How to delete an Instagram account

Have you ever wondered how to delete an Instagram account? Instagram is one of the most popular social media apps on the planet and gives us many reasons to love seeing photos of our friends and our favorite celebrities.

Like every social media app, there are times when we either need a break or want to delete the service for good. Luckily, it's pretty easy to delete an Instagram account, and you can do it on your iPhone or on a web browser.

Here's how to delete an Instagram account in just a few steps.

How to delete an Instagram account on iPhone

There used to only be one way to delete an Instagram account, and that was using a Mac or PC via a web browser. Now, Instagram makes it much easier to delete or deactivate an account directly from the app on your iPhone. Here's how to do it.

Open Instagram
Head to your profile and tap the burger icon in the top right
Tap Settings and privacy

Tap Accounts Centre
Select Personal details and then Account ownership and control
Follow the steps for Deactivation or deletion

Keep in mind once you've followed through with deletion all your posts, comments, likes, and followers will be removed. This is a permanent decision.

If you opt to deactivate your Instagram account, you'll be able to return to the platform whenever you choose as long as you remember your login details.

Once you've followed the steps and agreed to the terms of deletion or deactivation, you're now set to get on with your life, Instagram free. If you don't have access to an iPhone and want to delete an Instagram account, you can do so via Mac or PC.

How to delete an Instagram account on Mac

Launch your web browser of choice and head to Instagram's Delete Your Account page
Login with your account details
Tell Instagram why you've chosen to delete your account by selecting an option from the dropdown menu
Type in your password to confirm the deletion

Click Permanently delete my account
Click OK to confirm the deletion

An Instagram free life

So you've deleted Instagram, and now you feel incredibly liberated. What now? Well, the best iPhones on the market have incredible cameras, and you don't need an app like Instagram to share your photos.

If you want to get the best out of your iPhone's camera, check out iMore's Ultimate Guide for the Camera app. Before you know it, you'll be social media free and your camera roll will be filled with beautiful photography.

John-Anthony Disotto is the Editor of iMore, helping you get the most from your Apple products and fixing things when your technology isn't behaving itself.

Based in Scotland, where he worked as a Genius Bar technician repairing iPhones, John-Anthony has used the Apple ecosystem for over a decade and prides himself on closing his Apple Watch activity rings.

He leads iMore's work on AI in the newsroom, testing where it genuinely improves editorial work and where it doesn't. Every story is written, edited, and signed off by a person.

Previously in editorial at TechRadar and Tom's Guide, John-Anthony is an avid film geek who won the Edinburgh International Film Festival Student Critics award in 2019. Away from Apple, he tinkers with game emulation and Linux on his Steam Deck.