The worst nightmare for any Instagram creator is to launch the app and get the following message: “Your account has been temporarily disabled.” When you get this notice, a torrent of emotions and questions rushes through your head. Why did my Instagram account get suspended? How long will it last? What can I do to make it go away?
There are nearly two billion active users on Instagram. Because of its massive user base, the platform uses automated tools to handle content management and user activity analysis. The platform’s automatic moderation systems daily flag millions of accounts for suspicious activity. This helps keep things honest, but also causes some real accounts to be suspended accidentally.
This detailed guide will talk about account suspension, including how to get your account back and what to do if your account is suspended. We’ll also show you how to safely increase your account value to stay out of this jam.
Understanding Instagram Account Suspensions
What does it imply when Instagram suspended my account? If Instagram decides to temporarily or permanently deactivate an account, it is known as a suspension. When Instagram suspends your account, it will appear as though it has been frozen in time; you will no longer have access to post new content or interact with your followers. When you try to log in, you will most likely see an error message or a notification stating that your account is suspended. Here is what it would look like on your screen:
We understand that discovering a suspended Instagram account is never fun. Just like you, many other people are experiencing the same annoying thing and are trying to figure out why their accounts are suspended. Do not worry — there is a solution to this problem. So, keep calm, and let’s go through the potential reasons your account was suspended and the strategies you can use to return to normal.
- Common Reasons for Suspension
- Temporary vs. Permanent Suspensions
- Steps to Recover Your Suspended Instagram Account
- Preventative Measures to Avoid Future Suspensions
Common Reasons for Suspension
Do you often ask yourself, “Why does Instagram keep suspending my account?” If so, you may simply not be aware of the reasons. It’s usually for one of these:
1. Violation of Community Guidelines
Instagram usually disables accounts that violate its Terms of Use or Community Guidelines.
This includes:
- hate speech
- sharing graphic content
- sharing illegal content
- harassment or bullying
- repeated unwanted messages, and more.
The problem is that Instagram posts, stories, and reels can be marked for violating Community Guidelines without the creator knowing anything was amiss. For instance, you might have accidentally used a hashtag that is currently on Instagram’s restricted list in the caption of a recent post. So, the best way to keep your Instagram account from being banned is to follow the app’s rules and not interact negatively with other users.
2. Spammy Behavior
Another possible explanation for an Instagram banned account is if it believes you are engaging in bot or spam activities. Even unintentional use of prohibited hashtags, fast following/unfollowing, mass commenting, or questionable automation tools can result in a suspension.
If you have a fresh account, following as many users as possible and interacting with many posts can be tempting. However, Instagram’s Community Guidelines consider this spam, as well.
When you interact with a lot of users or material in a short amount of time, Instagram may temporarily suspend your account or put limits on it. In this situation, all you have to do is wait it out and make an effort to avoid doing the same thing again.
3. Copyright Violations
Instagram suspend account if you post content that you do not own or do not have the necessary rights for. Instagram takes copyright infringement very seriously, and continued neglect can lead to a permanent ban.
4. Security Concerns
If Instagram detects suspicious activity or account penetration, it may limit access to your account to safeguard your information. Usually, this is done without notification so that more illegal entries don’t happen.
5. System Error or Bug
Is your Instagram account suspended for no reason? Even though it sounds unbelievable, this can happen. From time to time, Instagram’s AI moderation fails.
In 2022, thousands of users from around the world woke up to the unexpected news that their accounts had been suspended. Thank goodness Meta, Instagram’s parent company, was swift to fix the issue.
So, don’t rule out the chance that suspensions will go up during platform updates, outages, or large-scale detection of fake interaction.
Temporary vs. Permanent Suspensions
How long your account will be suspended depends on what kind of violation you committed.
If it is a temporary disablement, it should last no more than 24 to 48 hours. In fact, it may just take a few hours for your account to be back to normal. However, if this isn’t your first violation of the Community Guidelines, the suspension could last up to 30 days.
If they think you are involved in fraud or deceptive activity, you will get your Instagram account suspended for 180 days or until you can show that you are who you say you are. When the 180 days are up, your account will be terminated.
| Reason for Suspension | Suspension Duration |
| Minor Violations | From 24 hours to 30 days |
| Fraud-Related Issues | Up to 180 days or until identity verification |
Steps to Recover Your Suspended Instagram Account
So, let’s figure out how to recover a suspended Instagram account. Instagram often notifies users of suspensions through email. When you attempt to log in, you will also get a notification. After you’ve identified the problem, you can submit an appeal to the suspension, including your reasons for believing the removed content or account was unjustified.
Submitting an Appeal
If Instagram limits or bans your account, you can directly contact Instagram to make your case. But note that it will work out if it was accidentally suspended. It won’t help to say you’re sorry for breaking the rules and promise not to do it again. So, here’s how to appeal:
- Follow the Instructions: Tap the Disagree with Decision option on the Instagram disabled account notification. Then, enter your login information, follow the on-screen instructions, and provide the necessary information.
- Visit the Help Center: If you haven’t received any email or notifications, you can appeal the deactivation of your Instagram account through the My Instagram account was suspended form in the Help Center.
