How to Disconnect Instagram Accounts

Need to disconnect your Instagram account from another platform or app? You’ve come to the right place. This guide gives you the exact steps to unlink your Instagram from Facebook, remove access for old third-party apps, and neatly manage multiple accounts you may have logged into your device.

Why Disconnect an Instagram Account?

Before we get into the step-by-step instructions, it helps to understand the common reasons for wanting to disconnect accounts. You might be here because of one of these situations:

• Creating Separation: You want to separate your personal life from your business or brand. Unlinking your personal Facebook profile from your business Instagram page is a common step to create clearer boundaries online.
• Digital Housekeeping: Over the years, you've likely granted access to dozens of third-party apps for contests, analytics, or scheduling. Regularly revoking access for apps you no longer use is a smart security practice to protect your data.
• Troubleshooting: Sometimes a faulty connection is the source of posting errors, login problems, or other glitches. Disconnecting and reconnecting accounts (especially your Facebook link) can often resolve these mysterious issues.
• Switching Business Management Tools: If your brand is managed in Meta Business Suite, you might need to disconnect an account from one Business Suite to add it to another. This often happens when switching agencies or bringing social media management in-house. Understanding your professional dashboard can help here.
• Reducing Clutter: If you use the multi-account feature on Instagram, your app might be logged into old accounts you no longer manage. Logging out of a single account can tidy up your app and make switching between your active profiles much simpler.

Whatever your reason, taking control of your account connections is a healthy part of managing your social media presence.

How to Disconnect Instagram from Facebook

Instagram and Facebook are deeply integrated through Meta's Accounts Center. This is a central hub where you manage connected experiences like logging in with your Facebook account, cross-posting Stories and posts, and running ads. Unlinking them takes place inside this Accounts Center.

The good news is that the process is nearly identical whether you’re using an iPhone, an Android, or a desktop browser. Here is how you can do it.

On the Instagram App (iOS and Android)

This is the most direct way to sever the connection between your profiles. It only takes a minute if you know where to look.

1. Go to Your Profile: Open the Instagram app and tap your profile picture in the bottom-right corner.
2. Open the Menu: Tap the three horizontal lines (the "hamburger" menu) in the top-right corner.
3. Navigate to Settings: Tap on Settings and privacy at the top of the menu.
4. Enter Accounts Center: At the very top of the settings page, you'll see a section called Accounts Center. Tap anywhere in this box to open it.
5. View Your Connected Accounts: Near the bottom of the Accounts Center, tap on the option labeled Accounts. Here you'll see a list of every Facebook profile, Instagram account, and Facebook Page connected to this hub.
6. Select the Account to Remove: Find the Instagram or Facebook account you wish to disconnect and tap the Remove button next to it.
7. Confirm Your Decision: A screen will appear explaining what will happen when you remove the account. For example, it will mention that you'll lose access to connected experiences. Read this, tap Continue, and then confirm by tapping "Yes, remove [Account Name]."

Once you’ve confirmed, the link is broken. The two accounts will no longer share login details or automatically post content to each other.

On a Desktop Browser

The process is just as straightforward on your laptop or computer, using either the Instagram website or Facebook’s settings.

1. Log in to Instagram: Go to Instagram.com and log in to your account.
2. Access Your Settings: Click the menu with three horizontal lines in the bottom-left corner of the page and select Settings from the pop-up menu.
3. Open Accounts Center: In the left-hand settings menu, you'll see Accounts Center at the bottom. Click it.
4. Go to Accounts: Click on the Accounts option within the Accounts Center menu. This will show you all profiles and pages linked together.
5. Remove the Account: Just like on mobile, find the account you want to disconnect and click the Remove button next to it.
6. Follow the Confirmation Prompts: A series of prompts will explain what happens when you remove the account. Continue through and confirm your choice to finalize the disconnection.

What Happens After You Unlink Instagram and Facebook?

