There are a lot of people on the internet who are reporting that Instagram has deleted their account for apparently no reason at all. It’s particularly the last part that can be quite annoying for most users, as Instagram doesn’t state why they delete accounts and isn’t legally required to provide a reason to the user either.
Of course, this brings up a lot of theories and questions as to why Instagram might have deleted your account.
Will the social media giant, owned by Facebook, delete accounts because you’ve purchased fake followers before? Perhaps you’ve used a bot automation service in the past (which usually doesn’t comply with Instagram’s terms in conditions) and that’s the reason why your account has been deleted?
Or perhaps your Instagram account was simply inactive for too long?
Sometimes, people have even reported that their account got deleted by a human mistake – a particularly painful occurrence if it ever happens. The reason for this article is to find out why Instagram can remove accounts and why they decide to delete them.
Looking for a way to delete your Instagram account yourself, but have you forgotten the password? Check out our up-to-date guide on how to remove your Insta without your password.
Will Instagram delete my account?
Want to avoid Instagram deleting your account? Make sure you comply with all the community guidelines.
The best way to ensure that Instagram never deletes your account is to follow the terms and conditions of the social media platform and all of its community guidelines closely. Don’t know where to find those community guidelines? You can check out a full overview over here. We’re not asking to you read every letter as detailed as possible, but definitely give it a quick glance and just use your common sense when using Instagram.
If you do any of the following, Instagram may suspend or delete your account:
That means no illegal content, no gambling, no spamming links, no spamming people, not using bots or purchasing fake followers, promoting hate, crime, discrimination, racism, or trying to sell illegal goods (such as counterfeit sneakers, for example). Of course, it should be a given that nudity and any adult-related content are banned from the platform as well (although there are some cases where artistic nudity is approved on Instagram).
Another example is continuously posting dangerous things that could lead to bodily or mental harm (the recent milk crate challenge craze definitely comes to mind).
PS: Are you dealing with an issue where you can’t follow any more people? There’s nothing to worry about, although your account might have been temporarily blocked from following. You can read all about it in our article over here: When Will Instagram Let Me Follow People Again?
Similarly, if you’re getting the action blocked error message in general, that can also be resolved rather quickly. You can also get the ‘action blocked’ notification if you’re trying to send too many direct messages to private accounts that you’re not following.
Can Instagram delete your account permanently without warning?
Instagram is by no means required to give you a heads-up or give a reason for your account’s deletion, but if your infringement isn’t serious or major, chances are that Instagram will give you a warning first. They will do so via a notification in the app, and they’ll usually also say what you’re being warned for. You’ll be encouraged to review the community guidelines, and in some cases, you can also appeal the warning from Instagram.
Can you delete an Instagram account yourself?
You can always delete or deactivate an Instagram account by yourself, but only if you’re the owner of that respective account, of course. You can find the deactivation and deletion settings in the Instagram app under settings, or follow this link.
Instagram will not delete your account if you’ve deactivated it, even after 30 days. The difference between deactivating and deletion is that the latter is permanent after thirty days, while deactivated Instagram accounts can always be recovered.
How long does it take before my Instagram account is removed?
After thirty days of confirming the deletion of your account, this step will be completely irreversible and all data (including pictures, stories, DM’s, etc.) will be deleted from Instagram’s servers.
When you want to delete your account, you’ll be asked for a reason, although you’re not required to do so. This is the only way that Instagram can delete your account if it follows the community guidelines. It can not delete without your consent, unless you do something illegal, of course.
Will Instagram delete my account if I don’t use it or if it’s inactive?
No – Instagram will never delete your accounts simply because they are inactive or you’re not using the app. It has never done so ever since the app was first launched, so you can rest assured that being inactive won’t cause your account to be deleted.
There are some rumors spreading on the internet that you have to log in every 180 days or your account will be deleted, but this is completely false. Instagram does not delete inactive accounts – even if you haven’t used your Insta in two years, for example.
Will Instagram delete my account if I don’t post?
Instagram will also never delete your account if you don’t post. If you just like to check up on your friends and see posts on your food, but never post something yourself, that’s absolutely up to you. You’ve got nothing to worry about.
Will Instagram delete my account if I buy followers or likes?
