As with other social media platforms, Instagram may present some login issues now and again. It can be pretty inconvenient as a user, and it can happen on mobile devices as well as PCs or tablets.
If you have experienced one of these issues and don’t know how to fix it, you may be looking for solutions. In this guide, we’re going to discuss some different Instagram login errors and some potential solutions on how to fix them so you can access your account.
Let’s start with some common issues with Instagram login.
Types of Instagram Login Errors
When you’re having trouble logging into Instagram, you’ll see a variety of different messages from Instagram:
- We can’t sign into your account.
- Forgotten password for username?
- Instagram username not found.
- Sorry, there was a problem with your request.
- The username you entered doesn’t belong to an account. Please check your username and try again.
- We couldn’t connect to Instagram. Make sure you’re connected to the internet and try again.
Any of the above messages can cause alarm and frustration since Instagram is virtually impossible to directly contact for immediate support.
The good news is that most errors that occur with Instagram login can be rectified relatively quickly because they may be related to user error or connection issues.
First Step: Check if Your Instagram Account Was Disabled
Before you do anything else, you should double check to see if your Instagram account was diabled. If you see an error message and you’re absolutely positive that you entered your information correctly, your account could be disabled or deleted by Instagram itself.
If this is the case, there is no easy fix. You won’t be able to use the account, the username cannot be reused, and the email address won’t be accepted to create a new account.
This is the error message that typically presents itself when your Instagram account has been disabled:
The username you entered doesn’t belong to an account. Please check your username and try again.
In general, Instagram doesn’t inform the user when their account has been disabled and why this may have happened.
Some of the common reasons for an Instagram account being disabled include:
- Repeated bulk engagements on the platform (follow/unfollow, like, comment, etc.)
- Posting of illegal or harmful content
- Violation of the Instagram terms of use
This can be pretty alarming, but typically if you’ve done something that goes against Instagram’s policies, they’ll let you know the first time. For instance, if you like too many photos, you’ll be alerted that you cannot like photos on Instagram for the following 5 days.
If you’re a repeat offender, they may flag your account and disable it due to the suspicious activity.
Why Can’t I Log into Instagram?
There are a variety of security reasons that cause people to have issues logging into Instagram:
- You enter the wrong password (Instagram passwords are case sensitive)
- Your account has been blocked or deleted
- You log in from a device that Instagram does recognize (which normally requires additional verification)
- Your phone’s time and date settings are off
- The Instagram server and your device has a communication issue
- Your device is out of date and doesn’t support the current version of Instagram
- Your phone has a hardware or memory issue
These are some of the most common reasons why you may not be able to log into Instagram. In the following sections, we’ve outlined some basic issues for Instagram logins that typically work, as well as more advanced fixes that may take more time or have more steps.
How to Fix Instagram Login Issues: Basic
In this section, you can find some quick solutions to Instagram login problems. The majority of issues can be fixed with the following solutions. If for some reason these don’t work, you can consult the subsequent section that covers some more complicated issues.
Try to Log in on a Different Device
You can try to log in from a different device and see if the issue has resolved itself. If you find that using a different device hasn’t fixed your login issues and you still can’t access Instagram on a different device, you should check out the following options for resolving the problem.
Switch the Device on and off
One thing you can do to fix an Instagram login error is to turn your tablet, phone, or computer on and off again. If for some reason things aren’t working right, force close the app or reset the device manually.
For whatever reason, sometimes it’s a simple fix when you restart your device and reopen the Instagram app.
After you turn your device back on, try and reconnect on the Instagram app and see if the error is resolved.
This can inexplicably resolve many of the issues with Instagram connection.
Check Connection
A big issue that many people struggle with is connectivity. If you have difficulty logging into Instagram, it can be caused by a low Wi-Fi signal or mistakenly connecting to the wrong network. These things can happen without you even realizing it.
If you get an error message that relates to internet connectivity and that you can’t log into Instagram because of a problem with the connection, you may want to consider rebooting your Wi-Fi router.
You can also turn off your Wi-Fi completely and simply use your cell’s data connection to see if that is a more stable way to gain access to Instagram.
Reset Phone’s Date and Time
If your phone has mistakenly picked up the wrong date and time, that can cause trouble with your Instagram account. This may also happen if you’ve switched time zones recently.
Check out your date and time settings to make sure everything is in order. It’s also a good idea to switch to “set automatically” so that you can avoid any discrepancies in the future, especially if you travel frequently.
Clear Apps Cache and Data
All devices store cache and it can sometimes become corrupted, causing an issue when logging into previous applications. Apple doesn’t have the same configurations as Android, and this error fix is only for Android phones, as iOS doesn’t offer the same settings.
