How To Create a Second Instagram Account

Jamie Read more December 18, 2022

Want to create a second Instagram account? Want an account for business and one for yourself? Managing multiple accounts for clients? There are many reasons why you might want to have a second or even third Instagram account. This tutorial will show you how to create and manage them effectively.

Surprisingly, Instagram is open to users having multiple accounts. The company even makes it easy to switch between them right in the app.

This function is great for social media marketers, small business owners, or those with multiple passions. Instagram tends to have a narrow focus, and an account will often concentrate on one niche. Any deviation from that can dilute the message, especially if you’re promoting a brand or business. That’s why having multiple accounts is so beneficial.

This article will teach you everything you need to know about creating and managing multiple accounts on Instagram.

Creating a Second Instagram Account

The advantage of this setup is rather than having to log into separate accounts, you can link your Instagram accounts together to keep things nice and tidy.

Open your main Instagram account.
Select your profile icon in the lower right-hand corner.
Tap on the three-line menu icon top right.
Select the gear icon to access Settings.
Select Add Account at the very bottom. You may see Add or Switch Accounts if you already have more than one.
Choose your username and select Next to continue.
Use a different email address from the one already linked to Instagram.
Confirm your email account by entering the confirmation code sent to the address.
Set up your profile image and follow the registration wizard.

You can link your Facebook account to your Instagram account if you want, but only if you didn’t do that for your main account. Whatever method you use in Step 7, phone, email, or Facebook, it must be different from the method used for that main account. If you use the same details, you will see an error telling you those details are already in use or words to that effect.

Linking a Second Instagram Account

If you already have a second Instagram account, you can link it to your main one instead of creating another if you prefer. It uses a similar process as above. You can link up to five accounts at once using this method.

Open your main Instagram account.
Select your profile and the three-line menu icon top right.
Select the gear icon to access Settings.
Select Add Account at the very bottom.
Enter your other account details and save them.

Your Instagram accounts are now linked. Although nothing changes with the accounts themselves, it will make switching between them easier than logging out of one and back into the other.

Switching Between Instagram Accounts

The process of switching between linked accounts is the same whether you created a new second account or linked an existing one.

Open the Instagram app and select your profile.
Select your username at the top. A small popup appears with your linked accounts.
Select the account you want to switch to.

Depending on what phone you use, the account selection will be a dropdown menu or popup. Either way, select the account, and you’ll immediately switch.

Remove a linked Instagram account

If you need to remove an account you’ve linked, it’s almost the reverse of linking them. Here’s how to do it:

Log into the Instagram account you want to remove.
Select your profile and the three-line menu icon top right.
Select the gear icon to access settings.
Select Log Out of Account.

Following these steps will remove the link between the account you were logged into and those it was linked with. You can then delete or forget about that account as appropriate.

Delete an Instagram account

Deleting an Instagram account is a drastic measure, but if you’re not using it anymore, it’s a useful housekeeping task. Deleting an account is irreversible, so once done, that’s it. If you need to delete it, here’s how.

Open a browser on your device and go to the account deletion page on Instagram.
Fill in the short form requesting deletion, give a reason and enter your password.
Select Permanently Delete My Account when ready.

Instagram may try to keep you by offering tips or help to keep your account going, but in the end, they will do as you ask and delete it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some more answers to your questions about Instagram.

How many Instagram accounts can I link?

Each user can have up to five Instagram accounts.

Will I get notifications for all of my accounts?

The notifications you receive depend heavily on having the function enabled on each account. You can enable push notifications in the Settings of each account and receive notifications for all the Instagram accounts.

Or, you can disable the push notifications for the ones you don’t want to receive notifications.

Why can’t I create a secondary account?

If you don’t see the “Add Account” option or don’t receive the confirmation email, you can’t set up a secondary Instagram account.

This often happens because you used the same email address on both accounts. But it can happen if one of your accounts violated Meta’s Terms of Service. It can also happen if your Instagram app is outdated (try an update) or your network connection isn’t working correctly.