Got multiple Instagram accounts?
One for business, one for fun?
Another one for another business? Or maybe your pet?
Maintaining separate accounts is a highly recommended, yet frustrating, tactic.
Recommended, because Instagram users love to follow laser-focused accounts.
Frustrating, because you’ve had to sign in and out of one account to access another.
But no longer!
Instagram finally announced account switching February 8, 2016. I got it that same day, after checking obsessively for days. It had already been rolling out for a week!
Note: This post was originally published on Feb 8, 2016, and last updated August 30, 2019, with the latest info for you.
We’ll cover all this below:
- How to create another Instagram account.
- How to add Instagram Account Switching to existing accounts.
- How to enable one login for all your linked accounts.
- Push notifications on multiple Instagram accounts.
- How to remove an Instagram account you’ve added, with troubleshooting tips.
- How to permanently delete an Instagram account.
The purple banners will help you find a specific section. Read on!
How can I create another Instagram account?
You can create a new Instagram account while you’re logged into your current account.
If you’ve already created multiple Instagram accounts, you can simply connect them, so skip to the next section.
Here’s how to create a new Instagram account that will instantly be connected to your current one.
There are 12 steps, but they’re really easy:
1 | Open your current Instagram account.
2 | Go to your profile.
3 | Tap the 3 lines at top right.
4 | Tap the gear icon at the bottom for Settings.
5 | Scroll to the bottom. Tap Add Account.
6 | DON’T fill in the log in screen. At the bottom of the page, tap Sign up.
7 | You’ll see an option to use Facebook for sign-up. If you’re already using Facebook for your primary account, choose Sign Up With Phone or Email.
8 | Enter your Phone or Email NOT used by another account. *READ CAUTION BELOW!
9 | If you choose Email, you’ll confirm your new account later. Open the email from Instagram and select Confirm your email address.
10 | If you choose Phone, you’ll need to enter the verification number sent to your phone. Once you’ve entered the verification code, tap Next.
11 | Next you’ll add your Instagram profile photo, Name, and Password.
12 | The next step will be to create a unique username. You can include dots, dashes, or numbers.
You can skip the remaining steps for now.
You’re logged in to your new account, and can switch to your original account!
Here’s a short video demonstration of the process outlined above:
Can I create more than one account with the same email?
*DO NOT use the same email or phone for your second Instagram account.
Some readers have managed to do this and found themselves permanently locked out of the second account when they forgot their password. You MUST have different emails or phone numbers to recover your account!
And, per Instagram, “If you sign up with email, make sure you enter your email address correctly and choose an email address that only you can access. If you log out and forget your password, you’ll need to be able to access your email to get back into your Instagram account.”
Despite the introduction of “one login” in June 2019, Instagram STILL asserts:
An email address can only be associated with one Instagram account. source
More about “one login” further down.
How to add Instagram Account Switching to existing accounts
Account switching became available as part of Instagram version 7.15 for iOS and Android. First make sure your app is updated. If it IS and you still don’t have account switching, one user reported that deleting and reinstalling the app solved this issue.
You can add multiple Instagram accounts to switch between them without having to log out and log back in.
To add multiple Instagram accounts:
- Go to your profile and tap the 3 lines at top right.
- Tap the gear icon at the bottom.
- Scroll down and tap Add Account. It’s near the bottom.
- Enter the username and password of the account you’d like to add.
- Or log in with Facebook if that’s how you set up the other account.
To switch between accounts you’ve added:
- Go to your profile.
- Tap your username at the very top of the screen.
- Tap the account you’d like to switch to.
- OR you can switch from any tab via your profile picture in the bottom left!
Note that you can add up to 5 accounts on one device. source
From now on, just tap your Instagram profile picture at the bottom of any panel to switch between accounts.
Here’s a short video demonstration of the process outlined above:
Once you have multiple accounts added, you’ll see your profile photo appear in places throughout the app so you can always tell which one you’re using at the moment. I noticed that my account name appears in the comment field so I’m sure which account I’m using. Nice!
Where do I add an Instagram account? I don’t have this option.
Instagram is always moving this around. As of August 30, 2019, on iOS you tap the 3 lines OR swipe left on your profile panel to find the gear icon at the bottom.
It’s shown in the video directly above, as well as the screenshots below.
Can I use one login on multiple Instagram accounts?
As noted above, each Instagram account should be set up with a distinct email or phone number for password recovery.
However, once you’ve linked accounts, you have the option of using one account’s login to sign into all linked accounts.
- Go to your profile, then tap the “hamburger” (3 lines).
- Tap Settings.
- Tap Login Info.
- Pick the account and password you’ll use to log into your accounts.
- Tap Next.
Steps 1-2 can be seen on the image above, steps 3-5 below.
The next time you sign in with the login info you selected, you’ll also be logged into the accounts you added it to.
Fair warning: Anyone who knows how to log into the account you choose will also have access to all linked accounts.
If you don’t plan to logout of Instagram, you really don’t need this feature. But it could come in handy if you want to keep more than one group of linked accounts on one device!
Note: Each of your accounts will keep their individual login and password, which you can still use to log into each account separately.
What about push notifications on multiple Instagram accounts?
If you’ve added multiple Instagram accounts, you may get push notifications from any account that has them turned on. This depends on when you last logged in and the number of devices that are logged in to an account.
How do I remove an Instagram account I’ve added?
To remove an Instagram account you’ve added, you can log out of the account:
- Go to your profile and switch to the account you’d like to remove.
- Tap the gear or settings icon in the top right.
- Scroll down and tap Log out of [username] or Log out of All Accounts. Logging out of all accounts will remove all the accounts you’ve added.
My removed Instagram account is still showing!
If you’re still having problems, my wonderful readers have offered 3 different solutions.
Option 1:
- Go log out of both accounts.
- Then go back to the home page where you log in. It’ll show the extra account still.
- The name will appear on the left and on the right will say log in for both.
- Hold down on the page and next to the log in tab an X will appear. Hit the X.
- It will prompt you that you will need all the info to log in again and ask if you’re certain.
- Hit accept.
Here’s another solution a reader found when that didn’t work!
- The X wasn’t active next to the account I wanted to remove.
- I removed Instagram from my iPhone by holding down the icon and tapping the little x in the corner.
- Then I re-downloaded the application from the App Store.
- I logged into my main account with my username and password.
- I went into settings and then to Add Account and added my second account again.
The third account is finally gone! PS. You have to be careful that you remember all of your usernames and passwords for this fix.
Plus, a third solution provided February 2019:
Here are the steps for removing an account from showing in your list that you’ve already deleted.
- Make sure you know the passwords for all your accounts.
- Log out of all your accounts.
- On the home page of the IG app, tap, Manage accounts.
- An X will appear next to the account name, tap that to remove the account you no longer want to appear.
- To remove another account, repeat step 4.
- Now you’ll be able to create / add new accounts.
If this isn’t working for you, use the Report a Problem feature in your account settings.
Unfortunately I can’t provide additional assistance, because I haven’t experienced this problem myself. Would love to get your insights if you’ve been able to solve it!
How to permanently delete an Instagram account
The instructions below are to permanently delete an Instagram account via computer.
Permanently deleting your Instagram account cannot be undone!
After you delete your account, you can’t sign up again with the same username or add that username to another account. Instagram can’t reactivate deleted accounts.
When you delete your account, your profile, photos, videos, comments, likes and followers will be permanently removed.
If you’d prefer to take a break, you can temporarily disable your account instead.
If you’re sure you wish to permanently delete, log in at Instagram.com. You can’t delete your account from within the Instagram app on your mobile device.
To permanently delete your account:
- Go to the Delete Your Account page. If you’re not logged into Instagram on the web, you’ll be asked to log in first.
- Select an option from the drop-down menu next to Why are you deleting your account? and re-enter your password. The option to permanently delete your account will only appear after you’ve selected a reason from the menu.
- Click or tap Permanently delete my account.
- If you’d like to delete a different account, click the username in the top-right of the Delete Your Account page, tap/click on next to username and select Log Out. Log back in as the account you want to delete and follow the directions above.
Can I delete an Instagram account via my mobile device?
According to Instagram, as of November 2019 this is NOT an option.
However a reader left a comment that sounds like she was able to.
Proceed with caution! I have not tried this and can’t be responsible for your results.
Heather said:
Once you log out of ALL your accounts, when you go to log back in you can “manage accounts” and delete them separately.
Can Instagram delete my account for me?
For security reasons, Instagram can’t delete an account for you. You’ll need to be able to log into your account to delete it. If you can’t remember your password or username, here are tips for logging in. source
Wrapping Up
We covered all this:
- How to create another Instagram account
- How to add Instagram Account Switching to existing accounts
- Push notifications on multiple Instagram accounts
- How to remove an Instagram account you’ve added, with troubleshooting tips
- How to permanently delete an Instagram account
Here’s a quick summary of some key points.
Missed something? Need the details? Look for the purple banners above.
This is a long-awaited feature that I use daily.
Have you tried Instagram account switching yet?
Has it made your life easier for managing multiple Instagram accounts?
Emily Clayson says
Will this show up on other devices because I have a shared account and I don’t want anyone to go into my private account?
Louise Myers says
No one should be able to get into your account without your password. I have different accounts linked on different devices and other accounts don’t automatically pop up.
2019 UPDATE: If you set up accounts under “One Login,” anyone who can access one of the accounts will also be able to access the others.
Roxana says
How can get my account back I forgot my password and can login in no more
Louise Myers says
Request a password reset on the login screen.
Ruby M Hawkins says
There’s other people using my email address’s as they’re own. I’ve tried to delete them ,. Did on my phone but they are still showing up in other people account. This is Facebook and Instagram account. I deleted my original Facebook, created a new one same as Instagram account, but already there are multiple accounts again
Louise Myers says
If your email account has been hacked, it sounds like you need a new email with better passwords and security for all your accounts.
Fiona Dunford says
Can anyone tell me why I only set my linked accounts on the app.. when I log into Instagram via my desktop theres only my primary account . There’s no linked account and no option for one.
Louise Myers says
Accounts can’t be linked on desktop, only on mobile.
Esther Zhang says
How do I log back into my added account…it won’t work
Louise Myers says
If you can’t log in to your account, you should contact IG. You shouldn’t need to log back in after you’ve added it. At least that’s been my experience.
R says
I’m having the same problem, I was logged out of my design account, but not my personal account and don’t have the option to switch between the two anymore
Cindy says
ME TOO!!!!! Did you ever find an answer? It’s maddening. And, HOW do you contact Instagram – they’re the wizard of Oz. Can’t get to them.
rikki says
I have the same problem – Instagram recognises both of my accounts but will only let me access one, we just go around in circles when I try to link them… did you get any help??
jb says
Hi! Wondering if you can help . . . I run an account for a friend and suddenly, since this switching, all my contacts are on her insta feed! Embarrassing. Hers is a business, mine is family and friends. How do I separate them?
Louise Myers says
I don’t know what you mean. Unless her account is following those accounts, their posts shouldn’t show in her own account’s feed.
On second thought – do you mean they’re showing as suggested accounts to follow?
Amanda says
Did this ever get fixed? This just started happening between my personal account and the business account I run for someone else. Mine just started last night. I try to switch accounts and instead of seeing the business account’s activity or news feed, all I see is my personal ones even though I am in the business account. Same for posting. I post from the business account and it shows up on my personal account instead. It’s happening with stories too.
Louise Myers says
Which device are you using? I’m wondering if this glitch is limited to a specific device. I would keep reporting it to IG though – even daily.
priyam says
I have had the same issue, how did you get it resolved?
Kate silvio says
I’m having this same problem… has anyone resolved it? It started about the same time as everyone else’s account did.
Hayley Laidlaw says
Mine is doing this as well! So frustrating!!
Darlene says
Same thing is happening to me. I have an Apple 6 and IOS 11. I just posted on my work account and when I switched to my own account I can only see my work feed even though I am on page and see all my posts!
Venetia says
Im experiencing the same problem! All my posts from my personal account show up on my business account.Were you able to fix the problem?
R says
Did you get this fixed, having a similar issue with my account.
Wendy says
I am attempting to add another (bus) Instagram account as you have mentioned but when I type the new username that I wish the page to have and a new password – and click the blue ‘log in’ button I get the message:
“Incorrect Username
The username you entered doesn’t appear to belong to an account. Please check your username and try again”.
It may be something simple that I’m missing but would love your advise please.
I have checked the username’s availability and does it matter if I use the same or different password to my original account?
Louise Myers says
You can’t create a NEW account this way. You can only add an existing account. So, log out of your current account and create the new account.
