How to recover a de-activated or disabled Instagram Account in 2024
Updated: Jun 16
If you are here it is sadly likely that your account has been disabled by Instagram. Or locked out, or maybe even hacked. Unfortunately when this happens, Instagram doesn't exactly help you out with any information. 'Your account has been disabled for violating our terms'. Pretty much the sum total of it right?
Just a quick google search will offer you an absolute ton of pages offering to help you recover your account, along with plenty of scam messages which you will see plastered all over reddit and Facebook forums (cue the comments on this post too). Let me tell you, if anyone is offering to get your account back, especially for money exchange, do not do it!
In this post, I am not here to ask you for anything. I am simply just one of the large numbers of people who have had this happen to them, and I just want to offer you advice from my own personal experience with Meta, and helping countless others, for FREE. Read on for a highly-effective new 2024 method which has worked for many people this year already, and I hope, many more.
Why did Instagram disable my account?
There are a number of known reasons as to why this may have happened, with one of the most significant of them being if you have used an unauthorized app to connect to your account, like one of those follow / unfollow ones. Before we continue, from this point on if that is the case, just don't hide it. In any of your communications, be upfront about it, because Meta know. And they are far more likely to forgive and forget if you own up to it straight off the bat, rather than try to plead innocence / ignorance.
Here are a few common reasons why your account may have been disabled:
● Connecting an unauthorized application to your account such as insight apps, automated like apps, follow / unfollow apps etc) Tap here for more about this
● Buying followers (these are usually bots)
● Joining follow loops / follow trains
● Participating in engagement groups
● Sending spam messages to followers and non-followers
● Following & unfollowing in large numbers
● Using Instagram shopping in unlicensed countries
● Providing your login credentials to a 3rd party application or service that is automating actions or scraping information
● Using an app or service to interact with Facebook or Instagram in unauthorized ways
● Your account was shared or compromised / hacked and someone is taking actions on your behalf or without your knowledge
● Changing your location regularly
I would highly advise reading the Terms & Conditions of Use in Instagram's Help Centre to try and fully understand why the block has happened. Be honest with yourself and do not be afraid to admit any breach of the rules. As you progress with the appeal, and as you will see from my experience, honesty is absolutely the best policy here.
I have written an extensive article about this topic, which you can read here. In it I include all of the do's and don'ts around how to stay within Instagram's infamous community guidelines, and how to contact Meta / Facebook through the Meta Business Centre. Definitely worth a read before you formulate your email / plead your case.
Will I be able to recover my account?
For this post, I am mainly going to focus on a brand new 2024 way to contact Instagram directly through the IG app. Before we get to it, I must stress that the process outlined in my original post about this still stands, and must be followed first, so you can generate your case number (s). It is also important that you have a Facebook account, although with this process it does not need to be a business account, and you do not need an ad account either (although this may help in the long run).
Other mitigating factors include the length of time your account has been disabled for. I am hoping you are here because it has only just happened, but there may also be a chance you are here because you are at your wits end trying to recover your account, and have been for a while. Sadly if you are the later, know that you only have 30 days from the point of getting your account disabled to point of recovery. After that time period has elapsed, the account will automatically go into IG's deletion process. From there on in it is game over I'm afraid.
Instagram Disabled Account Appeal Forms
So assuming you are below the 30 day threshold (the earlier the better), are prepared to own up to any potential infringements of the community guidelines (including follow apps and engagement groups!), let's get started with the process. First things first, here are the links to all of the Appeal Forms you will need to let Instagram know you are appealing the de-activation of your account:
** June 2024 Update: It appears that Meta / Instagram has removed the functionality of these forms. This may be temporary, or could be a permanent change. Should the links not work, jump straight to Facebook Live Support or try instagram.com/hacked
My advice is to complete each of these forms once only and on separate days. You will most likely read and see many people advising you to complete these multiple times a day until you get a response. I did this myself, in total I completed each one 3 times! However I eventually found out that this was to my detriment.
