Instagram accounts can be deleted in seconds, removing all photos and videos from the platform. Users who only wish to hide their content from public view tem­porar­i­ly can also de­ac­ti­vate their Instagram account.

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Note

Be aware that any content you publish on the internet can be viewed, saved, and copied by anyone. Even if you delete your social media profile, including all your in­for­ma­tion, there is no guarantee that your images and videos will disappear com­plete­ly from the net. Providers like Instagram only delete data from their own servers, but have no influence on servers belonging to other platforms. When images reappear elsewhere, users are often powerless to delete them. The internet never forgets! You can find further in­for­ma­tion on how to use social media safely in our article on social networks and the dangers they pose.

How to disable your Instagram account in the browser

Instagram allows users to tem­porar­i­ly disable their accounts. This means that if you want to remove your content from the net for a short while, you don’t have to go as far as to delete your account, which would make it ir­re­triev­able.

  1. Log in: Open Instagram in the browser and log in with the account you want to tem­porar­i­ly disable.
  2. Access the “Account ownership and control” menu: Click on the “More” button > “Settings” > “Accounts Center” > “Personal details” > “Account ownership and control” to access your Instagram profile’s account settings.
Image: Menu “Account ownership and control”
Choose “de­ac­ti­va­tion” or “deletion” in the “Account ownership and control” menu.
  1. Select “De­ac­ti­vate Account”: In your Instagram account settings, you will find the option to de­ac­ti­vate or delete. Click on the de­ac­ti­vate option and choose the account you want to de­ac­ti­vate. Then click on “De­ac­ti­vate account.”
Image: “Deactivate account”
Select “De­ac­ti­vate account” and follow the in­struc­tions.
  1. Provide a reason for de­ac­ti­va­tion: You will be prompted to enter your password. To disable your Instagram account, you must first provide a reason.
Image: Give the reason for wanting to deactivate your account
Give the reason for wanting to de­ac­ti­vate your account from a list of reasons.
Note

While de­ac­ti­vat­ing your Instagram account requires jus­ti­fi­ca­tion, approval from the provider is not necessary.

Depending on the reason you specify for wanting to disable your account, Instagram will suggest suitable articles in the help section of the social media platform. These may contain solutions to your problem.

  1. Complete the de­ac­ti­va­tion process: If you still wish to de­ac­ti­vate your account despite the suggested trou­bleshoot­ing strate­gies, complete the de­ac­ti­va­tion by clicking the “De­ac­ti­vate account“ button.
Image: Confirm the deactivation
Confirm the de­ac­ti­va­tion of your Instagram account. Simply logging in is enough to re­ac­ti­vate a de­ac­ti­vat­ed profile.

After disabling your account, your Instagram page will be tem­porar­i­ly taken offline, including all photos, comments, and likes. Content will remain hidden until you re­ac­ti­vate your account by logging in again.

Note

If your Instagram account has been suc­cess­ful­ly disabled, it may take a few hours to be re­ac­ti­vat­ed again due to technical reasons.

How to per­ma­nent­ly delete your Instagram account in the browser

If you want the Instagram account to per­ma­nent­ly disappear from the web, the process is similar. However, please bear in mind that a deleted Instagram account cannot be restored.

Tip

Are you con­sid­er­ing deleting your Instagram profile because you haven’t connected with as many people as planned on the social network? In this case, we recommend our “Instagram for busi­ness­es” guide series. With more than 800 million users, the photo network is one of the best-known and most fre­quent­ly used com­mu­ni­ca­tion channels worldwide. More than 25 million companies use Instagram to raise awareness of products and services, increase brand awareness, or enhance their corporate image.

  1. Access settings: First, go to the “Account ownership and control” menu, just as you would when de­ac­ti­vat­ing your account.

  2. Select the delete option: Once there, choose the “Delete account” option.

Image: Choose “Delete account”
Select the “Delete account” option and follow the in­struc­tions.

  1. Provide a reason: After entering your password, you will be asked for the reason for deleting your Instagram account, just like when de­ac­ti­vat­ing it.

  2. Confirm deletion: Confirm you want to delete your account by clicking the “Delete account” button.

Image: Confirm permanent deletion
Confirm that you want to per­ma­nent­ly delete your Instagram account.
Tip

Just like when deleting a TikTok account, deleting an Instagram account has permanent con­se­quences.

Per­ma­nent­ly deleting your Instagram account means that:

  • All your images stored on the social media platform will be deleted.
  • All your followers as well as social signs and image comments will be lost.
  • Once your account has been deleted, your login name will be available to others.

Before you take this drastic step, be 100% sure that it’s what you want.

Tip

For users who want to back up a copy of their data, the provider offers a download function. You can find it under “Settings”, “Privacy and Security”, “Data Download.” The download file contains all your images, videos, and stories, as well as comments, profile in­for­ma­tion, con­nec­tions, search queries, and chat messages in JSON format.

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How to delete or de­ac­ti­vate Instagram account in the app

Similar to the process in the browser, you can also delete or de­ac­ti­vate your account in the Instagram app. Only a few steps are required for this as well.

  1. Open Settings: Navigate to “Settings and activity” > “Account Center” > “Personal details” > “Account ownership and control.”
Image: Menu “Account ownership and control”
Select the option “De­ac­ti­va­tion or deletion” in the “Account ownership and control” menu.
  1. Select Process: Tap the “De­ac­ti­va­tion or deletion” button and then select the ap­pro­pri­ate account. Now, just like in the browser, decide whether you want to de­ac­ti­vate your account or delete it per­ma­nent­ly.
Image: Choose “Deactivate account” or “Delete account”
Choose “De­ac­ti­vate account” or “Delete account” and then follow the in­struc­tions.
  1. Provide a reason: Enter your password to proceed, then select the reason for deletion or de­ac­ti­va­tion.
Image: Give a reason for deactivating or deleting your account
Select a reason from the list for de­ac­ti­vat­ing or deleting your Instagram account.
  1. Confirm process: Confirm the deletion/de­ac­ti­va­tion by clicking the cor­re­spond­ing button.
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