How To Switch Back To A Personal Account On Instagram

So, your lockdown hobby turned into a small Instagram business, but you’re now realizing that crafting resin earrings might not be your life’s calling. Or, maybe you decided you wanted to be an Instagram influencer before remembering that your relatives can see your Reels. There’s plenty of reason to get a professional Instagram account, whether you’re a business, a creator, or using Instagram’s “Just for Fun” option. But there’s also plenty of reasons you might want to switch back to a personal Instagram account — the top one, of course, being privacy.

With a professional account, you access the ability to get insights on your follower demographics and engagement, track your content’s performance, extra options for contact information, and more. But one of the biggest pitfalls of having a professional account is that you’re unable to make your account private. (And if you’re trying to worry less about social media, getting rid of your professional account’s engagement analytics is a huge plus.)

While you can make your account professional with just a few clicks under “Edit Profile,” switching your account back to a personal account is not quite as straightforward. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to switch your Instagram account back to a personal account.

How To Switch Back To A Personal Account On Instagram

Open your Instagram app and find your profile page on the far-right of the tab at the bottom of your screen. (Its icon will be your profile picture.) Once you’re there, click the icon with three horizontal lines on the top-right of your screen. From this menu, click the “Settings” button with the gear icon next to it.

Once you’re in Settings, head towards the bottom of the menu where you find the “Account” button. Scroll to the bottom, and you’ll see two options in blue text: “Switch account type,” and “Add new professional account.” Click, “Switch account type,” then, “Switch to Personal Account.” Instagram will ask you to confirm your decision, as you will lose your insights by switching to a Personal Account. Click the red text stating, “Switch to Personal Account,” and your Instagram account will be back to personal settings.

How To Make Your Instagram Account Private Again

If you’re making the switch back to a Personal Account for privacy reasons, you can turn your account private after making the switch. Head back to your Settings and click the “Privacy” button with a lock icon. At the top of the Privacy menu, there will be a switch that says “Private account.” If the switch is flicked to the left and is gray, this means your account is currently public. Click the switch icon to turn your account private. The switch will flick to the right and turn blue. Instagram will ask you to verify your decision to switch to a private account, as your content will only be available to your followers and you’ll have to manually approve new followers going forward. Click the blue button that says, “Switch to Private,” and your account will officially be secret to all but those you accept.