Easily Manage Multiple Instagram Accounts with Account Switching

Got multiple Instagram accounts?

One for business, one for fun?

Another one for another business? Or maybe your pet 🐶 🐱 🐰 (I hear dogs love Insta).

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.

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 updated with troubleshooting tips on Dec 2, 2017, and again on August 14, 2018.

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:

• Open your current Instagram account.
• Go to your profile.
• Tap the gear icon in the upper right corner to open Instagram Options.
• Scroll to the bottom. Tap Add Account.
• DON’T fill in the log in screen. At the bottom of the page, tap Sign up.
• 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.
• Enter your Phone or Email. *READ CAUTION BELOW!
• If you choose Email, you’ll confirm your new account later. Open the email from Instagram and select Confirm your email address.
• 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.
• Next you’ll add your Instagram profile photo, Name, and Password.
• 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!

*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.”

Here’s a short video demonstration of the process outlined above:

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 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.

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

Here’s a short video demonstration of the process outlined above:

From now on, just tap your Instagram profile picture at the bottom of any panel to switch between accounts.

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!

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:

1. Go to your profile and switch to the account you’d like to remove.
2. Tap the gear or settings icon in the top right.
3. 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, a reader offered these tips:

1. Go log out of both accounts.
2. Then go back to the home page where you log in. It’ll show the extra account still.
3. The name will appear on the left and on the right will say log in for both.
4. Hold down on the page and next to the log in tab an X will appear. Hit the X.
5. It will prompt you that you will need all the info to log in again and ask if you’re certain.
6. Hit accept.

Here’s another solution a reader found when that didn’t work!

1. The X wasn’t active next to the account I wanted to remove.
2. I removed Instagram from my iPhone by holding down the icon and tapping the little x in the corner.
3. Then I re-downloaded the application from the App Store.
4. I logged into my main account with my username and password.
5. 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.

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!

Wrapping Up

This is a long-awaited feature, and I’m so excited to have it!

Have you tried Instagram account switching yet?

Has it made your life easier for managing multiple Instagram accounts?