Wondering can you delete Instagram account permanently?
In the last several years, Instagram has become an inextricable part of our life. In today’s crazy world, not having an Instagram account is akin to not having a social security number. However, recent searches for “how to delete Instagram account permanently” have increased.
There are a variety of reasons why people seek a way out of Instagram’s seductive world. Here are some of the most popular reasons to delete Instagram account:
- Your Instagram account has been hacked.
- You’ve gotten your fill of the platform.
- You’ve decided to go on a social media fast.
- You’ve forgotten your IG account’s password and are unable to access it.
- You’re creating a new IG professional account.
Whatever the reason, if you want to delete IG account, here’s a step-by-step guide on how to permanently delete your Instagram account:
How to Delete Instagram Account Permanently From iPhone?
Permanently deleting your Instagram account is a lengthy procedure. You must first submit a request for IG to delete your profile, following which Instagram may take up to 90 days to do it.
Step 1: Open Instagram Settings
To permanently delete your Instagram account you need to contact the IG help center. To find the help center you need to first open the Instagram app on your mobile device. Tap on the hamburger icon at the top right-hand corner. Then, Go to settings.
Step 2: Go to Help Center
Next, you need to select Help from the settings. Then go to “help center” The help center is the only way to find the option to delete your Insta account.
Step 3: Delete Your Account
In the help center, tap on the three vertical lines at the top and go to “Manage your account.” Under manage your account you will find the option to “Delete your account.” Tap on it. Instagram will then ask you to download a copy of your account data before deleting your account. Tap on Delete Your Account to continue.
Step 4: Give a Reason for your decision
Instagram will ask you why you want to leave the platform permanently. Choose a reason from the most common reasons stated in the drop-down list. Based on the reason your choose for your decision to delete your IG account, Instagram will ask you to get the needed help from the help center to fix whatever issue you are facing.
Step 5: Enter your Instagram Password
After you have finished stating the reason for deleting your Instagram account, you will be asked to put in your password. You cannot permanently remove your Instagram account without entering your IG password. Once you put in the password, click on delete.
You have now sent in the application to delete your Insta account to Instagram. Instagram will notify you that your account, as well as all data associated with it, will be permanently erased 30 days after you submit your request. As a result, deleting everything you’ve submitted could take up to 90 days.
It also warns that it may keep a copy of your data in its backup after the 90-day period has passed and that it will only utilise it in the event of a disaster, software mistake, or other data loss, or for legal reasons, violations, or damage prevention efforts.
How to Save Your Instagram Account Data Before Permanently Deleting It?
Deleting your insta account is a one-time action. All of your posts and comments from the past few years will be lost forever. If you don’t save it first, that is.
- On your phone, open Instagram and tap the profile symbol in the lower right corner.
- In the top right corner, tap the hamburger icon.
- Scroll to the bottom and tap Settings.
- Go to the Security tab.
- Select Download Data from the drop-down menu.
- Tap Request Download and provide your email address.
Instagram will send a complete copy of your profile to the email address you supplied within 48 hours. Your images, comments, profile information, and anything else you might need in the future will be stored there. If you don’t save your profile data, you’ll lose all of your information when you delete your Instagram profile—and no matter what you do, you’ll never get it back.
Frequently Asked Questions About Permanently Deleting IG Profile
Q1. Why can’t I delete my Instagram account?
There are a few reasons why you are unable to successfully delete your IG account. Firstly, it’s a possibility that you have not completed all the deletion steps properly. Another reason can be that you aren’t typing in the right password due to which Instagram is rejecting your request to delete your IG account.
Q2. How do you delete an Instagram account without the password?
You cannot delete an Instagram account without a password. Instagram needs to verify that it is the owner of the account that is requesting the deletion of the account and the only way to do that is through password verification. If you have forgotten your password, then you need to reset it. Once you reset your password you can delete your account easily. However, if you have lost your password and don’t have access to the email address and phone number linked to your account then you will have to log into your IG account via Facebook and then link your latest email id. Then you can reset the password and delete your IG account.
But if your account is hacked then you will have to recover it using Instagram support’s help.
Q3. Does Instagram delete inactive accounts?
Yes, Instagram deletes accounts that are inactive for a long time. Although the period of inactivity isn’t defined explicitly.
Q4. How long can Instagram account be deactivated?
Earlier Instagram automatically reactivated your Instagram account after a week of disabling it. However, now you can deactivate your account for as long as you want. There is no time limit, unless you reactivate your IG account it will stay deactivated.
Q5. Can I reactivate my Instagram account after deleting the account?
Once you have deleted your account, you can’t reactivate it. It’s gone forever, you can use the same email id to create another account but it won’t be the same deleted account. The permanence of this process is why Instagram recommends deactivating your Instagram account instead of deleting it.
Q6. What does a deleted account look like on Instagram?
A deleted account doesn’t exist. So it doesn’t look like anything. It’s just not there, if you search the username you won’t find anything. However, sometimes you do see a user not found error when you search for a deleted Instagram profile.
Conclusion
You now know how to delete Instagram account. You don’t need to do it through a PC; you can easily delete your Insta account from your mobile app. But before you delete your Instagram account permanently make sure you save all your account data, the way we taught you above.
And if you simply want to take a break from social media, you don’t need to delete your IG account. You can temporarily disable it. This way, all your posts, likes, comments, and followers remain as it is. You won’t lose any data from your IG profile and when you decide to get back on IG, which you will, all your profile progress will be as is.