How to shutdown my 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.

Editors' Recommendations
  • YouTube brings pinch to zoom and video navigation changes to everyone
  • Typos can get you hacked in latest cybersecurity threat
  • How to set up Wallet and Apple Pay on Mac
  • How to create multiple profiles for your Facebook account
  • Are Windows 11 security features killing your gaming performance? You might be surprised

How to deactivate your Instagram account or delete it for good

When it comes to social media, Instagram is the ultimate virtual connector. With stunning visuals and increasingly useful features, Instagram is easily one of the top social media platforms in the world. But, like all good things, there are times when it must come to an end. 

Whether you need a short social media detox or you’re looking to go off the grid forever, this guide will teach you everything you need to know about deactivating your account before you delete Instagram permanently.  

Deactivate your Instagram account

Because deleting your Instagram account is permanent and final, Instagram recommends temporarily disabling your account first. If you do that, you can still recover the account and all of your content. 

How to upload photos to iCloud from your iPhone, Mac, or PC

How to deactivate your Instagram account

Deactivating your IG account is an easy way to either take a break from social media or decide if you really want to delete your Instagram account altogether.

Temporarily deactivating your account is a straightforward process. However, you can’t do it within the Instagram app. You have to log in to your account on your desktop browser, so make sure you have all of your correct log-in information on hand. 

Here’s how to deactivate your Instagram for now: 

  1. Open your desktop browser. 
  2. Go to Instagram. 
  3. Log in to your account. 
  4. Click on your profile picture at the top-right corner of the page.  
  5. Select Edit Profile.
  6. Scroll down and click Temporarily Disable My Account at the bottom-right corner of the page. 
  7. Select an option when asked why you are disabling your account. 
  8. Re-enter your password. 
  9. Click Temporarily Disable My Account. 

Remember: following these instructions will hide all of your content from your followers. No one will be able to see your account until you reactivate it by logging back in.

For how long can you disable your Instagram? 

You can keep your account temporarily disabled for as long as you like. You can reactivate it at any time by logging back in. However, there is one restriction. 

Instagram currently only allows you to disable your account once per week. So if you disable it, log back on, and then decide you want to disable it again, you’ll have to wait a week to do so.

Do you lose followers when you disable your Instagram account?

No. Because Instagram stores all of your account data when you temporarily disable your account, it will restore it to the state as it was in when you deleted it.  

Also, your account will disappear everywhere on the platform when you disable it — including other accounts’ lists of followers. In other words, people won’t be able to unfollow you while your account is hidden because they won’t be able to find you or see your account. 

Delete your Instagram account

If you’ve already tried temporarily disabling your Instagram account (or just deleting the app from your phone) but want to take more drastic measures, doing so is relatively simple. Just remember that deleting your account is permanent and can’t be reversed. 

To delete your account, you need to have your correct log-in information ready. 

How to delete your Instagram account on iPhone

At the time of this writing, you can’t delete your Instagram account from within the Instagram app. You can, however, delete your account on your iPhone through your mobile browser. 

Here’s how: 

  1. Open your mobile browser. 
  2. Go to Instagram’s Delete Your Account page.
  3. If you’re not logged in, follow the prompt to log in to your account. 
  4. Select an option when asked why you are disabling your account. 
  5. Re-enter your password. 
  6. Press Permanently Delete My Account. 

How to delete your Instagram account on desktop

Luckily, deleting your Instagram account on your desktop is just as simple. Here’s how to do it: 

  1. Open your desktop browser. 
  2. Go to Instagram’s Delete Your Account page.
  3. If you’re not logged in, follow the prompt to log in to your account. 
  4. Select an option when asked why you are disabling your account. 
  5. Re-enter your password. 
  6. Press Permanently Delete My Account. 

How to remove an Instagram account from the app

If you don’t want to disable or delete your Instagram account, you can always remove it from the app. However, if you want to continue using the Instagram app, you’ll have to add a different Instagram account or create a new one.  

Here’s how to remove an account from the Instagram app: 

  1. Open the Instagram app. 
  2. Press the icon of your profile picture in the bottom-right corner of the screen.  
  3. Press the downward-facing arrow next to your username at the top-center of the screen.
  4. Press the three horizontal lines at the top-right corner of the screen. 
  5. Press Settings > Log Out.

This method will work if you’re only logged in to one Instagram account. If you manage multiple accounts, removing one of them is a little trickier due to Instagram’s Single Login For Multiple Instagram Accounts feature. Luckily, we found a way around it. 

Here’s how to remove an account from the Instagram app if you’re logged in to multiple accounts: 

  1. Press and hold the Instagram app on your iPhone. 
  2. Select Delete App. 
  3. Wait a few moments and then open the App Store. 
  4. Search for Instagram. 
  5. Download Instagram. 
  6. Open the Instagram app.  
  7. Select the account you want to remove. 
  8. Press Remove. 

Doing this will essentially reset all of your information and log you out of all of the accounts you were logged into. When you reinstall the app, you can simply log in using the accounts you wish to keep on the app and remove the ones you no longer want to use. 