Denese says
How do you do multiple business accounts? Can I make my new account I want to add a business account? I’ve been trying to figure this out for longer than I’m willing to share.. lol. Thank you!
Louise Myers says
Yes you can! You just have to use a different email or phone number for each account.
Julie says
Hi! Question,I have two IG accounts made with different email addresses. I would like to activate now the two authentification method,which means I need to save phone numbers.Can I use the same phone number for both? Thank you!
Louise Myers says
This may have changed, but previously you could not.
Holly says
I have this problem too. I thought if you log out of an account you delete it. My friend added my second account but I can’t add a third. I know how to go between them that’s not th problem
Nancy R. says
Were you ever able to get it to work? I am having this issue now…
Mylittlepony says
Hi, is it possible to manage 20-30 accounts on IG on my smartphone? I need for my work?
Louise Myers says
You can only link 5 on one device. After that you need to log out and link another chain of 5. I think this would work on one device, but very cumbersome.
Lina Mayorga says
How can I add a link to my story on my second account which is for my business? I can add a link to my story on my personal IG, but not my second account. What can I do?
Louise Myers says
Sorry, I don’t know.
Louise Myers says
On my iPhone and iPad it’s 3rd from the bottom. If it’s not there, I have no way to help.
Rebecca Perrins says
Hi!
I’ve just sold my business & would like to unlink this account from my personal
IG menu. It still appears in my ‘switch between’ menus even though I’m locked out of it.
How can I remove it please? Obviously the new owner needs to keep the page running & I don’t want to jeopardise this.
Thanks
Louise Myers says
Sorry, I don’t know. They may have to do it from their end, possibly in the related FB account.
C Tait says
Hi, did you have any luck, I have same problem? Thanks in advance 🙂
Dev says
Yep! Same issue- I have logged out of an account but it still shows in my accounts list. I think this is because i chose to remmember the password. How can I unlink the account ?
Louise Myers says
Try “Log out of all accounts” and if that doesn’t work “Report a problem.”
Chno says
The latest feature allows you to manage accounts and delete accounts. Simply select manage accounts and press x. If it doesn’t work, try tilt your phone to horizontal, mine worked like that. Strange. Hope this helps.
Violet samy says
Hi It doesn’t work now, I have IOS but when I logged out from one of the 5 accounts to add a new one, it’s still showing and it said that I have the max number of accounts and can’t add more. please advice
Connie says
I have 2 Instagram accounts. I am able to switch between the two without logging out but now I can’t post anything anymore under my private account. It gets deleted and then gets posted to my business one! Why does it to that. I want to be able to mange both separately.
Louise Myers says
Sorry, I’ve never heard of this before.
Tara says
This happens to me as well. It didn’t in the beginnning. Only in the last week or so. Very frustrating. No matter which account i am actuvely using (account A or account B) it automatically switches and posts as “account A”. If you figure it out i’d kive to learn how.
Louise Myers says
Oh no! That’s ridiculous. Hope they come up with an update that addresses this. Are you on Android? I have 5 accounts on my iPhone and 3 on my iPad and I’ve never experienced this.
Scott says
How did you create so many accounts? The directions provided here and through Instagram itself, start after you’ve created the account. The directions to Add Account are simple, but you need to create an account before adding it. I have one already under my only email address. How do I create another using that same email address?
Louise Myers says
At the time I created my accounts, IG required different email addresses. Not sure if it’s still required, but you could have problems with password reset if you have more than one account on the same email.
Jordy says
Mine is doing this now… did you figure out a way to fix it? Kind of stressing me out
Jordy says
Mine is doing this now… did yours ever get fixed???
Scarlett says
Hi,
Need to add a *business account* that will be opening in a 90 days. No phone # yet. Street address, yes.
Can I set up IG account using my cell # (I will manage IG account anyway) and enter street info later?
Thanks!
Louise Myers says
Yes, but you must use a phone number that’s not used on another IG account.
Dani says
I have 5 linked accounts on Instagram and I want take one off. The one I wanna take off is on my phone but I don’t have access to it right now. If I change the password to the one I want to take off , will it just logout on all devices?
Louise Myers says
Maybe, but I don’t know. Don’t the instructions in the article above work?
Heather says
I am also trying to DELETE one of the accounts under my original account. The instructions above will delete ALL of my accounts. I can’t find anywhere on the internet how to delete just one without deleting the others. Soooooooooo frustrating!!!!
Heather says
Forget it I figured it out!!
Once you log out of ALL your accounts, when you go to log back in you can “manage accounts” and delete them separately. YAHOOOO!
Louise Myers says
Interesting, so you found a way to delete an account on a mobile device? Because according to Instagram (where those instructions came from) you can’t. They say you can only delete via the website, where you can only be logged into one account at a time (so only one would be deleted).
If you could clarify, that would be amazing, so I can post the straight scoop for others.Thanks!
Victoria says
I have a linked account and really need to remove it but it still appears on my insta linked accounts and yet will allow me to log back into it by tapping it I really need it removed please help!!
Louise Myers says
Unfortunately I don’t know anything more than what’s in the article. If “Log out of all accounts” doesn’t work, use “Report a problem.”
Allison says
Go log out of both. Then go back to the home page where you log in. It’ll show the extra account still.
The name will appear on the left and on the right will say log in for both. Hold down on the page and next to the log in tab an X will appear. Hit the X. It will prompt you that you will need all the info to log in again and ask if your certain. Hit accept
Louise Myers says
Thank you!
Jennifer says
I tried the “log out of both” that Alison recommended but then the x wasn’t active next to the account I wanted to remove. What did remove the 3rd account was removing Instagram completely from my iphone by holding down the icon and tapping the little x in the corner. Then I re- downloaded the application from the App Store. I logged into my main account with my username and password and then went into settings and then to Add Account and added my second account again. The third account is finally gone! PS. You have to be careful that you remember all of your usernames and passwords for this fix.
Louise Myers says
Terrific, thank you Jennifer.
Chno says
The latest feature allows you to manage accounts and delete accounts. Simply select manage accounts and press x. If it doesn’t work, try tilt your phone to horizontal, mine worked like that. Strange. Hope this helps.
Amy says
Something I just used, log out of your main account and the page should show all the accounts that are linked together. Underneath all the accounts is a little grey sentence saying manage accounts. Click that and then the X will show on the right to each account. Just click X on the one you want to remove and then when you log back in it should be back to normal. Hope this helps!
Kellie says
Is this still working? I had a linked account and one update deleted it and I don’t have the option to link another account now. Just want to be sure it actually works for others still.
Louise Myers says
I can’t speak to Android, but I haven’t had a single problem on iPhone or iPad.
Carolyn Knepp says
I have tried on my iPhone app and on website and I don’t see the option to add another profile to my account like you described?? Please help
Louise Myers says
If you don’t see it in the account settings on your phone (it’s almost at the bottom) the use the “report a problem” option.
Alex Blanton says
I have updated my Instagram. But yet it still doesn’t show up add an account. So now
I have to go back and forth from safari to the Instagram app. Can you help me fix it?
Louise Myers says
Nope, I do not know how.
Michael says
The “add account” does not exists no that I have iPhone X Is there another way to add a switchable account on instagram. I don’t have the theee dots … I have a clock that does not show add account. Help
Louise Myers says
It’s now a gear icon, next to Edit Profile.
Randa says
Hello, if i wanna delete an account from the lis of accounts i manage, but i have previously saved that account’s password, even after logging out it stays on the list. My problem is that i need to add nee accounts to manage but since the other ones are not getting deleted from the list, i am unable to add any! Help?
Louise Myers says
Use the “report a problem” option in your account settings.
Chno says
The latest feature allows you to manage accounts and delete accounts. Simply select manage accounts and press x. If it doesn’t work, try tilt your phone to horizontal, mine worked like that. Strange. Hope this helps.
Andrew says
Great article and better than Instagram help desk!
I have heard of [x] from the friends working in marketing agency. Anyone tried it from here?
Louise Myers says
You mean like a spam bot? I doubt a real agency would use such a thing.
Lisa says
Please HELP! I deleted teo account from the lists of accounts I manage, so I cannot access them but it still is on the list. My problem is that I need to add new accounts to manage but since the other ones are not getting deleted from the list, I am unable to add any! And I cannot log in the ones I deleted because they are still active. My job depends on this. I already reported the issue with no help from Instagram.
Louise Myers says
See comment from Alison for tips. I’m updating the post too.
Chno says
The latest feature allows you to manage accounts and delete accounts. Simply select manage accounts and press x. If it doesn’t work, try tilt your phone to horizontal, mine worked like that. Strange. Hope this helps.
Louise Myers says
Hi, where do you find this? I just updated my iPhone app and i don’t see it. Thanks 🙂
Nancy says
Hello,
I have two accounts that I use. When I’m in my Lightroom photo account and share from there it sends to the wrong account. Any idea how to change which account is the default to share to?
Louise Myers says
If I’m understanding correctly that you’re sharing from Adobe Lightroom, I suggest you reach out to Adobe. However, in general when sharing from another app to IG, it will post to whichever account is open.
Jan says
Thank you for your post and continuing to answer questions. I had three accounts. I’ve logged out of one. But the drop down still shows three. I really need that one to disappear. Is it possible? Thanks in advance.
Louise Myers says
The only possible fix I’m aware of is what a reader shared. It’s near the end of the blog post under “My removed Instagram account is still showing!”
Jim says
Hi
Whats your review about buying some Instagram followers to grow my account?
Louise Myers says
Nope, never, don’t do it.
Jace says
Trying to add account but won’t show it’s been adding just saying it’s connected to my already made account.
Jo says
I have three Instagram accounts and they all three had the same username (my email) and password. Now I can only get into one of the accounts. I need help getting back into my two accounts. Please help. Thanks
Louise Myers says
I’m not sure how you could have 3 accounts with the same username. I would have no idea how to recover them. Try IG support though.
Jo says
Thank you for your reply. I login to all three accounts with the same username which is my email. The usernames are different. I’ve reported the problem to ig but have not received a reply. I was able to log in to one of them last night by putting the username and password, but still cannot get into my third account.
Louise Myers says
I would definitely keep trying to log in using the account-specific username rather than an email which is common to all 3 accounts. If you get in, you might consider setting different emails so it’s easier to get a “password reset” on a specific account if you need it. Perhaps using the same email is confusing IG.
Clay says
I tried making a completely separate account with different email address but it still somehow linked to my original account. I want them to be 100% individual accounts. How do I do it? I thought the different email address, username, and password would have accomplished that. Is it because I access both from my mobile phone?
Louise Myers says
No, they shouldn’t be linked unless you added the second one inside the first. I can only recommend what’s been suggested in the article for unlinking accounts.
Clay says
Thanks for the quick response. I logged in from IG online, not the app, created account with new email, username, etc. It suggests same people to add (who are not in my phone contact list) as on my other account. Even did a test by having someone block me on original account – blocked on new one too. Very odd. I’ll try to get some answers from IG directly. Thanks so much for your help.
Maddy says
Is there not any way to have more than one account with the same email? I have already got an account which is a personal one and wanted to add a professional one but wanted to have the same email info for both? Is that possible??
Louise Myers says
When I signed up for my accounts, it was definitely not possible. Sounds like the previous commenter set up 3 accounts with the same email – but was having trouble logging into them. So proceed at your own risk.
Thara Sofian says
This is how I did it –
1. Log out of All Accounts
2. It will show the list of accounts you have, and ask which account login you’d like for Instagram to remember on your next login. Disable/Turn off the account that you want to delete.
3. The next time you login, you will only be shown the accounts that you only want.
Louise Myers says
Thanks Thara
Phoebe Brooks says
Hi, I currently have an Instagram account for personal things. I’d like to make an account for a blog/ business I run. However I don’t want the accounts to be linked, so I don’t want my current insta followers to receive a notification that I have another page when I create it for example (which I know has happened to a lot for other people).
I’d essentially like to have an almost anonymous account that I can work from the ground up as a completely new Instagram.
Louise Myers says
In my experience, the notifications come from linking with Facebook, not other IG accounts. I don’t know of any way to disable it. Perhaps they’ve fixed this for business accounts, which do need to be linked with FB to enable all features.
Merve GOKTAS says
I have a personal account and a business page account on instagram connected to my facebook account. I deleted the app and uploaded again for some reason. Now i can only access mu personal account but not the one for business. Since it doesnt have a separate password, i dont know how to gain access to mu business account, it is still open but i cant access 🙁
Avi Lang says
question i run an account fr a business and we couldnt log into our old account instagram told usto start a new account i really want to get into the old account is there anyway to do this we forgot the email address and phone number so we can’t get in and second anyway to reach instagram to speak to someone to close our old account ??
