Introduction
It may sound obvious, but never give your Instagram password to someone you don’t know in person. This is because, increasingly, Instagram is becoming a hub for a wealth of personal information.
Instagram is now much more than an app for social interaction. It is a space for e-commerce, dating, working out, posting jobs, organizing clubs, and much, much more.
That means that keeping your Instagram password secure is crucial. Especially if you want to make sure that your personal and financial information is safe. Perhaps most importantly, anyone with access to your Instagram account can probably also gain access to your Facebook and email accounts as well.
The best way to keep your account secure is to periodically change your Instagram password. Additionally, it is always wise to keep your passwords different from one another, as tempting as it may be to use the same, easy-to-remember password for all your social and personal profiles.
Instagram is accessible from both phones and laptops on a variety of different operating systems.
Regardless of how you are accessing the platform, however, changing your password is usually simple and intuitive. The questions you should be asking yourself when changing your password are:
- Are you changing or resetting your password?
- Have you been hacked, or are you acting proactively?
- How to design a new password that’s not easily identifiable by an outside source?
Read on to find out why it is wise to frequently change your Instagram password, and how to do so in the most secure way.
Why Change Your Instagram Password?
Even if you can consistently remember your Instagram password, changing it from time to time is always a good idea.
Your Instagram can often be linked to many other online avenues that contain personal, sensitive information. Most prominently, this includes Facebook, which is now linked to your Instagram account.
Your Instagram also facilitates access to your email and phone number, and if you run a business profile, your means of income too.
Therefore, anyone who has your Instagram password is holding a lot of power in their hands and has more access to your personal details.
Increasingly, hackers who successfully guess your Instagram password are using peoples’ Instagram and Facebook accounts to run scams.
They will successfully log in, often changing the password promptly to ensure you can no longer access the account. Then make posts or send messages posing as you, usually for financial gain.
Changing your password is the only way to keep your account secure and avoid falling victim to one of these scams.
MORE: Learn how to change your Facebook password.
Why Are You Changing Your Instagram Password?
If you’re hoping to change your Instagram password, you fall into one of two categories.
- Either you know your current password and are changing it out of proactive protection.
- Or you’ve forgotten your password and are attempting to log back into your account.
Finding yourself in the latter situation can be either innocent or a major cause for concern. Simply forgetting your password is extremely common, and happens to us all.
However, many people find themselves locked out of their accounts when a hacker has managed to crack their password, log in, and changed it to isolate access to the account.
If you find that you’re sure of your password, but it just won’t go through, think carefully:
- Are you sure you haven’t forgotten it?
- Or could it be that it has been changed without your consent?
If you suspect that someone has changed your password without your knowledge, make sure to reset it immediately before the hacker can do any further damage with access to your personal account.
Depending on which situation you fall into, you will approach things accordingly.
See below for further instructions to take you through the steps required to get back into your Instagram account.
A Step-By-Step Guide To Changing Your Instagram Password (If You Know Your Current Password)
Changing your Instagram password starts from one of two paths: when you know your current password and when you’ve forgotten it.
If you remember your current password, you can start out in the Settings section.
Here is a how-to:
Step 1: Go To Settings
- If you are on the Instagram app on an Android or iPhone smartphone or on a mobile browser, click the profile picture icon in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen. From a laptop or computer, the profile picture icon will be on the top right-hand section of the screen instead.
- Expand the menu with options.
- Select “Settings.” This will be marked with a small gear icon.
Step 2: Navigate To The Password Reset Page
- Once inside the Setting menu, select the “Change Password” option. On mobile browsers and computers, this option will appear immediately within Settings.
- From the smartphone app, you must first select “Security,” and then “Password.”
Step 3: Change The Name And Password For Your Instagram Account
- Enter your current Instagram password in the first prompt. Ensure you are entering the password correctly, with the exact punctuation, numbers, and symbols, or else your new password will not be accepted.
- Enter your new password in the second prompt.
- In the third prompt, enter your new password again. Entering your new password twice ensures that you are sure of what you have typed, and will be able to get into your account from now on. For instance, if you accidentally left out a capital letter when typing in your password the first time, entering it a second time will alert you to the discrepancy.
- When choosing a new password, try your hardest to make sure that it is not easily guessable by other people. This will help you avoid being hacked. Avoid passwords that refer to personal information (such as your street name, nickname, school, or pet) and include both capital and lowercase letters, numbers, and a variety of punctuation marks.
- For mobile browsers and computers: Once you have successfully entered your new password twice, click “Change Password.”
