Acquired by Meta (Facebook), Instagram has become the most popular social networking platform amongst people. From young kids, and adults to old grandparents everyone’s on Instagram to share their life updates through photos, videos, messages, calls, etc. Instagram features like attractive filters, layout, slow-motion videos, and boomerang are also people’s favourites. But as time passed by, this platform also became the target for trolling, passing negative comments, bullying, etc due to which many people are willing to leave this platform. Apart from this, people also tend to take a break from Instagram in case they need to focus on studies, or work and don’t want distractions caused by this app.

There are two ways to stay away from Instagram, i.e., one is temporarily deactivating your account and the other one is to permanently delete your Instagram account. Both vary from each other and have certain pros and cons associated with them. If you’re someone who wants to completely detach yourself from Instagram or just want to take a short break then this article is the No.1 guide for you. However, before moving to the steps on how to permanently delete your Instagram account or deactivate one we’ll explain to you why it’s good to delete your account and you can benefit your health from it.

5 Benefits Of Deleting Your Instagram Account

Instagram has a huge bunch of versatile features like pinning comments, uploading stories with music, making the account private, etc due to which people are fond of this application. However, despite having these features Instagram has tended to leave a negative effect on people’s lives like affecting their productivity, sleep cycle, etc. That’s the reason many people these days prefer to leave this application. Here are 5 reasons which can make you also do the same with your account.

• Increased Productivity: You will have a more focused vision and will finish your tasks whether it’s personal or professional in no time. Additionally, you’ll also find yourself in a good mental space, happier, and will indulge in more momentous activities.
• No Social Media Pressure: By saying goodbye to Instagram you’ll get free from the burden of showcasing perfection and the need to fake your personality. You’ll start indulging in self-love and will no longer look for people’s approval on your pictures.
• Building Healthier Habits: Getting vanished from Instagram will help you develop positive habits like meditation, physical exercise, reading books, spending quality time with your family, etc. You’ll be far away from the constant online noise hovering on Instagram and will progress rapidly in your life.
• Peaceful Mental Health: By using social media platforms people get into the comparison mode and often compare their lives, wealth, etc with others which often leads to mental illnesses like anxiety, and depression. Once you leave Instagram or any other platform you’ll understand your true self and will stop comparing yourself to others. This improvises your mental health and pushes you towards a positive well-being lifestyle.
• No Misuse Of Your Data: Instagram is a platform to share media but sometimes hackers invade the user’s privacy and use their data for illegal practices. Those who are not on social media or delete their account are less likely to fall into cyberbullying nor their data will be accessible to any third-party applications.

Also Read: See Who Unfollowed You on Instagram: Social Media Secret Trick

Download Your Instagram Data Before Account Deletion

This can be done in two ways, i.e., by smartphone and on desktop, laptop, tablet, etc. The procedure varies for mobiles and other devices so follow the steps correctly to receive your Instagram account data on your registered email address.

Method 1: Save Data Through Mobile App

• Step 1: At first, open the Instagram application on your Android or iOS device
• Step 2: Click on the ‘Hamburger menu’ visible in the upper right corner
• Step 3: Tap on ‘Your Activity’ and choose the ‘Download your information’ option from the bottom
• Step 4: Click on the ‘Request a download’ option
• Step 5: Choose the type of data you want to download. There will be two options, i.e., Complete Copy and Select the types of information. In the latter one, you need to select your data to get it downloaded by Instagram.
• Step 6: After making a choice, move next and choose the format HTML or JSON for receiving the data
• Step 7: Lastly, tap on the ‘Submit Request’ option. You’ll see your request in Pending Downloads once the Instagram team verifies the details they’ll share the data over your mentioned email id.

