How to deactivate your Instagram account temporarily

The short answer

Go to your Instagram profile on a web browser, open account settings, select “Deactivate my account,” pick a reason, re-enter your password, and confirm.

What happens when you deactivate

Before you start, here’s what to expect:

Your profile, photos, comments, and likes are hidden — not deleted
Nobody can find you through search or see your profile
Your DMs stay visible to people you’ve messaged
You can reactivate at any time just by logging back in
Instagram only lets you deactivate once per week

How to deactivate from a browser

You can’t deactivate from the Instagram app — you need to use a web browser.

Go to instagram.com and log in
Tap your profile picture in the top right, then select Edit profile
Scroll down and click Temporarily deactivate my account
Choose a reason from the dropdown menu
Re-enter your password
Click Temporarily Deactivate Account

Your account will disappear from Instagram immediately.

How to reactivate your account

Simply log back in through the app or website using your username and password. Your profile, posts, and followers will all be restored exactly as they were.

It may take a few hours for everything to fully reappear.

Deactivating vs. deleting

These are two very different things:

Deactivating is temporary — your data is saved and you can come back anytime
Deleting is permanent — Instagram erases your account and all your content after 30 days, and you can’t undo it

If you just need a break, deactivating is the safer choice.

Things to keep in mind

Log out of all devices before deactivating to avoid accidentally reactivating your account
If you use Facebook login, you may need to deactivate through your linked accounts settings
Your username could be taken if you delete your account, but deactivating keeps it reserved for you