Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms in the world, with over a billion monthly active users. However, sometimes you need to take a break from the platform for personal or professional reasons. There can be several reasons why you should choose to delete your Instagram account. This can be for privacy reasons, social media addiction, negative mental health effects, and many more.
If you are someone looking to delete your Instagram account, this guide is for you. In this guide, you will learn how to delete your Instagram account permanently or temporarily. But before deleting your Instagram account, you should know what happens when you delete your Instagram account.
What happens when you delete an Instagram account
1- Your account, including your profile, photos, videos, comments, likes, and followers, will be permanently deleted.
2- You will not be able to reactivate your account or retrieve any content or information that was in it.
3- The account username will soon be provided to anyone to claim.
4- If you log in to your account within 14 days of starting the deletion process, you will have the option to undelete.
5- Between 14 to 30 days, you can still claim the account with the help of Instagram support if you change your mind.
6- After 30 days, the account and all its data will be permanently deleted.
How to permanently delete an Instagram account
There are multiple ways to permanently delete your Instagram account. Here's how you can do it on different platforms.
1- How to delete Instagram account on Android phones
In the latest version of Instagram on Android, Instagram does not allow you to delete your account within the app. You need to visit Delete Instagram Account page on your mobile browser to delete your Instagram account on Android. Here's how to do it:
1- Open your browser on your smartphone and visit the account deletion page or click (here) to go to the page.
2- Log in to your account.
3-Select the reason why you want to delete your Instagram account.
4. Enter your account password again
5- Click on "Delete my account permanently"
2- How to delete Instagram account on iPhone/iPad
Unlike Android, Instagram allows you to delete or deactivate your account in the app and on the web. If you want to delete an account through the app, you can follow these steps below.
1- Open the Instagram app. Make sure you are using the latest version of the Instagram app on your iPhone.
2- Click on your profile picture and click on the hamburger menu in the upper right corner.
3- Next, select "Account" and then click on "Delete Account".
4- Now click on “Delete” to confirm the action.
5- Select Continue Account Deletion for further confirmation and specify the reason.
6- Enter your Instagram password again and click Delete.
7- Press OK to confirm the action.
3- How to delete Instagram account from the browser
If you want to delete your Instagram account from your browser, the process is almost identical to what we learned with the deletion method for Android phones. Visit the Instagram account deletion webpage and follow the step-by-step instructions to permanently delete your Instagram account.
1- Access the next Instagram account deletion site(https://www.instagram.com/accounts/remove/request/permanent/) on your web browser. Sign in to the account you want to delete.
2- Once logged in, select the reason why you want to delete your Instagram account from the drop-down menu.
3. Select a reason why you want to delete your account.
4- Enter your account password and click "Delete My Account"
5- Once confirmed, your account and all related data will be permanently deleted.
These were the three easy ways to permanently delete your Instagram account. Now what if you want to temporarily suspend your Instagram account.
How to temporarily suspend Instagram account
On Instagram, you can also temporarily deactivate your account instead of deleting it permanently. If you temporarily deactivate your account, your profile, photos, comments, and likes will be hidden, and other people will not be able to find your account in search or see your photos or videos on Instagram. However, your account information is saved, and you can reactivate your account at any time by logging in with your username and password.
This can be very useful if you want to take a break from Instagram without having to delete the account and the entire data. Follow the steps below to temporarily deactivate your Instagram account.
1- Go to Instagram.com and log in to your Instagram account.
2- Once logged in, click More and select Settings.
3- Now select Edit Profile and scroll to the bottom and click Temporarily deactivate my account.
4- Now select the reason for deactivating your Instagram account and select the time you want your Instagram account to reactivate it automatically, as well as the Instagram account password.
5- Finally, click on the "Temporarily deactivate account" field.