How to Fix an Instagram Glitch

Nothing stalls your momentum like an unexpected Instagram glitch. One minute you're scrolling through Reels and replying to DMs, and the next, your feed won't refresh, your Stories won't load, or the app crashes. It's a frustrating experience that can feel entirely out of your control. This guide walks you through a clear, step-by-step process to diagnose and fix whatever Instagram issue you're facing, from the simplest solutions to more advanced tricks, so you can get back to creating and connecting.

First Step: Is Instagram Down or Is It Just You?

Before you start troubleshooting your device, it's worth checking if the problem is on Instagram's end. A widespread outage means the only thing you can do is wait it out. Here's how to quickly figure out if the problem is bigger than your own account.

• Check a Third-Party Status Website: Sites like DownDetector are the fastest way to see if other users are reporting similar problems. They collect and display outage reports in real-time, giving you a clear picture of whether Instagram is experiencing a major issue. If you see a huge spike in reports, you know it's not just your phone.
• Search on X (Formerly Twitter): When a major app goes down, people flock to X to talk about it. A quick search for terms like "Instagram down" or "#instagramdown" will instantly show you a live feed of other users complaining about the same issue. If the top results are all from the last few minutes, you have your answer.
• Ask a Friend: The simplest test of all. Send a quick message to a friend or coworker and ask if their Instagram is working properly. If they're having the exact same issue, it's almost certainly an outage on Meta's side.

If nobody else seems to be having issues, the problem is likely localized to your device or account. That's good news, because it means you can probably fix it yourself using the steps below.

9 Quick Fixes for Common Instagram Glitches

Start at the top of this list and work your way down. Most common Instagram problems can be solved with one of the first few steps.

1. Restart the Instagram App

The oldest trick in the IT book works for a reason. Closing and reopening the app can clear minor bugs or memory leaks that are causing it to misbehave. Don't just switch to another app, make sure you fully close it.

• On iOS (iPhone): Swipe up from the bottom of your screen to open the app switcher. Find the Instagram app preview and swipe it up to close it.
• On Android: Open the app switcher (this might be a square button at the bottom of your screen or a swipe-up gesture, depending on your device). Find Instagram and swipe it away to close it.

Once it's closed, wait a few seconds and then reopen it from your home screen.

2. Check Your Internet Connection

Instagram is entirely reliant on a stable internet connection. If your connection is weak or dropping, the app won't be able to load new content. Here's how to test it:

• Switch Between Wi-Fi and Cellular Data: If you're on Wi-Fi, turn it off and see if Instagram works better on your mobile data. If you're on data, try connecting to a reliable Wi-Fi network. Sometimes a specific network is the source of the problem.
• Run a Speed Test: Open your web browser and search for "internet speed test." Run the test to see if your connection is performing as it should. If it's extremely slow, other apps will likely be affected, too.
• Toggle Airplane Mode: A quick way to reset all of your phone's network connections is to toggle Airplane Mode on for about 10 seconds, then turn it off. This forces your phone to establish fresh connections to Wi-Fi and cellular networks.

3. Update the Instagram App

Running an outdated version of an app is one of the most common causes of glitches. App developers are constantly pushing updates to fix bugs, patch security holes, and introduce new features. If you have automatic updates turned off, you might have fallen behind.

• On iOS: Open the App Store, tap your profile icon in the top right, and scroll down to see your pending updates. If Instagram is on the list, tap "Update."
• On Android: Open the Google Play Store, tap your profile icon, go to "Manage apps & device," and then tap "Updates available." Find Instagram and tap "Update."

4. Restart Your Phone

If restarting the app didn't work, the next step is to restart your entire device. A full reboot clears your phone's temporary memory (RAM) and can shut down any background processes that might be interfering with Instagram. For many strange, unexplainable glitches, this simple fix is all you need.

5. Clear the App Cache (Android)

Your phone stores temporary background files (cache) to help apps load faster. Over time, this cache can become bloated or corrupted, leading to performance issues, lag, and random crashes. Clearing it gives the app a fresh start without deleting your personal data like photos or DMs.

