Have you ever considered taking a break from Instagram and starting a detox? Whether you want to disconnect yourself from social media and clean up your digital presence, disabling your Instagram account is the best way to remove yourself.
You can also deactivate your Instagram account if you want a temporary break from social media. This way, you can hide your account from the world with all your posts, stories, and highlights.
Let’s dive in and understand how to temporarily disable your Instagram account on various devices in 2025.
Difference between deleting and disabling your Instagram account?
Before moving forward, let’s understand the difference between deleting and disabling your Instagram account:
Deleting your Instagram account means that once your account is deleted, you cannot retrieve it as it’s gone permanently.
Deactivating your Instagram account is like freezing it for a particular time until you activate it again. When your account is deactivated, it’ll stay out of sight from Instagram and won’t be visible to your friends and the search box.
How to Disable Instagram Account on Android or iOS?
Disabling the Instagram account is easy if you follow the steps below:
- Open Instagram on your smartphone and log into your account.
- Go to your profile by clicking the profile icon in the down-right corner.
- Press the hamburger menu icon on the top-right corner of the screen. This will open your Instagram settings.
- In the settings and activity, look through and select the Account Center.
This will open your meta account settings, where you can control all your account details and credentials.
Now that we’ve entered the meta account center settings, let’s move further:
- Select Personal Details from the accounts center to open your account settings.
- In the personal details section, select Account Ownership & control to manage, modify, and control your account data and legacy contacts. The next step is crucial.
- Select Deactivation or Deletion of your Instagram account in the account ownership and control.
- After choosing the third step, select the account you want to delete or deactivate if you have multiple accounts on Instagram.
- After choosing your desired account, you’ll be greeted with the deletion window where you’ll be provided with two options: select disable your account or deactivate your account option to turn off your Instagram account temporarily.
- Enter your account password to confirm this step, and you’re done.
How to Delete an Instagram Account on Android or iOS?
To permanently delete your Instagram account, please follow the steps mentioned above until you see the two options. Here, you must select the Delete Account option to permanently delete your account from Instagram.
How to Disable an Instagram Account on a Mac or PC?
Disabling Instagram on your Apple Mac or PC is almost similar to the steps you can see for an iPhone or Android, with just a few extra steps.
- Log into your Instagram account on your desktop and select the settings icon on the down-left corner of the screen.
- After opening the settings, find the Meta Accounts Centre and hit open.
- In the accounts center, find and select Account Ownership and Control to tackle the account settings.
- You’ll find two options in the account ownership and control window: Memorialisation (More on this below) & Account Deactivation and Deletion.
- Selecting the latter will help you choose between the two options discussed above.
- Choose the Deactivate Account option to disable your Instagram account temporarily.
- Select the account you want to disable and enter the password to confirm it.
- This will disable your Instagram account until you log back in.
What is Memorialisation on Instagram?
Memorialization on Instagram is a dedicated feature offered to commemorate the accounts of people who are no longer alive. It’s like a shrine or a place to remember someone through their pictures and videos.
Why do you Memorialisation on Instagram?
Using the memorialization feature will help you decide what to do with your account when you’re no longer alive. As sad as it sounds, it’s a practical feature to not only let your account become your memoir, but you can also choose to delete it automatically or pass the credits to your loved ones.
Here’s how you can activate it to avoid any misuse of your account in the future:
- Select Memorialisation in the accounts ownership and control panel.
- Choose the account you like to memorialize.
- Choose a legacy contact: Someone you can trust on behalf of you who can look after your main profile after you pass away.
If not, you can delete your profile automatically after you pass away. Just confirm the delete feature, and you’ll Instagram will delete your account on your behalf when you pass away.
How to Delete an Instagram Account on a Mac or PC?
If you want to delete your Instagram account from your Mac or PC, you can select the delete account option in the account ownership and control and you’re done.
Conclusion
To disable your Instagram account or delete it altogether is easy once you follow the steps above. We hope you understand the difference between account disable and delete, and you’ll find the steps for your particular device in this article. Let us know if you need any help regarding this topic, and we’ll be happy to hear.