Delete Instagram accounts
How to delete Instagram accounts might seem as simple as clicking delete, but social media networks are giving more options than just ‘clicking the rubbish bin’.
There is so much going on with social media these days that many people are taking a break or just switching off altogether. It could be an overwhelming amount of negativity from people fed up of current events, the barrage of celebrity trend sharers or talk of ‘fake news’ that has you switching off, but here are the options.
(To do all of this, you’ll need to be logged into your Instagram on a laptop or desktop. That seems illogical given that photos are usually taken and shared from photos, but that’s the way it works at the moment.)
Save your pictures before deleting your Instagram account
First of all, before we get to how to delete Instagram accounts, it’s important to remember that your Instagram account might well house some of your favourite shots. So download everything you don’t have backed up elsewhere.
You can save your photos by logging in using your email address and password, click “settings” (the icon that looks like a cog) on your profile page.
Click the “privacy & security” option on the menu, then select “request Download” under ‘data download.’
Enter your email address and select the “next” button. Instagram will then email you a downloadable file with all of the data from your Instagram account. This should happen within the next 48 hours.
Deleting your Instagram account
Are you absolutely sure you want to delete your Insta page? Because if you’re not but you really need or want a break, you can temporarily suspend your Instagram account and it’s really easy to do.
Go to your profile page and click the ‘edit profile’ button. Scroll to the bottom of the ‘Edit Profile’ page and there will be a clear option to ‘Temporarily disable my account’.
Clicking that will take you to a confirmation page where they’ll politely ask you what the reason behind it is – needing a break, removing some content, too many ads. Then you enter your password and you’re done.
It isn’t that easy to delete an Instagram permanently and this is no doubt to minimise the chances of too many people deleting their page on a whim, in a strop or by accident.
So to make it easier, you can just click this link. This will enable you to fill in your details in the exact same way and again, you will need your Instagram password to do this.
Before you delete your Instagram account…
Remember that once it’s deleted, it’s gone. Whilst you might be able to rejoin and create a new account, you will never be able to open an Insta account with the exact same username. So the main reasons to do this are:
- Permanently closing a company or brand name.
- You no longer wish to be found under that name.
- You have a new account you use more, or if you’re a business that is more successful.
If you’re in any doubt at all, it would be better to disable an Instagram temporarily while you think about it.