Disconnecting the two accounts changes a few things you might be used to:

• No More Cross-Posting: You will no longer be able to automatically share your Instagram posts or Stories to your Facebook profile or Page. You'll have to post them separately on each platform.
• Separate Logins: If you used the "Log in with Facebook" option for Instagram, that will no longer work. You will need to log in to Instagram with your specific Instagram password. If you forgot your password, you can use the "Forgot password?" link to reset it.
• Your Profile Information Stops Syncing: If you had a synced profile picture or name between the two platforms, they will stop updating each other. Changing your photo on Facebook will no longer change it on Instagram.
• No More Linked Messaging: If you use Meta Business Suite, your Instagram DMs and Facebook messages may no longer appear in the same unified inbox.

How to Revoke Access for Third-Party Apps

Granting access to third-party apps feels so routine that we often forget about it. From a one-off "Log in with Instagram" for a small contest to connecting scheduler or analytics tools, these permissions build up over time. Regularly reviewing and revoking access for apps you don’t recognize or no longer use is a critical security step.

An unused, connected app can be a potential security risk. If that company is ever breached, your personal information or even account access could be compromised. Here’s how to do a quick security audit.

1. Open Your Instagram Settings: Go to your profile, tap the menu (three lines), and select Settings and privacy.
2. Find "Apps and Websites": Scroll down the list until you find a section titled Your app and media. Inside this section, tap Apps and websites.
3. Review Active Connections: You will see a list of apps that have active access to your Instagram account. Take a moment to go through this list. If you see an app you haven’t used in months (or years), it’s a good idea to remove it.
4. Remove the App: Tap on the app you want to disconnect, and on the next screen, you’ll see a button to Remove. Tap it and confirm your choice.

When you remove an app, it can no longer request any non-public information from your account. The company behind the app may still have data it has previously collected, but its 'live' link to your Instagram profile is gone for good. Make it a habit to check this page once or twice a year to keep your account secure.

How to Log Out of a Single Instagram Account on Your Phone

Many social media managers, marketers, and creators manage multiple Instagram accounts from the same phone. The account-switching feature is fantastic for efficiency, letting you hop between profiles with a single tap. But what if you stop managing a client account or want to remove an old personal account from your device?

You don't need to log out of all your accounts at once. You can simply remove one account from your phone's login session. It won't deactivate the account, it just takes it out of the quick-switcher list on that specific device.

1. Switch to the Right Account: Make sure you are currently viewing the profile of the Instagram account you want to remove.
2. Go to Settings: Tap your profile picture in the bottom-right, then the menu (three lines) in the top-right, and select Settings and privacy.
3. Find the Log Out Option: Scroll to the very bottom of the Settings menu. You'll find a section dedicated to Logins.
4. Log Out of a Single Account: You will see two options: "Log out of [current account name]" and "Log out of all accounts." Tap "Log out of [current account name]."
5. Choose Whether to Save Login Info: Instagram will ask if you want it to remember the login information for a faster login next time. If you’re permanently removing the account from your workflow, it’s best to select "Not Now."

After you confirm, you’ll be returned to your default account, and the one you just logged out of will no longer appear in your account switcher. This is a great way to tidy up your app environment without affecting the account itself.

Final Thoughts

Whether you're separating personal and professional identities by unlinking Instagram from Facebook, improving security by trimming old app permissions, or just cleaning up your account switcher, you now have the clear steps to do it all. Taking control of these digital connections puts you in the driver's seat of your online presence.

Dealing with connected accounts can absolutely be a hassle, especially when the third-party tools you rely on constantly lose connection. At Postbase, we understand that frustration because we’ve lived it. We built our platform to maintain rock-solid, reliable connections to your social accounts, so you spend less time re-authenticating and more time creating. With a clear visual calendar and support for video-first content, our goal is to help you manage your social media without headaches. Check out Postbase to see how an uncomplicated, modern approach can change your workflow.