How to recover an Instagram account - complete guide 2026

First, work out what happened to your account

“I can’t get into Instagram” covers very different problems, and the fix for one can make another worse. Before you tap anything, look closely at what the app shows you when you try to log in. That screen tells you which route you are on.

The six situations, in plain terms

• Forgotten password. The login screen says the password is wrong, but nothing else looks unusual. You still have the email or phone number on the account. This is the simplest case.
• No access to the email or phone. You forgot the password and the reset link goes to an old address or a number you no longer have. This needs an identity check.
• Hacked. You got an email saying your password, email or phone number was changed, and it was not you. Or your followers tell you the account is posting spam.
• Disabled or banned. When you log in, Instagram shows a notice saying the account has been disabled, sometimes with an option to disagree with the decision. Nothing you type as a password changes that.
• Suspended or temporarily locked. A notice says the account is suspended, or Instagram asks you to confirm you are a real person, or you can log in but certain actions are blocked.
• Deleted or deactivated. You, or someone with access, asked Instagram to delete or temporarily deactivate the account.

Why the difference matters

Each situation has an owner inside Instagram’s systems. A password problem is handled by automated login tools. A disabled account is handled by the enforcement and appeals process, and no amount of password resets will reach it. People lose weeks by sending the wrong request to the wrong place, or by opening a new account in a panic and making a ban worse.

If more than one thing happened at once, for example a hacker took over the account and then it was disabled, deal with the security side first and the ban second. Keep screenshots of every notice and every email from Instagram as you go, with dates. You will need them if the case drags on.

Forgotten password: reset it in a few minutes

If you still have the email address or phone number linked to the account, this is usually quick.

Reset from the login screen

1. Open the Instagram app and go to the login screen.
2. Tap the option for a forgotten password.
3. Enter your username, email address or phone number.
4. Instagram sends a login link or a code to the email or phone on the account. Open it on the same phone if you can.
5. Set a new password that you have not used anywhere else.

If you are still logged in on another device, such as a tablet or an old phone, you can change the password from there instead, through the password and security settings in Accounts Centre. That is often the fastest route of all.

If the link or code does not arrive

• Check the spam and promotions folders, and search your inbox for messages from Instagram.
• Make sure you are entering the username, not a display name. Try the email and the phone number as well.
• Wait a few minutes before requesting another code. Requesting many in a row can trigger a temporary block on further attempts.
• If the account is linked to Facebook, try logging in with Facebook from the login screen.

Signs it is not just a forgotten password

If the reset email arrives but the address in it is not yours, or Instagram says there is no account with your details, the account may have been taken over or the username changed. Go to the hacked section below instead of repeating resets.

No access to the email or phone number

This is one of the most common recovery searches, and one of the most stressful. The password is gone, and the reset link goes to an email you closed years ago or a number you no longer own. Recovery is still often possible, but it moves from automated resets to confirming who you are.

Use a device Instagram already knows

Try to recover the account from a phone or tablet you have logged in with before, on a network you normally use. Instagram’s systems tend to trust a familiar device more than a brand new one. If you still have an old phone lying around that was logged in, charge it and use that.

Ask for help from the login screen

1. Start the forgotten password flow as described above.
2. When Instagram offers to send a link to the email or phone you cannot reach, look for the option that says you cannot access them, or that you need more help.
3. Follow the steps Instagram gives you. Depending on the account, it may ask for an email address you can access now, details about the account, or a check of your identity.

The identity check and video selfie

For accounts that contain photos of you, Instagram may ask for a short video selfie, turning your head in different directions. Instagram’s own help page explains why you might be asked to upload a video selfie. A few practical points:

• Record it in good light, without sunglasses, a hat or a heavy filter.
• It has to be you. The check compares the video with photos on the account.
• A result can take from a few hours to a few days. Do not submit the same check over and over while you wait.

For accounts without photos of you, such as a brand account, the route is harder, because there is no face to compare. Instagram may ask for other information linked to the account instead.

What never to do here

Some forums suggest using someone else’s selfie, an edited ID or a bought “verification service”. Apart from being dishonest, this is the fastest way to turn a recoverable account into one that is permanently disabled. Only verify as yourself, with your own face and your own details.

Once you are back in

Update the email and phone number on the account straight away, through Accounts Centre, so this cannot happen again. Then add two-factor authentication, and save the backup codes somewhere safe that is not on the same phone.