If you want to fix a cache error when logging into Instagram on Android, you can clear it out by doing the following:
- Access your device’s settings, then Application Setting.
- Find the Instagram app setting, and clear cache and data.
- Force stop the app by exiting it
- Attempt a sign in from your PC
You can use the browser version of Instagram to make sure that your login works and you can see that everything is kosher before logging in again via your mobile device.
If you have an iOS device and you’re having issues, try to log in from your laptop or PC as well so that you can see if it’s based on your device or if you have an issue on multiple devices.
How to Fix Instagram Login Issues: Advanced
So, here you find yourself reading on, which means none of the Instagram login solutions could help you in the basic section. You may have a more complicated issue with your Instagram login. We have four different options for you to explore if that’s the case.
Update the Instagram App
One big problem with apps these days is that when you don’t update them frequently enough, they may function differently and won’t be able to log you in as they would if they were up to date. You should make sure you have the most current version of the app so that everything works as it should.
Check either the Play Store or the App Store (Android or iOS) and ensure that your phone has the most current Instagram app available. If there’s no signal to update your app, you may try uninstalling the app and then reinstalling it to see if that fixes your Instagram login issues.
Reset Your Instagram Password
Another potential problem with your Instagram login is that you haven’t entered the correct password to log in. Even if you are convinced you have the correct password but haven’t had any success logging in, you can seek help.
Before you do, consult all resources to ensure you’ve got the right login and password.
If you’re certain you do, or simply can’t remember, you can reset the password by doing the following:
- Tap on Get Help Signing In
- Enter the required information
- Choose a way to receive your password reset link
Follow the steps and hopefully that can help you regain access to your Instagram account.
Sign in with Facebook
Because Instagram and Facebook are owned by the same company, your accounts are likely linked together. If that’s the case, logging into Facebook first can help you to regain access to your Instagram account in the event that something goes wrong.
Log into your Facebook account on the device and then attempt to login to Instagram. It should grant you access due to the communication between the two apps.
Pro Tip: if you’re reading this and haven’t linked your Facebook and Instagram account, we highly recommend you do so in order to avoid any future inconvenience when logging into your Instagram account.
Contact Instagram
If all else fails and none of the above solutions have helped you with your Instagram login issues, you may need to contact the support team.
While it’s no easy endeavor, contact the Instagram support team to see if they can aid you in getting access to your account. Consult this Instagram Help Center FAQ for additional information.
How to Log into Instagram with Facebook
Before you log into Instagram via Facebook, you need to have an active Facebook account. If you don’t, you can sign up for one via the homepage of Facebook or even from within the app.
Once you have an active Facebook account, you can connect your Instagram account so that you’ll be able to sign into Instagram via Facebook with ease.
In order to connect Facebook and Instagram, follow these steps:
- Visit your Instagram profile page
- Tap the menu icon at the top right of the page
- Tap account
- Visit linked accounts
- Hit Facebook
From there you can follow the instructions to ensure that your Instagram is always connected to your Facebook account. This avoids many Instagram login issues down the road and can help you if you can’t get into your Instagram account.
Hacking has also presented some issues when it comes to logging into your Instagram account, and many users have suffered from this, even with two-factor authentication! In the next section, we offer some tips on how to avoid getting hacked on Instagram.
How to Prevent Login Problems and Getting Hacked on Instagram
The following steps can help you avoid any issues from getting hacked on Instagram:
1. If you ever receive an email from Instagram that says a strange login attempt has happened or that an email was changed, make sure to click to revert the change and update your password immediately.
2. Select a secure password:
- Use a combination of numbers, capital letters, and punctuation
- Use more than six characters
- Your password should ideally be something unique and not something you reuse on all websites. If your password is compromised on another site and it’s the same for Instagram, that can lead to Instagram login issues.
3. Follow the steps Instagram provides you to restore your account and use a secure email address that isn’t the same.
4. Don’t allow any dangerous third party apps or strange devices to access your accounts.
5. Enable two-factor authentication if you are worried about some unknown entity accessing your Instagram.
Hacking can be a problem on any website, so just take normal precautions and your Instagram should be protected.
Final Thoughts: Instagram Login Problems
It can be very frustrating when you have Instagram login issues, but with the variety of solutions we’ve provided, we hope that you have been able to access your account once again.
If you have another solution that has worked for your Instagram account, we’d love to hear it! Let us know what’s worked for you, and if any of the above helped you regain access to your Instagram account, we’re glad that we were able to help.