Thank You
Louise Myers says
Not that I know of. Maybe someone else will have a suggestion.
Lucy says
Hi I’m hoping someone can please help?
I have 2 accounts linked to my Instagram and accidentally removed one of my accounts (one I created after my first Instagram) by clicking “log out of all accounts’
Is there a way to reverse this?
I can see the page is still live but I cannot find it to log in…
Thanks so much
Lucy
Louise Myers says
Don’t know, I could make some suggestions but I don’t know if they’d help or make matters worse. It’s possible if you update your app, do a hard shutdown, or log out of all accounts… but it’s at your own risk.
Laura says
I am trying to add account and the screen it takes me too basically wants me to log in. I only have one account so I’m not sure why it isn’t working. I tried to report the problem to instagram but they haven’t responded. Thanks!
Louise Myers says
If you only have one account, then there’s nothing to add. Set up another account and then you can add it.
Shalaka Kadam says
I have two accounts too. However type mode is only active on 1 account. Earlier I thought my iOS was not updated or app is not updated.. But it’s still the same with everything Updated. HELP
Tyler Miller says
I have only been able to find out how to link a second account to my instagram. I know and understand how to do this already. I am only lookin for someone to help show me how to MAKE a second account. Any help?
Louise Myers says
Have you tried going to the signup screen? I don’t know of any tricks, other than you have to be logged out of your current account.
ismail says
i was having an 3 accounts on my phone but it fell so now it is not working .so i opened it on another mobile but it is only one account is working and the other accounts do not want to open. and all of them is on one username and password.
Meredith Henning says
So I added an account as directed above in your post (did this about 3 weeks ago before actually seeing your post) and created it successfully. Posted several photos to the 2nd account and then a couple of days ago, the switch back and forth option just disappeared from my main account??? Any idea where it went? The 2nd account is still there and I’m following it with my main account, but I can’t access it or switch back and forth anymore…I have updated my app and logged out and back in to no avail. Any suggestions? Thanks a bunch 🙂
Louise Myers says
Hey Meredith, I wish I knew. Maybe one of my readers will have a suggestion.
Sorry for the delay, just found a bunch of comments in the spam folder!
Lucy says
Hey wondered if you can help, I have 6 accounts at the moment and need to add another one for work however can’t. Any ideas on what I can do . Really appreciate any advice cheers lucy
Louise Myers says
You could try using a different device.
Tammy says
Hi
Awhile ago I created a second account and I haven’t been able to get into for awhile.. I did report it and see what happens. You can still look the account up but I cannot add or do anything with it even though it’s my account. What can I do? It’s called Tammy’s Nail Beautique . This happened when the change over happened.
Thank you
Tammy
Louise Myers says
I really don’t know. I have an inactive account and can log in but nothing else. So if you were inactive this could be a factor.
Cristina says
Hi Louise,
I manage three account of my Instagram and my friends/followers told me that sometimes on their Instagram on their Instagram notifications a message appears to let them know that I am managing those accounts. For example: Cristina Zenato (my personal account) is on Instagram as “Green leaf” account. I don’t want my managing of these accounts to be visible. How can I avoid that? I have yet to find a solution on the internet and I noticed you reply.
Thank you in advance for your kind consideration and time
Cristina
Louise Myers says
I don’t know of any way of disabling that
Nikhil Dhariya says
Thanks for sharing such article .Its a great article for Instagram lovers who wants to use more than 1 account. I had heard about handling more than 1 account but never tried it. This article will be really helpful for me.Thanks.
Sam says
Does it work similar with the newer Android phones? I have a Galaxy 8s plus
Louise Myers says
It should! Have you tried it? Would love to know how it goes!
Sypher says
Hi,
If my account is linked to my brothers on my device, does that mean he can see mine on his device ?
Or is it possible for mine to be linked to his and his not to mine?
Louise Myers says
I believe it varies by device. I have one account that’s linked to 4 others on one device, and 2 different ones on another device. He can add yours to his if he knows your password.
However as others have noted, there can be glitches.
Ann says
Question-there are 2 of us that are logged into a business account (as an additional account on insta). The other employee has quit but can still get in to our account even after I have changed the password. How is this possible? I would think if I changed the password, it would prompt her for a new password when she tries to switch from her personal to the business. We have asked her to delete it and she won’t…
Louise Myers says
Have you tried changing, then adding 2-step verification?
Ann says
I have changed it and she still signed on this evening. I have since added 2-step verification to see if that will stop her. Not sure if it has worked…
Ram says
How can I log out of other devices????
Kate says
I use Instagram on my iPad always and have had two accounts and switched between them no problem….suddenly this has vanished….any hints on fixing it please
Louise Myers says
Here’s what I would try, in order (no guarantees)
Add account again
Update your app
Hard shutdown of device
Delete and reinstall app
“Report a problem” until they resolve it
jelena says
i want to add an account but after i type new name and password tells me its incorrect
now what
Louise Myers says
Log out of your account and register a new account. The 2nd account must exist before you can add it.
jelena abbou says
does it matter if i do it on my phone or lap top
Louise Myers says
Did you log out of your account and register a new account before trying to add it? I’m not sure what the “phone or laptop” has to do with what I suggested.
XXPrettyGangsta says
Hi! I wanted to know if you disabled your account from one device. Does it disable from the other devices as well?
Louise Myers says
I haven’t disabled any, so I don’t know. My guess is no.
Victor says
Hi Louise. Thanks for writing this article. Do you or anyone experience that Linking an additional account. IG cross promotes followers?
Example. On an Iphone
With one personal account. I add a new account(new email address, account info, etc..) that I want to keep separate from the personal account. Not long after adding the new account followers from personal account are following the newly added account. I can’t find anything in the settings to prevent this.
Thanks for your help in advance
Louise Myers says
I don’t know of any way to prevent Instagram from suggesting business accounts you admin to people you’re connected to on Facebook or Instagram.
Ana says
HI Louise!
I´m working perfectly with both my accounts… I just want to know if both work with same email and password.
For example, I need to give the information of my business account to someone, but the system says I can´t log in… This means I have to log in with my personal account?
Does the second account work as a regular integral account…?
Louise Myers says
Hi Ana,
“but the system says I can´t log in”
Sorry, I don’t understand. What system?
I can log into any of my accounts separately on desktop, if that helps. I haven’t unlinked them on my devices so I don’t ever login to them there.
steve says
Hi Louise.
Was attempting to do this on a new Android phone that I recently received as a birthday gift.
I was originally using an iPhone before and had 5 accounts already created for some time and was previously able to access them all and switch between them as you mention above.
Even when I logged out of ALL accounts, I was still able to re-access them again when needed simply by pressing the Instagram icon and immediately being presented with the 5 accounts in a list in the app with ‘Log in’ next to each one. I simply selected anyone of them and was logged in automatically and was then instantly able to switch between them again from the header menu drop down of each account.
However, i now have a new phone (the Android) and things do not respond in the same way at all.
I have added each account following the above advice.
Once added and during the same session I was able to switch between them.
But once I log out of All accounts (because nobody leaves their Instagram account live and open and using data) I now need to physically log in again AND add each account again before they show.
I am no longer presented with the 5 accounts in a list with ‘Log In’ next to each one as i was on the iPhone.
I have uninstalled the Instagram App and reinstalled it twice. No change.
Any idea why this is happening?
Is it the Android settings or am I doing something wrong?
Becoming a pain in the rear having to manually log in to each account every time.
Thanks in advance.
Louise Myers says
Unfortunately, I don’t know anything about Android.
Plus, I guess I’m pretty clueless about the need to log out. Can’t you just turn off Background App Refresh? I’m not very techy so let me know what I’m missing!
Aaron (Dru) a_trippy42 says
Wait you’re saying you close the app as if you would with an iPhone, you double tap home button and slide them up? But correspondingly with an Android “square button & drag across?” I would say maybe your best bet is to try and log into your main Instagram account and try to get the “save password for this site” thing that pops up and see if that helps considering you basically “kill” (slide up) the app after every use. like if you have to put your password in every time you log In maybe it’s because the app is closed. see if you can get it to save your main password so when you click the app it just opens your main instead of making you put your password in. (Unless you want your account logged out all the time) and then possibly you can choose accounts from there? Also I’m not trying to like be a dick or make you feel lesser than me I’m just trying to help. but I don’t think it is necessary to log out of every account when you get off. If you log out of your main every time no one could get into your other accounts anyway unless they had your main password right? Because other accounts are a linked log in from your main? Another possible thing is log into your main add the other account from the setting tab on your main. My “theory” is that if you go through your main to have these “spam” accounts maybe it’ll go off your main as the official log in for all of them like to have the tabs. One last thing is try to log into one of your SPAMS as a The “MAIN” and see if you can re-add all the other accounts. Maybe your main is teacher on that phone to ha e those accounts. But That’s what I wanted to do run my insta, finsta and car page off one log in..
iPhone guy here just trying to use what little bit of a brain I have and help. Used to be an android guy until the 7+. Hope I could be a help to someone and if so hmu with those usernames! ??
Aaron (Dru) a_trippy42 says
Also just wanted to say sorry for the book of a response. Just my thoughts.
Louise Myers says
Appreciate your time and detailed reply 🙂
Aaron (Dru) a_trippy42 says
Ok 1 more lol this is bothering me and I don’t have this problem lol ? “shoulda just stayed iPhone tbh”
“But once I log out of All accounts (because nobody leaves their Instagram account live and open and using data)”yes they do, you don’t have to log out just force close the app it’ll keep you logged in but the app is closed 🙂 ” I now need to physically log in again AND add each account again before they show”
I literally think it is because you log out of each account…..You log out of each individual account every time? Have you always done that like with your iPhone? And why? I have a lock on my phone so no one gets on my instagram anyway (I also don’t really have anything to hide), so I stay logged in. But if you log out of every account I can understand why it makes you log back in to every individual one. It’s like I have 3 snapchats for different things, but I have to log into them separately because I have to log out when I switch accounts.. I don’t know if that makes sense to you but what happens when you go to a different email.. you log out and log into the new one. Maybe that’s what’s fu^c\€d up w/ your IG. like you’re literally logging out every time. It’s like if I tried to log In on your phone I would need to put my password in for my shit. But I would still have my finsta because it’s linked and doesn’t get logged out…I’m trying to make this make as much sense as possible and I don’t know if it does…anyways, don’t log out of your spams and just log out of your main see if it helps! Or get a password on your phone and keep the shit logged in. A_trippy42 🙂
Joe says
This might be super late but do I have to crest another account first and then add it to my account? Because I went straight from my ig to add account and clicked *sign up* typed my stuff in and it takes me back to my real insta
Louise Myers says
yes.
Pascal says
Hello – sorry to add but I am desperate for help. I cannot see a dropdown of any kind on my MAC when I open Instagram. Neither do I see a place to add account s(I’ve already added one and just want to toggle back and forth on the MAC. It’s easy on the phone but I can’t see any way of doing it on a MAC desktop.) I’d be SUPER thankful for any help? THANK YOU!!!!
Louise Myers says
Desktop has limited capability. You can do this on a phone or tablet.
Maria Moustouka says
Louise I need help
I think I’ve been locked out of my Instagram account as I switch back and forth and it’s my business account as I have used same email for multiple accounts what can I do
Louise Myers says
If you hadn’t set a different way to get password recovery on your second account (phone or email), I don’y know of anything you can do.
Dee Silver says
Ok i have two school accounts because I’m a club sponsor. Recently my phone had to be restored to factory settings. I lost all my profiles from my IG app. I was able to recover my personal account and one of the clubs. I can’t access the other one because I used the same phone number for all the accounts. It keeps sending the link to the personal account and not the one I need. How do I access it?? I can’t find where I wrote the password since it’s the summer and school hasn’t started. It’s been frustrating because I need to update the profiles by adding pics. Unfortunately I’m unable to access that particular profile. I hope I’m making sense. Thank you so much for your assistance
Louise Myers says
Unfortunately, I don’t think there’s any way to recover additional accounts that used the same email or phone as a previous one.
ancas says
You can change the number for one of the accounts that you can access.
kim says
thank you so much! Just spent over an hour on this – yours was the only set of directions that worked for me! THANK YOU!!!
Louise Myers says
I’m so glad it helped!
Michelle says
Hi Louise,
I have 2 profiles on instagram that I access through my phone.
My question is this: If I like or comment using one profile, can people following my main profile know that it’s me if they don’t know I have that second profile?
I would like to keep my activity on each profile private from the followers of each.
Thank you.
Louise Myers says
I don’t think there’s a way for them to know it’s you just from your comment and the fact that the accounts are linked. I can’t guarantee it, I just don’t know how they would.
