How to delete your Instagram account permanently

Steps last checked 15 August 2026

The old direct delete link is dead. instagram.com/accounts/remove/request/permanent/ now redirects to a help-centre article rather than the deletion form — a lot of guides still send you there. Deletion runs through Accounts Center, linked above.

Download your data first. Once the grace period expires, your photos, videos, messages and contact list are gone with no recovery path. Our data rescue checklist walks through it in about 10 minutes.

Delete Instagram from a browser (fastest)

Meta is mid-rollout of "Meta Accounts", so Accounts Center currently shows one of two layouts. Check which one you have at the bottom of the Accounts Center screen, then follow the matching list.

If you see "Manage accounts" at the bottom

1. Click More in the bottom left, then Settings.
2. Click Accounts Center, then Profiles and personal details.
3. Click Manage next to the account type you want to delete.
4. Click Deactivation or deletion.
5. Click the profile you want to delete permanently.
6. Click Delete account, then Continue.

If you see "Accounts" at the bottom

1. Click More in the bottom left, then Settings.
2. Click Accounts Center at the top left.
3. Click Personal details, under Account Settings.
4. Click Account ownership and control.
5. Click Deactivation or deletion.
6. Choose the account or profile you want to delete.
7. Select Delete account, click Continue, then follow the prompts.

The direct link above lands on step 4 of the second list once you are signed in, which skips most of the hunting.

Delete Instagram in the iPhone or Android app

Same Accounts Center screens, reached from the app: tap your profile picture, then the ☰ menu, then Settings and privacy, then Accounts Center. From there follow whichever of the two lists above matches your layout.

If Accounts Center shows Facebook and Instagram together, read the screen carefully — it is easy to delete both when you meant to delete one.

You have around 30 days to change your mind. The account is hidden immediately but not erased — log back in during that window and it is restored in full. Meta notes the exact cancellation window varies by region, and that fully completing deletion can take up to 90 days after it begins, with copies persisting in backup storage beyond that.

What happens to your photos, followers and DMs

• Photos and videos: erased after 30 days, unrecoverable.
• Followers and following: gone; the counts do not return if you re-register the same handle.
• Your username: released. Anyone can claim it, and Instagram will not hold it for you.
• Direct messages: removed from your inbox, but still visible to the people you messaged.
• Threads: no longer deleted automatically alongside Instagram — handle it separately.

Just want a break instead?

Deactivation hides your profile, posts and comments while keeping everything intact, and you can reverse it by simply logging back in. In the app: Settings and privacy → Accounts Center → Personal details → Account ownership and control → Deactivation or deletion → Deactivate account. Instagram limits you to one deactivation per week.