Instagram has a lot of customization when it comes to their settings, but it isn’t always clear how to get to those settings, let alone know what they do! Today, we are going to be taking a look at Instagram’s settings, specifically regarding the Account Settings that they provide. By the end, you should understand how to change your account settings, plus what the various settings options do. Here’s our five step guide on how to change your Account Settings on Instagram (plus a lot more)!
5 Steps to Change Your Account Settings on Instagram
It’s important to note that this guide and information is intended for the mobile platform versions of Instagram, specifically Android and iOS. There is a web browser version of Instagram, but most settings aren’t available on that version since it is much more reduced in its overall capacity and capabilities.
Step 1: Open the Instagram App on Your Mobile Device
In order to access the Instagram settings, we need to open the app! Go ahead and open the Instagram app by tapping on the icon or looking it up on the app look up bar on your phone.
Step 2: Tap on Your Profile Picture
Once you are in the application, look to the bottom right and find your profile picture. This is your profile icon and tapping it will take you to your profile page. Your profile page gives you access to your posting history and is the place where you can edit some settings on how your profile is seen.
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Step 3: Tap the Three Horizontal Lines
From the profile page, tap the three horizontal lines in the top right corner. These lines are known as a “hamburger menu” and will allow us to access some features related to your profile.
Step 4: Select Settings.
After tapping the menu, tap on the Settings option which is next to the gear icon.
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Step 5: Select the Account Setting
Tapping the Settings option will bring you to the overall settings page. This page serves as the landing page for all settings available to you. From here, scroll until you see a setting page titled Account and go ahead and tap on that.
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Step 6: Make the Desired Changes to Your Account Settings
This will open up the Account settings page, allowing you to make any changes you need. Tap “Save” or “Done” to confirm.
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For detailed information on what each of these settings can do, check out our quick look-up table below for simple descriptions on your options. However, if you want to see how the steps we’ve mentioned work first then check out this video first.
Breaking Down Account Settings on Instagram (Quick Look-Up Guide)
| Account Settings Option | Features and Description |
|---|---|
| Personal Information | Allows you to view and edit your personal information. |
| About Your Account | Allows you to add a bio, website, and contact information to your Instagram profile. |
| Saved | Allows you to view and manage the posts and collections that you have saved on Instagram. |
| Fundraisers | Allows you to create and manage fundraising campaigns on Instagram. |
| Close Friends | Allows you to create a list of your close friends on Instagram and share posts that are only visible to them. |
| Account Status | Allows you to view the status of your Instagram account, such as if it’s active or deactivated. |
| Avatar | Allows you to update your avatar that is shared across all of your Meta accounts. |
| Language | Allows you to choose the language in which Instagram is displayed for you. |
| Captions | Allows you to enable or disable automatic captions for videos on Instagram. |
| Browser Settings | Allows you to control how Instagram behaves when you click on links in the app. |
| Sensitive Content Controls | Allows you to filter out sensitive content from your Instagram feed. |
| Contacts Syncing | Allows you to sync your contacts with Instagram. |
| Embeds | Allows you to control how your Instagram posts can be embedded on other websites. |
| Sharing to Other Apps | Allows you to control how you share posts from Instagram to other apps on your device. |
| Cellular Data Use | Allows you to control how Instagram uses cellular data on your device. |
| Original Posts | Allows you to control whether Instagram saves a copy of the original image or video file. |
| Request Verification | Allows you to request verification for your Instagram account. |
| Review Activity | Allows you to view your recent activity on Instagram. |
| Switch Account Type | Allows you to change your account type between a personal account and a business account. |
Personal Information
Personal Information allows you to view and edit your personal information such as your name, username, email, and phone number on your Instagram account. You can also change your privacy settings for certain information, such as who can see your phone number.
About Your Account
This option allows you to add a bio, website, and contact information to your Instagram profile. You can also add categories to your account, such as “Artist” or “Business”, to make it easier for people to find your account.
Saved
The Saved setting allows you to view and manage the posts and collections that you have saved on Instagram. You can create new collections, rename existing ones, and delete posts and collections as well.
Fundraisers
The Fundraisers option allows you to create and manage fundraising campaigns on Instagram. You can set a goal, choose a non-profit organization, and share the fundraiser with your followers.
Close Friends
This Close Friends setting allows you to create a list of your close friends on Instagram and share posts that are only visible to them. You can add or remove friends from the list, and any post you share with Close Friends will only be visible to them.
Account Status
Account Status allows you to view the status of your Instagram account, such as if it’s active or deactivated. It also allows you to deactivate your account, or request for your account to be deleted.
Avatar
The Avatar option allows you to update your avatar that is shared across all of your Meta accounts. This avatar can be used in animations, the Metaverse, and more.
Language
Language allows you to choose the language in which Instagram is displayed for you. Instagram supports multiple languages, and this setting allows you to use the app in your preferred language.
Captions
The Captions setting allows you to enable or disable automatic captions for videos on Instagram. This feature uses speech recognition technology to generate captions for videos, making them more accessible to users with hearing impairments.
Browser Settings
Browser Settings allow you to control how Instagram behaves when you click on links in the app. You can choose to open links in the app, or in your device’s default browser.
Sensitive Content Controls
This option allows you to filter out sensitive content from your Instagram feed. You can choose to hide sensitive content from your feed, or to see a warning before viewing sensitive content.
Contacts Syncing
The Contacts Syncing option allows you to sync your contacts with Instagram, so that you can easily find and connect with people you know on the app.
Embeds
The Embeds option allows you to control how your Instagram posts can be embedded on other websites. You can choose to allow or disallow other people to embed your posts on their websites.
Sharing to Other Apps
This option allows you to control how you share posts from Instagram to other apps on your device. You can choose which apps you want to share to, and customize the way the posts are shared.
Cellular Data Use
Cellular Data Use allows you to control how Instagram uses cellular data on your device. You can choose to only use cellular data when connected to wifi, or to use it always.
Original Posts
The Original Posts setting allows you to control whether Instagram saves a copy of the original image or video file when you post it on the app.
Requests Verification
This option allows you to request verification for your Instagram account. Verification is a process by which Instagram confirms that an account is the genuine presence of a public figure, celebrity, or global brand it represents.
Review Activity
The Review Activity setting allows you to view your recent activity on Instagram, including posts you’ve liked, comments you’ve left, and accounts you’ve followed.
Switch Account Type
This option allows you to change your account type from a personal account to a business account, or vice versa. Certain features are only able to be used on a business account.
Up Next:
- How to Change Your Privacy Settings on Instagram
- How to Change Your Security Settings on Instagram
- How to Change Your Business Settings on Instagram
The image featured at the top of this post is ©AdriaVidal/Shutterstock.com.
