How to Unlink Instagram Accounts

Juggling multiple social media accounts can feel like spinning plates, and sometimes you need to intentionally separate them to keep things clean. Whether it's for privacy, rebranding, or simply wanting more control over your content, unlinking your Instagram from Facebook or other accounts is a straightforward process. This guide will walk you through every step for unlinking via your phone or desktop, explain what happens afterward, and show you how to manage your accounts more effectively.

Why Unlink Your Instagram Account?

Once upon a time, connecting all your social profiles seemed like the smart move. Cross-posting was easy, and logging in was a breeze. But as platforms evolve and our needs change, keeping those connections might do more harm than good. There are several practical reasons why you might want to create some distance between your accounts:

• Crafting a Unique Brand Identity: Your audience on Instagram is likely different from your audience on Facebook. Unlinking allows you to post content specifically tailored to each platform's community and best practices, helping you build a stronger, more authentic brand on each one.
• Enhancing Your Privacy: When accounts are linked, especially within the Meta ecosystem (Instagram, Facebook, Threads), a lot of data is shared between them for advertising and personalization. Unlinking can help create a clearer boundary and give you more granular control over your personal information.
• Simplifying Business vs. Personal Life: Many of us have both a personal Facebook profile and a professional Instagram account. Unlinking them prevents accidental posts to the wrong audience - like sharing a family photo on your business’s Instagram Story.
• Preparing to Sell a Business: If you're selling a business that includes an Instagram account, the new owner needs a clean slate. Unlinking it from your personal Facebook is a critical step in the handover process.
• Troubleshooting Login or Technical Issues: Sometimes linked accounts can cause strange bugs, posting failures, or login problems. Unlinking them can be a necessary troubleshooting step to resolve these issues and start fresh.

Whatever your reason, taking back control of how your accounts interact is a powerful step in managing your digital presence intentionally.

The Main Hub: Understanding the Meta Accounts Center

Before you start, it’s important to know where this all happens. Meta (the parent company of Instagram, Facebook, and Threads) now centralizes account management through the Accounts Center. This is your one-stop shop for controlling everything from login information to how your different profiles share data and content. Think of it as the control panel for your Meta identities.

When you "unlink" Instagram from Facebook, you are essentially removing it from this centralized hub. This action affects things like single sign-on, cross-posting, and synced personal information. The instructions below will guide you directly through this Accounts Center, whether you access it from the Instagram app or a web browser.

How to Unlink Instagram from Facebook

The most common reason people search for this topic is to break the connection with Facebook. The process is identical for unlinking a Facebook profile or page from an Instagram account. We'll cover how to do this on both mobile and desktop.

Unlinking via the Instagram App (Mobile)

Most people manage their Instagram on their phones, so let’s start here. The steps are the same for both iOS and Android devices.

1. Go to Your Profile: Open the Instagram app and tap your profile picture in the bottom-right corner.
2. Access the Menu: Tap the three horizontal lines (the "hamburger menu") in the top-right corner.
3. Navigate to Settings: Tap on Settings and privacy. This is the top option on the menu.
4. Open the Accounts Center: At the very top of the Settings and privacy screen, you'll see the Meta Accounts Center panel. Tap on it.
5. Find Your Accounts: Inside the Accounts Center, scroll down to Account settings and tap on Accounts.
6. Select the Account to Unlink: You will see a list of the profiles you have connected (e.g., your Instagram account and your Facebook profile). Find the account you want to unlink and tap the Remove button next to it.
7. Review and Confirm: A screen will appear explaining what will happen when you remove the account. It will warn you that you will lose access to shared experiences like logging in and cross-posting. Read this carefully, then tap Remove account.
8. Final Confirmation: You'll have one last chance to confirm. Tap Continue, then tap Remove [Username]. And you're done! Your account is now unlinked.

Unlinking via Desktop Browser

If you prefer to manage your settings on a bigger screen, you can also unlink your accounts using a web browser on your computer.