- Once you have successfully entered your new password twice on Android and iPhone apps, click “Save,” or the blue checkmark in the top right corner of the screen.
- Your password has now been successfully changed!
Two-Factor Authentication In Instagram
To keep your account extra secure, you have the option of using two-factor authentication.
Two-factor authentication is a process requiring two methods of authentication to access an account.
This often equals your password + any of a variety of other methods:
- accepting a push notification
- responding to a call or text message
- receiving a temporary code by email
- or many others.
The end goal is always the same: requiring an additional step beyond entering a password rooted in a person’s personal devices and accounts, to log in.
This ensures that even if an untrustworthy source manages to guess your password, they still wouldn’t be able to access your Instagram account.
How To Enable Two-Factor Authentication On Instagram
- On the Android or iPhone app, click on your profile in the bottom right corner of the screen. Your profile will instead be in the top right, on your comp.
- Choose “Settings,” marked by a gear symbol.
- On a mobile phone, choose “Security.” On a mobile browser or computer, choose “Privacy and Security.”
- Select “Two-factor authentication” or “Edit two-factor authentication.”
- You will then have several options to choose from, depending on which second method of authentication you find easiest and most convenient when logging onto Instagram. This could be receiving a code from a third-party authentication app, such as Duo Mobile. Alternatively, you could choose to receive a text message on your phone.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to set up two-factor authentication for your Instagram account.
The Difference Between Changing And Resetting Your Password
Though they are similar, there are subtle differences between changing and resetting your password.
Changing your password is a more straightforward task. This occurs when you remember your current password and want to switch to a new one.
Resetting your password takes place when you have forgotten your current password.
This is a more secure process and requires you to offer identifying personal information in order to access your account.
And for good reason: if personal identification weren’t required, any hacker could easily go on to Instagram and change your password, locking you out of your account.
Why Should You Change Your Instagram Password Regularly?
Instagram is increasingly becoming a centrally used app by a variety of people from multiple age ranges. It has transcended just sending pictures of your morning coffee, to being a hub for social interaction, forming businesses, societies, and clubs, and selling goods and services.
Therefore, it is more important than ever to make sure that your Instagram account is secured.
Failing to do so could negatively affect these facets of your life. It may seem like a pain, but changing your Instagram password regularly only takes a few minutes.
Your Instagram password falling into the wrong hands, on the other hand, could cause months of headaches re-securing your business profiles, social messages, and other accounts.
Admit it, most of us use the same password for multiple accounts. Correctly identifying your Instagram password may also give a hacker access to any other account you use that password for. That would put you in an extremely vulnerable position.
Changing your Instagram password regularly, and keeping it distinct from other passwords you use, will keep your personal information and accounts secure and private.
What If I’ve Forgotten My Instagram Password?
If you’ve forgotten your Instagram password, the process to change your password is slightly different than the process if you remember it. Find step-by-step instructions here:
Step 1: Navigate To The Forgotten Password Page.
- On the Instagram app on an iPhone, select “Forgot password” above the login menu. From your Android smartphone, choose “Get help logging in,” this time below the login menu. Choose “Forgot Password?” on the login page from your mobile browser or computer.
Step 2: Enter Identifying Information
- There are a variety of options with which you can access your account and enter a new password. These include your email, phone number, or Facebook Account.
- Enter your username, email, or phone number where prompted, or if you prefer, click “Log In With Facebook.” On the iPhone app, Logging in with Facebook will not be an option.
- Click “Next.”
- A link will be sent to your email or phone, allowing you to reset your password.
- Remember the above rules for ensuring your new password is secure: avoid personal identifying information, and be sure to include a variety of symbols and numbers.
Conclusion
It is up to you to take the steps necessary to keep your Instagram account safe and secure.
In addition to regularly updating your Instagram password and enabling two-factor authentication on Instagram, there are a variety of other practices you should make use of to ensure additional security. These include:
- Use different and distinct passwords for all of your social media accounts, especially for your email account.
- Make sure that your passwords are difficult to guess, particularly by avoiding centering them around publicly available personal information about yourself.
- Do not access Instagram from a shared platform, such as a public computer or a phone that is not yours.
- Keep an eye out for emails or third parties requesting access to your Instagram account, often under the guise of a business venture or social media campaign. The bottom line: if you aren’t 100% sure that you know the person or organization requesting access to your account, and that the contact reaching out to you isn’t a fraud, don’t allow them access.
Above all, however, the best way to keep your account secure is to change your password. Keep this guide in mind to remember best practices to keep your Instagram account safe!