There may come a time when you decide to step back from the constant flow of pictures of your friends or from your favourite artists.

Whether you’re concerned about privacy, looking to reduce screen time or simply want a break, here’s how to delete your Instagram account.

How to temporarily disable your Instagram account

This is the best option if you might one day want to revisit all those photos you’ve posted online. Choosing to disable your Instagram account means it will be hidden until you reactivate it by logging back in.

To temporarily disable your Instagram account:

Sign into your Instagram account.

Head to the settings by clicking your user name at the top right of the screen.

Click the ‘Edit Profile‘ button next to your user name.

Click on the ‘Temporarily disable my account‘ link at the bottom of the screen.

Tell Instagram why you want to disable your account, re-enter your password and hit the big red ‘Temporarily Disable Account‘ button.

You can temporarily disable your account and then log back in once per week.

How to permanently delete your Instagram account

If you really do want to get rid of your entire Instagram account and profile for good, it’s a little harder. Instagram doesn’t want you to do it, so it won’t make it easy. But we’ve got you covered:

Since you won’t find a link to delete your account in the settings, follow this link.

Once that page has loaded, sign into your Instagram account.

You’ll now see the page for choosing to delete your account permanently.

Let Instagram know why you want to get rid of your account by choosing an option from the list. Depending on the reason you pick, there may be further information or links to the help centre.

Enter your password in the box and click the ‘Permanently delete my account‘ button.

Bear in mind that Instagram doesn’t have an account deactivation feature that’ll allow you to revive your account later. Once you take the plunge, your account and everything you’ve published to it will be gone.