How to Deactivate Instagram (The Ultimate Guide for 2024)

Instagram can be an excellent platform for businesses and individuals, but there may come a time when you need to deactivate your account. Perhaps you’re taking a break from social media or moving to new social media platforms. This article addresses how to deactivate Instagram, how many times you can do so, and the difference between deleting and deactivating your account.

Delete or Deactivate Instagram?

Let’s first understand the difference between deactivating and deleting an Instagram account.

Deleting your account is a permanent action. It will permanently delete all your account data, including photos you have posted, comments or messages you have sent or received, and other information associated with that account.

On the other hand, when you temporarily disable Instagram, you remove it from being seen by others until you reactivate your account—which you can do at any time. Your account will not be permanently deleted but will disappear from the public eye.

So the difference in these two options boils down to permanence—deactivation is removing your account temporarily, while deletion means goodbye forever.

How to Deactivate Instagram

Now that we’ve understood the simple difference between deactivating and deleting an Instagram account, let’s consider the simple step-by-step process to deactivate your account.

Step 1: Log in to Your Instagram Account

Log in to your account via computer. It’s essential to understand that you cannot temporarily delete Instagram from the mobile Instagram app, as per Instagram’s rules. So logging in from a browser is the most suitable option.

Step 2: Go to Edit Profile

After logging in, click on your profile picture at the top-right part of your display and click Profile, where you’ll find the option Edit Profile.

Step 3: Click ‘Temporarily Disable My Account’

Once you click Edit profile, scroll down to find the option ‘Temporarily disable my account’ at the bottom-right.

Step 4: Answer ‘Why Are You Disabling Your Account?’

To deactivate your Instagram account, select an option from the drop-down menu next to ‘Why are you disabling your account?’ Then, re-enter your password to provide additional security and ensure that your Instagram isn’t hacked—this confirms that it’s you who is disabling your account.

The option to disable your account will only appear when you’ve selected why you want to disable it.

Step 5: Temporarily Disable Account

Finally, click ‘Temporarily disable my account’, and your account will be deactivated.

Key Takeaways

How Many Times Can You Deactivate Instagram?

As previously mentioned, you can reactivate your account as soon as you log back in. But there’s a restriction in this process of deactivating and reactivating your account.

Currently, Instagram only allows you to disable your account once a week. So if you disable your account and recover it, you must wait a week before you can disable your account again. 

Apart from this restriction, you can disable your account and reactivate it as many times as you like, allowing you to control your account and privacy.

Additional Information

Now that you know the process, consider additional information regarding Instagram deactivation to help you make an informed decision.

• You can quickly download all your Instagram data before you disable your Instagram account, including pictures, tagged photos, Instagram stories, messages, etc. Simply go to your Instagram Settings, select Security, and under Data and History tap Download Data.
• Other Instagram users will not be able to find your username or account once you disable it, as it won’t be visible to others. Even if others search for you via DMs, all they will see is an account named ‘Instagrammer’.
• If someone does land on your account, your account will display ‘No Posts Yet’ and zero followers.

When you decide to come back, make sure you post at the right time to reach a wider audience, indicating to everyone that you’ve reactivated your account.

Conclusion

If you’ve decided to disable Instagram, you must know the difference between disabling and deleting your account. Disabling your account is temporary while deleting your account will permanently remove it. The steps to disable your account are simple—go to Edit Profile and disable it by stating your reason. You can disable your account as many times as you like, allowing control over your account and privacy.