To delete your Instagram account permanently, open Accounts Center from the menu, go to Deactivation or deletion, choose the account and select Delete account. Instagram then removes your profile, photos, videos, comments, likes and followers. The request does not take effect at once: 30 days after it, the profile and all of its information are permanently deleted and cannot be retrieved. If you want to keep anything, export a copy of your information before you start, because after deletion the export tool is no longer available to you. This guide covers how to delete an Instagram account step by step, what to check first and what happens afterwards, based on the Instagram Help Center as of October 2026.
Before you delete: four checks
A few minutes here can save you from losing something you cannot get back.
- Export your information first. Go to Accounts Center, then Your information and permissions, then Export your information. Tap Create export, pick the profile, choose Export to device, set the date range, format and media quality, and tap Start export. Instagram says it may take up to 30 days to email you an export link, and once the export is ready you have four days to download it from Available downloads. Wait for the file before you delete.
- Check what else is linked. The Help Center states that deleting your Instagram account also deletes your Threads profile.
- Make sure you can log in. For security reasons, Instagram cannot delete a profile for you. You need to be signed in to make the request, so recover a lost password before anything else.
- Decide whether you need a break instead. Deactivating Instagram hides your profile, photos, comments and likes until you log back in. If you are unsure, start there.
How to delete your Instagram account, step by step
Instagram is gradually moving people to Meta Accounts, so the starting point may be called Accounts Center or Meta Account settings; the Help Center treats both as the place to manage your account. In the app on iPhone or Android:
- Go to your profile and tap Menu in the top right.
- Tap Accounts Center, then Personal details.
- Tap Account ownership and control, then Deactivation or deletion.
- Select the account you want to remove.
- Choose Delete account and tap Continue.
Some accounts show a different screen: Accounts Center, then Profiles and personal details, then Manage next to the account. From there, Deactivation or deletion and Delete account work the same way.
On a computer, click More in the bottom left, then Settings, then Accounts Center, and follow the same path through Profiles and personal details, Manage and Deactivation or deletion.
What happens in the 30 days after your request
During those 30 days your content is not accessible to other people using Instagram, although it remains subject to Instagram’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. The Help Center adds that the number of days in which you can cancel a deletion varies by region, and its deletion article does not spell out the cancellation steps. The safe reading is simple: treat the request as final and only send it once your export has arrived.
After 30 days the profile and all its information are permanently deleted. The full process can take up to 90 days from the moment it begins. Copies of your content may stay in backup storage after that, which Instagram keeps to recover from a disaster, a software error or other data loss, and some information can be kept for reasons such as legal issues or terms violations.
What happens to your username
Once the profile has been deleted, you can sign up again with the same username, or add it to another profile, as long as no one else has taken it first. There is no reservation: if the name matters to you, assume someone may claim it. The exception is an account removed for violating the Community Standards, in which case you may not be able to sign up with that username again.
Deleting, or simply starting again
People delete accounts for very different reasons, and permanent deletion only fits some of them. If you need time away, deactivation keeps everything and is undone by logging back in, although you can only deactivate once a week. If privacy is the concern, switching to a private account may be enough.
If the real goal is a fresh start under a new name, keep in mind that a new account begins with no followers and no history. Post a few things first so visitors find real content. After that, free Instagram followers and free Instagram likes can give a public profile a small, repeatable start without a password. They change a number, not your audience: Instagram decides who sees your posts, and counts from any outside service can drop over time. The other free Instagram services are on the Instagram page.
Sources: help.instagram.com, help.instagram.com, help.instagram.com, help.instagram.com, help.instagram.com