For various reasons, there should be a lot of people who want to quit and delete Instagram or want to delete their accounts and withdraw. However, just uninstalling the Instagram app or suspending your account will not cancel your membership. You need to visit the dedicated delete page and complete the old Instagram account delete operation.
In this article, we will explain how to delete old Instagram account on iPhone and Android smartphones. We will also introduce points to be aware of before deleting and what to do when you cannot delete your account. How to delete the Instagram account (as of February 2023)
- Log in from the Old Instagram account deletion page in your browser
- Select your reason for deleting your account from the form at the bottom
- Enter the password again and tap Delete ○○ (account name)
- Tap OK on the final confirmation message to complete the deletion settings.
- After 30 days, the Old Instagram account will be permanently deleted (can be restored during the grace period)
Precautions before deleting an old account on Instagram
Once you permanently delete your account on Instagram, you will never be able to recover or use the same account again. However, after the deletion operation, the deletion is not executed immediately, and there is a grace period of 30 days before the account disappears.
However, there are a few things to keep in mind before deleting your account.
Whether or not the difference between “delete” and “deactivate” can be restored
There are two ways to stop using Instagram: “delete” and “deactivate (suspend)” your account. Difference Between Account Deletion and Suspension on Instagram
| Possibility of account recovery | Handling various data | Get the same username again | |
|---|---|---|---|
| delete | never recover | disappear completely | the same username never use again |
| Cancellation of use (temporary suspension) | Can be recovered by re-login | Stay on Instagram | if you log in again same username |
Deleting an account (after a grace period of 30 days) will remove all previous profiles, photos, videos, comments, likes, and followers from Instagram and will never be seen again. It is also not possible to register again with the same username (half-width alphanumeric ID) or to revive the account. This is the so-called resignation.
On the other hand, since the usage data is not deleted by “deactivating (suspending)” the account, there is an advantage that the original account can be reactivated at any time.
Backup past usage data before account deletion
After setting the deletion of the old Instagram account, the account cannot be reactivated after the grace period of 30 days. When deleting, it is recommended to save past data such as photos and videos posted so far, direct (DM), profile, etc.
In this regard, if you use the backup function of Instagram, you can keep various data (memories) such as photos that you want to keep even if you withdraw from Instagram for some reason.
In the app version (iOS/Android) Instagram, the menu button on the profile screen, open Activities, go to Download Personal Data and make a request. On the web version (PC) of Instagram, tap the settings button on the profile screen., go to Privacy & Security > Data Downloads .
Download the data from the link provided in the email sent to the address specified here. Detailed steps are explained in the article below.
Steps to delete your Instagram old account and permanently unsubscribe
Here is a step-by-step guide on how to delete your old Instagram account. The deletion procedure differs between the iOS version and the Android version, so please check according to your own environment.
For Instagram for iOS
On Instagram for iOS, you can delete your account from both the app and the web. Below are the steps for the app.
Step1
Open “Account” from the app’s settings menu
- Open “Account” from the app’s settings menu on the app version of Instagram, and tap the menu button on the top right of the profile screen., open the settings. Then go to your account.
Step2
Select “Delete Account”
Tap Delete account in “Account” to move to the deletion setting screen. Now select Delete account → Continue deleting account at the bottom of the screen.
Step3
Enter the deletion reason and password to complete the deletion settings
You will be taken to the web version Instagram account deletion setting screen. Now select the appropriate reason for deletion from the menu.
After selecting a reason, a form will appear at the bottom to re-enter your password. After entering the password here, tap the Delete ○○ (account name) button.
At this point, as shown on the screen, the account will be completely deleted after 30 days (account recovery is possible only for 30 days after deletion is set). In this example, July 30, 2022, is the deletion deadline (deletion will occur on July 1, 2022).
Finally, a confirmation screen asking “Are you sure you want to delete the account?” will be displayed. Select OK to complete the account deletion settings.
For Instagram for Android
On Instagram for Android, it is not possible to permanently delete an account from the Instagram “app”.
Therefore, it is necessary to access the dedicated page of the web version of Instagram with a browser such as Safari or Chrome and delete the account (as of August 2022).