Hacked account: act within the first hour

When someone takes over your account, speed matters more than anything else. Attackers usually change the email, then the phone number, then the password, and each step closes a door. A full guide to this situation is on our page about a hacked Instagram account. Here is the short route.

Check your email for Instagram’s own message

When the email on an account is changed, Instagram usually sends a message to the previous address. That message often includes a link to reverse the change and secure the account. Search your inbox, including spam, for recent messages from Instagram and use that link first, before you do anything else. It is the quickest way back.

Use the official hacked account route

Instagram has a dedicated flow for hacked accounts at instagram.com/hacked. It asks what happened and sends you down the right path, which may include a login link, a security code or an identity check. Use it while you still control either the old email or the old phone number.

If the attacker changed everything

When the email, the phone number and the password have all been changed, the self-service route often ends in a loop of codes sent to the attacker. At that point:

• Ask your followers, through another channel, not to reply to messages from the account and never to send money or codes.
• Report the account as hacked from a friend’s app, if you can.
• Check your linked Facebook account, your ad account and any Facebook Page you manage. Attackers often go for the ad account next, and a hacked account can end up disabled for what the attacker posted.

After you get it back

Log out of all other sessions, change the password, reset the email and phone number to ones you control, remove any apps with access you do not recognise, and turn on two-factor authentication. Check the account’s recent activity for posts or messages the attacker sent.

Disabled or banned account: appeal from the notice

A disabled account is a different kind of problem. The login works, but Instagram has decided the account broke its rules, and it shows you a notice instead of your feed. Password resets will not help. The only way back is through Instagram’s review of the decision.

For the common case where you broke no rule you know of, read our page on an Instagram account disabled without a clear reason. It covers why that happens and how we approach it. The short route is below.

Read the notice carefully

Take a screenshot. Note the date, the reason given, and whether there is an option to disagree with the decision. The notice often shows how long you have to appeal, and that window runs from the date of the decision, not from the day you notice it. Instagram’s help page About disabled Instagram accounts describes the general process.

Appeal from inside the notice

1. Use the option in the notice itself to disagree or request a review.
2. Keep your explanation short and factual. Say what the account is, who runs it, and why you believe the decision is a mistake.
3. Do not write in anger, do not threaten, and do not send the same appeal many times.
4. If Instagram asks for an identity check, complete it as yourself.

If the appeal is refused

If the review goes against you, you may see the message “You cannot request another review of this decision.” That is the end of the standard self-service route. It is also the point where most people start searching for outside help. It does not always mean the account is gone for good, but the next steps are no longer something the app offers you.

Business accounts and linked assets

If the disabled account is a business profile, the damage often spreads. The linked Facebook account, the ad account or the Facebook Page can be restricted by the same decision. We cover those cases on separate pages: Instagram business account disabled, Meta ad account disabled and Facebook Page restricted.

Suspended or temporarily locked account

Not every block is final. Some are warnings, some are a pause while Instagram checks something, and some are simply limits on what you can do for a while.

Suspended account

A suspension usually means Instagram believes the account broke a rule, but gives you a set period to disagree before the decision becomes permanent. The notice normally tells you how long you have. Treat that window as the most important deadline in the whole process:

1. Screenshot the notice and write down the deadline.
2. Appeal from the notice, following the same advice as for a disabled account.
3. Do not ignore it in the hope it lifts by itself. If the window passes without an appeal, the account may be disabled for good.

Suspensions and disables are handled in very similar ways, so our page on a disabled Instagram account applies here too.

Asked to confirm you are a real person

Sometimes Instagram locks the account until you prove you are not an automated system. It may ask you to solve a challenge, enter a code sent by text message, or record a video selfie. This often follows unusual activity, such as a login from a new country or a burst of follows and likes.

• Complete the check on your usual phone, on your usual network.
• If the code never arrives, check that the phone number is still yours and wait before asking again.
• If the check keeps failing, stop and wait rather than retrying dozens of times.

Actions blocked for a while

If you can log in but cannot follow, like, comment or send messages, the account is usually under a temporary action limit. It tends to lift by itself after a period. In the meantime:

• Stop any automation, scheduling or “growth” app that acts on your behalf, and remove its access.
• Slow down. Mass following, unfollowing and liking are common triggers.
• If you believe the limit is a mistake, report it from the app.

