Instagram account, or you can delete it completely. We’ll review both options, so you can decide if you’d rather take a break or cut ties with Instagram forever. Just be cautious, as deleting your Instagram account removes all of your content permanently, and you won’t be able to get it back.

Contents

  • Temporarily disable your Instagram account
  • Permanently delete your Instagram account

Difficulty

Easy

Duration

5 minutes

What You Need

Be sure to check out our guide on how to use Instagram if you need any additional help.

Temporarily disable your Instagram account

By temporarily disabling your Instagram account, your profile, along with its photos, videos, comments, and likes, will be hidden (until you reactivate it). Disabling your account is a perfect way to take a bit of a vacation from Instagram. Another option to consider is merely muting a few friends, if that’s your main reason for disabling your account.

Note: The following instructions only work for Instagram accounts that do not use a Facebook account to log in. If you want to disable your Instagram account but your account uses Facebook to log in, you'll need to remove your Facebook account from your Instagram account and then reset your Instagram account's password. To do this successfully, you'll need to have access to the email account that is associated with your Instagram account. Once your Facebook account is unlinked from your Instagram account and you have reset your password for your Instagram account, you can use the following instructions to temporarily disable your Instagram.

Here's how to deactivate your Instagram account:

Step 1: Visit Instagram.com using a web browser.

If not already logged in, log in to your Instagram account.

Step 2: Click on your profile photo icon in the top-right corner, then select the Profile option.

screenshot

Step 3: At the top of the page, click the Edit profile button.

Step 4: Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click Temporarily deactivate my account.

screenshot

Step 5: Instagram will ask why you're deactivating your account. Select a reason from the drop-down menu, and then enter your password.

screenshot

Step 6: To complete the process, click Temporarily deactivate account. Then select Yes to confirm.

Your Instagram account should now be temporarily disabled. To enable your Instagram account again, simply log back in using the website.

Step 7: The above steps can work for anyone as long as they have a PC, an internet connection, and a web browser.

The Instagram mobile app can let users disable their accounts, but this functionality is currently only limited to iOS users at this time. If you're an iOS user, you can disable your IG account on the mobile app using the following method:

Select your Profile picture > Three horizontal lines Menu icon > Settings > Account > Delete account >Deactivate account.

Then answer the on-screen prompts. Then select Temporarily deactivate account.

Permanently delete your Instagram account

If you know that you definitely won’t be coming back to Instagram, you can permanently delete your account. It is critical to note that deleting your account will remove your profile, photos, videos, comments, likes, and followers. There is no way to retrieve them once the process has been completed. Additionally, you won’t be able to use that same username again if a new user ends up taking it before you decide to sign up with it again.

If you are positive that you want to delete your account, follow these steps:

Step 1: Visit the Instagram Delete Your Account page. If not already logged in, log in to your Instagram account.

Step 2: Next to Why do you want to delete [your username]?, select an option from the drop-down box.

Step 3: Enter your Instagram password to confirm.

screenshot

Step 4: Click Delete [Your Username].

By following the above process, you will have submitted a deletion request to the Instagram team. After 30 days, Instagram will permanently delete your account and all information. Instagram notes that it may take up to 90 days for the process to complete.

Step 5: As with disabling an account, you can also delete your account via the Instagram mobile app, but only if you're an iOS user.

Here's how to do it: Select your Profile icon > the three horizontal lines Menu icon > Settings > Account > Delete account > Delete account > Continue deleting account. Then answer the on-screen prompts.

Then select Delete [your username] > OK.

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How to Delete Your Instagram Account

  • You can delete your Instagram account on the account deletion page on desktop or mobile browser.
  • You can also delete your Instagram account on iOS using the mobile app.
  • To take a short break from Instagram, you can temporarily deactivate your account.

Instagram is one of the most popular social media sites around — and one of the most addicting. If you want to tone down your Instagram habits, you can always delete or deactivate your Instagram account.

The difference between the two is that deleting your Instagram account is permanent, while deactivating is temporary and you can log back in later.

To delete or deactivate your Instagram account, you can use a web browser on desktop and mobile. iPhone users can even delete their account using the Instagram app.

Here's how.

Quick tip: Once you've deleted or deactivated your Instagram account, you'll probably want to delete the app from your phone as well. Check out our guides on how to delete apps on an iPhone or how to delete apps on your Android device to do it.

How to delete your Instagram on desktop

1. On a desktop web browser, go to instagram.com and log into your account.

2. Once logged in, go to the Instagram account deletion page.

3. Click the drop-down menu in the right panel of the screen and choose the reason for deleting your account.

Tell Instagram why you’re deleting your account. Stefan Ionescu/Insider

4. Re-enter your password in the text box that appears below, and click the Delete [Account Name] button afterward.

Re-enter your password, and then click the “Delete” button. Stefan Ionescu/Insider

Instagram will let you know that it'll take a month for your data to be fully erased. Until then, your account will just be hidden from public view.