- Submit an Appeal: Fill out the appeal form truthfully. Give your reasons for thinking the suspension was unfair and back them up with evidence. Ensure your explanation is clear and brief, and avoid defensive or confrontational language.
- Wait for a Response: Instagram may need some time to review your request and restore your account. Please be patient. This usually takes about 24 hours, but it can take more or less time based on how many appeals other Instagram users have sent and how complicated your case is.
In the video below, the author showed how to complete all the steps to appeal Instagram suspension:
Verifying Your Identity
Restoring your account can involve more than just appealing. Instagram will ask you to prove your identity if it thinks your account is fraudulent or engaging in dishonest behavior. There is no escaping it. So, your Instagram account suspended for 180 days, how to recover it? The platform will ask for a video selfie and a valid ID from the government to prove that you are the account owner.
This is what you need to do in order to confirm your identity:
- Get your government-issued identification card ready with a readable copy.
- Follow Instagram’s instructions to record a video selfie.
- Use the private link that Instagram gives you to send in the necessary documents.
Be prepared for your account to be canceled after 180 days if you’d rather not go through with it.
Preventative Measures to Avoid Future Suspensions
Let’s be honest, we’ve all spent too much time making our Instagram feeds look perfect. The last thing you want is for your account to be disabled, wasting all of your hard work. Having your Instagram account suspended can be very disappointing, whether it’s because you broke the Community Guidelines or made a mistake.
To escape the problems that come with having your Instagram account banned, you need to know how to protect it and put those protective measures into action.
Adhering to Community Guidelines
Observing Instagram’s rules and regulations is of the utmost importance. Adhering to Instagram’s guidelines protects you from suspension and helps the site grow positively. You get to be creative while also ensuring your accounts are secure, so it’s a win-win. For that reason, if you want to make Instagram a better place for everyone, you should be honest when you post and when you curate material.
Here are some important things to remember:
- Take a look at Instagram’s Policies: Read up on the most recent rules for the community and the terms of service.
- Avoid misinformation: Be careful about the details you share and make sure they are correct and dependable.
- Post appropriate content: You should only post appropriate content. This means no naked photos or videos, sexually explicit content, or violent media.
- Be careful with hashtags: Keep up with Instagram’s list of prohibited or inappropriate hashtags.
Safe Practices for Growing Your Follower Base
The best strategy to restore a disabled account is to avoid suspension in the first place.
If you want more Instagram followers but don’t want to get banned from Instagram, try these five methods:
Embrace Instagram Stories and highlights
Using Instagram Stories is a sure way to increase your account followers. 70% of users watch Instagram Stories daily, eagerly anticipating seeing what you post!
Instagram Stories have a lot of fun features built in, like Polls and Questions that you can use to get people to interact with you. Additionally, you can use the hashtag and location features in your Stories to attract new followers.
Your Story may only be live for 24 hours, but that doesn’t mean all your hard work is in vain. Attach your most captivating Stories to your highlights and fill those highlights with great information and content to present new visitors when they visit your profile.
Use relevant hashtags
Hashtags were one of the earliest methods for organizing social media information, and they’re still in use today. If you want more Instagram followers without spending a dime, try using hashtags strategically. You can even make your own branded hashtags if you want to.
Using relevant hashtags can help people find your posts. Instagram users can also follow hashtags. That means that people who don’t follow your account yet may see your hashtagged posts in their feeds.
Instagram posts can include up to 30 hashtags but don’t use too many. Instead, you should try out different amounts of hashtags to see what works best for your account.
Write compelling captions
Even though Instagram is primarily a visual app, having well-written captions can increase your post’s visibility and interaction.
Note these important strategies:
- Headwords should be bolded. This includes your keywords!
- Insert a call to action or ask a question.
- Update your AI outputs so they read more like human writing.
- Make it more interesting or valuable.
Keep in mind that longer doesn’t always mean better. According to HubSpot’s 2023 Instagram Engagement Report, Instagram captions work best when they’re either very long or very short (20 characters vs. 2,000 characters).
Collaborate with other Instagram creators, brands, & Influencers
Partnering with other creators or businesses using influencer marketing to reach a wider audience is a win-win situation for everyone involved. The key is to work with a brand or artist whose ideals and followers’ demographics and interests correspond with those of your target audience.
For example, Seattle Chocolate is a sustainability-focused business, so they included eco-feminist, artist, and activist Burcu Koleli as a co-author in their highlight reel. This helped more people see her page, which is great since she has fewer followers than Seattle Chocolate.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CoF8fpCPueD/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
If you can’t afford influencers with a hundred thousand or more followers, try a micro-influencer campaign. You don’t need to collaborate with mega-influencers to make an impact. Many smaller creators have a close-knit following that trusts their recommendations.
Get verified on Instagram
The much-desired blue checkmark beside your Instagram profile is a sign of immediate credibility. It prevents impersonation, increases interaction, and makes your content stand out in search results.
If you want to speed up the growth of your Instagram account, getting verified will definitely help. But how do you become verified on Instagram? Simply put, you can purchase a subscription through your Instagram profile, but you’ll need to meet some criteria first, like meeting Meta’s minimum activity standards.
If you want to verify your account, check the video below, where the author explains each process step that is guaranteed to get you verified on Instagram.
