Instagram accounts are really great when you want to build an audience for your business. People also use it to get a glimpse into the life of their favorite celebrity; but sometimes staying active on social media for hours can take a toll on your personal life and you might want to take a break. Whatever the reason, you can easily take time away from your Instagram account by simply deactivating it instead of deleting your Instagram account permanently; follow the given steps to deactivate your Instagram account. Also, if you are confused between deactivation, disabled account and deletion, it will all be fixed once you finish reading the entire guide.
Steps to deactivate Instagram account through the application
To temporarily disable or delete your Instagram, here are the steps you need to follow to use the app:
- Open the Instagram app and log into your account
- Tap on the profile icon displayed at the bottom of the page
- Then tap on the menu icon at the top right corner of the screen
- Tap “Settings”
- Then tap on the ‘Help’ option and go to the ‘Help Center’
- You will be redirected to a new page on your mobile browser where you will see some options; tap ‘Manage your account’
- You will see the message ‘Requested page not found’
- In the search box, type your query “How can I temporarily deactivate my Instagram account?” and select the same from the drop down menu.
- On the next page, you will see a message that you need to log in to instagram.com on your computer; you cannot disable your account from within the application; however, you can also do this using a mobile browser; just tap ‘instagram.com’
- Log back into your Instagram account; tap on the profile icon at the bottom; then tap ‘Edit Profile’
- Scroll down and you will see an option to ‘Temporarily disable my account’; touch it.
- On the next page, you can review the information on how to disable your account, and then you must choose the reason why you did so. Tap the dropdown for “Why are you disabling your account?” and re-enter the password
- Finally, tap on “Temporarily disable account”
You can follow the same steps to deactivate your Instagram account on Android as on iPhone.
Note- You can reactivate your disabled Instagram account simply by logging in again. However, you can only deactivate your Instagram account once a week.
You can also watch this video-
Steps to deactivate your Instagram through the browser
If you’re in a browser and want to temporarily deactivate or disable your Instagram account, here’s how to do it:
- Go to instagram.com and sign in to your account with your username/email address and password.
- Once you’re logged in, click on the profile icon displayed in the top right corner of the screen, then click on ‘Settings’.
- Scroll down the current screen and at the bottom you will find the option ‘Temporarily disable my account’; Click on it.
On the next screen, you will need to select a reason for “why are you disabling your account?” and then enter your password and finally click the ‘Temporarily disable account’ button.
Once you press the button, your account will be deactivated and you can reactivate it at any time by simply logging in again.
Did Instagram disable your account? This is what you can do
The above steps should be applied when you want to leave Instagram for a temporary period. But did you know that even Instagram can temporarily disable your account for policy violations?
To be clear, Instagram may disable your account, either temporarily or permanently, without notice. This happens when you have violated any of Instagram’s terms and conditions. You can read more about it here – Terms of Use | Instagram Help Center.
So if you have been involved in any of the following:
explicit violence
nudity promotion
Post hate speech or other illegal activities,
then be prepared to have your Instagram account disabled.
If you want to know more about what happens when an Instagram account is temporarily or permanently disabled, you can refer to this dedicated guide: Instagram disabled My account How to recover it
Do you want to delete your Instagram account instead of deactivating it? know the difference
The next drastic step you can take after deactivating your account is to permanently delete it. For example, if you want to start over with Instagram or want to take a break for good, you’ll need to delete it for good.
Here are the steps to permanently delete your Instagram on PC and mobile devices:
Delete Instagram on your computer
If you’re on a computer or laptop, here’s how you can delete your Instagram account:
- Log in to your Instagram account at instagram.com
- Click your profile icon in the top right corner, then click ‘Settings’
- Scroll to the bottom and click on the ‘Help’ option
- In the left column you will see some options, click on ‘Manage your account’
- In the drop down menu you will see the option “Delete your account”, click on it.
- Click on ‘How can I delete my Instagram account?
- After clicking, you will see some information, please review it or click directly on ‘Delete your account’
- On the ‘Delete your account’ page, select the reason ‘why you want to delete your Instagram’.
- After choosing a reason, you will be prompted to re-enter your password and click ‘Delete Account’.
- Once you do this, your Instagram account will be scheduled for permanent deletion and will be deleted forever after one month. If you sign in again before the 30-day period expires, your account will be reactivated.
Delete Instagram on mobile
Although there is no direct option to delete an Instagram account within the app, you can follow the listed steps to delete your profile using a mobile device:
- Make sure you are logged into your Instagram account in the app.
- Tap the profile icon in the bottom right corner of the screen.
- Tap the hamburger icon to go to settings
- Then tap on ‘Settings’
- Go to the ‘Help’ section
- Then tap on “Help Center”
- This will take you to the Instagram Help Center in your browser.
- Tap on the hamburger icon displayed on the left side of the screen
- Tap “Manage your account”
- You will see ‘Delete your account’ option in the list, click on it.
- Now select the query “How do I delete my Instagram account”.
- Look for the option ‘Delete your account’ and press it.
- Re-enter your Instagram login credentials
- Select the reason why you want to delete your Instagram
- Re-enter your Instagram password and click ‘Delete (your username)’
- Before you hit the delete button, remember that you will only have one month to reactivate your Instagram account before it is permanently deleted.
You can also watch this video-
So, you can permanently delete your Instagram account using any device you want, but keep in mind that deactivation is temporary and deletion may be permanent.
Frequently asked questions
Q1. How long can you temporarily disable your Instagram?
A1. You can keep your Instagram account disabled for as long as you want, because there is no limit. Also, you can easily log back in by entering your Instagram account credentials.
Q2. How often can you disable Instagram?
A2. Instagram currently allows you to disable or deactivate your account once a week. So if you deactivate your account and then log back in and now you want to deactivate your Instagram account again, you will have to wait a week to do so.
Q3. What happens to your followers when you deactivate your Instagram account?
A3. When you deactivate your Instagram account, you lose nothing. Instagram temporarily stores all of your information when you disable your account and will restore everything when you decide to reactivate your account.
Categories: How to
Source: HIS Education