Note: While your account is hidden, you can log back into it anytime before it is fully erased to cancel the deletion process, if you change your mind.

How to delete Instagram on iOS

1. Open the Instagram app on your iOS device.

2. Tap the profile picture icon in the bottom-right corner of the screen and select Settings in the menu.

3. Tap More – the three horizontal lines – in the top-right corner of the screen and select Settings in the menu.

Select “Settings” in the “Mode” menu of the Instagram iOS app. Stefan Ionescu/Insider

4. Tap Account.

5. Scroll down and tap Delete account.

Tap “Delete account.” Stefan Ionescu/Insider

6. Tap Delete account again.

7. Confirm your decision by tapping Continue Deleting Account.

8. The Instagram app will then load the mobile version of the account deletion page. Tap the drop-down menu and select the reason for deleting your Instagram account.

9. Re-enter your Instagram password in the text box that appears below, and then tap the Delete [Account name] button afterward.

How to delete Instagram on Android

1. In your Android device's mobile browser, head to instagram.com and log into your account.

2. Head to the Instagram account deletion page once you have logged in.

3. Tap the drop-down menu and select the reason for deleting your Instagram account.

Select the reason for deleting your Instagram account in the dropdown-menu. Stefan Ionescu/Insider

4. Re-enter your Instagram password in the text box that appears below, and then tap the Delete [Account Name] button afterward.

Re-enter your Instagram password, and the tap the “Delete” button. Stefan Ionescu/Insider

How to deactivate your Instagram account temporarily

If you just need a short break from Instagram, you can temporarily disable your account instead. This hides it from public view, but lets you restore it whenever you like.

1. Log into your Instagram account on a web browser, go to your profile page, and then click the Edit profile button at the top.

Click “Edit profile. ” Stefan Ionescu/Insider

2. At the bottom of the page that opens, click the Temporarily disable my account link.

Click “Temporarily disable my account” at the bottom of this page. Stefan Ionescu/Insider

3. Select the reason that you're disabling your account and re-enter your password.

4. Click the Temporarily Disable Account button.

Click the “Temporarily Disable Account” button. Stefan Ionescu/Insider

To reactivate your account in the future, simply log back into the Instagram app with your username and password.

Jennifer Still

Jennifer is a writer and editor from Brooklyn, New York, who spends her time traveling, drinking iced coffee, and watching way too much TV. She has bylines in Vanity Fair, Glamour, Decider, Mic, and many more. You can find her on Twitter at @jenniferlstill.

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William Antonelli

Tech Reporter for Insider Reviews

William Antonelli (he/she/they) is a writer, editor, and organizer based in New York City. As a founding member of the Reference team, he helped grow Tech Reference (now part of Insider Reviews) from humble beginnings into a juggernaut that attracts over 20 million visits a month. Outside of Insider, his writing has appeared in publications like Polygon, The Outline, Kotaku, and more. He's also a go-to source for tech analysis on channels like Newsy, Cheddar, and NewsNation. You can find him on Twitter @DubsRewatcher, or reach him by email at wantonelli@insider. com.

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How to delete an account on Instagram: instructions

Sometimes it is useful to take a break from social networks, but self-discipline allows this only to a few. Then deleting the profile comes to the rescue. We explain how to delete from Instagram permanently or temporarily, saving data

Since March 21, 2022, the social networks Facebook and Instagram have been banned in Russia by a court decision, and the Meta Platforms holding company that owns them has been recognized as an extremist organization and is also banned.

Some users notice that they devote too much time to managing their Instagram account to the detriment of work and personal affairs. Even the owner of Instagram, Meta, admitted in internal documents that its social networks have a negative impact on sleep, work, parenting, work productivity and personal life of approximately 12.5% ​​of users. And scientists from the University of British Columbia found that users' own lives begin to seem insufficiently bright and interesting compared to what they see on Instagram. nine0003

Meanwhile, until the spring of 2022, the social network was consistently in the top 10 in terms of downloads in Russia and in the world. The international agency We Are Social estimated that in 2021 Instagram ranked fourth in our country in terms of the number of users (61.2% of Russian Internet users go there), and in total 67.8% of the Russian population (99 million people) use social networks. The average Russian spends 3 hours a day outside of work at the monitor or with a smartphone.

In November 2021, Instagram began testing the Take a Break feature. It will allow users to escape from the continuous viewing of the feed. In the settings, it will be possible to set reminders for breaks, for example, 10, 20 or 30 minutes. After that, the application will issue a warning about the need to rest. However, this feature has been opened to a limited number of users so far. nine0003

For now, everyone has the only alternative - to give up Instagram for a while or for good.

