With more than a billion users, Instagram is one of the most popular social networks in the world today. It’s the eighth-biggest online community, behind Facebook and other fellow Facebook-owned companies, Messenger and WhatsApp. Removing dedicated messaging apps from that list leaves Instagram as the third-largest social network in the world and the second-largest in North America. It’s an incredibly important platform for both users and brands. Of course, there comes a time when you might want to disconnect from your social platforms, and not just temporarily. More often than ever, people are choosing to delete their social media presence to live a life less focused on online culture. Whether you’re trying to protect your future job aspects by deleting your social media, or you’re just trying to reach for your phone a little, a bit less, deleting your social media accounts may lead to a healthier life. Permanently deleting your Instagram account may seem like a major step, but if you’re ready to be free of your account and to get some spare time back in your life, it’s easy to carry out. Let’s take a look at how to delete your Instagram account for good.
How to Save Your Account Data: Before deleting your account, you might want to save a permanent record of your posts, comments, and profile information. When you delete your account, Instagram will do just that: delete your account and everything on it. That means all of your photos, likes, and comments will be permanently removed. To save your account data, follow these steps: Instagram and tap the profile icon in the lower right corner. Tap the three vertical lines in the top right corner, then tap Settings at the bottom. Select Security from your Settings menu, then find the Download Data option. Enter your email address and tap Request Download. Within 48 hours, Instagram will email a complete file of your profile to the email address you provided, containing your photos, comments, profile information, and everything else you may need to access in the future. Even if you think you’ll never need this data again, it’s an important step to ensuring that your data is protected if you ever want to view it again. If you don’t do this, you’ll be losing out on your data completely—and you’ll never get it back, no matter how hard you try.
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How Do I Permanently Delete My Instagram Account? After you’ve saved your data, you can move on to deleting your account. Instagram offers two options for users. The first is to permanently delete your account and everything associated, while the second is a temporary option. Permanently deleting your Instagram account can only be done through a browser, but it can be either your mobile browser or a desktop. Here’s how to permanently delete your Instagram account: Go to the special Delete Your Account page on your browser (make sure that you’re logged in). Select a reason for deletion from the drop-down menu. Click or tap the Delete button. Disable Your Instagram Account:
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If you are only looking for a break from Instagram, don’t be rash. Consider disabling your account instead of deleting it. Disabling will log you out and hide your profile. As far as your followers are concerned, you may as well have deleted the account. But as far as you’re concerned, you can return any time by simply logging back in. Follow these steps to disable your account: Go to Instagram.com from your browser (you cannot do this from the app). Log in, if prompted to do so. Click or tap on the profile icon in the upper right-hand corner. Click or tap Profile, then Edit Profile. Scroll down and tap Temporarily disable my account to the right of the Submit button. You will be asked why you are doing this. Select an option from the drop-down menu. Re-enter your account password. Click or tap “Temporarily Disable Account.”
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