However any profile that has FB connected to it may be telling your FB friends, “your FB friend so and so is on IG.”
Michelle says
Thank you. FB isn’t an issue, it’s more in regards to those that follow me on my main Insta page. I don’t’ want the activity to cross there.
I appreciate your answer
Nana says
I got 2 instas. If i post something on the story of 1 of them it will also show on my other profile!? It did not used to be like this and I really dont want it to? Help?
Louise Myers says
I have no idea how this would happen. It doesn’t happen to me.
You could try disconnecting them, and reconnecting. Or else you’d have to keep them disconnected… unless you can figure out something else.
Please let us know if you do!
Amanda says
I can’t add my existing instagram account. What should I do? I have tried updating , uninstall and reinstall my instagram account but it’s not working.
Louise Myers says
Are you not seeing the option to add account?
Nadia R. Lopez says
Hi louise. I recently just open another account on Instagram, but I was wondering if I can move completely pictures to the other profile. Thank you for your time. Have an excellent day.
Louise Myers says
Maybe you should just change the name on the previous account. You can’t move the posts from one to another.
Nicole says
When you add another account to your instagram…will the other accounts on the app be notified that you opened another account?
Louise Myers says
I can’t guarantee anything, can only say this didn’t happen when I added accounts.
Tamela Hulett says
I signed up for a new account with new email , same phone number . The username is amigayoga . But Underneath the profile circle – it say my first & last name . I just want it to be amiga yoga gear
Apparel
Louise Myers says
You can change this in your account. Tap “edit profile” and type the name you want.
Mariya says
I recently created a second IG account and linked it to my original account. However, I made the mistake of using my email or phone # (can’t remember which one) to create the new account that I used on my original account. Is there a way to change the email/phone # on the new one? I would actually prefer to remove the 2nd account and just create a whole new account altogether. It’s for a business and I want my co-founder to be able to add photos as well so I’d rather it go under the business name and not be associated with me at all. If I remove the account, will that account still exist?
Louise Myers says
You’ll have to look up how to delete the account as opposed to simply unlinking it.
Tae says
Thankyou so much! It’s obvious when you know how to do it, but I couldn’t work out what I was doing wrong
Clear, concise and perfect.
Thankyou again, Louise
Jo Lynn says
What’s your suggested course of action if you’re managing 15 accounts? Is there an app to install? What about posting to instagram accounts from a laptop?
Thanks for your help! 🙂
JLB
Louise Myers says
If you manage that many accounts, you’ll definitely want to check out these Instagram marketing partners to post from your computer.
Mary S. says
I am new to IG. My daughter put IG on my phone but deleted it when she was given her own iphone. I now need to put IG on my phone to manage the social media for a small business I work for. It is an existing account. I have to this point been managing it on my bosses iphone. He asked me if I could manage it from my personal phone. Can I do this?
Louise Myers says
I would be wary about logging in via different phones. Really the best solution would be to use an Instagram-approved partner to manage the business account.
stefania says
The issue is that with multiple accounts, posting pictures is too annoying.
Before, if I wanted to share a picture from my gallery, I clicked on “share” and then “Instagram”.
Now, I have to open the instagram app, choose the right account, open the gallery, find the photo and share.
When you share directly from the gallery it doesn’t ask you WHICH account but it uses the current one.
I know, it’s not a big deal, but it annoys me!
Louise Myers says
I get it, but there’s probably nothing that can be done to change this, as Instagram only allows their approved marketing partners to post to IG accounts.
Anita says
Hi, I have 2 IG accounts. I don’t have a problem switching between them using my iPhone, but I can’t do it on my computer. Since most of my pictures are on my computer I would like to use it instead. Is there a way to switch accounts using a computer or is that not available yet. Thank you.
Louise Myers says
You have to log out of one and log into the other.
Rob says
Hi! What if you used the same email and phone number for both your personal account & business account & cannot log in to the business account?
Louise Myers says
If you figure something out, please let us know. You need to have a unique phone number and/or email for each account.
Christine says
Hi Louise,
I just set up my 2nd (business) account with the same phone number.
I am currently logged into both accounts. Is there a way to change the phone number to an email because then I can use a different one than for the 1st account. Thank you!
Louise Myers says
Christine, I don’t know of a way to do this. I would look in your account settings to see if you can add an email.
Eleni says
Hi on my android I added my dogs account through the same Facebook
Now I got an iPhone and cannot sign in to dogs account? can I go into my android phone and change the sign in info?
Louise Myers says
I have no idea. Why not try it?
Rebecca says
Hi I have my IG account connected to my daughters account and in the last few days I can switch back and forth but when I go to her account it says can’t refresh and I can’t see her messages and friends. What can I do to fix this?
Louise Myers says
When I see “can’t refresh” it’s because my iPad isn’t finding wifi (even if I’m next to the modem!). I’m not sure in this case. Perhaps she’s blocked you?
April says
How do I disable or remove a second account I created? I understand how to log out of that account so it doesn’t appear on my phone, but how do I disable the added account so that it’s not searchable any longer without it affecting my primary account? Thank you!
Louise Myers says
This info is from Instagram. To permanently delete your account:
Go to the Delete Your Account page. If you’re not logged into Instagram on the web, you’ll be asked to log in first. You can’t delete your account from within the Instagram app.
Select an option from the drop-down menu next to Why are you deleting your account? and re-enter your password. The option to permanently delete your account will only appear after you’ve selected a reason from the menu.
Click or tap Permanently delete my account.
Scott Place says
I created a third account then it locked me out of my second account only.
Louise Myers says
Meaning you can’t log into that account at all? I don’t have any advice as I’ve never experienced problems with account switching. I have 5 on 1 device and 3 on another.
Linda says
I just created a second IG account, and everything seems to be fine. I actually was reading this to see if I could switch accounts easily using my computer, but someone asked and you answered so I get that. But I am trying to understand what the problem is in using the same phone number for both accounts? Sorry to be dense! I did use a different email account, because it prompted me to do so. But I only have (and can afford!) one phone, so what problems might I encounter, please?
Louise Myers says
You would not be able to recover the password for the 2nd account.
Ashley H says
Hi, My husband made a secondary account for our business. He doesn’t have time for it now and I need to be able to access it from my phone through my account. I have tried adding, logging in etc and it won’t work. How do we fix this? Thanks!
Louise Myers says
This is all I know:
Go to YOUR profile and tap the gear or settings icon in the top right.*
Scroll down and tap Add Account. It’s near the bottom.
Enter the username and password of the account you’d like to add.
Or log in with Facebook if that’s how you set up the other account.
I’ve never heard of this not working and have no idea what’s wrong.
Michael says
I just tried something that worked on iPhone.
Logout of all accounts, then a page with all the accounts and a switch button in front of each ig handle will open. Use the switch button to select which account you want the app to remember when logging in again.
Once that is done, select logout and all your accounts will log out.
The next page will come with 1 of the remaining account for you to login to.
Once you login to that the other account will also be remembered and the “unwanted” will be gone.
Very safe.
Louise Myers says
Wow, this sounds cool! Thanks Michael.
Mikael Soerensen says
Great read Louise.
When i first startet doing instagram, i got alot of “shadow bans” because going way to aggresive. Learned alot by the years by now. And couldn’t agree more on what u say.
Tim says
Hi Louise,
I have two Instagram accounts that I use, one with my first last name and one in the reverse, surname then first name (Example, @johndoe, and @doejohn) I forgot I had the one with my first then the last name and have been using the other. I would like to switch my @doejohn to @johndoe and I know I will have to delete the other account to do so and then change my profile name on my @doejohn to @johndoe but I am afraid I would lose the name if it cannot be done instantly. I have been publishing a good bit of content on my @doejohn and do not want to lose the content. I want to make the switch for brand purposes. I am a Leadership Coach.
I hope I made sense. I would appreciate any advice you can provide.
Thank you!
Louise Myers says
Instagram says that deleted account names aren’t released to be used again. I wouldn’t recommend testing this theory!
Hannah says
Hi! I have a second Instagram account but it does not allow me to repost or share to my story. When I click on the share arrow it only allows me to send to people individually.
Katrina says
I have the same problem . . .
Angela says
I have this problem also! Were there any solutions??
Kudran says
Hi Louise,
My name’s Kudran. Can I ask you a favour? I don’t know what happened to my IG account. First time I made an Instagram account I used Google, and by mistake I tapped on ‘save password’. Then I use IG app and usually log in from there.
Yesterday I created a page on Facebook along with a new IG page from there using Chrome browser desktop view. When it’s all done I tried to log in the new account but it couldn’t open. It keeps showing my first account. I tried to input my new account but still it couldn’t open, and now even worse, when I clicked on my first account just as it is shown, it also couldn’t open saying that the username doesn’t belong to an account. I tried setting the password in chrome to ‘off mode’ but still it doesn’t work.
When I created the new account from Facebook it didn’t ask for password, just email. When I open Instagram from Chrome it shows my first account with already written password but it cannot open.
Could you help me with this problem? What should I do to restore and also use the new account ?
Thank you very much
Louise Myers says
Unfortunately I have no idea how to help.
Christy says
Thank you! Solved my problem with getting accounts off my app. 🙂
Nickib says
Thanks Louise! You are always my first GO – TO blog when I need to know something that can easily be implemented! *fist bumps*
Louise Myers says
*fist bumps back!*
Bethany says
Hey! I did make my second instagram account by using my phone number because I didn’t have two emails. Now I can’t sign into that account. Am I forever locked out of that account or can I recover it? Every time I try to sign in on that account, it just redirects me to my main account.
Louise Myers says
I don’t know of any way to recover it IF you used the same phone number to sign in on both accounts. If you used an email on one and phone on the other, you should be able to.
Bethany says
I have 3 accounts. I recently logged in to do the top 9 and ever since, two of them keep making me make a new password every time I log in. They have two separate email addresses but are both linked to my Facebook. My facebook email is the same as my personal accounts on both platforms but is different for my business IG page. My business IG is linked to my business Facebook page. I’m wondering if the linking between platforms is what is making me reauthenticate every time?? HELP PLEASE.
Louise Myers says
No, I have different emails for all 5 of my accounts and only 1 matches FB. Sounds like the Top 9 site did something weird but I have no idea what. You could try contacting them…
Bethany says
So it shouldn’t matter that my Facebook links to my personal and business?
Louise Myers says
Not sure of your question. I have 4 business pages and a personal FB, all linked to 5 different IG accounts and I have no problems.
Dolly Maufras says
I have 3 instagram accounts. When I switched Iphone from Iphone 7 to Iphone XR, my main instagram account was installed but not the other two accounts. I remember my main email address, the 2nd email address, but don’t remember the 3rd one. How do I find out the email address so I can add my third instagram to my account? Thank you.
Louise Myers says
If it was a business account and you had the email public as a way to contact you, that would be the way. Just go to the bio and send yourself an email.
I assume you didn’t so… my only idea is to start trying your other emails! Or searching in these email accounts for the signup email from Instagram.
Sabrina says
I have permanently deleted all unwanted accounts on IG but when I try to add account it says Cant add Account you already have maximum number of accounts active. I only have two accounts. How can I fix this? even when I go to log out of all accounts it only show the two active that I have.
Graham davenport says
Hi. I’m stumped I have a personal ig account I added my photography page to the same account using add business feature but now I have a small business in a different field and want a ig account for this also how can I add an additional account my new business has a different email to my other accounts but I get to age verification on setting a new page and that where it stops telling me to use at most 30 characters in which I have changed my name size and it still has no affect. All advice greatly appreciated
Clare says
I’ve been trying to remove an account for ages. Logging out just switched my account but left the old one still on my list. I eventually cracked it by going to settings on the account (gear symbol) and then to “saved login information” and then toggling off the “saved login information” followed by “remove” then repeating the log out process.
Louise Myers says
Terrific! Thanks so much for letting us know.
D says
Is it possible to access my saved photos from all of my accounts?
Louise Myers says
As far as I know, they should al be in your camera roll. That’s where mine are.
D says
I mean the ones that I save to my insta account. when I switch accounts id still like to access the same ones
Louise Myers says
“Access” in what way? You only have admin privileges on the account you’re logged into at any given time. Switch accounts to get admin privileges on a different account.
elizabeth shoebridge says
your info is out of date, i’d love to see an updated version and also how to actually create that second account not just about how to add/link to the first. cheers
Louise Myers says
Can you explain? I added info that tells how to create a second account just a couple months ago. Maybe you missed it. It’s actually the first section “How can I create another Instagram account?”
If this isn’t working I’d love to know.
Michael says
Hello, I have to concur, the information seems outdated.