What happens when you delete or deactivate your Instagram?

If you’re considering getting rid of your Instagram account, you first have a choice to make: Do you want to deactivate your account or delete it altogether? 

When you deactivate your Instagram account

Deactivating your Instagram account is much different than deleting it.  When you deactivate an Instagram account, you are only temporarily disabling it. All your photos, comments, likes, and even your profile will be hidden from the public and your followers, but they’re not gone forever. Your account will remain hidden until you decide to reactivate it.  

When you delete your Instagram account

Deleting your Instagram account, on the other hand, is much more permanent.

When your account is deleted, your entire Instagram history is removed forever. That means all of your photos, videos, Story archives, messages, likes, and followers will be permanently removed. You cannot get them back. It will be as if your account never existed. 

Only you can delete your Instagram account; for security reasons, Instagram can’t do it for you. Also, it’s important to note that Instagram is unable to reactivate a deleted account, so it’s wise to be 100% sure that you want your account removed before doing so. 

If you do go through with deleting your account and decide later that you want to return to Instagram, you can. However, you can’t reactivate your old account — and you can’t sign up for a new account with the same old username. 

Instagram is a great app, but it’s not for everyone. Whether you just want to take a break from the feed or to escape from social media altogether, we hope this guide made removing your Instagram account a little easier.  And if you need to know how to delete an Instagram post, we’ve covered that as well.

This was about:
  • Instagram
Emily Blackwood

Writer and editor, driven by curiosity and black coffee.

HOW TO DELETE ACCOUNT ON INSTAGRAM - 2 options: permanently and temporarily

If you need to delete your profile on Instagram, follow the instructions. After that, the user will not be able to upload old photos and stories to his mobile phone.

We advise you to save your precious photos and stories from the archive to your phone in advance. After a month or two, they cannot be returned, they are deleted from the servers.

Informative article: How to change Skype login, is it possible: 3 real options for PC, Android and iOS

How to delete an Instagram account from your phone

Getting rid of the page without leaving the application on your smartphone is real. To do this, do the following:

1. Go to the Instagram program and go to the profile.

2. Tap on the menu (three bars) on top and click on "Settings".
3. Go to "Help" and "Help Center".
4. Go to "Manage Account".
5. In the "Search" line, enter "Delete profile".

6. Find the "How to delete your account" guide and tap on the link.
7. Take any of the reasons for leaving and write down your password.

After that, the account is deactivated and disappears completely after 30-90 days.

Useful: Review of Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G NE - argued in 8 sections The request to be removed from the servers takes up to three months. This time the link is still active, but there will be no content inside. All publications, likes and comments will not be seen by other users.

After a month or two, Internet users will no longer see the account itself. The information will be deleted. But at the same time, a backup (backup copy) may be on the servers of the service itself for a couple of months. This is stated in the data usage policy.

The steps on how to permanently delete an Instagram account are the same as in the paragraph above: go to settings, go to help. In the search, register "Delete profile", take "How to delete an account." After tapping on the link, where to choose one of the reasons for getting rid of the page.

An interesting gadget: Oppo A74: an overview of 8 characteristics, pros and cons of a smartphone

How to temporarily delete an Instagram account

If you don’t want to leave social networks, but you just need to disable your Instagram account for a while, then follow these instructions. So photos, likes and comments will remain hidden: no one can access them. And they will appear only after the account is restored. You cannot turn off the profile in the application - only in the web version. How it's done:

  • Open the social network Instagram.com in the browser itself.
  • Click on the avatar and go to your profile.
  • A page with a menu will open: there you can enter the mobile phone number, gender and other features of the account.
  • Scroll and select "Temporarily disable account".

Next, you should find the reason why you want to deactivate the acc. If the point is that you need to delete a comment, you get a lot of ads, or the social network is distracting, Instagram will suggest solutions without deleting it. For those who still want to move away from social networks, just click "Temporarily disable".

Worth knowing: How to connect a gamepad to a PC: options with 3 models of gamepads

How to delete an Instagram account from a computer

Nickname will be lost when deleting a profile. If another user wants to take this "name" for himself, he can do it. And upon return, you will have to create a page with a new nickname.

Sometimes others may have time to take this name - consider this before deleting your Instagram account. For those who decide to leave online, the algorithm is as follows:

All steps on how to delete an Instagram account are suitable for any type of profile - personal or professional. The instructions are identical in both cases.

But if you just want to hide the page and keep posting, hiding is enough. To do this, go to the privacy settings and check the box next to "Closed account". After that, only those who have already been subscribed can watch what is happening on the page. No one will even be able to view the content anonymously and through bots.

Likbez: How to set up a smart watch: step-by-step instructions in 4 sections

How to delete an Instagram account: 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 holding company Meta Platforms, which 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.

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.

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.

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;
  • 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 a smartphone

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

  • enter your profile in the application and click on "Settings";
  • in the menu that appears, select the "Help" line 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;
  • indicate the reason for deleting the account and enter the page password.

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";
  • 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.

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.


Learn more