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How to Change Your Password on Instagram While Logged In

If you are signed in and know your current password, the change takes six taps in Accounts Center. Here is the path, plus what to check straight afterwards.

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Cover image with the article title: How to Change Your Password on Instagram While Logged In

Here is how to change password on Instagram when you are already logged in: go to your profile, tap Menu, open Accounts Center, then Password and security, tap Change password, pick the account, type your current password and the new one twice, and confirm. Two things are worth knowing before you start. You need the current password for this route, and changing it signs you out everywhere else. The steps below follow the Instagram Help Center, checked on 3 October 2026.

Before you start

The in-app route is for people who can still get into their account and remember their password. If you have forgotten it, this page is not the place to start: log out, tap Forgotten password? on the login screen, enter your username, email address or phone number, and Instagram sends a reset link to your email or phone.

It also helps to decide on the new password first. Instagram's minimum is six characters, but its own advice is to use at least eight, with a mix of numbers, letters and special characters. The next sections cover what else makes a password hard to guess.

How to change password on Instagram, step by step

The path is the same on Android and iPhone:

  1. Tap Profile or your profile picture in the bottom right.
  2. Tap Menu in the top right.
  3. Tap Accounts Center, then Password and security.
  4. Tap Change password, then the account you want to update.
  5. Enter your current password, then your new password.
  6. Re-type the new password and tap Change password.

If you manage several Instagram accounts in the same Accounts Center, step 4 is where you choose which one gets the new password, so read the username twice before you continue. On a computer, the option sits in the same place: open Accounts Center, then Password and security and Change password.

Six steps to change your Instagram password: profile, Menu, Accounts Center, Password and security, Change password, both passwords, confirm
This path needs your current password. If you have forgotten it, reset it from the login screen instead.

What to check straight afterwards

According to Instagram, “once you've updated your password, you'll be logged out of all other devices”. That is useful if you suspect someone else has access, but it also means your tablet or laptop will ask you to sign in again.

Next, look at where the account is used. In Accounts Center, open Password and security, then Where you're logged in to see recent login activity. To end a session, tap your account, scroll down, tap Select devices to log out, choose the devices and tap Log out. Instagram notes that not everyone sees this option in Accounts Center yet; if you don't, look under Security and Login activity in your settings, where an unfamiliar login can be marked “This wasn't me” before you follow the prompts to reset your password.

Choosing a password that holds up

Instagram's guidance for a strong password comes down to a few rules:

  • Length. At least six characters is the minimum; at least eight is the recommendation.
  • Variety. Combine numbers, letters and special characters.
  • Nothing personal. Leave out your email address, phone number and birthday.
  • Use it once. A password that also protects another site is only as safe as that site. Instagram explains that one reason it warns people their account is at risk is a password reused elsewhere and exposed in a breach. Third-party apps connected to the account are another.
Checklist of four signs of a strong Instagram password and two habits to avoid: personal details in the password and typing it into third-party sites
Instagram recommends a unique password and two-factor authentication together.

Add a second layer: two-factor authentication

A new password protects you until it leaks; two-factor authentication adds a code whenever someone tries to log in from a device Instagram doesn't recognise. Turn it on under Accounts Center, Password and security, Two-factor authentication, then choose the account and a method. Instagram offers an authentication app, which it recommends, text messages, and WhatsApp once text messages are set up. Keep the backup codes somewhere safe; they get you in if you lose access to your phone.

Ignore fake “change your password” messages

A common trick is a message that urges you to change your password through a link. Instagram is clear that it will never contact you about account security through Direct messages. For emails, open Accounts Center, Password and security, Recent emails: it lists what Instagram really sent in the last 14 days, so a security email that isn't there deserves suspicion. Real security emails come only from a short list of addresses, such as @mail.instagram.com and @support.instagram.com.

Our tools never ask for it

The same rule applies to growth tools. Nothing on our Instagram page needs your password: free Instagram followers and free Instagram story views work with a public username alone, so changing your password changes nothing for them. They are small, repeatable packages, and counts from outside services can drop later. Any site that asks for your Instagram password in exchange for likes or followers is a reason to change it again.

Sources: help.instagram.com, help.instagram.com, help.instagram.com, help.instagram.com, help.instagram.com, help.instagram.com

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Questions

Can I change my Instagram password without knowing the old one?

Not from Accounts Center: that path asks for your current password. If you have forgotten it, log out and use Forgotten password? on the login screen, where Instagram sends a reset link to your email address or phone number.

Will changing my password log me out of other phones and computers?

Yes. Instagram's help page on account warnings says that once you've updated your password, you'll be logged out of all other devices. You stay signed in on the device you used to make the change.

How long should my Instagram password be?

Instagram requires at least six characters and recommends at least eight. It also suggests mixing numbers, letters and special characters and not reusing a password you use anywhere else.

I got a message asking me to change my password. Is it real?

Check before you tap anything. Instagram says it will never contact you about account security through Direct messages, and emails it sent in the last 14 days are listed under Accounts Center, Password and security, Recent emails.

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