Instagram Tips & Strategies

How to Remove a Link from Your Instagram Bio

By Spencer Lanoue
October 31, 2025

Removing the link from your Instagram bio is incredibly simple, and this guide will walk you through the process in just a few taps. We’ll show you exactly how to do it on the mobile app and on your desktop, and then cover some smarter ways to manage that valuable piece of profile real estate so it’s always working for you.

Why You Might Want to Remove or Change Your Instagram Bio Link

Your Instagram bio link isn't meant to be permanent. It's a dynamic tool that should evolve with your brand, your goals, and your content. An outdated or irrelevant link is a missed opportunity, so you’ll likely find yourself changing or removing it often. Here are a few common reasons why it’s time for an update:

  • A Campaign or Promotion Just Ended: Were you running a limited-time flash sale or promoting a specific event? Once it’s over, that link is no longer useful. Removing it prevents confusion and keeps your audience from landing on an expired page.
  • The Link is Outdated or Broken: Maybe it pointed to a blog post from three months ago or, worse, leads to a 404 error page. A broken link feels unprofessional and frustrates users. It's better to have no link than a bad one.
  • You're Pivoting or Rebranding: If you’re changing your business focus, launching a new website, or shifting your content strategy, your bio link needs to reflect that new direction immediately. An old link can send mixed messages about your brand.
  • Simplifying Your Profile: Sometimes less is more. If you don't have a specific destination you want to send traffic to at the moment, removing the link can give your profile a cleaner look. You might be directing people to your DMs instead of an external site, and a link would just be a distraction.
  • You’re Upgrading to a "Link in Bio" Tool: Many creators and brands switch from a single URL to a "link in bio" landing page service. This involves removing the old link and replacing it with a new one that gives you far more flexibility.

How to Remove a Link From Your Instagram Bio (Step-by-Step)

Whether you’re on the go with your phone or working from your laptop, getting rid of that link takes less than a minute. The steps are slightly different for mobile and desktop, so just follow the guide that matches your device.

Removing the Link on the Instagram Mobile App (iPhone & Android)

The Instagram app makes editing your profile quick and intuitive. The process is identical for both iPhone and Android users.

  1. Open the Instagram App and Go to Your Profile: Tap your profile picture icon in the bottom-right corner of the screen to navigate to your main profile page.
  2. Tap "Edit profile": You'll see this button prominently displayed right below your bio and follower count. Tap it to open your profile settings.
  3. Select "Links": In the "Edit profile" menu, you'll see a field labeled "Links". It may have a small number next to it indicating how many links you have active. Tap on it.
  4. Tap the Link You Want to Remove: This will take you to a screen showing your External links. Tap directly on the URL that you wish to delete from your bio.
  5. Tap "Remove link": A new screen will appear with the option to "Remove link" in red text at the bottom. Tap it. A confirmation pop-up will appear. Tap "Remove" again to confirm your decision.
  6. Save Your Changes: After removing the link, tap the back arrow to return to the main "Edit profile" page, and then tap "Done" (on iPhone) or the blue checkmark (on Android) in the top-right corner. Your bio will now be link-free.

Removing the Link From Your Instagram Bio on a Desktop Computer

If you manage your Instagram from a laptop or desktop computer, the process is just as straightforward through your web browser.

  1. Go to Instagram.com and Log In: Navigate to the Instagram website and make sure you are logged into the correct account.
  2. Go to Your Profile: Click on "Profile" in the menu on the left side of the screen.
  3. Click the "Edit profile" Button: This button is located at the top of your profile, next to your username.
  4. Find the "Website" Field: The editing options will appear in the main part of the screen. Unlike mobile, there isn't a separate "Links" section. Simply look for the field labeled "Website". Your current URL will be displayed there.
  5. Delete the URL: Click inside the text box and manually clear the entire URL. You can use backspace or highlight it and press delete.
  6. Save Your Changes: Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click the blue "Submit" button. Your profile will update instantly, and the link will be gone.

The Smarter Strategy: Managing Your Bio Link, Not Just Removing It

While removing an outdated link is good practice, having no link at all is often a wasted opportunity. Your Instagram bio is one of the only places on the platform where you can post a clickable URL for free. Instead of just deleting your link, think about how you can use that space more strategically.

This is where "link in bio" tools come in. These services allow you to use a single, permanent link in your bio that directs followers to a simple landing page. On this page, you can host multiple links at once.

This approach gives you tremendous flexibility:

  • Link to your online store, a new YouTube video, and a recent blog post all at once.
  • Promote affiliate products without making your bio look messy.
  • Connect your audience to your other social media profiles.
  • Share a contact form, a downloadable resource, or your media kit.

By using a "link in bio" tool, you almost never have to edit the URL in your Instagram bio again. Instead, you just log into your tool's dashboard and update the links on your landing page. It's a more efficient, professional, and powerful way to drive traffic from Instagram.

Best Practices for Your Instagram Bio Link

Whether you're using a single URL or a multi-link landing page, every social media manager should follow a few best practices to get the most out of their bio link.

1. Use a Clear Call-to-Action (CTA) in Your Bio

Don’t just drop a link and hope for the best. You need to tell people why they should click. Your bio text should create runway for the link. Use action-oriented language with an emoji for emphasis.

Examples:

  • New arrivals just dropped! ✨ Shop the collection below 👇
  • Read my latest marketing tips on the blog →
  • All my video editing presets are right here →

2. Keep Your Link Updated and Relevant

Your bio link should feel connected to your current content. If your latest Reel is about a specific product, your link should ideally go straight to that product page for the next 24-48 hours. If you post a Story Series about a new article, update the link to point there. Keeping your link relevant to your recent content reduces friction for your followers and drives better results.

3. Use a Clean, Professional Link

Long, messy URLs with lots of characters and tracking codes can look spammy. If you’re not using a dedicated "link in bio" tool, consider using a URL shortener like Bitly to create a custom, branded short link. Something like yourbrand.co/shop is far more trustworthy than a long, jumbled URL.

4. Always Test Your Link

This might sound obvious, but it's a step people often forget. After you've added or changed a link, always go to your profile and click it to make sure it works correctly. Check that it opens on mobile and desktop and that it leads to the correct destination. There's nothing more frustrating than running a campaign that directs everyone to a 404 error page.

5. Track Your Clicks

How do you know if your bio link is actually helping you achieve your goals? You have to track it. Most "link in bio" services come with built-in analytics, showing you how many clicks each link gets. If you're using a direct URL, link shorteners like Bitly also provide click data. This information tells you what your audience is interested in and helps you refine your social media strategy.

Final Thoughts

Removing a link from your Instagram bio is a straightforward technical task, but managing that piece of your profile is a key part of any good social media strategy. It reflects your current goals and gives your audience a clear next step to take. Being intentional about where that link points is what separates a passive profile from an active marketing channel.

Staying on top of your content strategy, from posts to CTAs to bio links, across multiple platforms at once can feel overwhelming. We designed our social media management tool, Postbase, to solve this very problem. Instead of guessing which link should be active for what campaign, we use our visual calendar to plan everything out. We map out our content, see when a promotion starts and stops, and know exactly when that bio link needs updating to keep our brand message consistent everywhere.

Spencer's spent a decade building products at companies like Buffer, UserTesting, and Bump Health. He's spent years in the weeds of social media management—scheduling posts, analyzing performance, coordinating teams. At Postbase, he's building tools to automate the busywork so you can focus on creating great content.

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