How to delete your Instagram account
Instagram is a photo and short-video sharing app owned by Meta, with over 2 billion monthly users. Meta stores your photos, videos, stories, DMs, search history, contact list (if synced), face-recognition data, device identifiers, and location data. Deletion is a hard-stop after 30 days — but Instagram also keeps copies of some of your DMs in other recipients' inboxes and uses some data to train recommendation systems.
Delete your Instagram account, step by step
- 1Go to instagram.com/accounts/remove/request/permanent (or in-app: Profile > Menu > Settings and privacy > Accounts Center > Personal details > Account ownership and control > Deactivation or deletion)
- 2Select the Instagram account you want to delete
- 3Choose 'Delete account'
- 4Select a reason and read the warnings
- 5Re-enter your password
- 6Click 'Delete account'
- 7Your account is disabled immediately; permanent deletion completes 30 days later
What actually happens when you delete
Gets removed
- ✓Your profile, username, photos, videos, reels, and stories
- ✓Followers, following, and saved collections
- ✓Direct messages from your inbox (recipients keep their copy)
- ✓Likes and comments you made (the count is removed)
- ✓Linked third-party app permissions
Stays behind
- ✗DMs you sent stay visible in the recipients' inboxes
- ✗Comments on other accounts' posts may remain as '[Instagrammer]' or attributed to deleted profile
- ✗Backups Meta keeps for up to 90 days for technical recovery purposes
- ✗Aggregated, de-identified data Meta uses for ad and recommendation models
- ✗Your linked Facebook account (delete that separately if you want it gone)
Before you delete
Download your data BEFORE deleting — once the 30-day window passes, recovery is impossible. Deleting Instagram does NOT delete your Facebook account even though both are owned by Meta. If you have a paid subscription (e.g. Meta Verified), cancel it first to avoid being charged during the deactivation window.
Download your data from Instagram first
Most platforms only honor a data-export request while the account is still active. Do this before you delete.
- 1Open Accounts Center > 'Your information and permissions' > 'Download your information'
- 2Choose Instagram, then 'Some of your information' or 'All available information'
- 3Pick the format (JSON for machine-readable, HTML for browsable)
- 4Select a date range and click 'Submit request'
- 5You'll receive a download link by email, usually within 48 hours
Want to take a break instead? Deactivate
Deactivation hides your profile without permanently destroying it. Logging back in restores everything.
- 1Go to instagram.com/accounts/remove/request/temporary on a browser (deactivation is hidden on the iOS/Android app)
- 2Log in if prompted
- 3Choose a reason and re-enter your password
- 4Click 'Temporarily deactivate account'
- 5Your profile is hidden until you log back in
If deletion fails — or you live in the EU, UK, or California
You have a legal right to request erasure of your personal data under GDPR (EU/UK) and CCPA (California). Use these official channels if the self-service flow doesn't work.
Instagram deletion FAQs
How long does Instagram keep my data after I delete my account?+
Most personal content is removed within 90 days of the deletion request. Meta keeps backups for up to 90 days for disaster recovery, plus a smaller set of data they're required to retain by law (fraud, safety, billing) for longer.
Will deleting Instagram delete my Facebook account?+
No. Instagram and Facebook are owned by the same company but are separate accounts under your Accounts Center. You have to delete Facebook through its own deletion flow.
What happens to my DMs when I delete my Instagram account?+
Messages disappear from your side, but every recipient keeps their copy in their own inbox — Instagram cannot pull messages back from other users. If a conversation is sensitive, ask the other person to delete the thread before you close your account.
Can I get my Instagram username back after deletion?+
Generally no. Instagram does not promise to release deleted usernames, and in practice they're often locked indefinitely to prevent impersonation. Don't delete the account expecting to re-register the same handle later.
How do I delete a second Instagram account if I have multiple?+
Each Instagram account has to be deleted individually. Switch into the account you want to delete (Profile > username dropdown), then walk through the deletion flow for that specific login.
I forgot the password to an old Instagram account — how do I delete it?+
Use 'Forgot password' on the login screen first. If you no longer have access to the email or phone tied to the account, file a Meta support form via the Help Center; you may need to verify identity with ID before they can act.
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