How to Deactivate (or Delete) Your Instagram
If your New Year’s resolution to stay away from Instagram didn’t work out the way you hoped, you have a nuclear option: deleting your account. If that sounds scary forever, you can also simply deactivate your account, which is more of a shortcut. Let’s look at a few things to consider before making your choice.
How to deactivate Instagram (and what it does)
Before we get into how to deactivate or delete Instagram, here are some free tips: Download your Instagram data. To do this, go to your profile and click the three-line menu in the upper right corner. From there, click “Your Activity,” scroll to the bottom, and click “Upload Your Information.” On the next page you will be asked to “Request Download”. It’s always a good idea to have a copy in case something goes wrong with your account, plus you might want to review it while your account is deactivated (or especially if you delete it).
Now about deactivation. From the same three-line menu you clicked earlier, select Settings & Privacy, then Account Center. Next, you’ll click “Personal Information,” then “Account Ownership and Control.” You will see a “Deactivate or Delete” button.
Depending on how many other accounts you have linked to your main account, you may see several options here. I, for example, see my personal Facebook (but not my professional one for some unknown reason), one of my crawl accounts , and my main Instagram account. Click on the one you want to deactivate.
Deactivation means your profile will virtually disappear. I know people who do this all the time, only to restore it when they are ready. Anyone who follows you will see their follow count decrease by one. You will not be searchable. It’s as if you don’t exist, except that you can log in at any time and reappear without any of your data being lost. If you just want to take a break from the app or aren’t quite sure you want to delete it, this is the best option.
How to delete an Instagram account
The removal steps are the same as the deactivation steps. When you click on your profile in the list, you will get two options: deactivate account and delete account. It looks like this:
Only do this if you really want to permanently erase your entire account. Your username will be freed up for someone else. Your photos will disappear forever. Farewell. Goodbye to all this.