How to Add Another Person to an Instagram Account

Adding someone else to your brand's Instagram account is a big step, but it doesn't need to be a major security risk. Whether you’re bringing on a social media manager, collaborating with a content creator, or handing off tasks to a virtual assistant, there’s a proper - and secure - way to grant access without just handing over your password. This guide walks you through the best methods for safely and effectively adding another person to help manage your Instagram account.

Before You Begin: The Most Common Mistake to Avoid

Before we get into the "how," let's talk about the absolute worst way to give someone access to your account: sharing your username and password directly. It might seem like the quickest, easiest solution, but it’s a security nightmare waiting to happen. Giving someone your primary login credentials hands them the keys to the entire kingdom.

Here’s why you should never just text your password to a team member:

• Total Loss of Control: Whoever has your password can change it, lock you out, change the email address and phone number associated with the account, and even delete your account entirely. You’re trusting them with a valuable business asset without any checks or balances.
• No Accountability: If multiple people use the same login, how can you know who posted something? Who responded to a DM inappropriately? Who accidentally deleted a key piece of content? You can't. Without unique access for each user, there’s no accountability trail.
• Offboarding Headaches: What happens when a team member, freelancer, or agency partner leaves? Your first move is to change the password and hope they haven’t saved it anywhere. It’s a messy breakup that forces you to update everyone else who has access, disrupting your entire team’s workflow.
• Security vulnerabilities: It complicates enabling two-factor authentication (2FA). You'll end up sending authentication codes back and forth via text, which is both inefficient and insecure.

Fortunately, you don't have to choose between collaboration and security. Meta (Instagram's parent company) provides tools specifically for this purpose.

The Official Method: Using Meta Business Suite to Grant Access

The safest and most professional way to give someone delegate access to your Instagram account is through Meta Business Suite (which you might also know as the former Facebook Business Manager). This method allows you to assign specific roles and permissions without ever giving away your password. While it involves a few setup steps, the long-term security and management benefits are massive.

Follow these steps to get your account set up for team access.

Step 1: Make Sure You Have an Instagram Professional Account

You can only connect your Instagram account to Meta Business Suite if it’s a Business or Creator account. If you’re still using a Personal account, you’ll need to switch. Don't worry, it's free and only takes a minute.

1. Go to your Instagram profile and tap the three horizontal lines in the top right corner.
2. Select Settings and privacy.
3. Scroll down to For professionals and tap on Account type and tools.
4. Tap Switch to professional account and follow the prompts. You can choose either a 'Business' or 'Creator' profile depending on what best describes your brand. Businesses gain access to features like contact buttons, while Creator accounts have more flexible profile options.

Step 2: Link Your Instagram Account to a Facebook Page

To manage everything through Meta’s tools, your Instagram account needs to be officially linked to a corresponding Facebook Page for your brand. If you haven't done this already, it’s a simple process.

• From Instagram: Go to your profile > Edit Profile > Under Public business information, tap Page. You can then choose to connect to an existing Facebook Page you manage or create a new one.
• From Facebook: Go to the Facebook Page you want to link. Go to Settings > Linked Accounts > Instagram. Click Connect account and follow the login prompts.

Step 3: Add the Person to Your Meta Business Suite

Now that your accounts are properly set up and linked, it's time to invite your team member into your business's ecosystem. All user management happens inside the Meta Business Suite dashboard.

1. Go to business.facebook.com. If you've never used it before, it will guide you through creating a Business Account for your Facebook Page and linked Instagram account.
2. Once inside your Business Suite, click the All tools gear/cog icon in the left-hand navigation menu.
3. Under the main list, click People. This is where you manage everyone who has access to your business assets.
4. Click the blue Add people button in the top right corner.
5. Enter the work email address of the person you want to invite. It’s important to use their professional email, not their personal Facebook account email.
6. Next, you will assign them a role. You have two primary options:
   • Employee access (Recommended): This gives them standard access to work on assigned accounts and tools. They cannot change major business settings or add/remove other people. For most team members, SMMs, or contractors, this is the safest and most appropriate choice.
   • Admin access: This grants full control over the Business Suite. They can add and remove people, change settings, delete the business, and have access to everything. Only give this to trusted business partners or key decision-makers.
7. Click Next to proceed.

Step 4: Assign Specific Permissions for Your Instagram Account

After inviting the person, you need to tell Business Suite exactly what they are allowed to do. You'll see a list of all your assets (Facebook Pages, Ad Accounts, Instagram Accounts, etc.).

1. On the Assign access screen, select your Instagram account from the list.
2. A set of toggles will appear on the right, allowing you to customize their permissions. This is where you get granular control:
   • Content: Allow them to create, manage, or delete posts, Stories, and Reels. You can even specify if they can publish content or only create drafts.
   • Messages & Community Activity: Let them respond to comments, delete unwanted comments, and answer Direct Messages. This is ideal for community managers.
   • Insights: Give them the ability to view your account's performance data and analytics. Perfect for strategists or anyone tracking ROI.
   • Ads: Grant permission to create, manage, and view ads.
3. Select the appropriate permissions based on their role and click Invite.

The person will receive an email invitation to join your business. Once they accept, they can log in to Meta Business Suite (or use the mobile app) and perform the tasks you’ve assigned without ever needing your personal Instagram password.

Managing a Team on Instagram: Beyond Just Giving Access

Using Meta Business Suite is the definitive method for multi-user access. However, as your team grows, you might notice some friction in the day-to-day workflow. Business Suite is powerful but can also feel complicated for simple tasks. Replying to DMs, moderating comments, and planning content can still feel disjointed, requiring users to learn a fairly complex interface.

This is where social media management platforms come in. These tools provide a secure, streamlined alternative designed for collaboration. Instead of giving users direct access through Meta, you give them access through a third-party platform. It acts as a secure layer that protects your credentials while providing features that make teamwork much more efficient.

A good management tool typically offers:

• A Unified Inbox: Manage Instagram DMs, comments, and mentions from one place, alongside messages from your other social platforms.
• Team Assignments: Assign comments or messages to specific team members to make sure everything gets a response.
• Visual Content Calendars: Plan and visualize your entire content strategy across all platforms, not just Instagram.
• Approval Workflows: Allow junior team members to draft posts that managers can review and approve before they go live.
• Centralized Analytics: Track performance and build reports for all your social accounts in one clean dashboard.

For businesses, agencies, and creators serious about scaling their social media efforts, combining the secure access granted by Meta Business Suite with the workflow efficiency of a dedicated management platform is the ultimate solution.

Final Thoughts

Giving someone access to your Instagram account should always be done with security in mind. Never share your password directly. The best and most professional method is to use Meta Business Suite to assign specific roles and permissions, which gives you complete control over who can do what on your account.

Having navigated the complexities of team collaboration and managing multiple client accounts, I understand the friction that comes with clunky workflows. That's why we built Postbase to streamline this entire process. Instead of getting lost in settings, you just invite your team, assign them to the right social accounts, and everyone can schedule content, engage with comments, and view analytics from a single, clean dashboard. It’s the secure, organized control room we always wished we had for social media management.