Figuring out how to delete an Instagram account is tricky. That is no surprise considering that the company can only survive and profit with as many people logged in as possible. So they made sure the delete option was difficult to find.
Now, I don’t want to be shady or hypocritical and say how Instagram is bad, useless, and should be deleted. Whenever I have a free minute, I go on and check what my friends and family members are doing. I follow some cool pages and news accounts. There are many upsides to social media platforms like Instagram. No doubt.
However, there are two sides to every coin. For instance, it can be quite addictive. I have been spending way too many hours recently watching sometimes funny, but usually stupid reels.
And the trafficking of bot accounts is astounding. I have an account on the platform only dedicated to making these articles. Overnight I had almost 200 followings of strange accounts I had never seen before. And the worst part is, I can’t even open my following list to check who all these people are or unfollow them. It’s a bit unsettling to me.
That’s why we’ve written this article for anyone who wants to learn how to delete an Instagram account. You will also get instructions on how to temporarily disable your account in case you just want to take a break. You can also save all your Instagram content prior to deleting the account. This can all be done by using your smartphone device:
Firstly, open the app on your device and go to your profile. You will find a three-bar button in the upper right-hand corner of your screen. Tap it, then select the ⛭ Settings option.
Once inside the settings menu, tap the Help option. The option to delete an Instagram account isn’t actually in the app, it’s in Instagram’s Help Center. Once you tap the Help Center option, you will be redirected to their website in your preferred browser.
The layout of the Help Center may differ depending on the country you live in, but it’s there. Either scroll down the Help Center menu and find the option titled Take a break from Instagram, or the Manage your account option at the top of the page.
Tap the drop-down menu called How to delete an Instagram account or the How do I temporarily disable my Instagram account if you just want to leave the platform for a little while. In the first case, you want to tap the Delete Account page written in blue as part of the first step.
Then choose the browser you have on your smartphone device. That will open the Instagram login page in that browser. Type in your Instagram username and password and log in.
You will need to give a reason why you want to delete your Instagram account. Tap the gray bar and select any option you like from the drop-down menu.
You will need to enter your Instagram password again. We hope you know your password or have it written down somewhere. After you type it in, press the blue delete button beneath, and confirm by tapping OK in the pop-up window.
Your account will be permanently deleted after exactly 30 days of completing the deletion process. You can reactivate it in the meantime by opening the app or visiting the Instagram login page on your web browser and logging in.
Conclusion
We all know people who like to delete their social media platforms from time to time. And it’s not a bad idea to take occasional breaks if you start to form unhealthy habits. If you are one of those people, your best option is to temporarily delete your account and reactivate it easily at your convenience by simply logging in again.
However, deleting an account permanently is a good choice for anyone who is too tempted to go back to their old ways and scroll for far too long. The process is a bit complicated, but we made sure to break it down for you in this simple tutorial.