How to permanently delete an Instagram account

This option should be chosen when the profile is definitely no longer useful: for example, if we are talking about the account of a company that has closed.

Before deleting a profile, Instagram will offer to save data from it. To do this, you need to send a download request. After that, an email will be sent to your email within 48 hours with a link where you can download photos and videos. You can also request a copy of your data through the Instagram app for Android and iPhone. To do this, open the menu in the profile, go to the "Settings" - "Security" section and select the "Download data" item. Next, you will need to enter your email address and account password. nine0003

Download request from Instagram

Even after deleting the profile, it will be visible on the social network for another 30 days. During this time, the user can change his mind and restore the account. If within a month the owner of the profile has never logged into the system, then the account is permanently deleted.

In the web version

To delete a profile using a computer, you need to perform several steps:

  • go to the social network site and click on the "Help" button in the lower right corner; nine0032
  • go to the "Help Center" and select the line "Delete your account" in the left menu;
  • follow the link suggested in the article;
  • specify the reason for deleting the profile;
  • confirm the action by entering a password.

From Smartphone

To delete your Instagram profile using your phone, you need to take more steps:

  • log in to your profile in the app and click on "Settings"; nine0032
  • in the menu that appears, select the line "Help" and go to the "Help Center";
  • on the page that opens, select the item "Manage your account";
  • in the search bar enter the query "Delete profile";
  • go to the article "How to delete your Instagram account";
  • follow the link in the article;
  • specify the reason for deleting the account and enter the page password. nine0032

How to temporarily delete an Instagram account

The user can also stop using Instagram for any period and then restore the page. However, you can do this no more than once a week. A temporarily deleted profile is not visible to other users of the social network. To restore it, you just need to log into the application.

In the web version

To temporarily deactivate your profile using a computer, you must perform the following steps:

  • go to the social network site under your account;
  • click on the profile photo and select "Settings" in the menu that opens;
  • at the bottom of the page, click on the link "Temporarily disable my account";
  • on the page that opens, indicate the reason for the temporary disconnection and enter the account password.

From the phone

As in the case of the "permanent" deletion, temporary blocking of Instagram will require more steps:

  • go to your profile;
  • go to the "Settings" section and select the "Help" item;
  • in the menu that appears, click on the line "Help Center";
  • on the support page, open the "Manage your account" item;
  • in the search bar, enter "Temporarily disable";
  • go to the article "How to delete your Instagram account";
  • click on the link "How to temporarily disable your account" and find the article "Instagram. com website from a mobile browser"; nine0032
  • click on the link in the first paragraph of the instruction and go to the mobile browser;
  • on the main page of the account, click on the "Edit profile" button;
  • select the link "Temporarily disable my account" at the bottom of the page.

Is it possible to delete a blocked Instagram account

To delete your account, you need to know your username and password. A forgotten password can be reset using an email address, phone number, or Facebook account. If the user does not have access to the email address specified during registration, and his Instagram and Facebook accounts are not linked, then the support service will not be able to provide access to the account. nine0003

In the event that an Instagram account has been blocked by the social network itself, its owner will see a corresponding message when logging in. He can appeal this decision. To do this, you need to open the app, enter your username and password, and then follow the instructions on the screen.

However, if the user or other person who has the account password deletes it, then Instagram will not be able to restore the profile. In this case, you can create a new account with the same email address, but you probably won't be able to use the old name. nine0003

How to temporarily freeze your Instagram account from your phone and computer

Have you ever wanted to hide your Instagram* profile from everyone? Or remove it so that constant notifications do not interfere with work? In these cases, one thing stops - I don’t want to lose all the posts, correspondence, photos and likes. But an account on Instagram* can simply be frozen for a while and unfrozen when you need it.

Surely most Instagram users* at least once had a desire to delete their account. If you delete it completely, all publications with photos and videos, as well as Likes, comments and subscribers will disappear without the possibility of restoring everything. In such a case, Instagram* has developed an account freeze function - all likes and activities are saved and simply hidden. You can do this from a computer or with a little trick. nine0003

Why to freeze an account on Instagram*

There are different reasons for temporarily blocking a profile. It happens that the user wants to take a break from social networks, and constant notifications are annoying. Or someone just started a new profile and froze the old one. Perhaps there is no longer a need to maintain a company blog that used to bring leads and was popular. Or they decided to develop the blog in a different direction from the very beginning, but they don’t want to delete everything old.

If you just don't know what to write about in your blog, read our articles. If you need fresh ideas for posts, check out the article “What to write about on Instagram*: 20 timeless blog topics”. You need the right tools for the job – check out 15 Instagram Content Creation Tools*. nine0003

In any case, if you decide to freeze your account - your profile and its contents, all your actions on the site, comments and likes will not be deleted. They will be hidden until you restore your account. The main thing - do not forget the data from your account.

