It’s hard to let go of things sometimes, especially when it comes to social media. We get so attached to our online identities that parting with them can be difficult. It is the connection and the bond you build with your online community which becomes an inevitable part of your routine, and you never want to delete the Instagram account permanently. But what if you had to delete your Instagram account? What if there was no other way? Irrespective of why you may have to do it, the question here is how you can delete the account. 

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the process step-by-step so that you can delete your account permanently and without any hassle. But, first, decide if you really want to delete your account or just take a break. If you just want to take a break, then you can deactivate your account instead of deleting it.

Decide Whether You Want to Disable or Delete Your Account

You may want to delete your account because you want to start afresh and create a new Instagram avatar. Or you may want to delete the account because the business to which the page belongs doesn’t exist anymore. Depending on your situation, you may be interested in deactivating or deleting your Instagram account. Here’s a brief rundown of each:

What Happens When You Disable Your Instagram Account?

When you disable your account, your profile, photos, videos, comments, and likes will all be hidden until you decide to reactivate it. If you change your mind about disabling your account, you can always reactive it by logging back in. Anybody looking for you on the platform will not be able to find your content or any other detail until you log back in and enable your account. It is different from when you delete instagram account. Let us learn about the deletion. 

What Happens When You Delete Your Instagram Account?

When you delete your Instagram account, it’s gone forever. That means all of your good Instagram posts, videos, comments, and likes will be permanently deleted. If you decide to create a new account in the future, you will have to start from scratch.

As there is no coming back from deletion, you should makeup your mind and go for it only when you are sure you don’t want any content or engagement that is there on your account. Before you make any decisions, consider what you want to achieve by disabling or deleting your account. If you’re just taking a break from social media, then disabling your account may be the best option. But, if you’re absolutely sure that you never want to use Instagram again, then deleting your account is probably your best bet. So, sit back and give a few minutes to yourself to understand the idea behind getting rid of the Instagram account. Do not make impulsive decisions in the heat of the moment, as deletion can never be undone.

How to Temporarily Disable Your Instagram Account

If you want to take a break from Instagram but don’t want to delete your account permanently, then you can disable it. You won’t have to search about how I can delete my Instagram account and rather just look for the disabling procedure. When you disable your account, your profile, photos, videos, comments, and likes will all be hidden until you decide to reactive it. It is an ideal way to take a break and disappear from the social media platform for sometime until you feel like interacting with people again. You can keep your account disabled for as long as you want, but the moment you log back in, everything will just appear where you left it.

If you change your mind about disabling your account, you can always reactive it by logging back in. To disable your account:

1. Log into your Instagram account and go to your profile page.

2. Tap the three dots in the top-right corner and select “Edit Profile”.

3. Scroll down and tap “Temporarily disable my account”.

4. Select a reason for why you’re disabling your account and tap “Temporarily Disable Account”.

5. Enter your password and tap “Temporarily Disable Account” again to confirm.

With these simple steps, your account gets disabled and you can stay hidden from your online community until you put your information and log into the account again.

a screenshot showing how to temporarily disable your account on Instagram

Download Your Info Before Deleting Your Account

If disabling is not doing the job, you always have the deletion option. However, before you learn how to delete instagram account, it is significant for you to learn that there is no coming back from deletion. You can obviously create a new account and start afresh with new pictures and content, but there is no way you can access the older one. If you decide to delete your Instagram account, then all of your photos, videos, comments, and likes will be permanently deleted. That means you won’t be able to retrieve any of that information once your account is gone. However, you can download the data before deleting your account, so that all the memories stay with you.

To download a copy of your info before deleting your account:

1. Log into your Instagram account and go to your profile page.

2. Tap the three dots in the top-right corner and select “Settings”.

3. Scroll down and tap “Security”.

4. Find “Data & History.” Then, select “Download Data”.

5. Enter your email address and Instagram will start preparing your download. Once it’s ready, you’ll receive an email with a link to download your info.

Alternatively, you can use our instagram downloader tool to download all your Instagram posts, reels and videos in a few seconds.

How to Delete an Instagram Account Permanently on a Mobile Device

If you’re sure that you want to delete your account permanently, then you can do so from the Instagram app on your mobile device. Keep in mind that once you delete your account, it’s gone forever. That means all of your photos, videos, comments, and likes will be permanently deleted.

If you decide to create a new account in the future, you will have to start from scratch. To delete your account:

1. Log into your Instagram account and go to your profile page.

2. Tap the three dots in the top-right corner and select “Edit Profile”.

3. Scroll down and tap “Delete Account”.

4. Select a reason for why you’re deleting your account and tap “Continue”.

5. Follow the rest of the prompts.

a screenshot showing how to delete an Instagram account from an app

How to Delete an Instagram Account Permanently on a Computer

You have learned how to delete instagram account permanently through your mobile app. However, if you wish to do the permanent deletion and never use your profile on the platform ever again, you have to delete it from the computer or the desktop as well. 

Once you’re sure that you want to delete your account permanently and you’re using Instagram on a computer, then you can do so by following these instructions:

  1. Go to instagram.com and log into your account.
  2. Click on the gear icon in the top-right corner and select “Edit Profile”. 
  3. Click on “Accounts Center” then Click on “Personal Details”
  4. Click Account ownership and control, then click Deactivation or deletion.
  5. Click the account you’d like to permanently delete.
  6. Follow the rest of the prompts.
a screenshot showing how to deactivate an instagram permanently on a computer

Coming Back to Instagram

If you deleted your profile, then you won’t be able to reactive it. However, if you only disabled your account, then you can reactive it at any time by logging back in.

If you want to come back to Instagram but don’t want to use your old account, then you can always create a new one. To do so:

1. Go to instagram.com and click “Sign up”.

2. Enter your email address, full name, and create a username and password.

3. Click “Sign up”.

4. Follow the prompts to finish setting up your account.

5. Once you’re finished, you can upload all of the previous posts from your old account and start engaging with the Instagram community again.

However, if you have previously deleted your account from both the mobile app and computer, there is no way you can start using the same old account again. If you have kept a downloaded copy of the content as a backup, you can try uploading the same content on a new profile and kind of start from where you left off. Otherwise, the only way is to create a new account, start afresh and build a new identity for yourself on Instagram. 

Building a New Following with Skweezer’s Help

Whether you decide to disable or delete your Instagram account, take some time to think about it before you make a decision. Once you’ve made up your mind, follow the steps above to get started.

If you decide to rebuild your Instagram presence from scratch, then Skweezer can help. With our platform, you can quickly and easily build a new following of real, active users who are interested in the same things that you are.

To get started, all you need to do is sign up for a free account and connect your Instagram profile. Then, you can start buying followers, likes, and views to jumpstart your new account. Plus, you can try us out with no risk.

So what are you waiting for? Sign up for Skweezer today and see the difference that a quality following can make.