How to Delete Your Instagram Account Permanently

To delete your Instagram account permanently, you log in, open Accounts Center in Settings, choose Deactivation or deletion, pick the account and select Delete account. This guide follows Instagram’s own Help Center pages, read on 21 October 2026, and explains the difference between deleting and temporarily deactivating, how to save your data first, and what happens during the grace period.

Menu names change as Instagram moves people from Accounts Center to Meta Accounts, so the labels you see may differ slightly from those below. If you want to leave because the account was compromised, see our guide to recovering a hacked Instagram account first.

Delete or deactivate?

The two options are different, and Instagram’s pages treat them separately.

Source: Instagram Help Center, read on 21 October 2026.

If you are unsure, deactivate first. Instagram also notes that if you do not want to deactivate but want to change who can see your profile, you can set your posts to private or block people. If the real issue is feeling pressured to post, our guide to how often to post covers common approaches.

Step 1: export your information

Instagram says that after your profile is deleted you will not have access to its Export your information tool, so do this first. Per Instagram’s page on reviewing and exporting your information:

1. Click More in the bottom left, then Settings.
2. Click Meta Account, then Your information and permissions.
3. Click Export your information, then Create export.
4. Select the profile to export, then click Next.
5. Select Export to device. You can choose specific information, a date range, format, notification email and media quality.
6. Click Start export.

Good to know:

• You need enough storage on your device. High-quality video makes the files larger, and choosing one type of information makes them smaller.
• Instagram says it may take up to 30 days to email an export link. You get an email and an Instagram notification when it is ready.
• An export to an external service is also an option. Instagram says a ready export is available for 4 days in the Available downloads section.
• Exporting is password-protected, and only you have access.

Because of the wait, start the export well before you plan to delete. Our Instagram tools roundup is also useful if you are scaling back and want to schedule posts rather than log in daily.

Step 2: delete your account

Instagram’s page on permanently deleting or deactivating your profile gives two sets of steps depending on what you see at the bottom of Accounts Center.

If you see “Manage accounts”

1. Click More in the bottom left, then Settings.
2. Click Accounts Center, then Profiles and personal details.
3. Click Manage next to the account type you want to delete.
4. Click Deactivation or deletion.
5. Click the account you want to permanently delete.
6. Click Delete account, then Continue.

If you see “Accounts”

1. Click More in the bottom left, then Settings.
2. Click Accounts Center at the top left.
3. Click Personal details under Account Settings.
4. Click Account ownership and control.
5. Click Deactivation or deletion.
6. Choose the account or profile, select Delete account, click Continue and follow the instructions to confirm.

Instagram says you can delete from a phone or a computer. Older guides, including an earlier version of this page, said deletion was only possible in a web browser. That is no longer what the Help Center states.

The 30-day window and the 90-day process

• 30 days: after 30 days from your deletion request, Instagram says your profile and all your information will be permanently deleted and cannot be retrieved. During those 30 days, the content remains subject to Instagram’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and is not accessible to other people using Instagram.
• Regional differences: Instagram notes that the number of days you can cancel a deletion varies by region.
• Up to 90 days: the deletion process can take up to 90 days after it begins. Copies may remain after that in backup storage used for disaster recovery, and Instagram may keep information for legal issues, terms violations or harm prevention. Its Privacy Policy has more.
• Your username: after deletion you can sign up again with the same username, or add it to another profile, as long as nobody new has taken it (see our guide to choosing an Instagram username if you want a new one). If a profile was removed for violating Community Standards, you may not be able to reuse the username.

The page does not spell out the exact way to cancel a deletion inside the window, so do not rely on a specific method; use Instagram’s help pages if you change your mind. For other how-tos, browse our Instagram guides.

Temporarily deactivate instead

Instagram’s page on temporarily deactivating your profile says your photos, comments and likes are hidden until you reactivate it by logging back in. You can do it from a computer, a mobile browser or the Instagram app, and only once a week.

Steps (if you see “Manage accounts” in Accounts Center)

1. Log in to Instagram.
2. Click More in the bottom left, then Settings.
3. Click Accounts Center, then Manage account.
4. Click Manage next to the profile you want to deactivate.
5. Click Deactivation or deletion and choose the profile.
6. Click Deactivate account, then Continue, and follow the instructions to confirm.

If your Accounts Center shows “Accounts” instead, the page gives the same route as the delete steps above (Personal details, Account ownership and control, Deactivation or deletion). Instagram’s page does not say how long to wait before logging back in, so we cannot give a number.

If you cannot log in

Instagram says that for security reasons it cannot delete a profile for you. You must be able to log in to request deletion, and the same goes for deactivating. If you have forgotten your password or username, Instagram has help pages for logging in. If the account was taken over, follow the hacked-account guide linked in the introduction first.

Other ways to take a break

• Make the account private or block specific people, as Instagram suggests.
• Change your username instead of starting over: see the username note above.
• Keep the account but rethink how you use it: posting less can reduce the pressure, as described above.
• Starting over for a project: see how to build an Instagram following before you wipe an account that already has one,.

FAQ

Can I recover a deleted Instagram account?

Only within the cancellation window. Instagram says that after 30 days from the request your profile and information are permanently deleted and cannot be retrieved. The window varies by region.

What is the difference between deactivating and deleting?

Deactivating hides your photos, comments and likes until you log back in. Deleting permanently removes your profile, photos, videos, comments, likes and followers.

How often can I deactivate?

Once a week, according to Instagram’s page.

Can I delete someone else’s account?

Instagram says it cannot delete a profile for you for security reasons, and you must be able to log in to request deletion. We found no Instagram help page that describes deleting another adult’s account. Do not log in to another person’s account without their permission.

Can I use the same username again?

After deletion you can sign up with the same username or add it to another profile, if nobody new has taken it. If the profile was removed for violating Community Standards, you may not be able to reuse it.

Will deleting Instagram delete my Facebook account?

The Instagram pages we read do not say. They describe deleting the Instagram profile only, so check Accounts Center and Meta’s own pages before assuming anything about other accounts.

Rules and menus change often. If something here is out of date, tell us on the contact page, as described in our editorial policy.

Further reading

• Instagram Help Center: Permanently delete or deactivate your Instagram profile
• Instagram Help Center: Temporarily deactivate your Instagram profile
• Instagram Help Center: Review and export a copy of your Instagram information