I have a Samsung and I do not have the option to “Add an Account” there simply is nothing listed anywhere on Instagram saying “Add an Account”
Louise Myers says
I have it on both iPad and iPhone under Settings > Logins. I’ll see if there’s a different process for Android though!
Louise Myers says
This info is current according to Instagram itself. “This is included on version 7.15 for iOS and Android”
C says
Here are the steps for removing an account from showing in your list that you’ve already deleted.
1. Make sure you know the passwords for all your accounts.
2. Log out of all your accounts.
3. On the home page of the IG app, tap, Manage accounts.
4. An X will appear next to the account name, tap that to remove the account you no longer want to appear.
5. To remove another account, repeat step 4.
6. Now you’ll be able to create / add new accounts.
Louise Myers says
Thanks!
Shira says
Hello! Thank you for this helpful tutorial. I manage a friend’s social media and she asked me to start posting to her instagram page. Since I will only be doing the posting and not the responding, is there a way for me NOT to get notifications from her business…only mine? I’m afraid if I get it for both I’ll be inundated with notifications and will miss my important ones. Thank you!
Louise Myers says
Unfortunately I’m unaware of best practices for managing someone else’s IG. You might want to research to make sure it won’t cause troubles to have 2 people logging into the same account. Not saying it will, but it does on Pinterest.
Vesi says
Hello! How can I change the username of my account with the name of this account? When I try to change it the answer is “A user with that username already exists”. Then I check to the search bar and there isn’t another user with that username and name, expect me. Can you help me?
Louise Myers says
Unfortunately no. You can’t use a name that’s in use, even if it’s you. And if you let go of the name, IG may or may not release it to be taken by another account. There’s just no way to know.
Kathy Sargent says
I am very new to IG. I set up my personal account about a year ago and rarely posted anything. Last week I decided to set up another account to use for my business. While logged in to my personal account, I followed the directions to set up another account. It seems to be working. However, I posted items for sale on my new account yesterday and when I added hashtags (I read your article 🙂 ) in the comments – it shows that the comments are being made by my original IG account handle. I understand that means that the hashtags won’t work because they are being posted by someone else (me, yes, but under a different name). Should I close my original account? If I do, will that also delete my new account that I added?
Louise Myers says
Not sure what’s going on here. I have 5 linked accounts and have never had them cross-post. However they have added a new “post to multiple accounts” feature so it could be a bug. I suggest just using the hashtags in the post caption.
Lee says
Hi Louise,
I am signed in to 2 accounts already but when I go to add account and enter the details it looks like it is loading but then just takes me to my 2 account and doesn’t add my new account?
Louise Myers says
Hi Lee,
You might want to review the info above to be sure you’re following the correct steps for either adding a *new* account or an existing account.
Mohamad says
Hi
I have 5 accounts they were all showing in the IG App on my iphone, just today i was about to check one of them and it logged me out and the account disappeared from the list When i try to “Add Account” it says you have reached max number. i can still log in from desktop but i can’t find the account on the IG APP anymore .. only 4 are showing ! any idea how i can bring this back ?
Louise Myers says
Sorry, I don’t know.
Robin says
I have NO option to log out or switch accounts on my iPhone (there is no gear next to Edit Profile). I have updated and still nothing. I have a personal account and 2 business accounts and can’t access either one of them. Frustrating!
Louise Myers says
Please tap the 3 lines at top right on your profile and you’ll see the gear at the bottom.
Jovita Molina says
Hello, I hope you can help me. I have lost my old account while trying to add another account on Instagram. Can you give me the steps on how to access my old account? It’s been so long that I don’t even remember my password for it. Is it too late to get it back? HELP! I did not delete it, I just followed your steps to add another account, I did not do the switching account steps.
Louise Myers says
You can request a password reset for it when you go to login. Just be sure it has a unique email and/or phone number from any other account.
Jovita Molina says
Okay, I found my old account sometime before this response but I have forgotten my password to my new account and it will not send me a new reset for password since I have not been able to confirm the email since I can not remeber the password, LOL! account I guess the only thing left to do is make a new account and just leave the second one to be deleted? But I wanted to use that email, getting old sucks big time! LOL!
Louise Myers says
Oh no! That sounds a bit strange, but unfortunately I don’t know of any way to resolve it.
Arielle says
I recently got logged out of my business account on instagram that is linked to my personal account. Both are linked to my facebook page personal and business. When I go to reset the password entering the username of the business account it sends me the link to reset but always logs in to the personal account. I can see my business account is linked in the business profile but have no way to log back in.
Do you know how to redirect it to the secondary page? The email associated with the business page doesn’t see to work either. I can’t get it to send an email link only a text.
Louise Myers says
If both are linked to the same phone number, I don’t know of any way to resolve this.
Dana says
Hello,
I followed your instructions and tried even more possibilities – but it seems to be impossible for me to create more than one account!
I’ve tried the Instagram website in a desktop browser as well as the freshly installed Android app. I can see and use all of your mentioned options. – But still, they don’t allow me to create a second account!
I’ve wasted lots of e-mail addresses as well as possible user names since every additional account is blocked immediately (giving me stupid, empty explanations that there is some current problem with the creation process and I should try it again)!
Is this maybe caused by my static IP address? My PC as well as the device with the Android app are using the same WLAN and therefore will show the same global IP address to Instagram.
Also I can’t imagine how I could have broken some rules? I have never uploaded something, I did never like or follow something or someone with my first account. I don’t know how I could have infringed a rule since I’m still in the process of creating my accounts.
At multiple sources I’ve read how simple it should be to create and manage multiple accounts (just like your place here), at least with the app (up to five?). I can see lots of people who are doing this, keeping multiple public and private accounts running at their mobile devices. But how did they create these???
It’s really annoying; my static IP address is maybe the only difference between them and myself. Or does Instagram also use other unique device identifiers?
I can’t find any information about the restrictions of account creation.
Louise Myers says
Oh dear. Sorry for all the hassle! I’m afraid I don’t know anything quite that technical about device identifiers, but I don’t see how it would matter.
If I discover anything I’ll be sure to let you know.
Dana says
Thank you for your fast reply.
Just for some explanation: On other sources (e.g. some Reddit discussion) I found hints that there is *some limit* of the number of accounts you can create per device. This can only be realized by checking the unique device identifier or by looking at the Internet address of the device. In some older discussion they were suggesting to buy more devices to be able to create and manage more accounts!? I won’t do this.
Yes, I know of children with more mobiles (and Instagram accounts) than I own. But I won’t buy anything on spec.
I planned to use different accounts to not mix family, business, hobby and other affairs. But right now it looks like this “some limit” (There are no official numbers I know of.) is ONE for me. Even so I used two different devices (PC and mobile), but through the same Internet connection.
Again thanks for your work. I will check this site from time to time for updates.
Louise Myers says
“one” isn’t a very acceptable number! Thanks for the explanation. Sorry they’re not being very accommodating to you!
Alyssa says
That happened to me, too. In the past (long time ago) I had two accounts, but deleted them both. A half a year ago I opened a new one. I wasn’t active at all – I would use it once in a while just to take a look at photos. I rarely liked anything and posted only several photos.
I tried to open another profile yesterday (for my artwork). I did the same as you – tried Facebook, tried different e-mail addresses – always the same – “Try again later” or “You broke the rules and cannot open an account now” and that was it. All e-mail addresses blocked, Facebook blocked…
I tried my phone, tried Chrome, Firefox (on my PC) – all the same. It’s only ONE account for me. I have no idea why. I have never violated any rules on Instagram – neither in the past with those two long gone and deleted profiles, nor with the one I have now. I was so annoyed, that I wanted to delete the one account that I have now and be gone from Instagram forever.
We can assume that they changed the policy. No more multiple accounts for most users. Maybe in the end they will allow only one account per user. I don’t know what they check – the IP address or the devices… My mom wanted to create an account with her phone and PC, but since we share the same IP address – it might not be possible…
They could at least give some notification about changing the rules. So unprofessional!
So, this article IS outdated.
Louise Myers says
Sorry it didn’t work for you, but it’s still their official policy. They haven’t changed that.
I get that you’re frustrated, but unfortunately there’s nothing I can do to update the article. There simply is no information on why this works for some people and not others.
Nadia Levy says
Hi. I can’t access my second account. I see it when I search for other accounts but it seems to not be linked to my first page. Think this happened when I switched handsets. I had it linked so I could switch easily between the two and not have to do it on a separate email address etc. Please help!!!! It’s my makeup artist page😢
Louise Myers says
Different emails are required for password recovery. So if you can, change one to a different email and try to link them again.
Bill Leighty says
I like to post from my desktop, using the Chrome Instagram Browser Extension, it does not reflect the option to switch from one connected user account to another. Any ideas on a fix, so that I can toggle back and forth between the two on my desktop?
Louise Myers says
Instagram has limited features on desktop. Someone may have a hack for you, but I can’t “fix” what’s not broken 🙂
Dana says
Have you tried to use a portable browser?
I’m not using Chrome but Firefox. The portable version is normally used on flash drives, to be able to use your own browser (with your personal settings, history, cookies …) on every machine.
Another advantage is that you can easily configure these portable versions to allow multiple instances running on the same machine. It’s not the same like opening a new tab or window from an already running browser, because these would share the same cookies and thereby the Instagram session. But a completely new browser copy (just copy the browsers directory – it’s just that easy with these portable browsers) will have its own cookies and thereby should be able to open its own Instagram session.
Then you could switch between your accounts like you are switching between arbitrary windows of your operating system.
Bill Leighty says
Dana, thanks so much for taking your time to reply. Unfortunately, I’m not very tech savvy, and would not know where to begin to follow your instructions, as easy as they might be for someone with a higher internet IQ. Thanks again. Bill
Dana says
Hi Bill,
I will just give you a step-by-step explanation. It is really not that complicated. In the meantime I was also able to verify that it really works. Just ask if something is unclear.
1. Go to portableapps.com/apps/internet/firefox_portable and hit the big green download button.
2. Navigate to the program you just downloaded and execute it. It will only unpack the portable Firefox at the place you choose yourself.
3. By default you got a folder called “FirefoxPortable”. Herein you have to allow the start of multiple browser instances. This is simply done by a text file with only two lines. Just do a right-click inside the folder to choose New -> Text Document. Set the file’s name to “FirefoxPortable.ini”. (Just confirm the message that you are changing the file’s extension [from .txt to .ini] if you get one.)
4. Open this file ([Enter] or double-click), fill in the following two lines and save the file:
[FirefoxPortable]
AllowMultipleInstances=true
5. Now you can create as much copies of the enclosing folder “FirefoxPortable” as you want (e.g. FirefoxPortable_InstagramAccount1, FirefoxPortable_InstagramAccount2 …).
6. Now and in future you can start the application “FirefoxPortable.exe” in each folder to get another separate browser instance. It will keep its own cookies; handle its own Instagram account and so on.
The second one will not know that you are already logged in to some account within the first window.
In conclusion the only manual adjustment to make is the creation of the configuration file, to really enable multiple instances. The rest is only downloading, extracting and copying.
(Of course you can also create shortcuts in the start menu or on the desktop to not have to navigate to the application files every time.)
Susan says
Hi I can’t seem to link more than three accounts. It says I have the maximum number of accounts. When I go into manage accounts and try and add there also it says I have reached the max of five. But I removed old accounts and only have three in there! Do you know why it’s doing this??
Louise Myers says
Not sure, could be cached memory, and am also starting to hear that IG may have a limit of new accounts created per device / IP address.
Perhaps if you do a hard shutdown of the app it will reset, but I can’t be sure.
Alie says
Hello, I had four instagram accounts- I went to add or create another and it said I had the maximum number of accounts. Therefore, I deleted one account and tried again to add another account and I am still getting the same message. Any leads? I heard that instagram allows you to have five accounts, so i am confused why I’m having an issue with having only 3.
Louise Myers says
Not sure, could be cached memory, and am also starting to hear that IG may have a limit of new accounts created per device / IP address. I haven’t heard of a solution though.
Anna W. says
Hi Louise! I have a problem with me personal account… I have two of them in the same app in the same phone, one personal and one for work. My work account it is perfect, it has all the updates, but for some reason my personal account does not get any update! The profile has the old diagramation and I cannot use the closed friends tool, it just does not appear… Do you know any solution? Thanks for your time!!
Louise Myers says
That’s something I haven’t heard yet! So strange. Hopefully if another reader has a suggestion they’ll chime in.
Anna W. says
Thanks for your answer! Hope someone knows 🙌🏻
Christy Meurer says
Thank you so much! I have done a lot of switching on IG and always land back at this article to help me! I swear IG makes it SO hard!