Buying followers isn’t exactly following the community guidelines, but it also isn’t a severe infringement. It is heavily frowned upon and many experts agree that the purchase of fake followers or engagement will eventually make sure that your profile becomes less successful.
Heck, you might even get shadowbanned on Instagram for it.
While Instagram does consider this practice to be fraudulent, Instagram generally does not delete your account for purchasing fake followers or automated likes.
That being said, we are under the impression that you should never buy fake followers as it is still against the terms and conditions.
Will Instagram delete my account if it’s been reported?
It depends. The short answer is, if you comply with all of the community guidelines of Instagram and aren’t doing anything illegal, your account will not get deleted even if has been reported by someone.
When someone reports an Instagram account (users can do this via the three buttons at a post -> report > inappropriate content/spam), a human employee of Instagram will review the post in question. They will make a decision whether or not the post was infringing on the terms of use and guidelines.
If the post does indeed infringe on the guidelines, Instagram will remove it.
Only if an account repeatedly posts infringing content on the platform can Instagram decide to ban your account.
But if your account got reported and you’re not doing anything wrong, Instagram will not terminate your account.
Does Instagram delete (old) messages?
If you’re wondering if Instagram ever deleted DM’s after a while, you can also rest assured – Instagram messages don’t disappear after a while, they don’t expire.
People can choose to delete conversations with others, but they will only be deleted on their end. Sometimes, you can un-send recent messages to someone, and those will no longer be seen by the recipient.
Can Instagram delete your photos, videos likes, comments, stories, and followers?
Instagram can delete these things, but only if it’s against the community guidelines. A post or story with nudity, for example, will be removed by Instagram, usually without warning. Spammy comments will also be deleted rather quickly. And if Instagram decides that some of your followers are completely fake, they can also terminate these accounts, resulting in a loss of your followers.
Can Instagram delete your account for copyright reasons?
If your profile infringes on copyright on multiple occasions, they can most definitely decide to terminate your account. Copyright infringement is a whole lot of trouble for Instagram to deal with, and they’d rather get rid of those issues altogether.
Why did Instagram delete my post, my story, or my caption?
As mentioned above, posts, stories, and captions can be deleted if you’re not following the rules as you should. Stay away from 18+ content, spam, and fake automated tools and Instagram won’t delete your content anymore.
Why did Instagram delete my account and how can I get it back?
If your account was terminated but you believe it was a mistake, you can try to appeal the deletion decision. When you visit the help center of Instagram, you can come across this page which helps people with deactivated or deleted accounts.
“If you believe your account was deactivated (…) and you believe this was a mistake, please submit this form.”
Here are the steps you need to follow to recover your Instagram account:
- Click on the “My Instagram has been deactivated” page online
- If you do not represent a business or service, press no. If you do, press yes. In the latter case, you’ll also need to provide verification of this.
- Fill in all applicable details (your user name, country, the email address you used to sign up, your full name)
- Add comments (optional) and press send
- Go to your email for the verification code
It seems like it doesn’t really matter whether you use the original email address or a new one.
After you fill in the form, it can take up to a couple of workdays before you’ll receive a response from Instagram. There’s really no point in filling it that form over and over again – being patient is the answer here.
Summary
No, Instagram won’t just delete your account without warning, but definitely make sure that you’re following all the rules and guidelines. If accounts actively infringe the Instagram rules, they can get terminated by the service.
Great article, Paul. I was actually targeted by someone that knows me and wanted to have me shut down. I had a phishing warning, so I changed my password and went to sleep. The next day I had over 10,000 new followers and my account was locked and then disabled. Never had an issue in my 10 years of having the account. It’s just pictures of my kids and it’s just so sad. I’ve done the appeal and sent the pic of me with the code 3 times and nothing happens. It’s crazy to me that for $50 anyone can have anyone else’s account removed. I’d love to see an article on the the hate-spamming and see if someone is willing to tackle and investigate this issue. Instagram seems to be unaware or don’t care.
Hey Matthew,
So sorry to hear that. The appeal process definitely isn’t waterproof, unfortunately. I’d recommend enabling two-factor authentication on all your (important) accounts – that makes it hard for intruders to get into your account even if they know the password.