Lost access to the email or phone on your Instagram account

What to do first

Work out whether you are still logged in anywhere. If Instagram is open on an old phone, a tablet or a browser, you can update your email and number right now, before anything else breaks. Do that first and the problem goes away.

If you’re logged out everywhere, write down every email address and phone number you might have used to sign up, including school, work and old numbers. You will try them in a moment.

Step 1: Recover the email account itself

It is often easier to get an old mailbox back than to argue with a social app. Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo and others all have their own recovery pages, and a recovered mailbox lets Instagram’s normal login link work. Check the spam folder too. Instagram’s security messages come from addresses on Meta’s own domains, including mail.instagram.com.

If you used a work or school address, ask the administrator whether the mailbox still exists.

Step 2: Try every login you might have used

On the login screen you can enter a username, email or phone number. Try each. If you can’t remember your username, logging in with the email or phone usually shows it on your profile afterward. A friend can also open your profile and tell you the exact handle.

Step 3: Ask for a login link

Tap Forgot password?, enter the username, email or phone, and choose Send login link. Instagram sends the link to the contact details it has on file. If neither is reachable, look for the option to say you can’t access them and follow the on-screen instructions.

Step 4: Use the official recovery page

Instagram directs people who have lost access to both contact methods to its recovery page at instagram.com/hacked. It may ask you to enter a secure email address that only you can read, then send you a code or ask for a video selfie. Do it on a device you have used with Instagram before and complete the request once. Meta doesn’t publish a timeline, so wait for its reply before trying again.

What not to do

• Don’t hand your login to a “recovery agent” who contacts you first. Offers to “reset the email for you” are the standard scam.
• Don’t reuse a throwaway email for the recovery request. Use one you will still own in a year.
• Don’t keep resubmitting the form. Duplicate requests can reset the check.

After you are back in

Add a second email and a current phone number in Accounts Center, so one lost mailbox never locks you out again. Remove contact details you no longer control, and note that Instagram asks you to confirm any change through a link sent to the new address.