Instagram is the world's most popular app for image sharing — and it usually works just fine. But if you suffer an unexpected issue, from spam and reporting issues, to your posts not going live, to complete Instagram outages where the platform appears to be down, you might need help.
It's generally not possible to contact a live customer service representative when troubleshooting an Instagram problem. You'll probably have to use one of the automated contact tools that Instagram provides for you, either on the website or in the mobile app.
Instagram's help features can also assist you if you are hacked, can't log in, need to report someone, or experience some other kind of glitch. Here's how to use them.
How to get Instagram support through the Help Center
Instagram's Help Center offers step-by-step guides and troubleshooting tips for most common Instagram problems, including how to deal with abusive comments, spam, managing privacy, copyright infringement, and much more.
You won't find any live customer support representatives, but you'll find that the guides are comprehensive and helpful. Here's how to access the Help Center on desktop or mobile.
Access help on desktop
You can go directly to the Instagram Help Center on your computer with a single click. Once there, you can use the search bar on the left side of the page to locate articles relating to your issue.
If you prefer, you get to the Help Center by starting at the Instagram website. In the navigation pane on the left slide of the page, click Home, then click Help under the Suggestions for you section on the right side of the page.
You can also find Help at the bottom of the page with other information and links, though it might be hard to click that link because Instagram moves the footer as you scroll the page.
Access help on mobile
1. Start the Instagram app on your iPhone or Android device and tap your profile picture in the bottom-right corner.
2. Tap the three-line menu at the top-right corner, and then select Settings.
3. Tap Help, then tap Help Center.
How to report hate speech, violence, and more to Instagram
Instagram lets you report individual posts, specific users, and comments. To do that, start by going to the post, account, or comment that concerns you. Tap the three-dot menu and then select Report from the pop-up menu.
If you're not sure whether your issue can be reported or if someone has committed a reportable offense, review Instagram's community guidelines. Here's a summary of what Instagram considers legitimate issues:
- Intellectual property. Instagram's community guidelines prohibit sharing content that users don't own the rights to. That means users are expected to respect copyright — which generally protects original expression like images and words but not facts and ideas — and trademarks, defined as a word, slogan, symbol, or design made to distinguish products or services from an individual, group or company.
- Nudity: Images posted on Instagram need to be appropriate for a diverse audience. In a nutshell, this guideline prohibits nudity, though there are a handful of exceptions — including post-mastectomy scarring photos, breastfeeding, and nudity in paintings and sculptures.
- Threats and hate speech: The platform will remove content that encourages violence, features credible threats to individuals or groups, or includes hate speech. That means it's unacceptable to attack, bully, or harass anyone based on race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, disability, or disease.
- Illegal activities: Instagram will remove posts that offer specific services around sex, firearms, and drugs, in addition to removing posts or comments that "support or praise of terrorism, organized crime, or hate groups."
- Self-injury: Any content posted to the platform that appears to glorify or encourage any type of physical self-injury, including eating disorders, will be taken down — with the exception of posts that reference these issues in the name of increasing awareness or signposting support.
- Graphic violence: Any videos or images featuring intense, graphic violence may be removed for inappropriateness. Instagram makes exceptions for imagery that's shared in relation to newsworthy events, but in all cases reserves the right to remove it if it's seemed to be shared for "sadistic pleasure" or simply to glorify violence.
After you report a post, you may receive an email or Instagram notification informing you about the decision made by Instagram's moderators, but you might not receive a reply in every case.
How to report bugs and glitches to Instagram
You can also report issues about the app itself. For example, you might find that posts or images don't display properly, the app crashes frequently, or a specific feature isn't working as intended.
To quickly report a bug, shake your phone while Instagram is open. A pop-up should appear asking you to report the problem. You'll be able to submit screenshots and other files to provide additional information with your report.
Other ways to get help for Instagram
While the automated services like Help Center and reporting tools can help address most common issues, there might be times when you need additional help, like in the case of an unexplained outage. Here are some additional things to try:
- Email Instagram support. If you have a serious problem that you haven't been able to resolve using the Help Center, you can try to email Instagram's customer support at support@instagram.com. Due to the volume of email Instagram receives, you might not receive a response.
- Troubleshoot Instagram or wait and try again later. If you're having problems with Instagram, there are 10 things you can try to solve problems with Instagram on your own. You might be able to fix a glitch by checking for app updates, restarting your phone or browser, clearing your cache, and more. And if Instagram is suffering from an outage, you might simply need to wait for a few hours before trying again.