Step1
Log in to the old Instagram account deletion page in your browser
With a browser such as Chrome or Safari, access the dedicated deletion page below. Enter the username (or email address or phone number) and password of the account you want to delete and log in to Instagram.
Depending on your browser’s save settings, you may already be logged in. In that case, make sure you are logged in with the account you want to delete (mainly if you were using Instagram with multiple or sub-accounts ).
Users who have set up two-factor authentication will obtain a security code using their phone number, etc., when logging in, and will log in after performing authentication.
If you forget your password and cannot log in, please refer to the following article.
Step2
Select a reason for cancelling on the “delete account” Screen
After logging in, you will immediately see a screen that says “Delete account”. Tap on the “Why are you deleting your account?” form and you will be presented with a choice of reasons for deleting your account.
Please select one (if the reason you want to withdraw does not apply, you can select “Other”).
Step3
Re-enter the password to delete the account (with 30 days grace period)
After selecting a reason, a form will appear at the bottom to re-enter your password. Enter the password here again and tap the Delete ○○ (account name) button.
Finally, a confirmation message “Are you sure you want to delete the account?” will be displayed, so tap OK if there is no problem.
With this, the withdrawal operation from Instagram (account deletion setting) is completed. However, as shown on the screen, the account can be reactivated only for 30 days after the deletion setting. In this example, March 3, 2022, is the deletion deadline (deletion will occur on February 1, 2022).
If you want to cancel the deletion, please log in to the account again within the time limit and the deletion will be cancelled. If left unattended for 30 days, the account will be permanently deleted.
What will other users see during the grace period or after the account is deleted?
If you choose to delete your account, you can reactivate it by logging into that account within 30 days. In other words, the account has not been permanently deleted within this 30-day period.
If a third party tries to view your account within this period, “User not found” will be displayed as shown in the image above, and posted photos, videos, followers, etc. will be hidden. .
The following article explains in detail how other users can see your account and past interactions after deleting your account.
What is the case where the account cannot be deleted (withdrawn)?
If you’ve tried to delete your old Instagram account but it doesn’t seem to work, please check if any of the cases listed below apply to you.
Re-logged in during the grace period before being purged
Even if you follow the steps above to delete your account, the actual account will be deleted after 30 days. Therefore, if you log in to the account before it is deleted, the account will be reinstated.
It doesn’t matter whether it’s the app version or the web version, so re-login to the old Instagram account you deleted. You can reactivate your account by selecting Keep Account on the next screen .
The account is deactivated (suspended)
During the period when the old Instagram account is deactivated (suspended), it will be in almost the same state as if the account was deleted. Of course, when you search for your username, you won’t get any hits, and when you try to view your profile, all your posts and introductions are gone.
However, if you log in to the deactivated (suspended) account again, it will be restored . If you can log in to the original account even after 30 days have passed since the deletion operation, it is possible that the account has been set to “deactivate”.
just uninstalled the app
Uninstalling the Instagram app from your smartphone does not delete your account. Other users can still see your posted photos, videos, profile, etc.
Also, past data (posted photos, DMs, etc.) remains even after uninstalling the app.
I just deleted my sub-accounts (multiple accounts)
Instagram allows you to add up to four sub-accounts to your main account. If you use multiple accounts at the same time, you may have deleted sub-accounts other than the one you wanted to delete.
Deleting a subaccount is completely different in concept and procedure from deleting the main account. Please refer to the article below for details.
I just logged out of my account
Logging out of your account is not “deleting your account”.
Since the login information is simply deleted from the device you are using, you can resume using it at any time by logging in again. By logging out, data such as posts and DMs so far will not disappear.
FAQs
While an account exists, the
username of that account is not available to other users, but once the account is permanently deleted, anyone can use that username.
Instagram says it can take up to 90 days to complete the account deletion process.
Also, even after 90 days have passed, it seems that there is a possibility that a copy of the account information is left in the backup storage of Instagram.
After 30 days have passed, we cannot guarantee that you will be able to restore your account, but it may be worth a try.
By entering the necessary information in the account deletion request form, the close relative will send the deletion request to Instagram.
Documents proving that you are a close relative (deceased’s birth certificate, death certificate, etc.) must be submitted.
In the article below, we specifically introduce the procedure for deleting a deceased user’s Instagram account and applying for a transition to a memorial account.