Maintaining security for online sites and services — particularly social media accounts — takes diligence. If you still log into Instagram with a weak password, a password that is duplicated on other sites, or one that might have been compromised in a hack or data breach, it might be time for a change.
Thankfully, whether you want to change your Instagram password on your computer or mobile device, you can do it in just a few steps.
Note: If you log into Instagram using Facebook, you need to change your password through Facebook's settings, not through Instagram.
The steps to change your password in the mobile app are essentially the same for both iOS and Android.
1. Open the Instagram app.
2. Tap your account icon in the lower-right corner to go to your profile page.
Quick tip: If you have multiple Instagram accounts and want to change the password for a different account, tap and hold the account icon at the bottom of the screen and choose the account you want from the pop-up window.
3. Tap the three horizontal lines in the top-right of the screen and tap Settings.
After tapping the three horizontal lines, select "Settings." Stefan Ionescu/Insider4.
Tap Security.
5. On the Security page, tap Password.
Select "Password" at the top. Stefan Ionescu/Insider7.
Enter your current password and then type the new password you want to use. When you're done, tap Save (if you're using iOS) or the checkmark (on Android).
1. Open the Instagram website.
2. Click the hamburger menu (the three-dot icon) in the bottom-left corner, and in the menu that appears, click Settings.
Click the account icon and then select "Settings" in the dropdown menu. Stefan Ionescu/Insider3. In the left side menu, click Change Password.
4. On the right side, enter your current password and then type the new password you want to use. When you're done click Change Password.
How to reset your Instagram password if you've forgotten itIf you've lost or forgotten your password, you may need to reset it. You can do that from the login screen on the mobile app or in a browser on desktop.
On the Android app:1. On your Android device, open Instagram so you can see the login screen.
2.
Under the username and password fields, tap Get help logging in.
3. Enter your email address, phone number, or username, and then tap Next.
4. You'll get a message with instructions on how to reset your password.
On the iOS app:1. On your device, open Instagram so you see the login screen.
2. Under the username and password fields, tap Forgot password?
3. Choose which tab you want to use — Username or Phone — and enter the appropriate credentials associated with your account, then tap Next.
4. Follow the instructions in the message you receive to reset your password.
On the desktop site:1. Go to the Instagram website in a browser and on the login screen, under the username and password fields, click Forgot password?
2.
Enter your email address, phone number, or username and tap Send Login Link.
3. You'll get a message with instructions on how to reset your password.
Dave Johnson
Freelance Writer
Dave Johnson is a technology journalist who writes about consumer tech and how the industry is transforming the speculative world of science fiction into modern-day real life. Dave grew up in New Jersey before entering the Air Force to operate satellites, teach space operations, and do space launch planning. He then spent eight years as a content lead on the Windows team at Microsoft. As a photographer, Dave has photographed wolves in their natural environment; he's also a scuba instructor and co-host of several podcasts.
Dave is the author of more than two dozen books and has contributed to many sites and publications including CNET, Forbes, PC World, How To Geek, and Insider.
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(Image credit: Shutterstock)Knowing how to change your Instagram password or reset it is an important part of following good security practice for your account. It’s generally a good idea to refresh all passwords every once in a while (and ideally use one of the best password managers), and Instagram is no exception to this — even if it’s arguably less of a target for hackers due to the lack of card details stored within.
So whether your login has been revealed in a data breach, you want to make things more secure (don’t use the same password across sites!) or you’ve simply forgotten what you picked first time, here’s how to change your Instagram password or reset it.
Note that these instructions are for people who use an independent login. Since its acquisition in 2012, you have been able to sign in using your Facebook credentials, and if you do this then you’ll want to change your password there instead.
Assuming that you are using an independent login, here's how to change your Instagram password or reset it.
For most people, changing your Instagram password is best done via the app.
Start the Instagram app on Android or iOS and you’ll be greeted with the latest photos from your feed. You need to head to your profile page, and you do this by tapping your icon in the bottom right-hand corner.
This will be an unnecessary step for most, but if you have multiple profiles on the app (if you have business and personal accounts, say) make sure you’re on the right one.
If you’re not, simply tap the arrow next to your name and select the one you want to alter.
Tap the three horizontal lines to the right of your profile name to open the options menu.
At the very bottom of the list of options, you’ll find a cog icon and the word “Settings”. Tap it.
In the submenu that opens, you’ll spot an option labelled “Security” fourth item down. Select it.
The first option in the list is “Password”. Tap it.
Just type in your current password once, and your new password twice, and you’re done. If you’ve forgotten your existing password, then there’s a link here to reset it.
Don’t forget to add your new chosen login to any password managers you might be using.
The process changing your Instagram password is pretty similar on desktop.
Head to www.instagram.com . Once again, you’ll be met with a feed of photos from accounts you follow.
(Image credit: Alan Martin)Press your icon in the top right-hand corner, and then click “Settings.”
From the navigation list in the left-hand side, press “Change Password” — it's the second option down.
