How to Delete Instagram Account Permanently or Temporarily [2023]

Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms in the world, with over a billion active users per month. However, sometimes you need to take a break from the platform for personal or professional reasons. There can be several reasons why you choose to delete your Instagram account. This can be for privacy reasons, social media addiction, negative mental health effects, and many more.

Whatever your reason may be, if you are someone looking to delete your Instagram account, this guide is for you. Here, you will learn how to delete Instagram account permanently or temporarily.

But before that, you should know what happens when you delete your Instagram account.

What Happens When You Delete Your Instagram Account

• Your account, including your profile, photos, videos, comments, likes, and followers, will be permanently deleted.
• You will not be able to reactivate your account or retrieve any content or information that was in it.
• The account username will be soon made available for anyone to claim.
• If you log back into your account within 14 days of initiating the deletion process, you will have the option to reverse the deletion.
• Between 14 to 30 days, you can still claim back the account with the help of Instagram support if you change your mind.
• After 30 days, the account and all its data will be permanently deleted.

How to Delete Instagram Permanently

There are multiple ways to delete your Instagram account permanently. Here is how you do it on different platforms.

How to Delete Instagram Account on Android

In the latest version of the Android app, Instagram doesn’t allow you to delete your account within the app. You need to visit the “Delete Instagram account” page on your mobile browser to delete your Instagram account on Android. Here’s how to do that:

• Open your browser on your smartphone and visit the account deletion page or click this link to delete or disable your account.
• Select the reason why you want to delete your Instagram account.
• Enter your account password again
• Tap on “Permanently delete my account”

How to Delete Instagram Account on iPhone/iPad

Unlike Android, Instagram on iOS/iPadOS lets you delete or deactivate your account both in the app and on the web. If you want to delete an account through the app, you can follow the steps below.

• Open the Instagram app. Make sure you are using the latest version of the Instagram app on your iPhone.
• Click on your profile picture and tap on the hamburger menu in the upper right corner.
• Next, select “Account” and then click on “Delete account“.
• Now tap on Delete Account to confirm the action.
• Select Continue Deleting account to further confirm and select the reason.
• Enter your Instagram password again and tap Delete.
• Tap OK to confirm the action.

Related Read: How to Delete Gmail Account

How to Delete Instagram Account on the Web

If you want to delete your Instagram account on your desktop, the process is almost identical to Android. Visit the Instagram account deletion webpage and follow the step-by-step instructions to delete your Instagram account permanently.

• Access the Instagram account deletion website (https://www.instagram.com/accounts/remove/request/permanent/) on your web browser. Log in to the account that you want to delete.
• Once you are logged in, select the reason why you want to delete your Instagram account from the drop-down menu.

  

• Select a reason why you want to delete your account.

  

• Enter your account password and click “Delete my account“.

  

• Once you confirm this, your account and all related data will be permanently deleted.

So these were the three easy ways to delete your account on Instagram permanently.

Related Read: How to Hide Instagram Account and Stop People From Finding You

How to Un-delete Your Instagram Account

If, for some reason, you decide to keep your Instagram account, you can log back into your account. Keep in mind that if more than 30 days have passed since you deleted your account, you’ll not be able to recover it. If you log in with your username and password and see a message saying that you have requested to delete your account, simply click the “Keep Account” button to restore your Instagram account.

How to Deactivate Instagram Account Temporarily

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 entire account and data. Follow the steps below to deactivate your Instagram account temporarily.

• Go to Instagram.com and sign in to your Instagram account
• Once you are logged in, click More and select Settings
• Now select Edit Profile and scroll to the bottom and click Temporarily deactivate my account
  
• Now select the reason for deactivating your Instagram account and specify the time you want your Instagram account to reactivate automatically, as well as your Instagram account password.
• Finally, click the Temporarily deactivate account field.

  

If you are using an Android smartphone, the steps are almost the same as on the web. Open your browser and sign in to your Instagram account. Then tap the profile picture and click the settings gear icon at the top, then click “Edit Profile,” scroll down, and click “Temporarily Disable Account.”

If you are using an iPhone, you can temporarily disable your account from both the web and the Instagram app. To deactivate your Instagram account on the web, you can follow the same steps we described above for Android. To deactivate an Instagram account via the Instagram app, follow the steps below.

• Open the Instagram app. Make sure you are using the latest version of the Instagram app on your iPhone.
• Click on your profile picture and tap on the hamburger menu in the upper right corner.
• Next, select Account and then click Delete account.
• Now select Deactivate account.
• Enter the reason for deactivation.
• Enter your password.
• Then tap Temporarily Deactivate Account.
• Tap Yes to confirm the action.

So this is how you can delete your Instagram account. I hope this guide is helpful to you. As mentioned above, you should keep in mind that deleting your Instagram account will permanently delete your profile, photos, videos, comments, likes, and followers, and you will not be able to reactivate your account.

FAQs about Deleting an Instagram Account

How to delete my Instagram account and save the username?

Once your Instagram account is permanently deleted, your username becomes available for someone else to use. If you want to delete your Instagram account and keep the username, you can temporarily deactivate your Instagram account. When you temporarily deactivate your account, your profile, photos, comments, and likes are hidden, and other people can no longer find your account in search or see your photos or videos on Instagram.

How to remove your Instagram from anybody else’s device?

To remove your Instagram account from someone else's device, open the Instagram app on their smartphone and click the hamburger menu in the upper right corner, select Settings, scroll down, and tap Sign Out. If you do not have access to their device, you can log into your Instagram account on your device and go to Settings > Security > Password and change your password.

Alternatively, you can select Login Activity in Security Settings and clear the list of devices where your Instagram account is active.

How do I remove a deleted account from my Instagram app?

Once you delete your Instagram account, you will be automatically removed and redirected to the login page. If the app still displays the account information, you can tap on the account change, select the account, tap on the vertical three-dot menu, and tap on remove account.

If I delete my Instagram, will my followers be notified?

Your followers will not be notified when you delete your Instagram account. However, they will no longer be able to see your posts or access your profile.

Why is there no delete account option on Instagram?

If you do not see an option to delete your Instagram account, you will probably use the Instagram for Android app. In 2022, Instagram rolled out the option to delete Instagram accounts on iOS but hasn't provided the same option for Android users. But you can visit instagram.com, and you will find the option to delete the account under settings.

Where is the delete Your Account page in Instagram 2023?

From a mobile browser, log into instagram.com. In the bottom right corner, tap Profile, then Edit Profile. In the bottom right corner, tap Temporarily deactivate my account. Click on the drop-down menu next to Why are you deactivating your account? Enter the password again and you will now be able to deactivate your account.

What happens to DMs when you delete Instagram account?

While Instagram will delete most of the data and information associated with your account when you delete it, the DMs you have sent will still remain visible. You might have to manually go through each Dm and click on unsend message if you don't want them to remain after you delete your account.