How to Unsync Instagram and Facebook

While automatically sharing your Instagram posts to Facebook feels efficient, there comes a point where you need more control over your content and brand identity. Separating your platforms allows you to create unique content for each audience, and this guide will walk you through exactly how to unsync your Instagram and Facebook accounts. We'll cover the step-by-step process of completely unlinking them and also show you how to stop automatic sharing without fully disconnecting.

Why Unsync Your Instagram and Facebook Accounts?

Connecting your accounts is convenient, but it’s not always the best strategy for growth or brand management. A "one-size-fits-all" approach to social media often falls flat because the audiences and expectations on each platform are very different. Here are a few strong reasons why you might want to consider going your separate ways.

Develop a Unique Brand Voice for Each Platform

The vibe on Instagram is often completely different from Facebook. Instagram leans heavily on visuals, aesthetics, and short-form video (Reels and Stories). Captions are often shorter, more personal, or use a specific style of emojis and hashtags. Facebook, on the other hand, can be a better place for longer-form text, community discussions, event promotions, and sharing links. For example, a business coach might use Instagram to share quick, motivational Reel clips and inspirational graphics, while using their Facebook Page to host live Q&A sessions, share detailed case studies, and engage with a business-focused community group. Trying to make one post fit both platforms can dilute your message and make your content feel out of place on one or the other.

Tailor Content to Different Audiences

It's likely that your followers on Facebook aren't the exact same people who follow you on Instagram. Demographics and user behavior vary significantly between the two. You might find your Facebook audience is older, C-level professionals, while your Instagram audience is made up of younger creatives or entry-level enthusiasts in your industry. Unsyncing your accounts lets you speak directly to each group. You can post a behind-the-scenes Reel for your creative Instagram audience without needing to share it with the more corporate-minded followers on your Facebook Page, where a link to an industry report might perform better.

Avoid Content Crossover Fatigue

If someone follows you on both platforms, seeing the exact same post twice in their feed can be repetitive and uninspiring. It effectively gives them no reason to follow you in both places. When you separate your content streams, you give your audience a reason to connect with you on multiple channels. They know they’ll get unique value from each one. Maybe your Instagram is for daily tips and your Facebook is for weekly deep dives. This strategy makes each follow more valuable and keeps your audience more engaged overall.

Strengthen Your Privacy and Personal Boundaries

For many professionals and creators, Instagram serves as a public-facing brand platform while Facebook is used for personal connections with friends and family. Linking these two accounts can lead to accidental cross-posting or privacy issues, where a professional post leaks into your personal sphere, or vice versa. Unsyncing them creates a clear and necessary boundary between your personal life and your public brand, giving you peace of mind that your content is always going to the right place.

The Key to Unlinking: Understanding the Meta Accounts Center

A few years ago, disconnecting Instagram and Facebook was a simple toggle within the Instagram app. Today, Meta has centralized all account management into a single dashboard called the Accounts Center. This is now the one and only place where you can link or unlink your accounts across Facebook, Instagram, and Meta Quest.

Finding this dashboard is usually the biggest point of confusion for users, as it's tucked away inside the "Settings and Privacy" menu. Once you know where to look, however, the process is straightforward. Every function - from severing the connection completely to managing cross-posting options - is handled here.

How to Unsync Instagram and Facebook: A Step-by-Step Guide

Ready to make the split? The following steps will guide you through the process of completely removing your Facebook account from your Instagram account using the mobile app. This will permanently stop all connected experiences between the two.

1. Open Instagram and Navigate to Your Profile
   Launch the Instagram app on your phone and tap on your profile picture in the bottom-right corner to go to your profile page.
2. Access the "Settings and Privacy" Menu
   Tap the hamburger menu (three horizontal lines) in the top-right corner of your screen. In the menu that appears, select "Settings and Privacy."
3. Open the Accounts Center
   At the very top of the "Settings and Privacy" menu, you'll see a section for the "Accounts Center." Tap on it to open the central management dashboard for all your Meta-connected accounts.
4. Go to "Accounts"
   Inside the Accounts Center, scroll down to the "Account settings" section and tap on "Accounts." This screen shows you all the profiles and accounts you have linked together.
5. Find and Remove the Account
   You will see a list of your connected accounts. Locate the Facebook profile or page you wish to unsync and tap the "Remove" button next to it.
6. Confirm the Removal Process
   A confirmation screen will pop up, explaining what will happen when you remove the account. It will remind you that this will remove the account from this Accounts Center and that you'll lose access to connected experiences like cross-posting and single login. Tap "Remove account." You will be asked to confirm your choice one last time. Tap "Continue," and then tap "Yes, remove [Account Name]."

That's it! Your accounts are now unlinked. Any information that was previously synced, like your profile picture or name, will no longer update automatically across both platforms.

Want Control Without Completely Unlinking? Here’s How

Maybe completely severing the ties feels too drastic. You might still want the convenience of using Facebook to log into Instagram, but you just want to stop automatically sharing every post and Story. Luckily, the Accounts Center gives you that granular control.

This is the perfect middle-ground for anyone who just wants to be more intentional about what they share and where they share it.

How to Stop Sharing Posts, Stories, and Reels to Facebook

1. Follow steps 1-3 from the section above to navigate to the "Accounts Center."
2. Under "Account Settings," find and tap on "Connected experiences."
3. Select "Sharing across profiles."
4. You’ll see your Instagram and Facebook profiles listed. Tap on your Instagram profile from which you want to stop sharing.
5. On the next screen, you will find toggles under the "Automatically share" section for:
   • Your Instagram stories
   • Your Instagram posts
   • Your Instagram Reels
6. Simply tap the toggle next to each option you want to disable. For instance, you could choose to continue sharing posts automatically but turn off automatic sharing for Stories and Reels. You have full control here.

By using these settings, your accounts remain connected in the background, but you regain manual control over your content. Every time you create a post, you'll have the option to share it to Facebook at that moment, rather than having it happen by default.

Final Thoughts

Disconnecting Instagram from Facebook is a strategic move that empowers you to tailor your content, engage more effectively with distinct audiences, and maintain a clear brand presence on each platform. Whether you choose to remove the connection entirely or simply manage your cross-posting preferences through the Accounts Center, the goal is to be more intentional with your social media efforts.

Regaining this control often means you're creating more unique content, which can be a lot to manage. That’s actually one of the reasons we built Postbase. We realized that while treating each platform as its own channel is the right strategy, juggling the native scheduling apps for Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and others is a huge time-sink. Our platform lets you plan and schedule all of your platform-specific content in one visual calendar, so you can easily customize captions, hashtags, and formats for each channel without having to upload the same video multiple times or jump between apps.