Instagram has become a popular platform for sharing photos, videos, and creative work. Here are some steps to enhance your account’s security and privacy.
Before I begin with the tips, simply head to Instagram’s account and privacy settings by clicking here.
Change Your Instagram Password From a Weak One to a Very Strong One
The first thing you need to do is change your account’s password from a weak one to a very strong one.
There are various online password generators and managers like Dashlane or LastPass that not only create strong passwords but also securely manage them across accounts. At the same time, browsers like Chrome also offer password management and checking for compromised passwords.
An alternative approach is the Passphrase/Diceware method, which involves selecting 6 or more random words and combining them to form a passphrase as your password.
Enable Two-Factor/Multi-Factor Authentication
You can start by enabling SMS two-factor authentication on Instagram. Head to your profile, tap settings, scroll to Security, select Two-Factor Authentication, and save your changes.
You can also use app-based 2FA on Instagram, which supports third-party apps like Authy, Microsoft Authenticator, Google Authenticator, and LastPass, with Authy offering cloud backup for multiple devices.
Authy’s apps for desktop, Android, and iOS allow you to search for tokens, view them in list or grid format, manage device information, and receive push authentication notifications, making it a suitable alternative to Google Authenticator for 2FA.
To enable Two-Factor Authentication on Instagram, go to your profile, tap settings, select Security, then turn on the Authentication app option, and Instagram will send a code to your app for verification.
Check the Apps Linked to Your Instagram Account
Review the apps linked to your Instagram account in Security settings under Apps and Websites, revoke access for those you no longer use, and note the new authorization screen now shows what information third parties can access.
Utilize Instagram’s Updated Account Recovery Method
If you can’t access your Instagram account because the password was changed, click the “My login info isn’t working” button, enter your linked email or phone number, and Instagram will send you a six-digit code to regain access.
Steer Clear of Phishing Emails
Instagram has an “Emails from Instagram” feature under Settings > Security, which helps users verify the authenticity of emails from Instagram by displaying messages sent in the last 14 days and their login locations.
Other Steps to Take
- Set your account to private to share photos exclusively with a select group, keeping them hidden from everyone else. In the app, go to your profile, access settings, choose “Privacy and Security,” then enable “Account Privacy”; on the web, select the checkbox for a Private account.
- To block followers from seeing your posts without notifying them, go to “Followers” in the app or web, find the user, and select the appropriate option to block them.
- You can mute accounts on Instagram by visiting their profile, selecting the three-dot menu, and choosing to mute their posts, stories, or both, without them being notified; manage your mute list under Settings > Privacy > Muted Accounts.
- Instagram’s Restrict feature allows you to hide a user’s comments and notifications without unfollowing or reporting them, accessible through Settings > Privacy > Restricted Account or by tapping the three-dot icon on their profile.
- Limit who sees your Stories by hiding them from specific followers in Settings > Privacy > Story and disable sharing and resharing options to control access further.
- You can use the Close Friends option in Instagram to limit your Stories’ audience to specific users without notifying them when you add or remove them, found under Settings > Privacy > Story.
- To verify an account’s legitimacy, check the profile’s three-dot menu under “About this Account” for details like join date, location, ads, username changes, and shared followers, and block or report any suspicious accounts.
- To check if your account has been hacked, review account activities under Settings > Privacy and Security > Access Data in the app or via the web link, focusing on “Password changes,” “Logins,” “Logouts,” and “Stories Activity,” and change your password immediately if you notice anything suspicious.
- Turn off Activity Status in Settings > Privacy to hide your online status.
- To stop contact synching, navigate to Settings > Account > Contact Synching and turn it off.
- To disable suggested accounts, go to your profile, click edit, and uncheck the Similar Account Suggestion option at the bottom.
- Manage your photo tags by going to Settings > Privacy > Tags and enabling Manually Approved Tags to prevent unwanted tagging by spammers or friends.
- To prevent Stories from being saved, go to Settings > Privacy > Story and disable Save to Camera Roll or Save to Gallery on iOS and Android, and also turn off the Save to Archive option.
- To prevent photos from saving to your phone, go to Settings > Account > Original Posts and disable the options for Save Original Posts, Save Posted Photos, and Save Posted Videos in Instagram.
- To disable ad personalization on Facebook, go to the app’s settings via the hamburger menu or visit the web Ad Preferences page, then turn off “Ads based on data from partners” and “Ads based on your activity on Facebook Company Products.”
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