Louise Myers says
So glad it helps! Thank you as I seem to get a lot of complaints these days 🙂 It’s not me, it’s IG 🙂
Tracy says
Hi, I have a personal IG account but I have been asked to run an IG business account for a friend. Each account has its own email, log-in, password. My question is, are the accounts linked on both ends? Ex. If the business owner decides to one-day log-in into his business account, will he have access to my personal IG?
Do you think it’s best if I unlink the accounts? It is a pain logging in and out of accounts. A few months ago I was working on a course project and the professor suggested I link the school account to my IG account but I couldn’t find any information on privacy so I didn’t do it.
Louise Myers says
As far as I know, it’s not reciprocal linking. I have different accounts on 2 different devices. The other accounts don’t automatically show up on the other device. I need to know the password if I want to add them.
Lynne Comartin says
Hoping you can lend me a hand. I had a second Instagram account linked to my main account. I recently got a new phone and now the second account is not showing. When I try to add the second account, I just routed back to my original one and the second account never shows up. I try logging into just the second account and can’t seem to get in. I am now worried that I must have signed this second account up with the same phone number. Is there any way of recovering this account? I am so frustrated.
Louise Myers says
Can you log into the second account separately? If so, try to change to a different email and/or phone number.
I don’t believe there’s a way to recover a second account with the same email and/or phone number.
Fiona Armstrong says
hello,
i am in the exact same position. I got new phone and it logged me out – i used the same email address as i was not aware that it would cause an issue. Very gutted i have lost access to my second account as it was a business account. Did you find a solution?
Louise Myers says
Nope, no ideas on that. Any subsequent accounts linked to the same email as the first may not be retrievable.
John Mkumbwa says
I’m facing the same problem, i had 3 instagram accounts and i have changed my phone after it fell down and broken to pieces. I cant get my two accounts and they are business accounts. I am having enough frustrations! I don’t know what to do. Confused
Louise Myers says
What I suggested didn’t work?
gosia says
Hi I just had the same problem. I could only load 3 of the 5 accounts om my new phone. I deleted the app and reloaded it and can now add the other 2 to have a total of 5 active accounts
Jackie says
Hi! This is happening to me…just today I got a new iPhone. I can only access my main account & 1 other account. The problem is I have 5. When I try to add another account it tells me I cannot add anymore. But I’m only logged into 2 of my 5 accounts:-/ I’m SO frustrated. I’m a Social Media Manager & these are 4 of my clients
Erik says
Same here. Can’t find anything on the issue anywhere online. Somehow the accounts got linked and can’t unlink.
Louise Myers says
Gosia commented above that deleting and reinstalling the app worked.
You could also try the 3rd suggestion under “How do I remove an Instagram account.” If that works you could then add them back.
Kirsty says
I’ve had the same problem, I found logging out of my main account then logging into my second account, I was then able to see my main account and switch between the 2!
Allison Gleason says
This is happening to me as well, my third account randomly was removed and I am unable to log back into it. I have removed the app and reinstalled.
Anna says
Same here. Instagram accounts set up in addition to first account and switch used so no need to login in separately but all but main account lost when got new phone. Got all back bar one. My cat can’t remember his password!
Elle says
PLEASE make this possible on a computer!!
TY 🙂
Louise Myers says
I would if I could lol
Michelle Kinnane says
Unfortunately I have also changed phones and as a result no longer have access to my second account. … my most important account!!
SOOOO frustrating trying to get it back… have tried EVERYTHING!!
And reading your articles here, it looks like I won’t be getting it back!
I can’t believe this has happened… I always thought I would eventually find a way!!!!
Louise Myers says
If you do find an answer, I would love to spread the word. It seems a lot of peeps are in this situation. So let me know!
Best of luck.
Cath says
This is bad! I have forgotten my password for my second account and my email and phone details are the same! What am l going to do?! I have reported it with Instagram but l am getting no response 🙁
Louise Myers says
Can you change the first account to different email and phone? Then you might be able to get a password reset on the other one.
gosia says
Hi I just had the same problem. I could only load 3 of the 5 accounts on my new phone. I deleted the app and reloaded it and can now added the other 2 to have a total of 5 active accounts
April says
I’m In the same boat! Got a new phone and now can’t access my work account! I’m so frustrated
Navya says
Hi Lousie,
I have two instagram accounts with the same email id. I can access both the accounts from my phone but I cannot do the same with my laptop. Can you give me a solution for this?
Thanks for your time.
Navya
Louise Myers says
This option is only available on mobile devices.
Inger Eik Ravndal says
Hi Louise,
Maybe you can help me out with my issue? Currently I had 5 accounts at instagram. One of them, I managed to delete last week hoping to get another account instead of the one I deleted. This is where trouble starts. Under my profile, the deleted account is still going ( not operative) so I’m still not abel to log in to another account. So, my question is- how can I erase the deleted account at my profile? ( i guess I need to do this to get space for a new number 5)
Thanks,
Regards Inger Eik Ravndal
Louise Myers says
Hi, there are some suggestions towards the end of the article that have worked for others to remove an account. I don’t know of any other ways.
Marie says
So I did all 3 options on how to remove
“How do I remove an Instagram account I’ve added?” and non help. What did help to remove that unwanted account from showing up on my app was to logout of all accounts. Reset my iPhone and select erase all content and settings, obviously back up your phone prior to doing this. Once it reset I went back to the app logged back into the account I wanted to log into and that unwanted account was no longer there
Louise Myers says
Great, thanks for the tips!
Jenny says
Hi Lousie, I have two Instagram accounts, one to contact with my real friends and one for social purposes. I didn’t link the second one with facebook link but my acquaintances still can see it :(. How can I stop them find my second account out?
Louise Myers says
Most likely you’d need to make it private and/or not connect it to an IG account that’s linked to FB.
gina linville says
Hi, My question I searched for my original account, and it’s still there. I like to use my original acct, but not sure how to bring it up. Please advise… can I do it from my phone
or need to do on the desktop?
After I retrieve my orignal acct, I need to delete the one I added.
Thank you!
Gina
Louise Myers says
I don’t understand what you’re asking. “I like to use my original acct, but not sure how to bring it up.” Do you mean log in? Add it to another account? Get a password reset? You’ve lost me.
Accounts can only be linked on a mobile device, not on desktop.
Phil Foster says
I want to switch between accounts on my mac. Cannot find how to do this anywhere. Can you help
Louise Myers says
Instagram.com has limited features. If you’re interested, you can use one of these Instagram-approved third party apps.
Darlene Simmons says
Hi im having a bit of a problem…..I have two Instagram accounts and one of them I know there’s a link to one of my Facebook accounts and one of them is linked to a very old Facebook account that I can’t remember the email or password to that one and I am just trying to figure out how to log in while just using the Instagram username because that’s all I know the phone number and email address that is linked to that particular username account does not exist anymore it’s been a very long time since I’ve been on that account but all I can remember is the username can you please help me.
Louise Myers says
I don’t believe there’s any way to log into an account where you don’t know the password and have no way to recover it.
Joshua says
Since they last update of Instagram I’m not able to view last active status of my DM contacts even though I didn’t change the settings. My “show activity status”is ON. I tried uninstalling reinstall cleared the cache etc but nothing works. Strangely my last active is seen by my contacts.
I’m using dual app Instagram
Tamira says
Is account switching available via a PC? I can only see one of my accounts via a computer
Louise Myers says
It is not.
Jake says
I have a personal account and will be creating a new business account for a podcast. Once the accounts are connected, will I be able to quickly add my followers from the personal account? Or do I just need to search and request each person?
Thanks!
Louise Myers says
There’s no way to add followers from one account to another. I personally would suggest people follow the second account in posts on the first account. Be cautious of doing a lot of DMs as it could get your account blocked.
Phuong Le says
Hey,is that possible if your Instagram account disappeared? My friend just created one not long ago and now he said couldn’t find his account anymore which I find hard to believe.
Louise Myers says
With social media, I suppose anything is possible. Most likely he would have gotten a notification on why it was removed, though.
Arun Rao says
hi, my son used my existing account to make an attached linked account on Instagram. Now I want to de-link it so I can post on FB on two different accounts that I have. how do I do that? sure hope I can otherwise I am gonna have to share everything over and over again on the new FB profile.
Louise Myers says
Instructions to unlink are in the article. It’s not difficult.
Kristin Johnson says
Do you followers see all your accounts and posts in all accounts or do they just see the one they are following?
Louise Myers says
Only the one they’ve followed.
Kare says
I have a main IG Account and a secondary account that I toggle back and forth between. In trying to delete a photo I posted on the secondary, the three dots do not offer Delete! My primary one does. I’ve spent hours trying to learn how. Can you assist?
Louise Myers says
Sorry, I haven’t heard of this. I just tried it and have the option to Delete.
Stacy Nelson says
Hello- I have NO secondary instagram account, I have ONLY ever had one account. Why is my profile picture showing up on the bottom tab to the far right? I know this feature is usually used to toggle back and forth between accounts but I’ve only ever had the one. So why all of a sudden is the profile pic showing up down at the bottom? This has gotten me into a heap of trouble recently someone thinking I have multiple account but I don’t, and I don’t know how to prove it. Any help is appreciated , thank you!
Louise Myers says
That icon is the link to your profile page. If it’s new to you, I can tell you that it no longer allows toggling between accounts. Not sure what icon you had before to get to your profile – maybe generic? But switching accounts now can ONLY be done from the TOP CENTER of your profile.
A says
So I should be able to use the same email account if I want to create new instagram at a later time?
Louise Myers says
If you deleted the account associated with the email address, then I don’t expect a problem. Don’t have 2 active accounts with the same email though!
Alex says
I want to link two accounts, but when I go to my profile, there are NOT three lines, as you say. What next?
Louise Myers says
Find your settings from your profile page on mobile. Mine is 3 lines. Maybe yours is 3 dots or a gear.
Debra Ponte says
I had one and added another. Now can not post photos on my 1st one? EEK? I did not know how to go between the 2 to post very different photos on each? Should I delete the 2nd one to regain my first?
Thank You so much. Debra
Louise Myers says
I’m not sure what the problem is. Are you able to open the first account but just not post to it?
In any event, I’m doubtful that deleting the 2nd one will fix anything on the first.
Diane says
I have an instagram account with name and all. One hashtag I use is #keepasharpeye and it has made its own page with no name. Someone else also posts on this. What can I do about it?
Louise Myers says
You might be able to do something IF you’ve trademarked your business name… tho that’s a standard phrase and probably not eligible to be trademarked.
You could ask them to stop. Or maybe pick something less generic, because this tag is likely to be used by others.
Laurie says
Hi! I have a personal IG account and a few years ago created & added an account for a non-profit that I volunteer with. I really want to un-link the accounts so that another person with the non-profit and post on our IG. Can I do this? I don’t want to delete the account and start over if I don’t have to…it’s taken a while to build our followers. Any suggestions??
Thanks!
Louise Myers says
I don’t know IG rules on having multiple people log into an account. I assume it’s OK if it’s a business account, but you should look up best practices for this. The one thing I’m fairly sure of is you can’t “sell” an account, but I have no idea about *giving* it to someone else. I’m guessing it’s linked to your FB which could make things tricky.
Sorry, this is way out of my expertise.
Melanie Deardorff says
You’re a lifesaver! I’ve been trying for months to remove an account I used to manage. I used your most recent option (the solution provided February 2019) and was finally able to get rid of it. Victory!
Louise Myers says
Fantastic! Thanks for letting me know.
Christina says
I have a 3rd IG that I use for business (but not a business IG acct)-can’t remember password and have to re-sign in bc I have a new phone. uggghhh!
It says it will send me reset link via SMS-but it never comes! I do have settings to allow SMS. Any thoughts on how to get through this? I cannot sign in via FB bc I am not on FB (never have been)….would greatly appreciate your thoughts!
Louise Myers says
So sorry, I don’t know what to do about that.
Maria says
When having difficulty removing an instagram profile from your phone:
Make sure the “remember log in” setting is OFF under the settings on that profile. Then when you “log-out” of that profile it will be gone.
Louise Myers says
Terrific! Thank you Maria!
Kate says
Hi,
My business partner has somehow linked our business account to her personal account. We want to unlink it so that we can set up our instagram account as a business account.
However, she has previously disabled her personal account and although she can log in she cannot seem to unlink the account.
If she deletes her personal account, will this delete our business account as well?
Louise Myers says
Since I haven’t experienced this exact situation, I’d advise caution. It shouldn’t, but I’d try other things first.
Have her try the tips here to unlink. And even if she doesn’t unlink, that shouldn’t prevent another admin from working on the account.
