Your brand Instagram is locked and the person who set it up has gone?

Start with the handover

1. Write to the former employee or agency asking them to change the email and phone on the account to ones the company controls, and to switch off their two-factor method.
2. Ask them to remove their own Facebook profile from Accounts Center if the account is linked to it.
3. If a business portfolio manages the account, check who is admin in Meta Business Settings.
4. Agree a date and confirm in writing once it is done.

If they will not cooperate

Try Instagram’s Forgot password from the login screen with any email or phone your company still controls. If none of the contact details are yours, Instagram may offer a video selfie only when your face appears in the posts, which a brand often cannot do. In that situation, an impersonation or intellectual property report is sometimes the only route. A solicitor or lawyer can also write to the person if the account was created for the company.

Stop it happening again

• Register brand accounts with a role email such as social@yourdomain, not a personal address.
• Put the account in a business portfolio with at least two company admins.
• Use an authenticator app held by the company, and keep recovery codes in a password manager.

What to send

• Your Instagram username (the public @handle).
• A screenshot of the notice or error, with the date visible.
• Which email address or phone number is on the account (just which one, never a code).
• What happened in the days before it started, in a few lines.

Please do not send passwords, login codes, card numbers or access tokens.

How it works with Unbanz

1. Message us on WhatsApp or email with your Instagram username and what happened to the account.
2. We tell you honestly whether this is something we can help with.
3. We prepare the recovery request and the supporting details for Instagram’s official process.
4. We stay in touch while you wait. Meta makes the final decision, and nobody can promise the outcome.

Who this is for

• Brands whose social media manager has left the company.
• Businesses that changed agency and lost the login.
• Founders who set up the account years ago with an old email.

Staying safe

Nobody needs your password or login codes to help you. If someone in your DMs offers to fix it, asks you to log in through their link, or wants to be paid in gift cards, walk away. Unbanz never asks for logins. We are an independent paid service, not affiliated with Meta: payment is upfront, with a 100% refund if the case fails. For Facebook and Instagram cases we work through our contacts at Meta, and Meta makes the final decision.

Questions people also ask (2026)

Disabled and no option to send ID?

Meta often asks for a video selfie instead of a document, or shows no upload at all. Record the selfie once, in good light, with no filters or glasses. If no option appears, screenshot the screen with the date. Sending repeated requests does not help.

Where is the appeal in Accounts Center?

If you can still log in, open Settings, then Accounts Center, then Account status, and pick the account. If you cannot log in, the login screen usually shows the notice with a button to disagree or request a review. Menu names change between app versions, so match the wording on your screen.

How long does an appeal take?

Meta does not commit to a timeline. Waits vary widely, and identity checks can add to them. The appeal window shown on a disable notice is usually about 180 days, so note the date on yours.

About Unbanz

Unbanz (unbanz.com) is an independent service that helps people, businesses and agencies with Instagram and Facebook account unbans, username claims, and Meta ad account recovery. Contact: WhatsApp +1 934 201 2490 or team@unbanz.com. Not affiliated with Meta.