How to Temporarily Deactivate Instagram (Or Delete It): 2023

You’re looking for ways to deactivate Instagram temporarily, huh?

Sometimes, clients resort to deleting their social media accounts for damage control purposes. Other times, they just need time to regroup and rethink their strategy before anyone else sees their profile.

Whatever the reason, social media managers need to know how to deactivate Instagram accounts (or permanently delete them).

And that’s what we’ll cover in this guide.

What you’ll learn:

• Things to consider before you temporarily deactivate Instagram
• Temporarily deactivate your Instagram account with a browser
• Temporarily deactivate your account via the Instagram app
• How to delete an Instagram account permanently
• How to maintain a healthy Instagram publishing strategy
• Customers Also Ask
• Take the hassle out of Instagram publishing with Vista Social

Things to consider before you temporarily deactivate Instagram

“I need to temporarily deactivate my account.” 

The moment your client utters those words, you need to hit them back with a question: 

Why?

Deactivating your account, even temporarily, may cause a hit on your client’s brand. Not only will they miss out on potential leads and sales, their temporary absence may also confuse their existing followers—forcing them to look elsewhere for content or products.

While it isn’t common practice, there are a handful of reasons where deactivating your client’s IG account might makes sense:

• Rebranding or brand overhaul
• Legal or compliance issue
• Cybersecurity concerns
• Crisis or controversy

The points above are some of the most common reasons why brands temporarily disable or delete their Instagram accounts. However, for the most part, you ought to avoid disabling since you missout on the benefits your clients might reap from having an active Instagram.

What does deactivating Instagram actually do?

When you deactivate an Instagram account, nothing is lost permanently. 

Everything—including your client’s Instagram following list order, photos, comments, Reels, and likes—will be intact when you reactivate. And rather than temporarily pulling them down from Instagram’s servers, your client’s account data will only be hidden. 

It’s also important to tell your client that they can only deactivate an account once per week. So, if they’re trying to avoid a controversial topic or a surge of trolls, they need to plan the timing of their deactivation strategically. 

Finally, you should inform your client about the differences between deactivating and permanently deleting your Instagram account. 

What’s the difference between deactivating and deleting an Instagram account?

Account deactivation on Instagram is completely reversible. But if you delete your Instagram account, you only have 30 days to change your decision. 

There’s no Instagram appeal form or contact number you can use to restore a deleted account after 30 days have passed. Your photos, files, conversations, Reels, Stories, and other profile details will be irretrievable.

However, deleted account data will remain on Instagram’s backup storage for up to 90 days. You still won’t be able to access your data, but Instagram will hold on to it for purposes like terms violations investigations, legal issues, and harm prevention cases. 

Downloading a copy of your Instagram data

Let’s say your client decides to either deactivate or delete their Instagram account. 

Before doing either, it’s important to store a backup of their Instagram data. 

Instagram backups let them restore all their content in a fresh, new account. It also enables you to repurpose their content for other campaigns. 

Learning how to save Instagram Story with music, Reel videos, and feed content is a step in the right direction. But in order to download ALL Instagram data in one fell swoop, follow these instructions: 

Step 1: Log into Instagram and head to the profile page. Tap the three horizontal lines in the upper-right corner. 

Step 2: On the pop-up menu, tap ‘Your activity.’ 

Step 3: On “Your activity” page, scroll down and tap ‘Download your information.’ 

Step 4: On the next page, tap ‘Request download’ to request a copy of your (or your client’s) account data. 

Step 5: Choose the Instagram account you want to download a copy for. Tap ‘Next’ and choose whether to download all information or just a specified set of data. 

Step 6: Finally, specify the file options for your data download. It may take longer, but choosing ‘All time’ for the date range and ‘High’ for media quality is recommended (for content repurposing). 

Tap ‘Submit request’ and wait for the email notification when your download is ready. 

Tip: Remember that your download will only be available for four days. After expiration, you’ll need to request a new copy of your client’s Instagram information.

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Temporarily deactivate your Instagram account with a browser

Now that your client’s Instagram data is safe and secure, you can proceed with the account’s deactivation.

Step 1: On a desktop browser, go to Instagram.com and log in to your client’s account. 

Step 2: Click ‘More’ in the bottom-left corner. 

Step 3: Click ‘Settings’ in the pop-up menu. On the “Edit profile” page,  scroll down and click ‘Temporarily deactivate my account.’ 

