Your reasons for deleting Instagram can be numerous but there are a few steps and some considerations to make before pressing the big red button. If you’ve been listening to the previous episodes about deleting social media accounts, it should come to no surprise that pressing the delete button only starts the process rather than instantly remove your account.

What’s also worth noting is that since Instagram is owned by Facebook, there are two options that Instagram has: deactivation and deletion. Deactivation of course means that your data will still be lingering around and Instagram can still use it to sell you stuff.

Some other considerations to keep in mind is that you are unable  to get access to your photos, videos, likes, comments, followers, and posts. The exception is if you deactivate your account which you’ll be able to recover that data should you reactivate your account.

The other consideration to make is that when you delete your Instagram account you can’t sign up using the same username or email address again. Much like Twitter, you can change your handle at any time too so no worries there if you plan on coming back.

The final consideration is to make note that you can always turn your account private. If your concern is restricting who can see your content, but are torn on staying or leaving, this could provide the best of both worlds.

To delete your Instagram account is a simple process. It all starts by logging in and going to your settings and going to the delete page. Once there, you’ll need to provide a reason, your username and password. After that, you’ll need to re-enter your password and start the process.

If you don’t want to delete your account and prefer to deactivate it the process is similar. Go to your profile and click edit profile. In there, you should have an option to temporarily disable your account which is at the bottom of that page. Just like with deleting your account, you’ll need to re-enter your password and provide a reason as well. To reactivate your account is as simple as logging back in.