Repeatedly hitting these limits is one of the signals that can later lead to a disabled account, so treat them as a warning.

Deleted or deactivated account

People often use “deleted” to mean “gone”, but Instagram treats deletion and deactivation very differently.

Deactivated account

Deactivating an account hides it temporarily. Your profile, photos and comments are invisible, but nothing is removed. To bring it back, simply log in with your usual details. If you deactivated it very recently, Instagram can limit how quickly you can switch it back on, so give it a little time if logging in does not work straight away.

Deleted account: the 30-day window

When someone asks Instagram to delete an account, the account is hidden and scheduled for deletion. During the first 30 days, you can usually cancel the deletion by logging back in. After that, the account and its content are normally deleted for good and cannot be restored. The username may become available to others.

If you did not ask for deletion, the account may have been taken over by someone who then requested it. Treat it as a hacked account and act quickly, while the 30-day window is still open.

After 30 days

Once deletion is complete, there is usually no route back to the same account. Anyone who promises to “restore” a fully deleted account should be treated with suspicion. What you can do is protect the name: if the username still matters to your brand, check whether it has become available and keep records showing it was yours.

Mistakes to avoid, and how to lock the account down

Most failed recoveries we hear about did not fail because the case was hopeless. They failed because of something done in the first few days. And accounts that come back without proper security are often lost again within weeks.

Opening a new account too soon

If your account was disabled or suspended, a new account on the same phone, phone number or email address can be treated as an attempt to get around the decision. That can get the new account disabled too, and sometimes pulls in other accounts linked to you. Wait until you know whether the old account can be recovered.

Paying strangers who message you

Within hours of a ban or hack, messages arrive from “recovery experts” and “Meta insiders”. Almost all of them are scams. They ask for your password, a login code or a payment in crypto, and then vanish, or take over the account themselves. Nobody legitimate messages you first, and nobody legitimate needs your password.

Sharing login codes

Never forward a login or verification code to anyone, including someone who claims to be from Instagram, a friend’s account asking for help, or a “brand” offering a deal. A code sent to you is the key to your account.

Flooding Instagram with requests

Sending dozens of appeals, identity checks or reset requests in a row does not speed anything up. It can trigger temporary blocks and makes a messy record. One clear, honest request, followed by patience and a note of the date, works better.

Trying to hide who you are

Using someone else’s documents or photos, an edited ID, or tools meant to disguise your location during a check will almost certainly end the case. Recovery works when Instagram can confirm the account is yours, so make that as easy as possible.

Once you are back in: the security checklist

Getting the account back is half the job. The other half is making sure it does not happen again.

1. Change the password to a long, unique one that you use nowhere else. A password manager helps.
2. Update the email and phone number in Accounts Centre to ones you control and will keep.
3. Turn on two-factor authentication. An authentication app is generally safer than text messages. Save the backup codes offline.
4. Log out of all other sessions and review where the account is logged in.
5. Remove third-party apps you do not recognise or no longer use, especially automation and follower tools.
6. Check linked accounts, including Facebook, the ad account and any Page, and secure those too.

Keep a record

Save screenshots of the notices you received, the appeal you sent and the outcome, with dates. If the account is ever flagged again, that history helps. For a business, note which staff have access and remove anyone who no longer needs it.

Watch for the next attempt

Accounts that were hacked once are often targeted again, usually through fake “copyright” or “verification” messages. Instagram does not ask you to log in through links sent in DMs. If a message creates panic and asks you to act within hours, treat it as a scam until proven otherwise.

When to bring in help

Many cases can be solved for free with the steps above, and you should try them first. Outside help makes sense when the free route has clearly run out:

• the appeal was refused and you see “You cannot request another review of this decision.”,
• the appeal window has passed, or the notice offers no appeal at all,
• the attacker changed the email, phone and password, and every recovery code goes to them,
• the ban has spread to Facebook, the ad account or the Page,
• the account earns money, and you cannot afford weeks of trial and error.

We are an independent, registered company, not connected to Meta, and we never ask for your password. Only you log in, from your own device. Not every case can be won, and we tell you so before any contract, not after you pay. If you are at that point, see how our Instagram account recovery service works and start with a free case assessment.