How to Delete or Deactivate Your Instagram Account

If you are trying to detach from Instagram – and social media in general, it’s easier than you think. Regardless of whether you’re looking to take a short or more extended break, this tutorial shows how to delete your Instagram account – or just deactivate it.

What Happens When You Delete or Deactivate Your Instagram Account

Deactivation is a temporary process to disable and hide your profile without deleting any data permanently. Do this when you want to take a temporary break from Instagram. Deactivating your Instagram account will:

• Hide your profile so that it will not appear in search results or when tagged. All your Instagram data, including published posts (photos and videos), stories, Reels, saved posts, likes, and comments, will be safe when you deactivate the account.
• Preserve your Followers and Following lists.
• Preserve your Instagram Direct messages. The other people you’ve messaged will still be able to access them in their inbox, and you will be able to as well once you reactivate your account.
• Protect your username (handle), and no one can use it while your account is deactivated. Reactivating your account will assign the same username to your profile.

Deletion is permanent and will disable it and remove your data. Deleting your Instagram account will:

• Erase your data from the servers. You can download your data for safekeeping before you delete your account, as shown below.
• Erase your followers list. You will have to start from scratch and follow people again if you decide to create a new account.
• Remove your Direct Messages. But the people you chatted with will still be able to see and read them.
• Free up your username (handle) for others to use. If you decide to create a new Instagram account, using the old username is possible only if it hasn’t been claimed by someone else.
• Take Instagram up to 90 days to complete the deletion process. Copies of your content may remain for up to 90 days in Instagram’s backup storage for emergency purposes. The app may also retain some of your information for legal issues, term violations, or harm prevention efforts.

Before Deleting Your Instagram Account

If you’re really intent on deleting your Instagram account, it would be a good idea to save a copy of your Instagram data before it’s completely erased. Do this either from on a desktop or the mobile app.

PC

Log in to Instagram.com on your web browser. Click on the More button in the menu on the left. Select Settings.

Find the Accounts Center box at the top, and click on the See more in Accounts Center option.

Click on Your information and permissions on the left, then click Download your information on the right.

Press the Download or transfer information button in the pop-up.

Choose whether you want to download all or some of your information. (If you are only downloading some of your information, select which type.)

Tell Instagram whether you want to download the data on your device or transfer it. In the latter case, you can have the data moved to Dropbox or Google Drive. Press Next.

Instagram also lets you download data within a specific time frame (such as last year or the last three months). Also, choose your format (HTML/JSON) and media quality, then hit the Create files button.

It may take up to 24 hours to send the data. Download the file when you receive the email. You only have four days to do this.

Mobile

To request a copy of your data to download on mobile, open the Instagram app (Android, iOS), and tap your profile picture in the lower-right corner.

Tap on the hamburger menu in the upper-right corner of your profile.

Tap Accounts Center.

Follow the same instructions as above to initiate a request to download your Instagram data.

How to Delete or Deactivate Your Instagram Account on PC

To delete or deactivate your Instagram account on your PC, go to Accounts Center as shown above. Select Personal details on the left, then Account ownership and control on the right.

Click the Deactivation or deletion option in the pop-up to continue.

Select the account you want to modify.

Select whether you want to Deactivate account or Delete account. Press Continue.

Input your password.

Deactivate Account

If you’re deactivating the account, choose the reason you’re taking a break, then press Continue.

Press Continue in the pop-up.

Press Deactivate account.

Delete Account

If you’re deleting your account, select the reason you want to leave permanently. Press Continue.

Depending on the reason you’ve selected, Instagram will try to provide a solution to keep you using the service. If it changes your mind, abort the process by pressing Cancel. If you wish to move forward, press Continue.

If you’re 100% sure you want to go through with this, press the Delete account button.

How to Delete or Deactivate Your Instagram Account from Mobile

To delete or deactivate your Instagram account on the mobile app, go to Accounts Center, as previously described.

Go to Personal details.

Tap on Account ownership and control.

Follow the same instructions as described above to delete or deactivate your account on a PC.

How to Reactivate Your Instagram Account

If you decide that you want to reactivate your Instagram account, sign in to Instagram with your old username and password. If you deactivated your account, there’s no specific time frame to reactivate it. You can go back whenever you’re ready.

Please note that deleted accounts cannot be reactivated. However, Instagram gives you a grace period of 30 days from the date of submitting your deletion request to cancel the request.

You don’t have to deactivate or completely delete your Instagram account to cut down on your hours spent on the app. Make the experience less distracting by learning how to hide likes on Instagram. Alternatively, hide your Instagram account and prevent other users from finding you.

Image credit: Pixabay. All screenshots by Alexandra Arici.