Instagram* has a condition. You can deactivate your account no more than once a week. This is a privacy setting to prevent users from using fake accounts.

If you are just tired of posting every day, you can do something simpler and at the same time more useful for the account and for its owner. Simply schedule many posts at once with the SMMplanner scheduling posting service. Prepare posts and go do other things - publications will be released on the days and hours assigned to them. And you can relax and find ideas for work somewhere else. When registering via the link to SMMplanner, you will get free access to all functionality for 2 weeks. If you were looking for an excuse to try automating work - here it is :–)

How to freeze your Instagram account* from the phone

If you still decide and are determined to temporarily freeze your Instagram profile* without losing your account, then here is a small instruction:

Instagram profile*, which we will delete

Log in to your Instagram profile* and click on the burger menu - 3 horizontal lines in the upper right corner. In the window that appears, select "Settings".

Settings menu

Next, click "Help" and after opening the next window - "Help Center". nine0003 Help Center

You have reached the Instagram Help Center*. Here you can find a lot of useful information both about the site itself and specifically about your profile.

But we are here to freeze your Instagram* account from your phone. Therefore, click on the burger menu and select "Account Management" in the new window.

Delete account menu

In the account management menu, select Delete account. And if you have not yet changed your mind about freezing your profile, choose the help "How to temporarily disable your Instagram account *?" Otherwise, you can accidentally lose your profile completely. nine0003 How to temporarily disable your account

In the help that opens, select "Instagram.com in a browser on a mobile device."

Switching to the web version via smartphone browser

Click on the link and go to your page, which will open in your smartphone browser. Go to the main page of your profile, to do this, click on the profile photo in the lower right corner.

How to disable my account temporarily

Now click "Edit Profile" and scroll down the page to select "Temporarily disable my account". nine0003 Select the reason for temporary blocking

Remember that we are here to temporarily freeze your Instagram* account, not delete it completely. You don’t have to worry, you can restore your account at any time, but for now your publications, comments and likes will be hidden - only temporarily.

The system will ask: "Why did you decide to block your account?" You can choose any answer you like from the suggested ones. If you don't like any of the options, you can choose "Other" and write your answer. The system will accept any answer. nine0003 How to disable a profile

Enter your account password and click "Temporarily disable account".

Now you have a temporarily disabled account

It's not easy for Instagram* to let you go and ask you to think for a second: “You are going to temporarily disable your account. Continue?" Choose the answer option, in our case it is “Yes”, and you get a frozen Instagram account*.

By the way, if you don't want to develop a new account, you can buy a ready-made one with live subscribers. Whether it is necessary and how profitable it is - read our article “Why buy an Instagram account* with live followers”. nine0003

How to freeze an Instagram account* from a computer

The procedure for freezing an Instagram profile* from a computer is the same as through a smartphone browser. You can freeze your account from the web version of Instagram* or through the official application pre-installed for PC.

We will do this using the "INSSIST|Web Assistant for Instagram*" extension from Google Chrome. This extension is useful for its functionality, it allows you to use Instagram from a computer and perform operations that are available in the official mobile application, but not available in the web version. nine0003 Extension « INSSIST|Web Assistant for Instagram*»

Click on your profile picture and then click on Edit Profile.

Disable account via Google Chrome extension

Then click on "Temporarily disable my account". After you have entered your password and answered the question "Why did you decide to block your account?", Click "Temporarily disable your account" and select "Yes".

That's it, your profile is temporarily frozen.

If you still have any problems, you can contact technical support. We wrote about the ways in which you can contact them in the article “4 Ways to Contact Instagram Technical Support*”. There we told how to do it without problems and delays and when to wait for a response from the company. nine0003

How to recover a frozen Instagram account*

If you are still afraid of the thought that you have frozen all your posts and likes, we hasten to reassure you. To restore a frozen account, just go to the Instagram application* and enter your username and password from your account.

You can also use any browser, go to the instagram.com website and enter your data in the same way as in the application. Everything is as usual. Enter your username and password and you're done. The page is active again. nine0003 Restoring a frozen profile

If you decide to restore your profile and sell goods or services through it, read the article “How to create an Instagram profile* for selling services”. In it, we told you how to prepare an account so that people understand what they can buy and why it should be done in your profile.

By the way, you can learn more about working with the Instagram platform*, advertising and everything else at the SMM.school courses. There you will be told how to run ads, create profile-appropriate content, promote your account, and more. nine0003

In conclusion

We figured out how to temporarily freeze Instagram * without losing your account. With a flick of the wrist, an active Instagram profile * turns into a frozen one. The main thing in all this is not to lose your login and password, but it is better to write them down somewhere.

Learn more