How to Clear Cache on Android:

1. Go to Settings > Apps (or Apps & notifications).
2. Find and tap on Instagram from the list.
3. Tap on Storage & cache.
4. Tap the Clear cache button.

Note for iOS users: iOS doesn't give you a direct option to clear an individual app's cache. The equivalent action is to "offload" the app, which is essentially what you do in step 7 (reinstalling).

6. Check Your Phone's Storage Space

When your phone's storage is nearly full, all sorts of things start to go wrong. Apps can become slow, crash unexpectedly, or fail to load new content. Instagram, with all its high-resolution media, needs room to breathe.

• On iOS: Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage.
• On Android: Go to Settings > Storage.

If you have less than 1-2 GB of free space, it's time to clean house. Delete old apps, videos, and photos you no longer need.

7. Reinstall the Instagram App

This is the ultimate refresh. Deleting and reinstalling the app removes all of its data from your device, including any deeply rooted corrupted files that a cache clear might have missed. Don't worry, this will not delete your account, posts, or messages - all of that is stored on Instagram's servers.

Just find the app on your home screen, press and hold, then choose "Delete App" (iOS) or "Uninstall" (Android). Once it's gone, head back to your App Store or Play Store and download a fresh copy. You'll just need to log in again.

8. Check App Permissions

Sometimes a glitch isn't a bug but a permission setting that got turned off accidentally, perhaps after a system update. For example, if you can't upload photos, Instagram may have lost access to your camera roll. If you can't record a Reel, it might not have microphone access.

• On iOS: Go to Settings and scroll down to the app list. Tap on Instagram and review the permissions for Photos, Microphone, Camera, etc. Make sure they are enabled.
• On Android: Go to Settings > Apps > Instagram > Permissions. Check that all necessary permissions are granted.

9. Report the Problem to Instagram

If none of the above fixes work, you may have encountered a unique bug related to your specific account, device model, or carrier. In this case, your best bet is to report it directly to Instagram's support team. This alerts their developers to the issue and adds your case to their data, which helps them create a fix for a future update.

1. Open Instagram and go to your profile.
2. Tap the menu icon (three lines) in the top right.
3. Go to Settings and privacy > Help > Report a Problem.
4. Follow the prompts to describe your issue in detail. Include what you were doing when the glitch occurred and what you've already tried to fix it. There's often a "shake to report" feature you can enable for quick access.

Be patient, however, you likely won't receive a personalized response, but reporting the issue is still a productive step.

Solutions for Specific Instagram Glitches

Some problems show up more often than others. Here are a few common glitches and the fixes that are most likely to work.

• Feed Won't Refresh ("Couldn't refresh feed" error): This is almost always an internet connection issue. Go back to Fix #2 and thoroughly check your Wi-Fi and cellular data.
• Stories Not Loading or Posting: This is often caused by a bad internet connection or a lack of storage space (Fix #2 and Fix #6). If your upload gets stuck, restarting the app (Fix #1) often helps.
• Direct Messages (DMs) Not Sending: First, check your internet connection. If that's stable, try restarting the app and then your phone (Fix #1 and Fix #4). In some cases, waiting for 5-10 minutes can resolve this temporary server-side delay.
• Reels Audio is Missing or Out of Sync: This is a classic symptom of a corrupted cache. Android users should try Fix #5 right away. For iOS users, restarting and updating the app are your best bets (Fix #1 and #3).
• "Music" sticker is missing from Stories: This isn't usually a glitch but an account type problem. If you have a Business account, you may not have access to the full library of popular music due to licensing restrictions. Try switching your account to a Creator account (Settings >, Creator tools and controls >, Switch account type) to see if that restores the feature for you.

Final Thoughts

Dealing with a glitchy Instagram app can be frustrating, but the solution is often quite simple. By methodically working through these troubleshooting steps - starting with the easiest ones like checking if Instagram is down, verifying your internet connection, and clearing the app's cache - you can tackle the most common issues and get your account working correctly again.

It's frustrating when an unreliable app gets in the way of your content plan. A scheduling tool like Postbase helps you stay consistent by publishing your content reliably. Even when Instagram is having a moment, you can rest easy knowing your scheduled posts will go out on time, letting you manage everything from a single visual calendar without the extra stress.