If you want to take a break from Instagram, you have two options: you can delete your account and leave the social platform forever. Or you can just temporarily disable it. This is how you delete or deactivate your Instagram account.
How to delete your Instagram account
Before deleting your Instagram account, you should carefully consider if you really want to do that. You cannot reactivate your account and you’ll lose all your content, followers, comments and likes. If there’s a chance you might want to restore everything later, consider deactivating your account instead of deleting it.
- You can’t delete an Instagram account by using the app on your smartphone. You have to use a browser on your computer or smartphone.
- Log into Instagram using a (mobile) browser.
- There is a page called “Delete Your Account”, but you won’t find it by clicking around. You must know the exact link. Click on or type the following URL: https://www.instagram.com/accounts/remove/request/permanent/
- Choose an option to answer the question of why you want to delete your account.
- After you’ve chosen an answer, a red button will appear: “Permanently delete my account”.
- Re-enter your password. Then click or tap on the red button to permanently delete your account.
- Your profile and your information will be permanently deleted 30 days after your deletion request. It can take up to 90 days to delete all your content, but it won’t be visible to other users during this time.
How to temporarily deactivate your Instagram account
Take a break from Instagram without losing all your followers and posts: instead of deleting your account, you can just disable it for a certain period of time. This is, once again, an option that you can only use in a browser.
- Log into Instagram in a browser on your computer or smartphone.
- Open your profile and then click or tap “Edit profile”.
- Scroll down. On the bottom right click “Temporarily disable my account”.
- You’ll have to choose an answer to let Instagram know why you want to disable your account.
- After choosing an answer, you’ll see the option to deactivate your account.
- Re-enter your password. And then click or tap “Temporarily Disable Account”.