Enter your new choice of password (twice) and your old password to confirm it’s really you, and not somebody who’s grabbed your laptop without you logging out. Once again if you’ve forgotten your password, you can reset it by pressing the link labelled “Forgot Password?”
Of course none of this is much use if you can’t log in to your account in the first place.
Here’s how to reset your Instagram password if you’ve forgotten it.
Either open the app or head to www.instagram.com . If you’re not already logged in, you’ll be met with a log-in screen that looks similar on both.
Underneath the login box, there’s a linked labelled “Forgot password?” Press it.
In order to reset a password without knowing what it is, Instagram needs something more from you. Enter either your associated email address, the account name or (if connected) your mobile phone number. Then press “Send Login Link.”
(Image credit: Alan Martin)Instagram will contact you via email with two links you can press. One logs you straight back in with the immediate option to change your password if you want. The other just lets you reset the password.
Either way, enter it twice and you’re done.
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Freelance contributor Alan has been writing about tech for over a decade, covering phones, drones and everything in between. Previously Deputy Editor of tech site Alphr, his words are found all over the web and in the occasional magazine too. When not weighing up the pros and cons of the latest smartwatch, you'll probably find him tackling his ever-growing games backlog. Or, more likely, playing Spelunky for the millionth time.
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When using your account for a long time or spamming attacks, the question arises of how to change your password on Instagram. If this is not done, it is likely that the profile will be blocked by the administration of the social network.
Contents
The password from Instagram needs to be changed in several cases:
In such situations, it is advisable to change the password in order to avoid unexpected blocking, as well as various mailings and reposts from your account.
Most users use mobile devices to access their personal profile. You can also change the password through the network application. This is done in the following way.
If you're worried about forgetting your password, use the autofill feature. It is automatically configured on most modern Android devices.
On PC, there are several ways to launch the application. However, not every one of them has the ability to log in when you forgot your Instagram password.
The password is changed in the same way as on smartphones. For the method to work, you need to install the emulator and Instagram in it.
On a Windows 10 PC, you can install an app that you download from the Microsoft Store:
In the list of options found, click " Download ". If it says " Run " instead, the program is already installed.
You can recover your password if you forgot it by clicking on the blue button " Forgot your password ".
It appears at the time of authorization.
When creating a password to enter your Instagram account, you must come up with a complex combination that consists of at least six characters. Such a code will be difficult for hackers to pick up.
Reading time: 3 min
The issue of Internet security is acute, hacks happen every now and then. It is wise to change passwords periodically to protect yourself from hackers. We advise you to change your Instagram password, especially for those who have not done it for more than six months. Only in this case your account will be safe. To do this, the developers provide all the necessary tools. There are even ways to replace it in case you forgot the old password. Of course, let's start with the simplest situation and get to the point where the current login details are no longer known.
The password needs to be changed regularly, but very few users do it voluntarily.
Basically, you have to resort to this procedure due to other reasons:
For security reasons, we recommend changing your Instagram password to everyone who has not done so for more than six months. It is also worth doing if there is a suspicion that it has been compromised. For example, a combination of login and password surfaced on the Internet (for example, Opera monitors databases and notifies you about it) or you indicated it on dubious sites.
Read also: Instructions for clearing the cache on Instagram
On the one hand, the method is the simplest, as it allows you to set a new security code via your phone in a few clicks.
On the other hand, it requires an active account login and knowledge of the old password, which is not always applicable. If the current password is known, we recommend using the current method.
How to change your Instagram password:
Tip! This is where the autocomplete feature can help, which can match the appropriate security code to the "Current Password" line. Perhaps, having learned the old code, you will not have to change it to a new one.
A more difficult situation occurs if the password is lost. A person tends to forget things like passwords due to their huge number on different sites.
In such a case, you will have to restore access to the page, along with this, change the password to a new one.
To be able to change the security code without the old password, you need one of the following:
Read also: Review of the best programs for Instagram promotion
How to change a forgotten password on Instagram:
If you enter a nickname or mail, you will have a message in the mailbox.
Tip! An alternative reset method requires access to the Facebook social network. To log in with Facebook on the authorization page there is a button "Login with Facebook". It remains only to enter the password from it, if this does not happen automatically. True, for this, the Instagram account must be linked to Facebook. Yes, you still do not have a password, in order to change it, you need to go to the settings on the desired page (the instruction is a little higher) and select the option "Reset it via Facebook".
The applications on Android and on the iPhone are almost identical, so the recovery is the same. All menus are identical, for detailed explanations, refer to the previous section of the material.
There are times when the link or code for recovery does not come and this is a big problem.
Unfortunately, there is not much you can do here, but there are still a few tips:
Read also: How to delete or close an Instagram account?
In order not to forget passwords and use only secure codes for different sites and social networks, we recommend using special password managers. They are quite well protected and guarantee that a similar situation will not happen again. At least we've done everything we can to change or recover your Instagram password. The latest available method is through technical support. You just have to somehow confirm that you are really the owner of the account.