How to Sign Up for Instagram

November 11, 2025

Ready to join the billion-plus users on Instagram and start sharing your world? Setting up your account is the first step toward connecting with friends, building a community, or growing your brand. This guide will walk you through every aspect of signing up for Instagram, from the initial download to crafting a profile that makes a great first impression. We'll cover how to create your account, optimize your profile, and take those first important steps to get started on the platform.

Getting Started: Your Step-by-Step Instagram Sign-Up Guide

Creating your Instagram account is a quick process, whether you're on a mobile device or a desktop computer. The mobile app offers the full experience, so we’ll focus primarily on that. However, the steps are nearly identical on a web browser.

Step 1: Download the Instagram App

Before you can create an account, you need the app itself. It's free to download and available for both iOS and Android devices.

For iPhone users: Open the App Store, search for "Instagram," and tap "Get" or the cloud icon to download it.
For Android users: Open the Google Play Store, search for "Instagram," and tap "Install."

If you prefer signing up on your computer, simply navigate to instagram.com in your favorite web browser.

Step 2: Create Your Account

Once you open the app, you’ll see a few options for creating your account. You can sign up using an email address, a phone number, or by connecting your Facebook account. Let's look at each method.

Method 1: Signing Up with Email or Phone Number

This is the most common and direct way to create a fresh account that isn't tied to another social media profile.

On the startup screen, tap on "Create New Account."
You'll be asked for your mobile number or email address. Either option works fine. If you use a phone number, Instagram will send you a confirmation code via text to verify you have access to that number. If you use email, you'll need to verify it later.
Next, enter your full name and create a password. Choose a strong, unique password that you don't use for other services to keep your account secure.
Instagram will ask for your date of birth. This is to verify you meet the minimum age requirement (13 years old in most regions) and to help personalize your experience. Your birthdate won't be visible on your public profile.
Now for the fun part: choosing your username! Your username, or handle, is how people will find and tag you. It must be unique. If your first choice is taken, Instagram will suggest some variations, or you can try something else. Think of something memorable and easy to spell. For a business, this should be your business name if available.
Finally, you'll be prompted to find friends by syncing your phone's contacts or connecting to Facebook. You can skip this for now if you prefer.

Method 2: Signing Up with a Facebook Account

If you're already on Facebook, you can use your credentials to speed up the sign-up process. This will link your accounts, which makes cross-posting content and finding friends easier.

On the startup screen, tap "Log in with Facebook."
If you are already logged into the Facebook app on your phone, it will automatically prompt you to continue with that account. If not, you'll need to enter your Facebook login details.
Agree to the terms and privacy policy.
Instagram may pull your name from Facebook, but you will still need to choose a unique username for your Instagram profile.

Pro Tip: While linking your Facebook account is convenient, keeping your accounts separate can offer a bit more security. If one account is ever compromised, the other remains safe.

Setting Up Your Profile for Success

Your Instagram account is created! But don't stop there. An empty profile won't attract followers or build trust. Let’s fill in the important details to make your profile look professional and inviting from day one.

Choose an On-Brand Profile Picture

Your profile picture is tiny, but it's one of the first things people see. It appears in the feed, in Stories, in comments, and on your profile page. It needs to be clear and instantly recognizable.

For a Personal Brand or Creator: Use a high-quality headshot where your face is easily visible. A photo that shows your personality works best. Make sure it's bright and you stand out from the background.
For a Business or Organization: Your logo is usually the best choice. Make sure the logo is centered and legible even in a small circle. Avoid using logos with small text that will be unreadable.

Craft a Compelling Bio

You only have 150 characters to explain who you are, what you do, and why someone should follow you. Make every character count! A great bio typically includes:

Who you are/what you do: "San Diego Food Blogger," "Handmade Leather Goods," or "Productivity Coach for Creatives." Be clear and concise.
What value you offer: "Sharing easy weeknight recipes," "Custom bags built to last," or "Helping you work smarter, not harder."
A Call-to-Action (CTA): Tell people what you want them to do next. This is often related to the link in your bio. Examples: "👇 Shop the latest collection," "snag your free guide," or "booking new clients."