1. Log in to Instagram: Go to instagram.com and log in to your account.
2. Open the Menu: Click the More option (represented by three horizontal lines) in the bottom-left corner of the sidebar.
3. Go to Settings: From the pop-up menu, select Settings (it often has a gear icon next to it).
4. Go to the Accounts Center: On the Settings page, look for the Meta logo and click on Accounts Center. It’s usually linked in the lower-left sidebar.
5. Manage Your Accounts: In the Accounts Center, click on Accounts from the left-hand menu.
6. Find and Remove the Account: You’ll see the list of your connected accounts. Just like on mobile, find the Facebook or Instagram profile you want to unlink and click the Remove button beside it.
7. Confirm the Removal: Read the informational screen that details what unlinking the account means for your connected experiences. If you're ready to proceed, click Remove account, then Continue, and finally, Remove [Username] to finalize the process.

What Happens After You Unlink Your Accounts?

Unlinking seems simple, but it changes several key functionalities you may have gotten used to. Here’s a quick breakdown of what to expect:

• Manual Posting: The biggest change is that you can no longer automatically share your Instagram Posts or Stories directly to your Facebook feed or story. You will have to do this manually by posting separately on each platform.
• Login Changes: If you previously used your Facebook login to get into Instagram, that option is gone. You will need to log in with your Instagram username and password. If you don't remember your Instagram password (or never set one), you can easily reset it using the "Forgot password?" link on the login screen. It’s a good idea to sort this out immediately after unlinking to avoid getting locked out.
• Ad Management Adjustments: If you run ads, your data will no longer be shared as seamlessly. Managing ad campaigns across both platforms from a single Ads Manager account might require reconnecting them on the business back-end or running separate campaigns.
• Messenger Inboxes Get Separated: For users who opted to sync their Instagram DMs with Facebook Messenger, this connection will be broken. Your messages will now reside solely within their respective apps.

Managing Multiple Accounts: Removing a Profile from Your App

Sometimes, what people mean by "unlinking" is simply removing one of their Instagram accounts from the app's multi-account login feature. This is different from disconnecting it from the Meta Accounts Center. This action just logs you out of a specific profile on your device without deleting it or affecting its connections to other platforms.

It’s useful if you have a former client's account, an old passion project, or a shared device you want to clean up.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Go to Settings: Open the Instagram app, navigate to your profile, tap the hamburger menu, and select Settings and privacy.
2. Scroll to the Bottom: Go all the way down to the bottom of the page past all settings.
3. Log Out: In the Logins section, you have two choices. You can tap Log out of [current username] or Log out of all accounts. Tap the one appropriate for you.
4. Choose Login Preference: Instagram will ask if you want it to remember your login information for a quick sign-in next time. To fully remove the account from the immediate login screen, choose Not now.
5. Remove from Login List (Optional): If you’ve previously told your app to "remember" an account, it will still appear on the main login screen. To completely remove it, tap Manage accounts on that screen (or the gear icon next to the list of accounts) and tap the "X" next to the profile you want to forget.

Cleaning House: Unlinking Instagram from Third-Party Apps

Over time, you probably have granted access to dozens of third-party apps - schedulers, analytics tools, contest apps, or follower trackers. It's good digital hygiene to regularly review these connections and revoke access for any services you no longer use.

How to Check and Revoke App Access

1. Head to App Permissions: In the Instagram app, go to Settings and privacy. Scroll down and tap on Website permissions.
2. View Apps And Websites: In the next menu, tap on Apps and websites.
3. Review Active Connections: This will show you a list of all the apps and websites that are currently connected to your Instagram account. Tap on any app you no longer use or recognize.
4. Remove Access: On the app's detail screen, simply tap the Remove button. Instagram will confirm that the app can no longer access your data. Repeat this for any other services you wish to disconnect.

Doing this routinely helps keep your account secure by minimizing the number of external services that have permission to access your profile and information.

Final Thoughts

Unlinking your Instagram account - whether from Facebook, other profiles in your app, or third-party services - is about reclaiming control and being more intentional with your social media strategy. By following the steps in the Meta Accounts Center, you can create the boundaries you need for privacy, branding, or simplicity.

Once your accounts are unlinked, managing each profile individually can feel like a bit more work. To simplify this, we built Postbase to bring all your accounts back together in one clean, visual calendar. We help you schedule and plan unique content for each platform without the headache of constantly switching between apps, providing a streamlined workflow that just works.