Nancy says
I have a business IG and a personal one. You use to be able to switch between accounts on your computer, but that has seemed to change. I logged out from my business account and signed into my personal one, but now I can’t get back on my business page and I need to be on it!!! I log in with facebook, but it keeps going back to my personal page. Help please!!!!
Louise Myers says
I was not aware that switching was ever supported on computer. Can you log in with your business account credentials instead of FB?
Brooke says
Hi and thanks so much for this article! Quick question: If I create a second account, will followers on my first account automatically see that I have made a second? My goal is to use the second account anonymously so I hope not!
Louise Myers says
It used to be that if any account is connected to your Facebook, FB friends would get notified on IG that “Brooke is on Instagram as account name.” I haven’t seen these for awhile though. But anonymity is certainly not guaranteed.
Nancy Ehrlich says
Thanks for your useful info above! I created a second account for a non-profit I am helping.
2 questions – When I received the email to confirm the account and clicked confirm your email address, it just keeps coming up with “Email not confirmed”. I’m guessing it’s somehow trying to log in to my original personal Instagram account or something. Any thoughts?
And also, when I’ve posted to Instagram on my personal account, I know I can also have it post to FB at the same time. Is there a way to link my second Instagram account for the non-profit to it’s FB account? It looked like the only option was to link my 2nd non-profit Instagram to my personal FB.
Thanks!
Louise Myers says
Not sure about the unconfirmed email. You used a different email, right?
You should be able to link the 2nd account to its FB business page if you’re an admin of it.
Nancy Ehrlich says
I figured out the email. I needed to add this new email account to my phone and access it there. For FB, the only option that comes up is my personal FB page. There is no option for any other admin pages.
Allison Lewis says
I can’t get into my second instagram account/page that I haven’t used in a long time, but want to access now. I don’t have the option of signing into it anymore.
Christina says
Hello!
Some time ago, my friend gave me the password to her Instagram account. But now neither she nor I want me to have access to her account. It annoys me so much to have her account in the accounts that I have on Insta and I want it to not be there. However, I’ve tried all of the things stated in this site, but none helped and I think it has to do with the fact that she changed her password. I tried logging into her account so I could remove it, but it says I don’t have access to it and when I tried to hit the X next to Log In, it didn’t work.
How can I delete that account from my accounts without asking her for the password?
Thanks in advance.
Louise Myers says
That’s quite odd and I don’t know of a solution. Would b grateful to know if you find one.
Mel says
Hi Louise,
So i have 5 accounts. 2 are personal, 3 are for my online shops. 1 of online shop account is a business profile. As far as i remember, all of the accounts use different email address. My business account is linked to my phone number.
Now, I just factory reset my account. I can log back in to the business account and one personal account. But when i try to log in to the other accounts, the app keep directing me to the business account. (It doesnt say that the password is wrong too)
I have tried to log out to that business account and remove the login detail (it appeared when i log out)
What should i do? Should i temporarily change the business account to normal account? Will that help? Or should i delete the phone number? Is that possible? Thank you
Louise Myers says
Unfortunately I don’t know of a fix for this.
Liz Tomlin says
This was very useful, thank you. I have a problem which is related to this:
I created an account called T, late one night, I was tired so I didn’t finish it , in fact it barely exists, it seems to be a user name and an email. A couple of days later I tried to access the account but couldn’t and decided I must have remembered wrong so I created a second account.
I tried to use a user name of T but it said this name wasn’t available, which I thought was strange as it is fairly unique. So I used the name L .
Having got an account I could search for other so I searched for T and found it, it says no posts and it is obviously mine as the geo tag is for our house.
Since T is the name of our business it is important that the Instagram account is named this. So I attempted to log in to it but no password would work. I then asked for a password reset, It said that it was sending a mail to T@domain. This is not my email address, in fact it is someone else’s AND already associated with an Instagram account. This means the password reminder is going to her not me and she tells me she cannot log in to the T account – we thought she could follow the link and t then change the email associated with it to mine and all would be well. But apparently this doesn’t work, she can only make changes on her real account.
Instagram seems to have no real support so it is impossible to get any help from them.
This is important to me because the business is named T and that is what I want to see, otherwise it will be very confusing for customers.
Is there any way to fix this?
Thank you
Liz
Louise Myers says
I suggest you start an account with a longer username that relates to your business. “tproducts” or whatever. I would be amazed if IG will let you have a 1-letter username. In fact if you did set up an account that way, it’s been removed: “The link you followed may be broken, or the page may have been removed.”
Unnur Leifsdóttir says
Thank you🙏
Helen says
I have an IG account that my group uses. Some how my personal Facebook account was linked to the account and now I cannot attach the correct Facebook account. I have hit the “unlink” in the settings but when I go to link a different account I can only link my personal account again. Any help is appreciated.
Louise Myers says
You have to link to your personal account first and from there you should be able to choose any fan page you’re logged in as an admin of. I don’t know that you can link to a group though.
Betty says
Thank you for this article. I was trying to remove accounts that I didn’t need anymore so option #2 under the switching accounts section worked perfectly for me. Thanks again
Louise Myers says
Great!
Jodie says
Hi I want to create a new account to separate business posts from personal but I have a lot of photos and highlights on my personal account that I want to transfer over, is this possible? Hubby has suggested rename my current account, with the business name, then delete all the personal photos. (Which is really like to keep in a personal account) Help! Any suggestions??
Louise Myers says
No, you can’t transfer photos from one account to another. I would not use the existing account for business if the current followers are expecting personal stuff. If you create a new account, you’ll have content ready to post for a long time!
Jessica 🖤 says
You know when you click on your username to switch to another account and it shows you the list of accounts, Is there anyway i can delete a deleted account off that list?
Louise Myers says
A deleted account shouldn’t be showing anywhere. This might be a caching issue.
Hailey Ibarra says
hi, I just made a business account but unfortunately, I used the same email and phone is there a way to change it through the account. I am not having any trouble with passwords but just to be safe. Also, when I try to login in with my new business account through the Instagram login page it won’t work only when I am on my original and then switch from there. Any way I can log in with my second page from the Instagram login page? Thank you!
Louise Myers says
Q1, I don’t think so.
Q2, enter the username you wish to log into.
Sheryl Hamilton says
I just tried using my new business email (which I don’t believe I used here before to set up an additional account) and I got a message saying” the terms of use had been violated” and hence wouldn’t let me continue naturally.
I’m don’t recall trying to set this up previously for my business (maybe someone else has tried the same user name in the past), so I am wondering if I could have the login and set up the additional account I am wanting to create?
Louise Myers says
“I am wondering if I could have the login and set up the additional account I am wanting to create?”
I guess you could have the login? I don’t understand what you’re asking.
Maryam says
Hi there,
I was hoping you may be able to help. I tried to set up a new username (which was available and the name of my new business) and was asked to register with an email or mobile number. As I’d already used my email for my main personal insta acc I decided to use my mobile number for this new one instead. I put my number in and was sent a code to verify it which I did, along with a new password which I added and that was the end. I expected to find a new acc created but have since learnt that I was only half way through the process. Since then I’ve tried to login and it states that the password is incorrect! I’ve then tried to put my mobile number in and found to my dismay that this number is already connected to an old (and unused) insta acc of mine created years ago so now the new reset code is sending me to my old insta acc rather than the newly created one today. When I’ve attempted to go back and start from the beginning the username I want now states ‘unavailable’..I’ve clearly claimed it but it’s stuck in the ether somewhere and I can’t get to it! It’s half registered with a number that is already in use with another acc!! What to do?! I can’t change the username as it’s the name of my business! Ive contacted instagram via the app and am hoping they will respond but any thoughts? Thanks in advance.
Louise Myers says
I’m so sorry but I don’t know of any way to recover that account or username. I would keep trying to login with the password… is it possible you got 1 digit or shift key incorrect?
Maryam says
Thank you. I will keep trying.
Naomj says
Hi, I have created a 3rd IG account & when I created it, I didn’t choose a password for it, I chose to use my main account log in details to create the new page. Now I can’t seem to find an option to create a new password as I’ve decided I don’t want the same log in details for these 2 pages. Can you help me at all? Thanks!
Louise Myers says
I’ve noticed there’s a new “one login” feature but haven’t figured out if you can disable it. I’ll let you know if I do.
Evony Estrada says
Hi,
When i created my second account I clicked login instead of signup. Now my second account does not appear anywhere but when i type the second acct name in search my first accoutn appears with my first acct name.. Its like the second accoutn exist but you can see unless you type it in search which then the name appears under my first accoutn pic but when you go to the page its my First account info… Please Help!
Louise Myers says
You’ve probably already tried this, but… try to create the account with the new name again, if it indeed does not exist at instagram.com/newname. If that doesn’t work, then that name isn’t available any longer.
Deanna says
I have a personal Instagram account and created a business account linked to it using my iPhone. I can only access the business account through the personal account on my iPhone. On my Mac, I can log into my personal account, but it does not allow access to my business account. I would like to be able to log into my business account on my Mac. Is there a way to create separate login information (username and password) for my business account now that it’s already established and linked to my personal account? I’m afraid if I tinker with it, I will lose the account and I have about 100 followers so far that I don’t want to lose by starting over again.
Deanna says
Thank you for reading my question about linked accounts. I managed to figure out a solution and can now access each account on my Mac separately. Thanks for being so informative on this blog!
Louise Myers says
Glad you found a solution! Is there a trick to it, or just log out of one to log into the other?
Deanna says
I clicked around a lot, but here’s what I think I did. Because of the way I started the business account through my personal account on my iPhone, both accounts were linked and logged in on the iPhone under the same email/password combo. I went to my laptop (Mac), searched Instagram and found my new, business Instagram account. I could see it, but I was not logged in and couldn’t access it. When I tried logging in under the same email/password combo I used on the iPhone account, it led to my personal account, so I still couldn’t access my business account on my laptop. Here’s what I tried: On the Mac laptop, I logged out of my personal account. I signed in again using my business account username (rather than the email used on my personal account), and clicked “forgot password”. Instagram sent prompts by email for me to make a new password for my account. I made a new password and I was able to log in to my business account on my Mac laptop. I tested to see if I could still access my personal account using the original iPhone email/password combo, and it worked just fine.
Note: When I went back to my phone, because I had changed my business account password, I was notified that the business page was unable to be accessed. I unlinked the business account from my personal account and then relinked them following the prompts and using the new business account username/password. They linked up just fine.
Jennifer says
It works if it works, and if it doesn’t, you’re stuck, possibly without the ability to log in to one or more accounts. Instagram won’t help, or even respond.
This is a ridiculous system, with arbitrary rules they don’t even tell you you’re violating, or help you fix. And chances are, you’re not even violating any rules but being penalized anyway.
Louise Myers says
Interesting theory.
Jo says
Hi, a lady I work for has set up a secondary account for her business linking it to the original. I have access to the original but it isn’t giving me access to the new one. She says she doesn’t have log in details for the new one as it was “just linked”, any idea how I can gain access to it?
Louise Myers says
I’m pretty certain you would need the login info. Have you tried adding and logging into the second account with the username, then the PW of the first account?
If that doesn’t work then she may need to do a PW reset so she can share the correct PW with you.
Zaenal Susanto says
Hi there… I recently got logged out of my business account on Instagram that is linked to my personal account. And both are linked to my facebook page personal and business.
And when I go to reset the password entering the username of the business account it sends me the link to reset but always logs in to the personal account.
I can see my business account is linked in the business profile but have no way to log back in.
Do you know how to redirect it to the secondary page?
Louise Myers says
It sounds like both accounts were set up with the same email or phone number. In such a case, the PW reset will revert to the first account set up.
It might be possible to change it on the one you can log in to, but I can’t say for sure. Proceed at your own risk.
Cindy says
I am having the SAME exact issue. It’s like the business Instagram account is no longer linked and I can’t post to it or do anything “as” the business. It’s sooooooo frustrating. It’s either a glitch or they have just jacked something totally up. I created the same as you b/c that is how I was advised to create it, by adding an account. When I try to password reset, then it takes me to my PERSONAL account. I’m at my wits end.
Louise Myers says
If the PW reset is going to a different account, then it sounds like you set them both up with the same login. This is unfortunate.
You could try to change the login for the account you CAN get into so the PW reset for the business account will actually take you to that account, since it’s only associated with that one. I can’t guarantee anything, of course it’s at your own risk. Not sure this is even possible.
Can you log into the biz account separately, or do you really need a PW reset on it?
Shardul Pathak says
Solution
Go to settings >> Security >> Saved Login Info >> uncheck “Saved Login info” >> new pop up asking “Remove Login Info?” select Remove and All Set!
