How to Delete Your Instagram Account

If you have a profile on the social networking and photo sharing site Instagram, you may find yourself wanting to delete your account. Whether you started an account only to find out Instagram was not really the thing for you, or you are looking to delete your account due to privacy or other concerns, this step-by-step guide will walk you through the process of how to delete Instagram permanently or temporarily.

How to Delete Your Instagram Account in 8 Easy Steps

Deleting your Instagram account is a simple but irreversible action that will completely remove your account, profile information, all photos and videos, any comments, all likes, and any followers. Once your account has been deleted, you will not be able to reactivate it, and you cannot sign up again using the same username. If you would prefer to take a short-term approach to removing your account, see the instructions below to temporarily disable your account. To permanently delete your account, take the following steps:

1. Login to Instagram with your username and password.
2. Navigate to the Support link at the bottom of the page.
3. Select Managing Your Account from the available options.
4. Choose How do I delete my account?.
5. Click the Delete Your Account hyperlink.
6. Select the appropriate option from the Why are you deleting your account? dropdown menu.
7. Enter your password when prompted.
8. Click Permanently delete my account.

How to Temporarily Disable Your Instagram Account in 7 Easy Steps

If you would prefer to be able to reactive the same username on Instagram in the further, temporarily disabling your account may be a better option. Rather than permanently deleting the account and all its associated data, temporarily disabling it will hide your information from the site until the account is reactivated. Once reactivated, your profile, photos and videos, comments, and likes will reappear. To temporarily disable your account, take the following steps:

1. Login to Instagram with your username and password.
2. Click the profile icon.
3. Select Edit Profile.
4. Scroll down and click Temporarily disable my account in the lower right of the page.
5. Select the appropriate option from the Why are you disabling your account? dropdown menu.
6. Enter your password when prompted.
7. Click Temporarily Disable Account.

These instructions show you exactly how to delete Instagram account permanently or temporarily disable it. If you run into any issues, Instagram offers online support in the Instagram Help Center. In case you have forgotten your username or password, check out their Login Troubleshooting. If you have any questions on how to delete Instagram or would like to share your experience, feel free to do so below.