Don't be afraid to use emojis to add personality and line breaks to make your bio easier to read. You can add searchable keywords to your "Name" field (e.g., "Jenna | Mindset Coach") to improve discoverability.

Add a Link in Your Bio

Your bio is the only place on your Instagram profile where you can put a clickable link (aside from Stories if you have enough followers). This makes it incredibly valuable real estate.

You can link directly to your website's homepage, a product page, your latest YouTube video, or a blog post. Many creators and brands use a "link-in-bio" service like a personal landing page that houses multiple links. This allows you to direct followers to your blog, products, and other social channels all from one link.

Choosing the Right Account Type

By default, every new Instagram account is a "Personal" account. However, if you plan on using Instagram for anything beyond sharing photos with a small group of friends, you should switch to a Creator or Business account. This is free and unlocks powerful tools. You can make the switch in Settings and privacy >,, Account type and tools >,, Switch to Professional Account.

Personal Account

Best for: People who just want to share updates with friends and family.
Key Feature: You can set your profile to "Private," so only approved followers can see your content.
Limitations: No access to analytics, contact information buttons, or promotional tools.

Creator Account

Best for: Public figures, influencers, artists, content producers, and personal brands.
Key Features: Access to performance analytics (called "Insights"), more flexible profile controls, creator-specific inbox filtering (to separate messages from fans and brands), and eligibility for branded content tools.

Business Account

Best for: Companies, brands, retailers, and service-based businesses.
Key Features: All the features of a Creator account, plus the ability to add a physical address, a phone number, and a dedicated contact button. It is also a prerequisite for using Instagram Shopping features and running ads directly on the platform.

If you are serious about growing an audience on Instagram, switching to a Creator or Business profile is a must. The access to Insights alone is worth it, as it shows you which posts are performing well, your audience demographics, and the best times to post.

Your First Steps After Signing Up

Your profile is all set up. So, what’s next? Making those first connections and sharing your first piece of content.

1. Find People to Follow

Instagram is a social platform, so the first thing you'll want to do is find some accounts to follow. This will populate your home feed with content.

Sync your contacts: Instagram can scan your phone's contacts to see if anyone you know is on the platform.
Connect to Facebook: If you connected your Facebook account, you can easily find and follow your Facebook friends on Instagram.
Use the Explore page: Tap the magnifying glass icon to head to the Explore page. Here, Instagram suggests content based on posts you've liked and accounts you've followed. You can also search for usernames, hashtags, or keywords related to your interests.

2. Make Your First Post

Tapping the "+" icon at the bottom of the screen opens up the content creation menu. As a newcomer, stick to the basics: a single image or video post.

What should you post first? An introductory post is always a great idea. Share a photo of yourself, your team, or your product and write a caption that introduces who you are and what your account will be about. It's a great way to set the stage for your future content.

When you write your caption, tell a story, ask a question to encourage comments, and use a handful of relevant hashtags to help new people discover your post.

3. Engage with Others

Don't just post and walk away. Social media is a two-way street. Spend some time actively engaging with other accounts.

Find 5-10 accounts in your niche or field of interest.
Leave genuine, thoughtful comments on their posts (avoid generic comments like "Nice!").
Reply to comments that are left on your first post.

This early engagement signals to Instagram that you're an active member of the community and helps you build initial relationships that can lead to more followers.

Final Thoughts

Creating your Instagram account and setting up an optimized profile is a straightforward process when you tackle it step-by-step. From choosing your unique username and crafting a perfect bio to making your first post, you now have the complete roadmap to launching your presence on one of the world's most popular platforms.

As you get comfortable creating and posting, you'll discover that staying consistent is the key to growth. And that often becomes the next biggest hurdle. Having built social media tools and run marketing teams, we created Postbase because we felt outdated tools were making simple tasks too hard. When you find yourself wanting to plan and schedule all your content in a visual calendar, manage conversations without jumping between apps, and track your performance from one clean dashboard, we're here to help.

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Spencer Lanoue

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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