Whether you need some time away to detox from social media or you want to change things up with your online presence, you may want to delete your Instagram account. Some choose to delete Instagram accounts because they don’t want to use the app anymore or they don’t want their information available for others to see.
We have tips on how to delete Instagram accounts on both your phone and computer. But, there are first a few things that you should remember before you deactivate Instagram.
What to remember before you deactivate Instagram
Remember that when you deactivate your Instagram (delete account), it is permanent. You will no longer be able to access your data or any of your previous posts. Your username will be available for use again. If you choose to re-download Instagram, you can sign up with the same username if a different user did not take it.
You can back up some of your posts and photos before you deactivate Instagram. Save your old photos and posts to your phone, or upload them to your computer. Also, remember that deleting your account cannot be done by Instagram. Read on for our step-by-step instructions on how to delete an Instagram account by requesting deletion.
Steps on how to delete an Instagram account
You can delete your Instagram account on both your phone and computer. We will show you how to delete Instagram accounts both ways and discuss other options.
On your computer
Once you have saved all the information you need from your Instagram account, follow these steps:
- Open up your internet browser and go to the Instagram delete account site.
- Sign in to the account you wish to delete if you are not already logged in.
- A drop-down menu will appear. Choose the reason you wish to delete your account.
- Enter your Instagram password.
- Select “Delete [username].”
Completing delete request
After you select “Delete [username],” a request will be sent to Instagram to delete the account. It will take 30 days for your account and information to be deleted permanently. However, your account will not be visible or accessible to you or any other Instagram user. After 30 days, the delete Instagram account request will be complete and your information will be permanently deleted.
Other options
If you don’t like the idea of your account being permanently deleted, there are a few other options for you to consider instead. Whichever you choose depends on your end goal. You may not want to be on Instagram at all anymore, but do you mind if other Instagram users see your old account? You may still want to use Instagram, but you don’t want some of your older posts visible. Maybe you don’t want to delete some of your content, but you don’t want your co-workers or family to see your entire page.
Instagram has a solution for each of these scenarios. Read on through each one to help decide what works best for you.
Temporarily disable Instagram account
You can also temporarily deactivate Instagram. When you decide to disable your Instagram account temporarily, your profile, photos, comments and likes are not visible to any Instagram user. You can choose how long you wish to disable your account, as it only reactivates when you log back in. If you don’t want to send an Instagram delete account request, you can follow these steps:
- Use a computer or mobile phone browser to go to Instagram.com (the app does not give the option to disable your account temporarily).
- Log into your account if you are not logged in already.
- Click your profile picture in the top right corner, and go to Settings.
- From the options on the left sidebar, choose Edit Profile.
- Scroll down, and you will see “Temporarily Disable my Account” in blue at the very bottom.
- Instagram will ask, “Why are you disabling your account?” Select an answer and re-enter your Instagram password.
- Click Temporarily Disable Account.
- Your account will be disabled until the next time you log into Instagram.
Make your Instagram account private
With a public account, anyone that searches your username can see your page. You can make your account private so that only the people that follow you can see your content. With a private account, people can only follow you when you accept their private request. Here is how you private your Instagram account:
- Log into your Instagram account on either your computer browser, mobile browser or mobile app.
- Select your profile picture in the top right corner.
- Select Settings.
- Choose Privacy and Settings from the left sidebar.
- Account Privacy will be your first option available.
- Select Private Account.
Archive Instagram photos
If you have some posts that you don’t want on your profile anymore, you can delete the posts, or you can archive the posts. Archiving the posts will keep the content in your archive so that you can still access the post without it being visible on your page. This is how you can archive your posts:
- Log into your Instagram account on either a computer browser, mobile browser or mobile app.
- Select your profile picture in the top right corner.
- Select Profile.
- Select the photo you wish to archive.
- Select the three dots that appear on the top right corner of your post.
- Select Archive.
- The post will no longer be visible on your profile.
Block Users
The final option you have to prevent your posts from being visible is by blocking certain users. The users you block will be able to access your profile but will not be able to see any of your posts. Blocking is your best option if you only want to stop certain people from seeing your posts while keeping your page public and not deleting any of your posts. This is how you can block Instagram users:
- Log into your Instagram account on either a computer browser, mobile browser or mobile app.
- Use the search bar to search the person’s username.
- Visit the person’s profile.
- Select the three dots at the top right of the person profile.
- Select Block This User.
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