Louise Myers says
Thanks for the tip!
VP says
Hope this helps, worked for me!
-Delete Instagram
-Re-install it
-Once you open it up it gives you the option to “manage accounts” very small in the bottom
-Click that and it will remove whatever accounts you don’t want to see anymore
Louise Myers says
Thanks for this tip!
tyna walenski says
I’m trying to create a new business account and the function just doesn’t seem to be working. When I click on the “add an account” button, it brings me to the login page. I have tried 2 alternate e-mails to set up the new account, but it still just goes back to the feed for my personal account.
This is very frustrating. I’ve been trying to resolve it for weeks for my new business. Anyone know how to contact Insta? The e-mail listed gives you an auto reply saying that e-mail is no longer in service and sends you to the Fb help pages. Seriously…alot of people earn their living on Insta and they need to be more accessable for problem resolution….
Louise Myers says
Did you try the steps in the article?
6 | DON’T fill in the log in screen. At the bottom of the page, tap Sign up.
This should work.
robi says
Please please help I dont know what to do. I had a personal page and then made a business page about a year ago. i sued it all on the same account and never paid attention. The personal page is much more important because I barley use the business page. recently my phone was stolen. I received my replacement phone and logged into Instagram but it logged me into the business page that i dont care about. I tried logging out and again back to the same business p;age. I dont know how to stop logging into that page. I want to log into my personal page but it keeps taking me to the business page even through Facebook log in. Please what do i do? help me
Louise Myers says
Are the accounts linked? Look for a way to switch which one is active. Otherwise, I really don’t know. If you created 2 accounts with the same login, there’s no fix.
Natasha says
Hi! Is there a way of ‘transferring ‘ saved posts in folders from one account to my other new account? Rather than going through each persons posts to find the image & post each one separately in my new second account?
Thanks!
Louise Myers says
I doubt it. Great idea tho!
Fred Neal says
Hey Louise, great article.
I have an issue with my accounts, and thought you and your followers may help. I can access 6 accounts, without logging in and out, however, recently while following or unfollowing or working with these accounts, I am often banned on one account, and then all accounts then act the same way. Ie banned from all accounts. I don’t us any third party apps, and I only follow or unfollow a max of 20 per hour, per account. I am not sure what I am doing wrong to be banned so often. I am also having to change my password, as Insta thinks my account has been compromised. This is also starting to happen often. What am I doing wrong?
Louise Myers says
It’s curious that you’ve been able to link 6 accounts. The limit seems to be 5. Not sure if that’s affecting your different accounts activity perhaps being seen in aggregate. We’ll see if anyone else has ideas!
christina ablaza says
I have two IG accounts I want to switch the names how do I do that and is there a timeframe?
Louise Myers says
There isn’t a way to switch names. If you change the name on one account, it’s not certain if or when that name will become available for another account. So you might end up losing the name.
Me says
I’ve been trying to make another insta account without people knowing I do but when I add another account my current insta friends get recommendations to add me. Lame.
Louise Myers says
Yeah, that is pretty lame. Thanks for the warning.
Andrea says
How do I delete a new account that is made under an already existing account (same login). It shows on my phone (app) but when I login online, I only get the main account, which I do not want to delete. And if I try to log in online using the username of the new account, it says it does not exist. But it does on my phone. Help?
Louise Myers says
Account linking does not work on desktop.
Andy says
Excellent article, really useful…
I’m trying to create a new Instagram account for my work but twice now on entering the details to open a new account I get shutdown and told I’ve broken their legal terms and conditions as soon as I’ve entered new login/username details and hit next. This then means the email address I used and the usernames I used are taken so I’ve quickly running out of options.. Any ideas???
Louise Myers says
There might be some tips on this post…
https://www.socmedsean.com/instagram-banned-account
Dan Upke says
Hi!
I have a second IG account, but when I created it I chose the option of “one login”, linking it to my primary account, which I now regret. I wish for it to have it’s own email and password, independently from the other but I cannot find a way to do so! Thanks in advance for the help.
Louise Myers says
I don’t believe there’s a way to undo “one login” at this time. I would appreciate you letting me know if you find something, as this will be a problem for a lot of people. Best of luck!
Daniel says
Hi, thanks for your reply!
Sadly, after searching tiredlessly for a solution, I could not find one. The second account was still very “new” so I decided to delete it before it kept growing, and create a new account under my secondary email address.
Louise Myers says
Thanks for reporting back! Cheers.
Alison says
Hi, my son also has an instagram account set up under my email addresss.
On the app if I log out of his, put my username in & password it still logs into his account & not mine.
I know my account is still active as i can see it on other peoples phones.
Please help me to switch back to my account on my phone.
I have tried all the instructions above.
Louise Myers says
If you have 2 accounts with the same email, IG defaults to the first one set up. Can he change the email on his account? Not sure if there’s any solution if that’s not possible.
Alison says
I think he can change the email, but will that work? do you always have to remember the email you set instagram up with to log in in future?
Louise Myers says
This is all I know for sure. At this time, if you have 2 accounts on the same email and forget your password, the password reset will only work for the first account set up under that email. So you’re effectively locked out of other account(s) with the same email.
I can’t say exactly what will happen in your case, but if possible, it’s just better to have different logins for different accounts.
Neil says
Hi Louise,
Apologies if this has already been covered on here, but I really need to get help with this. I’m about to throw my phone at something hard :/
I have a list with four IG accounts on my phone, however I need to remove two of them – they were for a previous job. I don’t want to delete the accounts as the business still needs them. I followed your instructions at the beginning about how to do this, but it didn’t work.
Thank you in advance
Louise Myers says
I understand your frustration, but I honestly haven’t held back any secret tips. If you read through the article, you’ll find troubleshooting tips.
Michel says
Dear Louise, thanks for sharing your Instagram wisdom..
I have has many people a FB account and eventually created a page on FB for my company. I created an Instagram account and then linked it to my business page. Somehow I cannot switch it back to personal only and how to create an account only for the business so they are both distinct?
Would you be able to help me in this one?
Thanks
Michel
Louise Myers says
I’m not sure, but it sounds like you can keep the one you have now for business, and then add your personal one. OR, unlink the FB business page, and this will (hopefully) allow you to change the account you have now to personal.
Then you should be able to add other accounts that you can link to FB biz pages. I have done this several times myself.
GC says
Fantastic article, good start for newcomers in the Instagram world!
Beth says
Thank you! I was trying to remove an account from my saved account and could not figure it out – great information!
Jane Yates says
Hi Louis, I have 2 accounts on my iPhone 8 and it has started loosing the header & footer buttons when I switch accounts. It looks like my info doesn’t fit the screen properly. I have changed my font size, but this hasn’t solved it. When I turn my phone on & off it works ok for a while until I need to change accounts. Any ideas?
Thanks Jane
Louise Myers says
Haven’t heard of this, but make sure your app is up to date.
I sometimes notice weird things when my iOS updates so it could be a bug that will be addressed in a later release.
Alana Walker says
Hello, I am trying to delete a private account that I added but I can see it on my phone but not my web browser? Any tips on how I can see it on the web so I can delete?
Louise Myers says
You can’t see linked accounts on the web, so log out of any others and into that one specifically.
Shannon says
Hi,
I just created a 2nd account, after reading your comments I will change it so it’s linked to my number and not the same email as my main account. Thanks.
My question is, I created the account like you said above and skipped the option it gives to follow contacts you already know on your main account. However, now I am done setting up my page, i am trying to add contacts I already know from my main account and I can’t find the same option? It came up as a list before with the option to follow everyone I follow on my main account.
Will I have to make a new 2nd account to get that option back? I couldn’t stand going back and forth trying to follow each person I follow on my main account.
Hope that made sense
Thank you!
Louise Myers says
I have an option on my settings called “Discover People.” Under this you can also “Connect Contacts.” Not sure if this is what you’re looking for…
I would recommend only following accounts that would be interested in this second account though.
Shannon says
Yeah I have that too, it’s not the same though. When I first opened the account it gave me the option to follow the friends I already have on my main page and gives the option to skip. I know they will support my page.
If you don’t know what it is I doubt I can get it back then. I tested it by opening another account and it only comes up in the beginning it seems.
Louise Myers says
Thanks for clarifying. I opened multiple accounts quite a while ago and don’t remember seeing that.
Shannon says
Sorry, 1 more question!
After reading your article, I want to separate my accounts so that they are set up with a different email/ number like you suggest. Just in case.
I’m trying to add my number to my second account but I can’t figure out how. Is it possible? Thanks!
Louise Myers says
I haven’t found a way to do that.
Emily says
Omg this is the most HELPFUL thing I have ever read! Thank you soooooooo much!!!!!!!
Di says
I got a new iphone (10) went into Instagram and it had a very old one not the one that was in my last phone (6S).
I tried what you said above and know I think I have 3 accounts! It’s just a mess!
Louise Myers says
I’m probably more confused than you are! This article is about creating multiple accounts. But apparently that’s not what you wanted to do.
I’m not sure how I can help. It sounds like you logged into the wrong account, or had an old account with the same login as a newer one. IG defaults to the first account set up with a specific login.
Rachel l says
Hey. I had a second account but I think I used the same email address( I didn’t know at the time i shouldn’t). It worked for a week or so now I can’t switch even tho it shows under multi account log ins still. Is this lost forever or is there a way I can get back in do you think? Thanks
Louise Myers says
Don’t know why you can’t switch. Can you log in separately on a different device?
AFAIK you will not ever be able to get a password reset though.
shakir says
hi i tired to use switch accounts of instagram in pc . please tell which instagram app use to switch account easily
Louise Myers says
How to post to Instagram from PC
Nicole says
I have a question about my linked personal and business IG accounts and Hootsuite. I used Hootsuite to schedule posts to my business account for about a year, but then neglected it for about 6 months. When I went in this week to start scheduling again I found my IG account disconnected from Hootsuite. Tried to re-connect, but it is not working. My IG accounts are linked so I can login with 1 password and switch back and forth on my phone, but I cannot for the life of me log into my IG business account via my desktop, or get connected on Hootsuite. Wondering if I have both IG accounts set with the same login and password, and am royally screwed…. Any advise? Have I made sense?
Louise Myers says
This sounds like a question for Hootsuite. I don’t know how they integrate with IG.
Les says
I added a business account on my personal account for my husband’s business. It was working fine until I got a new phone and now I can’t add, change, or post any information on the business account. I can see it and now I wish it were on his phone instead. Is there anyway to retrieve it so he can have it on his phone now or is it a lost cause? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Louise Myers says
You can’t log into the account on either device?
Les says
I added a business account with the same email address. When I got a new phone, I was unable to access the business account, and now I can’t post, edit, or move it to another account. Can anyone assist me? Thanks!
Louise Myers says
I hope someone has a solution, but (as you now know) using the same email address is a problem.
Adina says
Hi. I followed the instructions to add a new account. It worked, now I have two and I can switch. However, I tried to upload pictures on my new account, but it doesn’t work, they are shown only on the old account although I was using the new one to load them. Any idea how to make that work? Thank you .
Louise Myers says
The screen before you post shows which accounts it will be posted to. Be sure you have the right one(s) selected before tapping “Share.”
Jen says
I am hoping someone can help me. I have a personal and business account. I wasn’t sure what name I wanted to have my business under so I named my business account on thing and personal the other option. I just deleted the name on the personal account & tried to make it to business Name. I keep getting the message user name unavailable even though I just deleted it from personal account. I made it my personal user name to make sure someone didn’t suddenly take it & it changes right back to it on personal page. Does anyone know why I can’t change my business account user name to what was personal account name?? Thank for any help.
Louise Myers says
Previously used usernames are made available at IG’s discretion. You’ll have to keep checking and hope you catch it.
Nina says
Hi, I didn’t read the warning before (*DO NOT use the same email or phone for your second Instagram account. ) and I created a new account and linked the account to the existing one. The problem is how to unlink the accounts and don’t lockout from the new one. The new one doesn’t have a password because is using the password from the first account
pleaseeee help! 🙁
Louise Myers says
If I knew I’d tell you. If you figure anything out, please let us know.
Bridget says
Hi, thank you for this informative post. One question , I think I started to add an account and in the middle quit. Now I am unable to find/get into it. When I used these instructions today I tried to put on that previous account name and it says it’s taken. I have currently set up my me account with another name for now, but would like to get the other one back. I searched in IG and there is no account on that name. I think it has been blocked or something. Any ideas? Thanks.
Louise Myers says
IG may have set that name as “used” even though you didn’t finish setting up the account.
Sometimes they release names, sometimes they don’t. Sorry but there’s no definitive info I can provide.