The direct answer: the route depends on what actually happened. Find your situation in the table below and start from its official entry point. Every official route is free and inside Instagram, and no organisation outside Instagram can recover an account for you.
| Your situation | Where to start | What you will be asked for |
|---|---|---|
| Forgot your password | "Forgot password?" on the login screen | Email, phone number, or username |
| Account was hacked | instagram.com/hacked | Identity confirmation, possibly a video selfie |
| Instagram disabled the account | Log in and follow the on-screen instructions | A request to review the decision |
| No access to email or phone | The "need more help" path on the login screen | An alternative identifier or a video selfie |
| An old account you barely remember | The same login help path | Any identifier you still hold |
1. Forgot your password, or the email is not arriving
- On the login screen, tap "Forgot password?".
- Enter your username, email or phone number. A username alone is enough as an identifier.
- Instagram sends a login link or a reset code.
- You can also open the password reset page directly using the official link in the sources section.
If nothing arrives: check your spam folder, try the other identifier (if you tried the email, try the phone), and attempt it from a device you have previously logged in on, because Instagram uses the device itself as a recognition signal.
2. Your account was hacked: steps in order
If you still have access to your email
Search your inbox for a message from security@mail.instagram.com. If the attacker changed the registered email, that message contains the option to revert the change and secure the account. This is the fastest route available.
If the attacker changed both email and phone
- Open instagram.com/hacked and follow the path shown.
- Submit the support request from a mobile device, because some verification steps are mobile-only.
- Instagram may verify you through the email or phone number used when the account was created, through the device, or through a video selfie if the account contains photos of you.
- Instagram's official page states the video selfie is deleted within 30 days, and that you can resubmit if it is not accepted.
Instagram publishes no processing time for these requests, so treat any timeline you read elsewhere as unverified.
3. Instagram disabled your account
Two situations get confused here:
- A temporary deactivation you did yourself in settings. That reverses simply by logging back in, and it is a different subject.
- An account Instagram disabled over an alleged violation. That is what this section covers.
Instagram's page on disabled accounts states that "you may be able to ask us to review the decision by logging into Instagram and following the on-screen instructions". The starting point is the login attempt itself, not an external form.
Two facts worth holding onto from the official page: no appeal deadline is published, so figures like "30 days" or "180 days" that circulate elsewhere are not Instagram's. And accounts that have been permanently deleted cannot be restored.
If your account works but its reach dropped, that is not a recovery case but a distribution restriction: shadowban and Account Status.
4. No email or phone access: what is left
This is the hardest case, but it is not closed:
- Start from the login screen and take the "need more help" path after attempting a reset.
- Use any identifier you still hold: the username, an old email you used at signup even if you cannot open it, or an old phone number.
- Try from the device you actually used with the account, since the device is one of the recognition methods Instagram names.
- If the account contains photos of you, the video selfie path is designed for exactly this situation.
If you cannot even remember the username, find the account from a friend's account or in your old direct messages with them.
5. How to actually "contact Instagram"
This gets asked constantly, and the honest answer is: there is no public support phone line and no open live chat. The official channel is a support request from inside the app or through the help paths above, preferably from a mobile device.
Editorial note: the paid "account recovery services" that appear in search results are not official channels, and Instagram does not authorise any third party to recover accounts. Every official route above is free. We do not recommend using such a service, and we do not offer account recovery ourselves.
The dedicated support that comes with a Meta Verified subscription is for subscribers only and is not a route into an account you cannot access. Subscription details are in how Instagram verification works.
6. After you are back in: lock the account down
Getting back in is half the job. These steps stop it happening again:
- Change the password to one you use nowhere else.
- Turn on two-factor authentication. Instagram offers three methods.
- Save your backup codes somewhere that is not your phone.
- Confirm the registered email and phone are yours and under your control.
- Review devices and login sessions and log out anything you do not recognise.
- Remove connected third-party apps you no longer use.
- Check linked accounts in Accounts Center and remove anything unfamiliar.
| Two-factor method | Note |
|---|---|
| Authentication app | The method Instagram recommends |
| Text message | Depends on you keeping that number |
| Listed among the official options |
And if the account is professional, note that it cannot be set to private, which changes your security calculation. Details in professional vs personal accounts.
7. Signs your account was hacked
- Emails from Instagram about an email or password change you did not request.
- Posts, Stories or messages you did not publish.
- New followers or followed accounts you do not recognise, added in a batch.
- Being logged out suddenly on every device.
- Login sessions from unfamiliar locations or devices in your device list.
- A changed profile photo, bio or link you did not change.
At the first sign, change the password immediately and turn on two-factor authentication before anything else.
8. FAQ
How do I recover my Instagram account?
Identify your scenario in the table above and use that scenario's official entry point. Do not mix routes.
How do I recover an Instagram account without the phone number, email and password?
Use the login help path with any identifier you still hold, from a device you previously used, and the video selfie path if the account has photos of you.
How do I get my old Instagram account back?
The same login help flow. Age is not a published obstacle, as long as the account was not permanently deleted.
Can I recover my Instagram account after 2 years?
In principle yes, if it was not permanently deleted and you have at least one identifier. Instagram publishes no time limit on recovery attempts.
Why won't Instagram let me recover my account?
The usual causes are an identifier that does not match what is on the account, an attempt from an entirely new device, or an account that was permanently deleted. Try from your usual device with a different identifier.
How do I contact Instagram about a hacked account?
Through instagram.com/hacked and the in-app support request, from a mobile device. There is no public support line.
Can I recover a permanently deleted account?
No. The official page states that deleted accounts cannot be restored.
9. Practical summary
Start from the table: identify your scenario and use only that scenario's official entry point. Try from the device you actually used, and use any old identifier you still hold. Do not pay a third party, because every official route is free and there is no authorised intermediary. And once you are back in, do not stop there: new password, two-factor authentication, backup codes, and a review of devices and connected apps.
Once the account is secure, the rest of the journey is in how to grow on Instagram, and the full library is in the Instagram Resource Hub.
10. Official sources
- Recovering a hacked account: instagram.com/hacked, the security@mail.instagram.com revert option, submitting a support request from a mobile device, identity checks and the video selfie "deleted within 30 days", and the post-recovery steps.
- instagram.com/hacked: the official entry point.
- Hacked Instagram account help.
- Account Recovery and Login hub.
- I can't log in.
- Password reset.
- Disabled accounts: requesting a review by logging in and following the on-screen instructions, and that deleted accounts cannot be restored.
- Two-factor authentication: authentication app (recommended), text message, WhatsApp, and backup codes.
- Temporarily deactivating an account: cited only to separate it from an account disabled by Instagram.