Instagram has come a long way since launching in 2010. What started as a simple photo-sharing app has grown into a massive social platform, now packed with messaging, stories, Reels, shopping features and more.
Its parent company, Meta, has even introduced a couple of side apps to support Instagram users – Threads for staying connected through text and Edits for creating better Reels.
Instagram is popular across all age groups, with millions logging in every day. It has also become a major tool for influencers and businesses to connect with a wide audience.
But what if you are ready to step away from it all? What if you want to delete your Instagram account or at least take a break?
In this guide, I will walk you through how to delete or temporarily disable your Instagram account, how to save your photos before doing anything drastic and how to log out on both iOS and Android.
You've got two options when it comes to turning off your Instagram account. The first is to permanently delete it. That means everything – your profile, posts, messages – gets wiped from Instagram's system and there is no way to get it back.
The second option is to temporarily disable your account. This hides your profile and content from the platform, making it look like you've disappeared, but you can come back and reactivate it anytime you want.
How to delete your Instagram on iPhone permanently
If you are using an iPhone or iPad and want to delete your Instagram account through the app, here's what to do:
Tap your profile picture in the bottom right to open your profile.
Hit the three horizontal lines in the top right.
Go to the Accounts Center.
Select Personal Details, then Account Ownership and Control.
Choose Deactivation or Deletion, then pick the account you want to remove.
Tap Delete Account, then hit Continue.
Enter your password and select a reason for leaving.
Finally, tap Delete Account to confirm.
If you follow these steps, you should have no problem deleting your account. | Image credit – PhoneArena
How to delete your Instagram on Android permanently
If you are on Android, the steps to delete your Instagram account are almost the same as on iOS. While it used to be something you could only do through a browser, now it is possible right in the app.
Tap your profile picture in the bottom right to go to your profile.
Tap the three-line menu icon in the top right.
Head into the Accounts Center, then tap Personal details.
Select Account ownership and control.
Tap on Deactivation or deletion.
Pick the account you want to delete.
Choose Delete account, then tap Continue.
Select a reason for deleting your account, then tap Continue again.
Enter your password to confirm.
Finally, tap Delete account to complete the process.
These are the steps you have to follow to delete your account in the Android app. | Image credit – PhoneArena
How to delete your Instagram on PC permanently
Deleting your Instagram account from a PC isn't all that different – just a bit more mouse-clicking involved. And while most people use the mobile app these days, if you are sticking with the desktop version, here is how to do it:
You can either go straight to the Account ownership and control settings in the Accounts Center or follow these steps:
Click More in the bottom left corner, then go to Settings.
Click Accounts Center, then select Personal details.
Choose Account ownership and control, then click Deactivation or deletion.
Pick the account you want to permanently delete.
Click Delete account, then hit Continue.
Remember that deleting your Instagram account is permanent, meaning you won't be able to get your profile, photos, videos, comments, likes and followers back once it's gone.
Also, once you start deleting your Instagram account, it can take up to 90 days for the process to fully complete. And even after that, some copies of your data might stick around in backup storage that Meta uses for disaster recovery, software errors or other data loss situations. Plus, Meta might keep certain info longer for legal reasons, to handle terms violations or to prevent harm.
How to temporarily deactivate your Instagram account
You can just take a break from it all. | Image credit – PhoneArena
Deactivating your Instagram account is pretty much the same as deleting it – except at the very end, you pick Deactivate instead of Delete. That one choice is what changes everything.
How to deactivate your Instagram account on iPhone
So, on iOS, temporarily deactivating your Instagram account is just like deleting it – same steps, different ending.
Here's what to do:
Open the Instagram app and tap your profile picture.
Tap the three lines in the top right corner.
Go to Accounts Center.
Tap Personal details, then Account ownership and control.
Choose Deactivation or deletion, then pick the account you want to deactivate.
Tap Deactivate account, then hit Continue.
Enter your password, select a reason for deactivating.
Finally, tap Deactivate account to confirm.
How to deactivate your Instagram account on Android
And here is how to temporarily deactivate your Instagram account on Android. Again, it is the same process as deleting – just choose deactivate instead of delete at the end:
Open the Instagram app on your Android device.
Tap your profile picture.