Step 4: Select your reason for deactivating and enter your password to confirm account ownership. If you choose ‘This is temporary, I’ll be back,’ you can set an automatic re-activation time for the Instagram account. 

Click ‘Temporarily deactivate account’ to complete the process. 

Temporarily deactivate your account via the Instagram app

You can also deactivate your client’s account via the Instagram mobile app. 

Let us show you how: 

Step 1: Load up your Instagram iOS or Android app and head to the profile page. From there, tap the three horizontal lines in the top-right corner to pull up the menu. 

Step 2: Tap ‘Settings’ in the pop-up menu. 

Step 3: On the “Settings” page, tap ‘Account’ to go to the account settings page. Scroll to the bottom and tap ‘Delete account.’ 

Step 4: Tap ‘Deactivate account’ on the “Delete account” page. 

Step 5: Instagram will launch the mobile browser and take you to a page where you can complete the deactivation process. Just specify your reason for deactivation, enter your client’s Instagram password, and tap ‘Temporarily Deactivate Account.’ 

How to delete an Instagram account permanently 

If your client insists that temporarily deactivating their account won’t suffice, it’s time to put the hammer down and proceed with permanent account deletion. 

Below are the steps to do this. 

Step 1: Log in to your client’s Instagram account and head to the profile page. 

Step 2: Tap the three horizontal lines in the top-right corner. 

Step 3: Go to ‘Settings’ and tap ‘Account’ to go to the account settings page. 

Step 4: Scroll to the bottom of the page and tap ‘Delete account.’ 

Step 5: Tap ‘Delete account’ and choose ‘Continue deleting account’ when shown the option. 

How to maintain a healthy Instagram publishing strategy

Deactivating or deleting an Instagram account is rarely ever good news, especially for agencies and social media managers.

After all, an account deactivation or deletion request could spell the end of your job.

To keep yourself on your client’s payroll, you need to step up your Instagram publishing game. 

Bolstering your client’s Instagram campaign with Vista Social

Let’s cut to the chase: Vista Social is the only social media management platform you need to excel not just on Instagram, but other networks as well. 

Use it to build and sustain an effective Instagram publishing strategy that aligns with the target audience’s content preferences. 

Start with a content calendar that’s based on their Instagram habits. 

For starters, use the Vista Social publisher to reveal the ideal posting times based on previous content engagement. Just click ‘Show optimal times’ when scheduling a new post. 

You can build an automated Instagram schedule based on these posting times.

For this, go to ‘Settings’ and select ‘Publishing Settings.’ You’ll be able to configure your automated schedule under “Publishing Queues.” 

Keep in mind that there’s more to Instagram success than just pretty pictures and inspiring slogans. 

Ensure your content is fine-tuned down to the last pixel for maximum user experience. We’re talking about using the perfect Instagram Reels dimensions, image aspect ratios, and content elements (stickers, filters, etc.). 

When in doubt, use Vista Social’s built-in image editor to nail every post’s formatting specs. 

Don’t forget to sprinkle your Instagram content with the necessary text elements. This includes hashtags, photo dump captions, mentions, and more. 

And yes—Vista Social can help with that, too.

Additional tips for a healthy Instagram campaign

• Have an internal social media approval process to ensure every post is brand-safe and relevant to the client’s campaign objectives. 
• Use Instagram drafts to give your team (and your client) more control over content publishing and approvals. 
• Get to know your target audience’s preferences with Instagram poll questions.
• Track Instagram marketing performance over time with Vista Social’s reporting tools. 

Customers Also Ask

How long can you temporarily deactivate Instagram account?

An Instagram account can remain deactivated indefinitely. The only restriction is, you can only temporarily deactivate an account once per week. 

Does temporarily deactivating Instagram delete everything?

No—temporarily deactivating an account doesn’t delete anything from Instagram’s servers. Photos, captions, messages, and user interactions will remain hidden until the account is reactivated. 

How do I recover my deactivated Instagram account?

To reactivate an Instagram account, simply log in with the account’s credentials. You will be logged in to the account and regain access to Instagram’s features as usual. 

Take the hassle out of Instagram with Vista Social

Want to keep a healthy and productive Instagram campaign?

Here’s a tip: get yourself a reliable social media management platform. 

Vista Social’s arsenal of social media management tools is second to none. Schedule posts, track conversations, analyze performance metrics, and even manage online reviews—it’s all here. 

See the magic in action by creating a free trial here!