How to delete Threads without deleting Instagram
Steps last checked
Can I delete Threads without deleting my Instagram account?
Yes. Threads profiles can be deleted independently. In the Threads app go to Settings, then Account, then Deactivate or delete profile, and choose Delete profile. Your Instagram account is unaffected.
This changed, and most guides are still wrong. At launch, deleting Threads required deleting Instagram as well — a widely criticised design. Meta separated them, and a standalone Threads deletion has been available since. If a guide tells you the accounts are inseparable, it predates the change.
You cannot rejoin for 90 days. Meta states that after a Threads account is deleted you must wait 90 days before signing up again with the same Instagram account. Deactivating has no such penalty — if there is any chance you will come back, deactivate.
Delete your Threads profile
Threads in Accounts Center is not available everywhere yet, so there are two paths. Try the first; if you do not see Threads in Accounts Center, use the second.
If you have Threads in Accounts Center
- Open the Threads app and tap Profile (bottom right).
- Tap the ☰ menu (top right).
- Tap Accounts Center, then Personal details.
- Tap Account ownership and control, then Deactivation or deletion.
- Tap the account you want to delete permanently.
- Tap Delete account.
- Select a reason, then tap Continue.
If you do not
- Tap Profile (bottom right), then the ☰ menu.
- Tap Account settings, then Personal details.
- Tap Deactivation or deletion.
- Tap the account you want to remove.
- Tap Delete profile at the bottom, then follow the prompts.
Meta cannot delete a Threads account on your behalf — you have to be logged in to request it.
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.
How to cancel the deletion
Log back into your Threads profile before the deadline and tap Log in to confirm the cancellation. Your profile and its content become visible again. Unlike most platforms, simply logging in is not enough on its own — you have to confirm at the prompt.
Deactivate instead
Deactivating hides your Threads profile, posts, replies and likes while leaving Instagram untouched, and it is instantly reversible. Unlike Instagram's once-a-week limit, you can toggle Threads deactivation freely — which makes it a genuinely good option if you are unsure.
Things to know
- Your Instagram account is not touched by either action, provided you use the Threads app's own settings rather than Accounts Center.
- Your Threads posts are removed after the grace period.
- Fediverse copies: if you turned on fediverse sharing, posts already federated to Mastodon and other servers are outside Meta's control and may persist on those servers.
- Deleting Instagram does still remove Threads along with it — the independence runs one way only.
Common questions
Does deleting Threads delete my Instagram account?
No. Deleting a Threads profile from the Threads app leaves Instagram fully intact. The reverse is not true — deleting Instagram removes Threads too.
Can I use Threads again after deleting my profile?
Not immediately. Meta requires a 90-day wait before you can sign up again with the same Instagram account, and your previous posts, followers and replies never come back. Deactivating instead avoids the wait entirely.