How to Unlink Facebook From Instagram

Share with friends on each network as you like

Screenshot of the Instagram login page on a desktop web browser
by James David Frew
James is a freelance technology writer from London, U.K. He specializes in writing about Android, Cybersecurity, and Product Reviews.
Updated December 05, 2018

Ever since Facebook purchased Instagram, the two have been closely linked. While you could open an Instagram profile without a Facebook account, it was strongly recommended you connect the two. Fortunately, if you no longer want this setup, there are ways to unlink Instagram from Facebook. 

Why Should You Unlink Instagram From Facebook?

Facebook has noticed that Instagram is now one of the most popular social networks and has been importing some of the main site's features into the photo-sharing app. This includes features like text-only Stories and an algorithmic feed. So it would only be natural to question why you should leave the two platforms connected, especially as it's no longer the norm to publish all your online activity to the Facebook News Feed. 

It has also become clear that Facebook mishandles your data. From the Cambridge Analytica scandal to a massive security breach compromising 50 million accounts, many people no longer trust Facebook to handle their personal information. However, the privacy benefits of unlinking Facebook from Instagram are only an illusion. The same company owns the two platforms, and Instagram even stores your data on Facebook's servers. 

That said, removing Facebook from Instagram will stop the latter from suggesting your account to your Facebook friends. Our Facebook friends list often includes everyone from work colleagues to distant family members, and you may find that you no longer want to connect with them on Instagram. 

How to Unlink Facebook From Instagram

To remove the connection between Instagram and Facebook, you need to disconnect your Facebook account in the Instagram app. This eliminates the active connection between the two, so you'll no longer be able to post your Instagram photos to Facebook automatically. You'll also remove the contacts connection and will no longer be able to find your Facebook friends on Instagram automatically.

  1. Open Instagram on your phone.

  2. Go to your profile and tap the three horizontal lines at the top right of the window. 

  3. Tap Settings at the bottom of the menu.

  4. Scroll to Privacy and Security and tap Linked Accounts.

  5. If Facebook is connected to your Instagram account, the Facebook icon will be blue.

  6. Tap the linked account, then tap Unlink account.

How to Remove Instagram From Facebook

If you followed the previous steps, you will have disconnected Facebook from Instagram. However, Facebook had to authorize the connection too, just as it would for any other third-party app. To completely disconnect Instagram from Facebook, you need to remove Instagram's access to your Facebook account.

  1. Using your web browser, visit facebook.com. 

  2. Go to Settings > Apps and select Instagram.

    If you have a lot of apps connected to Facebook you may need to select See More. 

  3. At the bottom of the popup screen, select Remove App.

  4. The "Remove Instagram?" window will appear. If you want to remove all your Instagram posts that also posted to Facebook, check Delete all your Instagram activities.

  5. Once you've made your choice, select Remove.