Method 2: Save Data Via Desktop

• Step 1: Open Instagram’s official website and login into your account by entering your username and password
• Step 2: To visit your profile page, click on your Profile icon
• Step 3: Open the Menu by tapping on the ‘Settings’ icon
• Step 4: Navigate to the ‘Privacy and Security’ option
• Step 5: Look for the ‘Data Download’ option in the downward direction
• Step 6: Next, click on the ‘Request Download’ option
• Step 7: Enter the registered email address
• Step 8: Out of HTML or JSON, choose the format in which you want to receive your Instagram data
• Step 9: Type your account password
• Step 10: Raise the final request by clicking on the ‘Request Download option

Also Read: Unmask The Door Behind Anonymous Questions Instagram Feature

Two Methods To Permanently Delete Your Instagram Account

Once you’ve downloaded and saved the data then you can proceed with deleting your account. For iPhone users, this facility is available on the app but Android users need to execute account deletion through the desktop as the facility is not available on the Android application. Below we have mentioned both techniques in a detailed manner for all our users. Follow them accurately to delete your account.

On iPhone

• Step 1: Open the Instagram app on your iPhone and visit your profile
• Step 2: Click on the ‘Menu’ visible at the top-left corner of your profile page
• Step 3: Tap on Settings > Account
• Step 4: Choose the ‘Delete Account’ option and click on it
• Step 5: Next, tap on ‘Continue deleting account’ to go ahead with this procedure
• Step 6: Choose the reason why you’re deleting your account
• Step 7: Enter your password again & then tap on the ‘Delete’ button at the end

On Desktop, Laptop, Mac, or Tablet

• Step 1: Login into your Instagram account
• Step 2: On the Instagram website, visit the ‘Delete Your Instagram Account’ page.
• Step 3: Choose an appropriate reason from the drop-down menu for deleting your account
• Step 4: Tap on the ‘Delete’ option

Important Details You Should Know

1. Your Instagram account is invisible temporarily for the upcoming 30 days so if you change your mind then you can log in into your account again
2. Instagram takes approximately 90 days to delete your account until then your information is stored in the Instagram server’s
3. Your data might be kept with Instagram even after 90 days for legal formalities or if you have violated any guidelines in the past

Instagram Account Deactivation Procedure

If you don’t want to delete your Instagram account and just want to take a short break then you can disable it for a while. This will showcase your profile as an ‘Instagrammer’ and will hide it from your friend list. Your account remains deactivated for a week and you can log back into your account anytime after 7 days. Follow the steps mentioned below to disable your account.

• Step 1: Open the Instagram web application on your PC, laptop, or Mac
• Step 2: Enter your email address and password to login into your account
• Step 3: Tap on the ‘Profile Icon’ option visible at the top-right corner of the screen
• Step 4: Choose ‘Profile’ > ‘Edit Profile’
• Step 5: Click on the ‘Temporarily disable my account’ option displayed at the bottom section of the screen
• Step 6: Choose the reason to question ‘Why are you disabling your account? from the drop-down menu and then re-enter your password in the box below
• Step 7: Lastly, you have to tap on the ‘Temporarily Disable Account’ and hence your account will be successfully deactivated by Instagram authorities

Also Read: Instagram Issue Knocks Again: Why Can’t I Post On My Instagram Story

Conclusion

By permanently deleting your Instagram account you’ll take the first step towards a stress-free and peaceful life. The steps are quite easy and it won’t take much of your time. As suggested above, make sure that you download & save all your Instagram data before deleting your account because once you execute the account deletion process, no matter what you won’t be able to recover your photos, videos, and messages back. Follow the steps listed in this article to take data backup and delete your Instagram account after that. In case, you have any other questions in relevance to this topic then do drop your suggestions in the comments section below. We’ll surely revert.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q) Is it not good to use Instagram?

Ans: This is a personal choice & solely depends on how you manage your time on the Instagram app. If you think that you’ll spend more time scrolling endlessly on Instagram and worry about it then it’s better not to use it.

Q) How to avoid distractions caused due to Instagram?

Ans: You can use the ‘Digital Wellbeing and Parental Controls’ feature and set a timer to use Instagram. Apart from this, turn off your data connection and keep your device away while you’re working, driving, or studying to avoid unnecessary notifications from Instagram.