After speaking directly with Meta they clearly stated that every submission goes to the bottom of the pile! It seems strange but it kind of makes sense. Think about it, you and I will not be the only ones to assume that the more we fill out the forms, the better chances we will have. They receive thousands on any given day, and so they treat it like a waiting list. You are in a queue, and there is no jumping it I'm afraid.
Meta Verified, and getting your Instagram account back
Once you have completed the forms, the next stage of the process, which is brand new for 2024, is to get yourself Meta Verified. This is honestly the golden goose in recovering your account, and I have seen countless success through this route having advised many accounts this year about it.
A Meta Verified subscription costs $14.99 per month when you sign up on iOS or Android. Or, you can pay $11.99 per month by signing up through the website directly (only available for Facebook). For now, Meta Verified is only available to individuals, not brands or businesses.
Now this will work best if you can do it through Instagram. If you have a second account, you can do it on there, or if not, you can set up a new account. There is no following minimum on who can get verified, so that is not an issue. You can also do it through Facebook if you do not want to set up a new account.
The important thing is that you use the same information as would be on the account that is disabled. That means the same email, exactly the same name, and ideally phone number too. I cannot stress how important that is to the process.
Once you have been verified, you can gain immediate access to Instagram Live Chat Support. There is also a much higher probability of getting your account back as Instagram has now verified your identity.
So here is how to get in touch. As with most things Instagram, it is buried in an obscure place in the settings area:
or
Note that you can also use this area to contact by email, which I would advise to do as a back up option. Be sure to have all of your reference numbers from the appeal from process to hand, as you will need them.
When you talk with the support team, be sure to make a genuine case as to why you believe your account should be re-instated. Tell them what it means to you, why you use it and what went wrong. Honesty is the best policy and most of the success I have seen has been through people simply owning up to why, and being genuine about their use on Instagram and the connections they have made through their account. Instagram are not the enemy; as with any business they just want to protect their rules.
In all of the cases I have seen this year, this process has gotten the account re-activated. In most cases it has taken less than 24 hours. If there is any reason why it cannot be given back to you, at least here you will find out directly from Instagram themselves.
I did not violate guidelines; my Instagram account has been hacked
If you have been locked out of your account entirely, going through the process outlined here is unlikely to help. Although I would still suggest giving it a try. Again, if you are verified, it boosts your chances of proving who you are, which is the first major hurdle to overcome.
The only place to go in this instance is instagram.com/hacked.
Protecting your Account
There are a couple of things you can do to help keep your account secure and in good order. All of these options can be found in the settings area of your Instagram account.
⪢ Connected Apps and Websites
It is recommended you check this to ensure there are no unauthorized connections to your account or connections you do not recognize.
⪢ Two-Factor Authentication & Data Download
I would certainly advise turning on Two-Factor Authentication on Instagram. Even if you do not 'log in' that often, adding this layer of security will make it harder for hackers to gain access to your account.
The Data Download feature on Instagram is not well known but is an excellent option for keeping your data secure. Once requested you will have 4 days to accept the download from your email. It comes as raw data, so do not expect it to look like your posts do on the app. All of your photos, videos, comments, likes etc will come to you in separate folders which is a bit tricky to navigate and piece together. However this is a fantastic option which helps you protect your content and potentially re-use it should you ever need or want to start a new account.
⪢ Security Check Up
Instagram has been adding a number of features over the past couple of years, and if you are using the app, you can utilize the 'security check-up' feature in the settings section.
Here you can review all of the key security aspects of your account in one place, including your phone number, associated email address, and that essential two-factor authentication. If you are able to recover your account, I would highly recommend reviewing these settings. Not particularly helpful if you are only reading this because your account is disabled I know, but I wanted to include it nonetheless!
This comprehensive guide will tell you why from my own personal experience, the do's & don'ts, contacting Meta, and ultimately how I recovered my account.
Any questions? Get in touch
Hopefully this post, and our complete guide, has given you all of the tools you need to recover your account, with (fingers crossed) success. If you do have any other additional questions on points not covered here however, you are more than welcome to get in touch.
You can contact me directly on Instagram, although for the quickest response, please send your message / question here through Closer Lives and we will get back to you within 24 hours.
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