Tap the three-line menu icon in the top right.
Go to the Accounts Center, then tap Personal details.
Select Account ownership and control.
Tap Deactivation or deletion.
Choose the account you want to deactivate.
Tap Deactivate account, then tap Continue.
Enter your password to confirm.
Pick a reason for deactivating, then tap Continue again.
Tap Deactivate account one last time to finish it up.
How to deactivate your Instagram account on a PC
To temporarily deactivate your Instagram account on a PC, just follow these steps:
Log into the Instagram account you want to deactivate.
Click More in the bottom left, then select Settings.
Click Accounts Center, then go to Personal details.
Select Account ownership and control, then Deactivation or deletion.
Choose the account you want to temporarily deactivate.
Click Deactivate account, then hit Continue.
Enter your password and click Continue again.
Select a reason for deactivating, then click Continue.
Finally, click Deactivate account to complete the process.
How to download your Instagram photos on iPhone or Android
There are two ways to save your Instagram photos directly to your device. You can either turn on the "Save Original Photos" option to keep a copy of what you post or download all your data – including photos – through Instagram's settings.
To automatically save your original photos as you post:
Open the Instagram app and go to your profile by tapping your profile picture.
Tap the three-line menu icon in the top right corner.
Go to Archiving and Downloading.
Toggle Save original photos to the on position.
This setting will save any unedited photo or video you take with Instagram's feed camera straight to your phone's camera roll.
To download your Instagram data, including photos:
Open Instagram and go to your profile.
Tap the three-line menu icon in the top right.
Tap Your activity.
Select Download your information.
Choose what you want to download (make sure photos are selected), the format, and where you want it saved.
Confirm the request and follow the prompts to download your data to your phone.
How to log out of your Instagram account on iOS and Android
Just scroll all the way down and tap Log out. | Image credit – PhoneArena
Logging out of Instagram is quick and easy. Here's how to do it:
Open the Instagram app.
Tap your profile picture to go to your profile.
Tap the three-line menu icon in the top right corner.
Scroll all the way down and tap Log out.
If you are signed in to multiple accounts, choose the one you want to log out of.
And that's it – you are logged out.
As you can see, most of the stuff you would want to do with your account lives under the three-dot menu. Just tap it and scroll through – everything is laid out there. If you are not sure what something does, the app actually does a solid job explaining each step so you know what your are getting into.
That said, double-check before making any big changes. Once you confirm something, there is no guarantee you can undo it later.
Grab Surfshark VPN now at more than 50% off and with 3 extra months for free!
Tsveta, a passionate technology enthusiast and accomplished playwright, combines her love for mobile technologies and writing to explore and reveal the transformative power of tech. From being an early follower of PhoneArena to relying exclusively on her smartphone for photography, she embraces the immense capabilities of compact devices in our daily lives. With a Journalism degree and an explorative spirit, Tsveta not only provides expert insights into the world of gadgets and smartphones but also shares a unique perspective shaped by her diverse interests in travel, culture, and visual storytelling.
A discussion is a place, where people can voice their opinion, no matter if it
is positive, neutral or negative. However, when posting, one must stay true to the topic, and not just share some
random thoughts, which are not directly related to the matter.
Things that are NOT allowed:
Off-topic talk - you must stick to the subject of discussion
Offensive, hate speech - if you want to say something, say it politely
Spam/Advertisements - these posts are deleted
Multiple accounts - one person can have only one account
Impersonations and offensive nicknames - these accounts get banned
To help keep our community safe and free from spam, we apply temporary limits to newly created accounts:
New accounts created within the last 24 hours may experience restrictions on how frequently they can
post or comment.
These limits are in place as a precaution and will automatically lift.
Moderation is done by humans. We try to be as objective as possible and moderate with zero bias. If you think a
post should be moderated - please, report it.
Have a question about the rules or why you have been moderated/limited/banned? Please,
contact us.
![Verizon users should be on their guard after post from hacker [UPDATED]](https://m-cdn.phonearena.com/images/article/171839-wide-two_350/Verizon-users-should-be-on-their-guard-after-post-from-hacker-UPDATED.webp)
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed:
To help keep our community safe and free from spam, we apply temporary limits to newly created accounts: