If you have found this article, then you probably are in a state of panic because your Instagram account has been disabled, hacked, removed, or all of the above. I found myself in this situation a few months prior to writing this and it was extremely frustrating and disheartening. One day, I was loving my view from Corfu Island in Greece sharing a typical Instagram story when I was greeted with the window of death (from the picture below).
Don’t worry, all hope is not lost. I went through the same crazy experience after my Instagram account was hacked and disabled by Instagram. It took me months of appealing with Instagram/Facebook, sending in countless “selfies” of myself posing with a verification code, filling out endless forms, and just really giving up on everything.
After many months of trying every method known to man, I was finally able to recover my account. It took four months in the end and what brought it back was actually quite easy and straight forward (Hint: Sending a ridiculous picture of you holding up an embarrassing piece of paper does absolutely nothing). I thought I would never be able to post stories or share photos again. Thankfully, I got it back in time just before I had my multi-month trip through Thailand and my all time favorite, Bali.
I will go into detail on exactly what worked and what didn’t work for me step by step. Take a deep breath, and hopefully this will work for you too!
Update Q3/Q4 2022: This method still works and everyone has different success rates with getting through to the Facebook Chat function. Facebook has made it more difficult to access Facebook Chat Support.
Update Q1/Q2 2023: This Method is still working as referenced by the data points below. Please use the comments section and the various success stories from my other readers in addition to this article to guide your process. Good luck!
Update Q1 2024: This method is still working as evidenced by recent data points of people having success. The layouts and pictures might have changed slightly but the general process remains the same!
Please leave questions in the comments section of this post
After reading this post, you might still have questions or concerns because this is such a delicate process. Please leave all questions in the comments below and please DO NOT message me on Instagram or Facebook. I receive countless messages a day and I will not be answering them!
As well, please ignore any comments that promote contacting someone via telegram/whatsapp/emaI etc. These are 100% spam and there is no one that can bring your account back no matter how much money you throw away besides yourself. I want the comments to be open and useful but I can’t always catch these spammers right away.
Getting your Instagram account hacked or disabled
Personally, Instagram is not something I’m heavily invested in. I like the media and memory creation part of Instagram but I am nowhere near popular enough to monetize or make anything professional off of it. Instagram has always been a place for me to just store my memories and showcase nice photography.
Instead, I make money from blogging through other means which you can read about in my how much money I made blogging in 2021 post and how I achieved financial independence because of this.
However I do know that many people have way more followers than me and do make somewhat of a living off of Instagram. When it is all taken away in the snap of a finger, it feels like you’ve lost a part of yourself. It’s a feeling no one wants to be in!
Getting your Instagram account disabled or deactivated can feel like the end of the world. You’ve worked hard on your account, building your followers/brand, and in a few seconds, your account is no longer available.
You didn’t even have time to back up your photos! It might seem like all hope is lost but that is not the case. Do not panic just yet!
Did you violate the Instagram terms of service?
The first thing you need to ask yourself is if you really did violate the terms of services with Instagram? Are you posting things that are totally against the rules of Instagram and are you breaking the law with anything. If this is the case, you probably have more to worry about than just Instagram.
Things that violate their terms of services are the following:
- Using an automation tool to like/comment on content aggressively or to follow/unfollow users
- Buying likes and fake followers
- Selling or buying accounts
- Creating duplicate accounts
- Posting inappropriate content
- Infringing on someone’s creations
- Using Instagram if you are under 13 years old
- Selling or promoting illegal products or services
- Using broken or banned hashtags
- Writing more than 60 comments in an hour—or 30 if your account is new
- Sending the same messages or posting the same comments
- Using violent, aggressive, or offensive language
A lot of it I think has to do with purchasing likes, followers, etc. However, everyone and their mother who aspires to make Instagram fame has purchased likes at some point. This may be the reason you’re banned, but it is likely not a permanent thing.
How do you know you’re banned from Instagram?
Getting banned from Instagram can happen to anyone. Big account, small account, 100,000 followers or 100 followers. There is no rhyme or reason. Sometimes you just get banned and you didn’t even do anything.
Your account has been disabled message
If your account has been disabled, you will open your app, and you’ll automatically be redirected to a page like this.
This is the first sign that bad things are happening to you. You’ll then click the button to verify you’re not a robot, fill out a few questions and then you’ll get to the next step.
Thank you for providing your info
This is the next step after you’ve completed the form. You’ll get a message saying the following:
Once you get to this point, you are at the mercy of Instagram to actually review your account. They say it will take up to 24 hours.
They are lying!!!
It definitely will take much longer than 24 hours and it’s likely you’ll never hear from INstagram again. Think about it, they have millions and millions of accounts and they provide a free service. How many resources do you think they’ve allocated to help review every single case of something questionable happening?
Once you get to this step, I compare it to sending your CV for a job application during a bad jobs market. You send your resume into the job and you have no idea where it goes, who reads it, or if is even read at all. You’re stuck there for days and weeks wondering if anyone saw it. Eventually, you are resigned to the fact that no one read it and you’ll not be getting the job.
You can no longer login to your INstagram account
After the thank you for providing your info message, you’ll then just be taken back to the standard INstagram login screen. You can try logging back into your account and you’ll get something like this:
This is unfortunately the first step you’ll see after your Instagram account disabled. Once you click learn more, you’ll come to the next page.
What if your Instagram account is hacked?
WHen it comes to no longer accessing your Instagram account, disabled and hacked are kind of the same thing. If your Instagram account has been hacked, the hacker isn’t going to leave you a nice note saying, sorry I hacked your account and you can’t use it now.
No, what happens is they will hack your account, and probably do a bunch of questionable things that violate Instagram policy. Instagram’s automatic controls will then ban your account because you’re caught doing sketchy things. In the end, you get to the same result where you’re asked to verify your account and then never hear from Instagram again.
What does not work to get your Instagram account back after it’s been disabled?
Once you click learn more about why your account is disabled. You will eventually reach a page where you can fill out a form to “dispute” your banning from Instagram. The link to restore a deactivated Instagram account is here.
You can fill out your form and you can write an essay for why you’re appealing the ban but in the end, you’ll end up at the same step as everyone else.
Facebook Support Email asking for a photo of yourself
You’ll receive an email from Facebook like the below. It will ask you to take a picture of yourself holding up a piece of paper with handwritten text of the code they provide you, your Instagram handle, and your name.
This is their way of supposedly verifying that you are you. If your Instagram does not have photos of yourself, it’s fine, they just need to see someone holding the photos. I would not get too fancy with the photos and just do your best to look natural. This is what I did.
I sent this email out hoping they would come to their senses.
No response for months from INstagram
After waiting weeks upon weeks, I never heard anything from Instagram. I even emailed them back to follow up on my original email with my photo. I’ve read many blogs that say don’t do this as well as others that say do it. The blogs that don’t recommend it claim that every time you send an email to the support, it resets your place in line for someone to actually look at your request.
I’m not sure which is true or not but I can safely say that after 3 months of waiting, I heard not a single peep from Instagram.
I filled out other forms as well on Instagram like this one which actually asks for a photo of your Government ID. Here is the direct link. And here is a photo of what it looks like:
You might think that this form looks more legit but I can say that I filled out this form once (probably twice) and I still heard nothing.
Nothing worked for me.
This is not to say that it won’t work for you, but I’m saying from personal experience it was all hopeless. Not only did you feel like a total fool for sending ridiculous photos of yourself to a mailbox that I’m positive no one checks, but you got zero response.
Now that you’ve taken a ridiculous picture of yourself and realized it doesn’t work to get your INstagram account back, what does work? This is covered in the next section!
What works to restore your INstagram account: Facebook Support
After months of frustration, I was ready to call it quits. I figured, I had already created another account with just a fraction of my previous followers. However, I never intended to use Instagram for anything more than just a place to post my pictures and memories. However, that account also got hacked and disabled!! I knew I had to do something.
Facebook owns Instagram as you already know and you would think for such a massive company, they would have better customer service than just sending a selfie with you holding a piece of paper.
It turns out that Facebook does have support, quite good support at that. You just need to pay for it. Yes, you’ll need to pay some money to get your Instagram account back.
Why you ask?
Because the Facebook Support is meant specifically for those that advertise. Remember, Facebook’s a business, a huge one at that and they make their money from people paying to advertise. They are a publicly traded company and their first and most important goal is making oney. No one cares about your personal Instagram account, that is until you start paying something for it. The support team is meant to deal with issues pertaining to actual advertising and business, but they just also happen to deal with disabled Instagram account.
I will walk you through everything step by step for the next steps. Note that this could change at any point so hopefully by the time you read this, Facebook support still helps people with their Instagram account. As of now, this is the only method that works in how to reactivate your Instagram account
Step 1: Create a business account on Facebook or Instagram
The first step after getting your Instagram account disabled is to create a business account on Facebook or Instagram. Since your Instagram account has been disabled, it’s probably easier to just create an account on Facebook to get this done.
I already had a Facebook Page (Johnny Africa obviously) where I had previously boosted ads before. You can find the URL for your Facebook Profile here. The first step is to create a new Facebook Page:
You’ll be redirected to a page like this where you can add your Page name, category, description etc. Add a few photos and just make it into something simple.
Now you’re done, you’ve officially created a new page. Now I would just simply post a few photos here on this page or even a link to a reputable news source.
You don’t need to a blog like mine to create an Facebook page.
Step 2: Post an ad on Facebook or Instagram
The next step is to post an ad. You can simply use one of the pictures, links, or posts you created in the step above. Your next step is to boost this post which means you’re buying ads/promoting this post.
The process is quite easy and straight forward.
You’ll need to select a few things like the demographics you’re targeting. However, the purpose of this is not to actually buy ads. It’s simply to get the option to talk to Facebook Support. If you don’t buy this ad, there is no option to talk to them.
I spent $5.00 on my ad which will be enough to turn on the Facebook Support feature.
Wait until your credit card has been charged
Once you’ve completed the ad set up, the next step is to let the ad run its course. This will take a day or two before you actually have some ad statistics. You’ll want to wait until your credit card has been charged. This will turn on the Facebook Support feature.
Step 3: Talk to Facebook Support
Finally, you’ve created a business Facebook account, successfully posted an ad, and your credit card has been changed. Make sure to wait a few days until after your ad has been posted and for your credit card to be charged otherwise you will not be able to access the following page.
Step 3.1 – Start up Facebook Support
On the next page, scroll to the bottom and click the Get started button on support. Remember, this will only show up once you’ve paid for ads. If you just posted your ad, you will not see the below feature at all.
Then the next steps are to hit Contact Advertising Support.
The next part is tricky. I have a Facebook page as well as a personal account. I tried the support multiple times choosing different accounts, and the one that worked for me was the Facebook Page. I don’t think this actually matters however.
On the next page, you’ll select the reason you’re looking for support. I selected my Facebook page was hacked or taken over by someone else. It was not my Facebook page that was hacked, but my Instagram account. It doesn’t matter because Facebook support can troubleshoot and help you with both options.
Finally, you’re almost there. You just need to provide some contact information:
There you go, now you can finally talk to a live human being. Once you click start chat, you will be redirected to Facebook Messenger where you can talk to support.
Step 3.2 – Plead your case with Facebook Support
Facebook Support is the only method that worked for me to get my account back. Nothing else did at all. I sent in who knows how many selfies to no avail. This is the only method that worked for me. After having my Instagram account disabled, this is the most important step.
Once you start your conversation, be professional, courteous and state your problem clearly. Do not give them any reason to actually ban you. Just say that you think your account has been disabled incorrectly because of x,y,z.’ Once you start your conversation, be professional, courteous and state your problem clearly. Do not give them any reason to actually ban you. Just say that you think your account has been disabled incorrectly because of x,y,z.
Facebook Support is a bit of a crap shoot. You never know who you’re going to get as your support representative. It turns out that some people are much more helpful than others.
After reading other blogs and watching numerous YouTube videos, I learned that it might take you a few tries to get this to work.
For my first conversation, you can read it here.
As you can see, Andrea wasn’t so helpful. She told me that I had already done the required steps and that it was being reviewed. Simply, I had to wait for Instagram to get around to it.
Use a US VPN: Another trick that has helped many has been to talk to the US support reps at Facebook. People have had more success talking to US representatives. All you need to do is simply use a VPN and connect to a US IP.
Step 3.3 – Try, try again
I knew this was not the answer I was looking for because it had already been almost four months so nothing was going to change. I simply just ended the chat and started up another support request.
Beatriz was slightly more helpful but essentially just told me to go to links I had already visited countless times. These are the same links that tell you to submit some information that no one will look at. I tried to tell her I had done these same things but to no effect. She wasn’t buying any of it.
I ended the chat and tried one more time.
The third time I struck gold:
As you can see, Adam was the ultimate homie. He knew right away what the issue was and knew exactly who to escalate it to. I didn’t even explain my case and he already knew which department to bring it up to. He told me it would take 24-48 hours to complete and for me to wait until it was done.
I said thank you and around 50 hours later, my Instagram account was revived!!!!! Wow.
What a process but I’ve recovered my account successfully!!
Bonus Step: Instagram Support courtesy of Jess
From the numerous comments I’ve received on this post, here is the success story of one of my readers Jess who was able to access Facebook Support via the Instagram shopping page, a slightly different process than what I found. Pictures and screenshots below after the text.
In the process of looking to regain access to my IG account, came across this blog post, and it has been a truly helpful beacon of advice, kindness, support, and current up to the moment happenings! All things that have been greatly, greatly appreciated!
Through trying the contact method Johnny described, I have been able to contact and chat with members of Facebook/Meta team! It has been very exciting to have the option to chat! Just wanted to mention how the chat option appeared for me, in case it could help anyone else (as Facebook and Meta pages have moved around and changed formats sometimes).
I have a Page created on FB for my business, and have run an ad previously, a couple years ago. (I tried running one again when I was trying the above method, though I dont think my payment method ever got charged, so not sure if it went through. so a bit tough to say if that new ad helped the button to appear, or if it was from an earlier time).
I went to this page for Instagram Shopping help, scrolled down 3/4 of the page, and clicked on the button that said “Get Started in Commerce Manager“. https://business.instagram.com/shopping
This brought up my Facebook Commerce Manager hub, and “Commerce Accounts“. None were listed there, so I clicked on “Cant Find A Shop, Switch Accounts“. This brought up a drop down menu that let me click on my newly created “Business Account“ (appeared different than “Your Account“). Now I could view my shop account listed, with its ID number. I clicked that, and it led me to my Commerce Manager Overview. (There may be other pathways to arrive at this page, this is how I got there 🙂
On the right side, there was a link that said “Need help?
Learn more about setting up and managing your shop.“
This brought up a window of “5 Recommended Articles“, and under that, was..“Contact Facebook Support“ (!!) Yayy 🙂
From here, it asked me to select a topic, I went with “Technical Issue“, and then “Instagram“.
I was able to speak with a lovely representative who went above and beyond to help me with my question.
Its been so amazing to be able to speak with someone directly about my account, and I just wanted to share how the button appeared for me in case it could help one find it as well 🙂
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
So now that you know how I got my account back, now you probably have a million questions and are eager to get started on your own. I’ll summarize everything here and hopefully this will help you prepare for your own adventure (yes it really is an adventure)
Who gets their Instagram account disabled?
While Instagram says you will get your account disabled or deactivated because you violated the terms of use. However, this isn’t always the case. Instagram’s algorithm is still AI in the end and anything can trigger this without warning.
Anyone can have their account disabled, even if you did nothing wrong. It’s a very common problem that no one cares to think about until it actually happens to them! Don’t think that just because you’re well behaved and have always followed the rules that you’re exempt!
There’s a high chance that your account was disabled for no reason or the wrong reason. However, there is no quick support where you can just rectify the situation in a timely fashion. You can try the normal steps that Instagram gives you (like sending in the selfie image of yourself) but it’s more likely than not that it won’t fix the situation.
Does this work for personal and business Instagram accounts?
Yes. This method of Facebook Support works if your Instagram account is business or personal. My account (@johnny.africa) was a personal account. I’ve since changed it to a business account because I think ultimately, this has a higher chance of success by making it higher priority the next time something like this happens.
What if I did buy likes or buy followers on my Instagram?
This is against Instagram rules for sure and it’s grounds for banning. If you’ve been warned by Instagram before, and keep engaging in inflating your account, then they will for sure ban you. However, you can appeal using the same method as above and you’ll be at the mercy of Facebook support. If they bring this up, you can deny it all you want but they have the tools and wherewithal to know what you did.
Does Instagram actually completely delete your account?
I was worried about this at first. The message you receive once your account has been disabled is that Instagram has removed your account. I thought for sure that I lost everything and it was forever gone. Turns out, this is not the case. Instagram stores all your pictures and stories for a long time. It’s never completely gone which means you can still try all the methods above.
How much money should I spend on running Facebook or Instagram Ads?
There is no magic number to spend on ads to get this method to work. Simply, you just need to spend enough to enable the Facebook Support chat option so you can speak to a live representative. I spent $5 boosting one post on my Facebook page and that’s all it took. I’ve since not purchased ads.
Do I need to buy ads on Facebook or Instagram?
If you have multiple Instagram accounts, you can try boosting a post on an account that has not been disabled or banned. This will work because no matter what you use, Facebook or Instagram, everything is connected to your Facebook account as far as ads go. If you boost a post on Instagram instead of creating a new page on Facebook, it is still connected to your Facebook account, and thereby, it will enable the Facebook Support feature.
Is there a number you can call on Facebook Support?
No. There is no way to speak to someone on the phone at Facebook support. There is no number to call. If someone knows of a number, please leave it in the comments!
I have heard of stories of people that have gotten their accounts back with Facebook support and the rep has requested to call them. This didn’t happen with me but it’s fine because I got my account back either way.
How many times should I contact Facebook Support?
As per my experience, it took me three times messaging Facebook Support to get the answer I needed. The first two times, I was paired with Facebook support reps that were not able to help me out.
If you’re trying this method, you might get lucky the first go around, or it could take you 10 tries before getting the right answer! I would not abuse the chat feature because you just never know. I would use a golden rule of speaking to three people before waiting a day and resuming. There’s no truth in this but it’s just what I would do.
Sometimes your Instagram account was fully hacked
Sometimes your account was not just suspended by Instagram but completely hacked away by hackers. I’ve seen a few of these instances where hackers actually completely deleted the account. In this situation, it is very difficult to get your account back and Instagram is likely not going to be keen to help you out.
I got my Instagram account disabled, can you help me?
The answer is unfortunately not. I cannot help you besides writing this detailed article breaking down step by step what I did. My Facebook account is only for me so I can’t run ads for anyone else. Simply read through the post and give it a shot. In addition, read through the comments as many people have had success with slightly different methods.
Please leave questions in the comments below
I’ve received many messages on my Instagram account for help with getting your Instagram account back. I can’t promise I can respond to every question in a timely manner.
For the sake of the community, please post your questions on this post using the comments below. Also, if you have had success with your journey, please leave a comment to tell everyone about what your experience entailed. I think everyone will go through a slightly different process in getting their accounts back so it would be great to have data points for everyone!
As well, please ignore any comments that promote contacting someone. These are 100% spam and there is no one that can bring your account back besides yourself. I want the comments to be open and useful but I can’t always catch these spammers right away.
Johnny, (or anyone), please help!
My instagram was disabled on 11/4/2022 “for impersonating someone else”. I didn’t violate any policy whatsoever. I had a personal page with less than 1K followers. I submitted the appeal and never got a response. I ran FB ads to unlock support chat and have spoken with 20+ reps. At one point on 12/26/2022, I was told that my appeal was approved and it was in the 3rd of 5 recovery phases called “uplifting” and that it would take another 2 days – 2 months to activate and I’d get the confirmation email. It’s almost been the 2 months max they quoted. Nothing. I’m at my wits end but feel I’ve come so close that I can’t give up.
WHAT DO I DO?!
Thanks so much,
Jared
Update: I received an email from Facebook in Chinese characters that, when translated, said my account was disabled and won’t be restored. I replied to the email and submitted yet another appeal form now including this denial. I literally don’t understand how I could be denied, I never violated anything and I was never even asked to verify my identity. I can easily do that!
I now realize why my Facebook review for verification was denied (My ad account was disabled because I did what was suggested here and attempted to use Facebook support for help my Instagram account) I just read today Meta will now charge $15 a month for verification and customer support. So there’s no way they would except my license and verify me for free. Meanwhile they collect our data and sell it to third parties daily. I’m over it. Two years I tried to get back into my Instagram because of the 2FA they recommended that I setup. I give up. I’m not giving them a penny. “After long relying on ordinary users for content, social-media companies are giving up on them. Regular people either post too infrequently, are too boring, or both. And now they’re being pushed aside.”
Still no luck. Meta support is extremely unhelpful. I’m in a back and forth email thread where they don’t seem to even understand what the issue is and keep telling me to submit an appeal. I’ve now asked all my professional connections who work at Meta to help me by doing something internally. We’ll see what happens…
Hello Johnny.
Thank you from South Korea for letting know this….
However… I still couldn’t see the green button “Contact advertising support”.
I’ve got the Find answers or contact support part and the blue button, “get started” though…
I can click it, but still…. can’t see the “contact” green button.
Does it only work for US?
If I use VPN, may I get the contact button or is it just I am not on the stage yet?
I paid some ads already. It has been two days passed.
If anyone know… please reply….
Has anyone had any success getting back an account with a terms of use counterfeit goods violation? This happened to me over three weeks ago and of course I share nothing related to counterfeit goods. My Instagram is my full time job so I desperately need my account back. I have tried the FB Business chat multiple times and every time they just come back and tell me that they reviewed my account and I violated terms of use for counterfeit goods, which is obviously what I told them from the start! They don’t seem willing to just help me fix that violation and restore my account. They keep saying that they are more equipped for FB Ads/Account issues and can’t fix that, but I think that’s just a lie because so many have been able to get their accounts back from this chat. Any help or insight would be very appreciated! Thank you!!
My account @Vangiexo states it is deactivated October 2022 for pretending to be someone else and I have only posted pictures of myself on my account. I did not go against community guidelines. I reached out to Facebook support for MONTHS and they try to help me but ultimately tell me they don’t have as much access.
2 weeks now my Instagram account was disabled for using a third-party app, Going thru numerous Facebook reps, and no help. One agent told me he escalated the case to a higher-up team and I should hear back in 24-48 hours, I didn’t so I reached out again concerning that case and they said 24-48 hours. It’s been 5 days and no signs of anything from that case. Slowly losing hope. Does anyone have any tips on what I should be telling my rep/what worked for you to get your rep to re-enable your account, Please and thank you.
A few days ago I get an email stating that someone has changed my password from Vietnam! My heart literally dropped as I tried to get access to my Facebook account. They actually even changed my email password but I found a way to get in. I received another email stating that someone might be using my account and asked for me to upload an ID for verification. I tried to upload my passport when I had a notification pop up stating that I already uploaded an ID and due to limitations and misuse I couldn’t upload another at this time. Obviously, this wasn’t me and the Hacker was able to upload something before I could. Now my facebook is DISABLED and when I tried to log into my personal and business account both are SUSPENDED due to it being LinkedIn to facebook. Not to mention I received an email stating that have a new AD that’s been posted. They are using my account to post Ads and weird stuff on my page! I have literally been panicking and feeling hopeless reading so many people not being able to recover their page. After finding this blog I’ve honestly felt SOME relief. I created a new Facebook with an AD account and posted an AD which is now approved. I’m waiting for my card to be charged to see if I can access the support page. Please pray for me guys, will update on my process here.
I followed all the steps and have been charged with the AD however when I try to contact support the “contact advertising support” tool bar doesn’t show up. Please someone help here
Same thing was happening with me so i used the
Bonus Step: Instagram Support courtesy of Jess mentioned above. That worked for me.
So another update. After waiting another 3 or so days, the chat feature is now available. I’m guessing you have to spend a certain amount or a certain amount of time (If you created a whole new facebook) until they give you the feature. I spoke to 3 reps who all told me my issue was escalated to the internal team. I was also told if I keep sending more tickets I can get flagged for spam and also It can get bumped and all my tickets can close. I’m not sure if anyone else experienced this. Not sure how many time I should open a new ticket and speak to someone until I can get this resolved.
Hey Ana were you getting “Your account has been permanently disabled because it didn’t follow our Community Guidelines. This decision can’t be reversed either because we’ve already reviewed it, or because 30 days have passed since your account was disabled. Learn more about why we disable accounts in our Community Guidelines.” when you were trying to submit the forms, Also how do I know when I’m chatting with someone that can help, I’ve talked to many that said they’ll open a case and I should be updated 24-48 hours and I never end up receiving anything. I’ve gotten on various calls and was even told to report a problem thru the Instagram app on another account. Was wondering if you can expand more on how to get the right chat experience please and thank you
Hi Johnny,
I wanted to thank you as I managed to get back my disabled Instagram account after approximately 10 days of following this method. This is the most detailed guide that I have found online so far and I really appreciate you for that and also for being so active and replying to the comments posted to this page. If not for this guide, I would have felt completely alone in this process and also wasted a lot of time emailing Instagram security. You won’t be able to guess the number of times that I have read and reread this post and all the comments posted here this past week haha!
To the others that have yet to get back their disabled accounts stay strong and I would like to share with you guys more details on what I experienced. I was using a third party app that I have used before a long long time ago to schedule posts and plan future posts – I had thought that it was safe to use as it didn’t give me any issues before but Instagram detected it. I had to go though the ‘Confirm it’s you’ login and post a selfie via the app, which was eventually rejected and I was locked out of my account with this message showing: “Your account has been permanently disabled because it didn’t follow our Community Guidelines. This decision can’t be reversed either because we’ve already reviewed it, or because 30 days have passed since your account was disabled. Learn more about why we disable accounts in our Community Guidelines.” I couldn’t fill in any of the appeal forms either because of this message and I had pretty much given up hope until I found the contact Facebook support method.
UNLOCKING LIVE CHAT:
I ran an ad on Facebook for 3 days and paid the minimum for that – 1 USD per day- NOTE this actually unlocked the live chat for me so I recommend you guys paying the minimum for an ad too, I think running an ad for 1 day might work but I wanted to play it safe and run one for 3 days! Also, I am located outside the us and I didn’t use a vpn and the live chat was accessible. BUT the live chat option did only unlock after 48-72 hours and it only appeared in my phone and not laptop or iPad.
SPEAKING TO FB REPS:
I spent the next 6 days talking to live reps via messenger and opening cases under ‘other ad account issue’ I think what topic you choose doesn’t really matter but make sure to describe your situation clearly in the description box. I just wrote something short and simple “My Instagram account was disabled and none of the appeal forms is working for me”.
I second what ‘Ana’ shared in the comments below (thanks for sharing!) that each rep is truly different and this experience was “WILD”. For the first few reps I spoke with they just directed me to the links which I already knew of and were of no help. Some said that they will check my account details and then refuse help as my account was a personal one and not a business profile. Afterwards, I was quite unlucky with my next three reps as they all reassured me that they have sent my case to the internal team already, and that I just need to wait 24-48 hours for a reply. I believed them and waited 48 hours each, wasting 4 days in total. Truth is, I think many Facebook reps have learnt what we want to hear in order to make us will close the case. In my experience of speaking with others, the reps who know what they are doing will deactivate your account in less that 48 hours and for many even 0-1 hours after the chat!
For the last rep I was in contact with, I opened a case at 11am in California. The representative again told me that he will direct my case to the internal team. But this case unlike the previous ones was left open and my rep told me that he will contact me via email personally if he has any updates. Also, I think being friendly and polite to all the reps will definitely help your case – even to those you think might not be of great help – as all the chats are recorded and the next person you open a case with will have access to those messages! I received the good news via email under 4 hours!
I was super lucky that I only had to go through less than 10 reps and all the best to y’all who are speaking to reps at the moment. If you need any help in sieving through which reps are truly working on your case, I suggest asking them to leave it open and contact you for updates via your email, which might make them more motivated to find a solution for you!
That’s about all I have to share about my experience and I hope that it will be useful or reassuring to someone. If you need any other help or advice from me feel free to comment below.
Hey misha, I’m in the same boat you were on as I got that same error and have contacted reps thru the Instagram way, and been thru 3-4 live chat reps first few were no help and then the 3rd one said he’ll be escalating my case and made me email a video verification to Instagram email because I asked if I should and then he said that I should get an updated 24-48 hours, I haven’t got one so I went and chatted to another rep and they said that my case is being reviewed thoroughly by the internal team and they just need more time. It’s been 10 days now since my account has been deactivated and I was wondering what you think I should do, also I don’t think I ever confirmed my email address for that account but I have received emails before from Instagram about that account and I asked the rep and he said there is no email on file so I’m a little extra worried and was hoping for your advice, we’re you asked to confirm anything via email? Or your account was just auto reactivated Thank you
Hi Misha, congrats on the success and thanks for data point!
This was very detailed and helpful. Did the chat box unlock on your phone after clicking “Business help center” and then “find answers or contact support” ? That’s where I’m getting stuck at. I have been running my Ad since the 6th today is the 8th and I can find any chat box. Also were you using the mobile app or safari browser on your phone?
Hi Circe,
Im happy that this has help you! I was using safari browser and the chat opened on around the second to third day after I clicked on “find answers or contact support”. I hope it is now working for you.
Hey misha I was just wondering if you ever informed a rep that you were getting “ Your account has been permanently disabled because it didn’t follow our Community Guidelines. This decision can’t be reversed either because we’ve already reviewed it, or because 30 days have passed since your account was disabled. Learn more about why we disable accounts in our Community Guidelines.”
Hi! I chose “my ad account is disabled” and the chat verified my Facebook account wasn’t disabled. Guess I chose the wrong option because I haven’t been able to chat with someone. I asked for additional support but no one has joined the chat in 2 days. Any advice? Should I close out the case and submit another help request?
Hey Misha I would love to talk to you, can you share your email, I am pushing to hard to get my account back, I’ve talk to several aggents but none of them could help me.
Hi Misha!
The support girl who helped me on the phone told me that she forwarded the report and to wait for her to contact me again…. I’ve been waiting for 5 days… do you think I should open another ticket? is there any chance she will fix the problem? Thank you
Hey I recently had my Instagram disabled after logging into a third party app, they made me verify with a picture of myself and a code and that didn’t work, I now get “ Your account has been permanently disabled because it didn’t follow our
Community Guidelines. This decision can’t be reversed either because we’ve already reviewed it, or because 30 days have passed since your account was disabled.
Learn more about why we disable accounts in our Community Guidelines.” I’m running ads now hoping the fb support method works but was wondering if anyone was able to get their account back after receiving this message.
Hi Ronny,
Don’t worry, I can vouch that it works!! I was in exactly the same situation as you – I was using third party apps to schedule posts and I submitted a selfie to the ‘Confirm it’s you’ login, but it didn’t pass through, then I received the same message. “This decision can’t be reversed as ….” At first, I thought it was over but I pushed through Johnny’s method and just got back my account a few days ago. I think it actually becomes irreversible when your username is open for taking by the public as the data from you account would have to be completely erased at that point.
I’ll be posting about my experience in the comment above if u need any other details!
Hey Misha would it be possible to contact you via email please and thank you
Hi ronny,
Yup! I would be open to it! drop your @?
Hi Misha,
I am in the exact same scenario as you were but at 180 days at this point. I don’t think it matters as it also said permanently disabled but would you be willing to connect via email? I would appreciate any advice as I am not getting far with Meta Pro Advertising support from the business page but am desperate to get my personal IG account back. Thanks!
Hey Johnny,
I have been reading this page for two weeks while using the FB Business Center to chat with agents and following your advice. It is a grueling process and can be incredibly exhausting, but it does work! I had to comment after finally having my account disabled for two weeks. I’m not sure why my account was disabled, but I was noticing a large amount of followers out of nowhere, and my guess is someone else signed me up for followers or my account had been hacked.
I was not able to submit any appeal forms, receiving various error messages, some telling me my account had been permanently deleted, others saying user doesn’t exist, others saying to verify my instagram by logging in which of course I couldn’t.
The Business Center agent experience is WILD. Some tell you that there is absolutely nothing you can do, others give you the run-around making you wait forever just to tell you it’s being taken care of and nothing… It’s incredible how different every experience with every single agent you chat with is. My advice is if they ask you to hop on a call, tell them that you prefer to stick to chat, it’s likely they want to call you just to tell you there is nothing they can do. Keep trying. You’ll know when you’re actually chatting with someone that can help you and knows what they’re doing. It took me about… 20 times or more to find the right agent, but less than 24 hours later, my decade-old instagram has been restored!
This blog post helped me keep my hopes up, and it finally worked for me. Thank you! Good luck to anyone out there still trying, don’t give up and just be nice to whoever you chat with, if they seem like they can’t help you, don’t waste your time, the right agent will know what to do.
Hey Ana were you getting “Your account has been permanently disabled because it didn’t follow our Community Guidelines. This decision can’t be reversed either because we’ve already reviewed it, or because 30 days have passed since your account was disabled. Learn more about why we disable accounts in our Community Guidelines.” when you were trying to submit the forms, Also how do I know when I’m chatting with someone that can help, I’ve talked to many that said they’ll open a case and I should be updated 24-48 hours and I never end up receiving anything. I’ve gotten on various calls and was even told to report a problem thru the Instagram app on another account. Was wondering if you can expand more on how to get the right chat experience please and thank you
I have been locked out of my IG for two years now. It’s because of 2FA i setup and forgot about it. I reset my phone and lost the IG on the Google Authenticator app and I have no key and no backup codes. I did the photo with the code on it. I answered all the questions to the best of my ability, what device to you sign up on? What operating system, etc. it was ten years ago so I’m not exactly sure. I have tried and tried. Eventually the automated response was “due to Covid we are understaffed and can’t help you”. Now when I try to open a support ticket there’s no option other than “is there photos of you on your profile” or “is there no photos of you”. I don’t have any photos of me on my profile, if you do, you can do the video selfie for you review, if you don’t then you are directed to the the “help” canter and its a dead end. Game over. I am a musician and my artist name is my IG. They have my email and phone number….I get notifications daily….I cannot get back into my account…I will try your method l, but I fear I won’t have much luck. I can prove I am the artist, I can prove it’s my email and phone number, this is just insane to me…two years….
Update: I started a Facebook account (I didn’t have one) to start a page, within a hour that was banned. I contacted what I am assuming is AI, and the ban was lifted. I tried to run an ad (A link to my Spotify artist page that I own, because that is what I do, I am a musician) The ad was rejected and I was banned from running ads. I contacted the AI robot again and that ban was lifted. The same ad was rejected 5 times and then finally approved. I let the ad run and paid for it then I contacted Meta Pro Team via the Ads Manager app. I got somebody in another country going by whatever playbook he was given. My issue is I can’t generate the 2FA code and have no backup codes and he suggested I reset my password….useless…He did call me and he was really nice and he told me to use another Instagram account to contact help via the settings in the IG app.The next day my FB page was banned from running ads….I give up. Two years this has been going on. It’s ridiculous.
P.S. I keep getting emails from your blog about new comments and every time I click the link it doesn’t take me to the comment, it just takes me to the top of this page and I have yet to see a new comment. Maybe they are buried somewhere in the thread, I don’t know. I don’t really care.
Hey johnny, this article has great information. However, I have a question do instagram acoount get affected if your facebook account is disabled? My instagram & facebook were linked and my facebook account got disabled due some unknow reason. And, now I’m facing action blocked issue on instagram quite often. Is it likewise that my instagram account will be disabled soon?
Hi Susan, I would probably be wary of this because it is a precursor of things to come. If your Insta hasn’t been completely disabled but you can’t do a lot of the functions, that is almost the same thing to me.
This was the Best Method:)
Let me tell you my story
Tbh I really know why my instagram was disabled as I Violated Instagram guidelines.
It was disabled on 16th Dec and I saw this method in Jan and then I tried the same things.
But I am in India so I just spended 90INR around 1USD in Ads
Also There were many people not getting live Talk to support Option in business help website. Even I was not getting but then I downloaded Ads Manager app and I logged in and in help I got live chat support option in App.
As I was not lucky enough to get Good Moderator in Facebook support. so i have to try more than 10 times. I was talking to 3 Mods and then wating for 2-3 days as I dont want my ad account to get suspended for spam.
So I tried for weeks and One Day I found A Moderator we talked on Call and He really know to what team he has to escalate my Case.
Then I received a Email from Facebook that my case has been escalated and its currently being reviewed by Team Instagram.
Then they told me I will get reply in 24-48 hours but I didnt received any mail.
I waited and After 4 Days when I tried to login it started showing my account has been permanently Deleted and I checked mail but there no mails from them about this.
Then I thought they might have reviewed and Deleted. So I lose my all hopes about My account because it was permanently deleted and there’s no chance about recovering.
But yesterday like after 10 days I got a Mail from Meta Instagram and they told me that my account was disabled by mistake.
Thats how I got it back by this method.
One thing I will say they really do not delete account permanently.
It took me 25 days to get it back as i was not luck as Johnny.
But atleast Got it
Thankssss!!!!
Great to hear your success!!
Jemma, did you get your account back after 30 days? I haven’t been able to get my account back, and 30 days have now passed since they killed my account (for reasons I still don’t know why). Wondering if that’s the end now.
Are you Jemma that already contacted me by email? cause I’m having exactly the same issue but the decision was final since it was reviewed twice on the 6th of December and then I used again the app when It got reactivated on the 8th the same day when I got my IG account back ! (which it’s stupid I know…) but since that day the message that I’m getting is : You Can’t Request
Review
“The decision to disable your account can’t be reviewed. This is either because we already reviewed it and decided it can’t be reversed, or because more than 30 days have past since your account was disabled.” ???? And by email every representative was telling me this :
“After a careful review on your account, we would like to let you know that your case has been reviewed by our Internal Team in detail earlier and under these circumstances, the team has decided to maintain their original decision to your Instagram account.”
Johnny’s method was sooooo helpful!!! my account was disabled beginning of December 2022 and I was unsuccessful retrieving my account. My account was disabled since I downloaded one of those follower apps (I wanted to see who was unfollowing me) but then the app logged me out of my account and was never able to log back in.
I followed every step Johnny stated above. From running a Facebook business page, paying an ad and etc.
Please keep in mind to stay patient and stay consistent!!! I spoke to at least 50 reps and kept getting the run around. Then yesterday I got the email saying my account was recovered. Please message me if you need detailed help. I will gladly like to help since this process was honestly a challenging one!
Great! Glad to hear it worked out for you Jemma!
Hi Jemma! I’m in the exact situation with the instagram 3rd party app blocking my account. I would love to hear more about the process of what you said to the reps to get your account recovered. I’ve been trying to get my account recovered through facebook for 2 months and haven’t had any luck. They always say that I need to wait for instagram to reach out to me (which they never do) I’m hesitant to keep reaching out to the reps because they just keep telling me to look out for an email from instagram and that it’s out of their capabilities to unblock a personal instagram account. I would appreciate any guidance, currently I’m just staying hopeful that eventually instagram will email me.
Hi Jemma,
Could you help me please? I’m still struggling even after I’ve run an ad I can’t see the button to talk to support.
Thanks
Thomas
Jemma, did you get your account back after 30 days? I haven’t been able to get my account back, and 30 days have now passed since they killed my account (for reasons I still don’t know why). Wondering if that’s the end now.
Hi everyone! My account got disabled on December 31st for using one of those third-party apps that allow you to see the people who unfollowed you. A little immature of me I guess but I like keeping track of my unfollows since Instagram doesn’t have an option where you can see that. I tried Johnny’s advice to make a business account. My mom has her own business account on facebook which she already paid ads for a while back so I tried to use hers instead of making my own. I got to the step where I was supposed to see the ‘contact advertising support’ green button option and I did not see that. Instead, my screen was just the options on the left of that. I see that this blog was updated yesterday so it’s not an old option. What should I do? Should I make my own business account and pay for an ad or try something else? Someone, please help! I’d appreciate it very much ????
instagram disabled my account by mistake on the 6th of December and then they reactivated it in 48 hrs but then they disabled it for me again on the same day the 8th of December but this time I wasn’t able anymore to request a review and the error message I get when I login : you can’t use instagram because your account didn’t follow our community guidelines this decision can’t be reversed either because we’ve already reviewed it, or because 30 days have passed since your account was disabled.. Now I ve contacted a Facebook business support it’s been 48 hrs he told me :
Rest assured that we have consulted and we are constantly checking on your concern with the best team able to help, and we will immediately get in touch with you once we hear from them.
We know there may be challenges within the platform and processes we need to follow to reach a certain resolution needed which takes time.
Despite all these, you can be assured of the sincere support within the Meta Pro team, who are ready to assist you in the best way we can.
So now the questions are : should I be more patient? Or should I contact another support? And in my case did they ever recovered an account that has been reviewed twice?
I had my account disabled for violating the IG community guidelines. I used a 3rd party app that tracks unfollowers and followers (petty, I know, but if you unfollow me, at least do me the honor of removing myself as one of your followers). I had no issue running this app until the last time, in which my account was disabled. Don’t use these apps! Remove them NOW from your account!
After my account was disabled, I freaked out, but I went through their first appeal process in which you send/upload a selfie holding up a piece of paper that has your full name, username, and six-digit code. After two days of being under review, my appeal was REJECTED. The popup message from IG when I tried to log in was that the decision to disable will stand because my case cannot be reversed and/or 30 have passed. This made me freak out even more. I don’t have a huge account with a massive following. I am not an influencer, nor does my account make money for myself. It’s just a personal account that has pictures and stories of me doing regular guy stuff like traveling, eating, stuff of that nature.
I researched on Google, YouTube, and also read up on other people facing the same situation on Reddit. The information I found on this page was VERY USEFUL. I created a Facebook Business page, paid for a $2 ad, and then I had access to their customer support chat – see link about about 2/3 down the page – Get Started in Commerce Manager (https://business.instagram.com/shopping).
About 10 days after my rejected appeal, I finally got my IG back. I believe I chatted with about 12-15 different people at Facebook / Meta Commerce until I struck gold with one person. Keep in mind that Facebook / Meta Commerce only can deal with ‘business’ accounts, and my account was ‘personal.’ I explained that I am trying link my FB business page to my IG, and I need to switch my IG account from ‘personal’ to ‘business’ but my account was disabled due to a 3rd party app having access and thus violated the community guidelines. Every single Facebook / Meta representative eventually lead me to a dead end, explaining that they have limited resources and capacity to handle my ‘personal’ account request, and would redirect me to their appeal form or their ‘Help’ page (which isn’t helpful at all). It’s a Catch 22 in the sense that I can’t use the appeal form with my username because they already ‘reviewed’ my appeal.
The one representative that finally came through directed me to do a second appeal via this link (https://help.instagram.com/contact/1610459702591585?fbclid=IwAR1svFs8EduVr2jPNB7TmN7-Q9csFPVYoOw4oioAmDG7wg_lb2PLYsMpiRc), and told me after 2 days, if IG doesn’t respond back, to reach back out. I did just that, and a different representative came back telling me that they can’t do anything. I explained my case again and said that the previous representative told me if I don’t get a response, to reach back out and they will get my request directly to IG. They did that, and the next day, I received a direct email with the good news. The ‘personal’ IG accounts that are disabled can apparently only be reactivated by the actual IG internal team (they called them the ‘internal’ team), and it’s impossible for you to get your case in front of an actual person, unless you convince someone at FB / Meta to manually forward it over to them, which is another ordeal in itself. Understand that running a 3rd party app that tracks followers/unfollowers will trigger their AI / automated process to disable your account, and you’ll need an actual person to reactivate. I also learned that you can flag the IG automation to disable your account if you do unfollow lots of accounts. It seems to be a flawed, inhumane, and arbitrary decision to disable accounts like this.
The biggest takeaway from this entire ordeal is to be persistent, patient, explain with clear details, and to keep harassing them. I owe a huge thank you to you Johny, for sharing this information. To anyone reading my comment, just know that you’re not the first or the last person to have your IG wrongfully disabled, so just keep trying! Thanks again, Johnny
instagram disabled my account by mistake on the 6th of December and then they reactivated it in 48 hrs but then they disabled it for me again on the same day the 8th of December but this time I wasn’t able anymore to request a review and the error message I get when I login : you can’t use instagram because your account didn’t follow our community guidelines this decision can’t be reversed either because we’ve already reviewed it, or because 30 days have passed since your account was disabled.. Now I ve contacted a Facebook business support it’s been 48 hrs he told me :
Rest assured that we have consulted and we are constantly checking on your concern with the best team able to help, and we will immediately get in touch with you once we hear from them.
We know there may be challenges within the platform and processes we need to follow to reach a certain resolution needed which takes time.
Despite all these, you can be assured of the sincere support within the Meta Pro team, who are ready to assist you in the best way we can.
So now the questions are : should I be more patient? Or should I contact another support? And in my case did they ever recovered an account that has been reviewed twice? (knowing that I used a 3rd party app too to unfollow unfollowers…)
Dennis I have exactly the same issue as you had ! Please contact me on my email : nouri_killertek@hotmail.com
To help me out getting my Instagram account back..
Hi Dennis! When you submitted the second appeal did you get any message saying you’d be contacted or did it just redirect you to the help center? I’m a little confused since it didn’t give the option to put in my email so I don’t know how they’d reach out to help me.
A few days ago, my IG was disabled for no reason, they were saying due to Community Guidelines. I checked them all, and terms of use, but saw no issue. i submitted the selfie holding the paper codes thing, thinking that would fix it. But then got msg my acct is now permanently disabled! it’s so crazy because it was the cleanest account you could find, and my ID was fine. I’m getting the runaround in all the IG links for help. I contacted Meta support now, and they are sending me back to IG for help. While searching for a solution, i found this article. My question is has anyone been successful in getting their IG account restored from a permanent disabling? The msg i get now is: “Your account has been permanently disabled because it didn’t follow our Community Guidelines. This decision can’t be reversed either because we’ve already reviewed it, or because 30 days have passed since your account was disabled. Learn more about why we disable accounts in our Community Guidelines.”
Hi Matt, responding to your comment with my long comment above (awaiting moderation).
Dennis, thanks for your reply/post. I will try that link next. I’ve already submitted a bunch of them but haven’t seen this particular one yet. I think it’s crazy they kill people’s personal accounts, then have no decency to explain the reasoning behind it nor provide a working process for recovering them. To make us go through all this rigamarole is insane. Opening a biz acct and spending hours on this makes me wonder should I even bother with IG anymore in general.
I am so happy to have found this support page, but I am having a problem at step 3.1. When I try to click on the “Get Started” button to contact support, nothing happens. All other links work fine, just not this one. Has anyone else had problems at this stage? I just want my photos back 🙁
I am having the exact same issue here also
Mine too 🙁
Same for me. The Support button is there but it is not clickable. Even when I turn on VPN and switch to US, nothing happens. Tried several browsers, also smartphone. I have ads running since 3 days…
I followed all the steps and got in contact with support. The method works. However, after my case was sent in for an “internal team review” they just permanently disabled my account. I have never once violated the terms of service. I barely post anything. So now the support agents wont do anything to help me since the decision is “final”. Biggest takeaway from this whole thing – Meta is a dogshit company run by toddlers, good luck dealing with them.
How long was it for the internal team review and when your account was permanently disabled??
I was able to run the ad and click on additional support. I chose “my ad account is disabled”. I got an automated chat verifying my ad account wasn’t disabled (Facebook). So I asked for more help and I have been waiting for someone to join the chat for 2 days. Any ideas on what I should? Close out the case and choose another option? Not sure how long it takes to finally be able to chat with someone. Seems like it’s taking longer for me since I’ve seen people post they’ve talked to several agents. Please help!
My Instagram account got disabled because I was posting about “golden goose dupes” from DHGate . I did a video comparing the real ones against the replicas. I didn’t know that it was against the community terms because I was showing counterfeit products. Anyway, I filled out 5 or 6 appeal forms over the course of 3 days. It took 5 days before I heard back from them. I apologized in the appeal and said it wouldn’t happen again, but they responded saying I was breaking community terms and they were unable to recover my account. I was honestly shocked that they didn’t take my content down and give me a warning first. I had worked so hard to get my followers and it was all gone in a flash. I was devastated. I got another response email to another appeal that I had sent and again they said that my account had been permanently disabled for breaking community terms. Then, exactly 8 days later, I got another response email to one of the appeals I had sent and this one said that my account had been restored and it had been disabled by accident and they were sorry about the inconvenience. I guess the other 2 guys that had gotten my previous appeals, did not have any mercy on me. Then another guy named Steve did and I am so happy I got another chance! I would say to just keep sending appeals and maybe someone will have mercy on you and restore your account. Good luck! I know how upset all of this can make you.
Glad that worked out for you! Usually most people aren’t so lucky
when you say appeal was it the appeal on instagram? because i did it and now when i do it again it says they already reviewed it and i can’t submit the form again
Hey Fam,
So I bought ads and the contact support team option popped up after about a week. You have to go through the Meta Business Suite or Commerce Ads Manager. I’ve chatted with 3 agents so far and the first two said they were no help because it was a personal account and I had to fill out the general appeal forms on Instagram’s website. I told the third agent that I already submitted forms and have not received any responses so that was not an answer I was going to accept. She then told me that she was going to do a manual review request from her end. Not sure what this means but has anyone had an agent that said this before?? I don’t know what I can trust but she said I should wait for an answer from her and that she would reach out through email or my phone number. My hope is slim but how long should I give it until I go annoy a new agent?
Hello
I need help
I got my account back! Just wanted to provide another way to regain access to instagram account. So my account was not hacked nor disabled. It was my personal account with my photos. I had logged out and lost access to my authenticator app so I could not get my code to log in. I had tried the FB chat and talked with 4 different people but none of them could really help me and said they couldn’t do anything since my account was a personal account. I had tried the video selfie verification but none of them worked either. I found a comment that was posted recently on reddit and someone had mentioned about downloading an older version of instagram to be able to access a “submit request” page where you can send them a message of your issue. He did mention it only works for android users. Thankfully I had an extra android phone and was able to download a version of instagram from January of this year. After I sent the form for support (this is 11PM California time), within a minute I got an e-mail asking me to send a picture of myself with the code, my full name and username. And within a minute of sending this e-mail, I was sent another e-mail with the 8 digit backup code that I could use to log in. So basically I was able to regain access to my account in less than 5 minutes.
Steps that I took to get to the “submit request” was:
Since I knew my password, I logged in like normal. They requested 6 digit code from authenticator app but since I don’t have access to it, I clicked on “try another way” and clicked on “get support” and a page for “submit request” pops up. (*In the newer version of the app, whenever I clicked on “get support” I only had the option of sending in video selfies which never worked for me). In the “submit request” page, it says “If you’re unable to receive your login code, you can submit a support request and we’ll be in touch”. It asks for email you signed up with, contact email (if different), if it’s a company or brand account/personal account with photos of me/personal account without photos of me and “add any details that will help us resolve this more quickly”.
I hope this can help some people who are in similar situations as me!
I don’t see the submit request form. It just takes me to the page where it asks if I have pictures on my account
Did you download the older version of the instagram app (version from January 2022) on android phone?
Does this method work for an old version of facebook? My facebook account was disabled b/c someone linked it to their instagram account, and subsequently got their instagram account disabled.
Where do you get the older version of Instagram?
Thank You Mj,
My account has been hacked since September 30, 2022. I spoke to about 60+ Facebook Meta Agents who all told me the same thing “We will forward your case to the Ads Team, they will investigate the issue and reach you back shortly”. I’ve heard that way to many times. The Ads Team aren’t any help neither, they will send you the same help center links you that you have already recycled through 1,000 times. The videos selfies are also useless, i’ve sent so much selfies that I received an error. Two months of constantly being told there’s no further action that could be done to get my account back. The hacker had a 2FA on my account, so even if I resetted my account I couldn’t get passed the 2FA. I was at the brink of just making a new account, until I came across Mj’s post. This was my last resort of regaining access to my account. I downloaded a version of Instagram from January like Mj stated, but they already had removed the “submit request” form from that version, so I went back and downloaded a version from September 16, 2021. I was able to view the form and fill it out and I immediately received an automated email asking me to send a picture with me holding up a code with my face visibly in the picture. Once I submitted that I received another email shortly after from Facebook with my backup code for the 2FA. I immediately changed my password and put in the backup code and was finally back into my account! I believe this is the fastest and most successful way of regaining access to your account if your video selfies are also being denied. Thanks once again Mj!
Hello Fred,
your reply here gives me a little hope, maybe i should not…. but anyway
my account was hacked the 22d of February by Phishing scam. And i have the absolute same issue as you, the hacker turned the 2FA, no way to recover a code.
I have spent my days and nights trying to solve it. A nightmare….
100 reports, nice Meta agents trying to help but not escalating anything just saying that the account is lost, that they do not have any resources for helping more than the steps of the Help centre. 100 links, 100 video selfies, 100 error messages…
Everybody knows
My last hope is to download an older version as you did.
Unfortunately when i do it the screen is black…. It does not open. I might do something wrong.
Could you be so kind to share more about the technical steps you took.
Maybe the 16th of september 2021 version is now outdated by instagram, still this is my only hope…
Did you check version from october or november 2021?
Trying to gain some months here….
I would be forever thankful if you decided to help:)
Thank You so much for sharing this.
Again i am rying your way but the version of September 16th brings me to an error page when submiting. Like Ali and Carl…
Where did you get the apk?
What did you fill in the little text? Did you explain that you were hacked?
Thank You for helping
Kindly
Agathe
Thanks for this MJ. I managed to get as far as the form, but I am getting an unknown error message every time I try to submit it. Anyone else found the same thing?
Yes : (
Where do you go to get the previous version of Instagram?
My account has been suspended for TWO MONTHS! I’m feeling so frustrated trying to navigate Meta’s business dashboard. When I was in the US a month ago, I found the button to chat with a Meta representative but then got an error message that it was only available to US businesses??? I can’t even find it now.
This whole debacle has made me grow very concerned about Meta’s power over our lives. My Instagram account was where I had eight years of memories in photos and stories, as well as the only way to contact some of my friends. Knowing that a lot of people have logins for 3rd party services (including financial services) tied to Facebook means that a similar automated error could shut us out of very important apps and sites.
Hello after reading the article you wrote. I tried everything online even creating a business account but it turns out I couldn’t access to the live support options. I publish two ads but there’s no options for me to get in touch with them. If possible do help me or guide me since my account has been hacked from 11 October. Even though I tried multiple ways. Thank you
I’m in the same boat, the option to talk to an agent seems to be taken away 🙁
Oh my gosh!
It’s been a MONTH I try to talk with support via chat 🙂 I talked with something about 30 (!) agents and it seems they really can’t do anything about personal Instagram accounts. They all tell me the same thing “send an appeal form and wait”, lol.
Same, at this point I’m losing all hope.
Hello Jonny;
please I need your help, my account is disabled since 23th October , and appeals form couldn’t be submitted to Instagram since there is no enough team is working due to COVID-19, I need help plzzzzzzz
Hello after reading the article you wrote. I tried everything online even creating a business account but it turns out I couldn’t access to the live support options. I publish two ads but there’s no options for me to get in touch with them. If possible do help me or guide me since my account has been hacked from 11 October. Even though I tried multiple ways. Thank you
I’m in the same boat, seems like they took away any option to speak with an agent 🙁
Well I’ve been deactivated, more likely hacked. I don’t really know how to do all the fancy stuff meaning, sharing posts, or IDK what else there is, stories – don’t know how to do that either. I just read everybody else’s comments sometimes I’ll respond to some if they’re funny. BUT, the day before yesterday I noticed that there are people following me that I don’t know who they are? Ok, I don’t even post selfies, there are no pictures of anyone on my account except for my pets, garden, mountains, temperature gauge. Anyway, it’s so strange that even me, a nobody this would happen to my account. Another thing, I don’t even have Facebook! Guess you could even say I’m a technology challenged person, someone had a giveaway and they said to like, share post to story, I couldn’t even do that! Weird
Yo whats up,my account got hacked more than a month ago, shit was terrible. The dude stole my identity, bank account and money. I have probably talked to around 5 representatives in that time frame. I waited 2 weeks after talking to the 3rd or 4th since they said there is nothing i can do and i just have to wait for meta to send me an email on how to get back in. I already sent in my face and id weeks ago. Just finished talking to one and she said ¨The Internal Team is still in the process of investigating your case, gathering information and concrete evidence is also a part of this investigation. You will be receiving an update once the investigation is done. The normal turnaround time is 24 to 48 hours. But some case may take longer depending on the complexity of the issue.¨ So i just said alright. You think I should wait awhile again or just get right back in that chat box for someone else. That dude is still just randomly texting people in my account pretending to be me
Does this work for hacked accounts? My account is still active, but I don’t have possession of it.
Yes it’s worked for people that have had this problem before. No guarantees though
Hi Danealla
Great news 🙂 I’ve been told that my case has been sent to the specialist team it’s been 6 days so I emailed them today and they assured me it will be looked into but that they must be busy at the moment. Going by what you had said that it took 2 weeks, this gives me some hope but also worried if this falls through. Is anyone else experiencing something similar? Really hoping this is it.
I got the exact same response and was hopeful but in the end they just told me to fill out the appeal form…ummm you would think they could see that on my account that I had already submitted it if they really were looking into it.
I’m going through the same process. Did you have any luck yet?
Hi Johnny, very happy that I found you – you saved me 4 months+ of headache. I followed your advice to run an ad package of $5 and I immediately received the option to speak to a live person. The first person escalated it very quickly, though unsuccessfully, The second person managed to get my account re-activated in under 24 hours. Thank you so much for this page!
Wow that is a record! Congrats. Are you US based?
Was your account personal?
mariahandzen@gmail.com help!!!
Hi! I appreciate your time and posting this article. I cannot get to the Chat setting. I have followed up and actually had email responses from 3 people….but when I try to do the chat you listed AND they send a link for it’s not there. HELP!
I got my account back 5 days ago! I used the method Johnny showed and set up a business account, ran an add and waited until the add ran for a few days and my card was charged. BUT even though i did this, it literally took me 2 weeks of trying with SEVERAL different agents to even get anywhere! I finally got ONE who really sympathized with me. He gave me steps to follow and assured me if i did just, i’d have my account back, BUT it might take a lil while due to them being busy. I waited 2 more weeks and BAMB! Received a msg from FB saying me account was reactivated! Soooo thankful for the info I received on here. Dont give up guys! It make take a while but as long as you get someone willing to help, you’ll get your account back. <3
Congrats Danealla! Always such an amazing feeling to get your account back and all the hard work paid off.
I tried about 30 agents, they all just say they are sending my case to a specialized team, but then they come back and say no further action can be done
What were the steps he had you followed?
Hi Danealla
Great news 🙂 I’ve been told that my case has been sent to the specialist team it’s been 6 days so I emailed them today and they assured me it will be looked into but that they must be busy at the moment. Going by what you had said that it took 2 weeks, this gives me some hope but also worried if this falls through. Is anyone else experiencing something similar? Really hoping this is it.
Hello! This was very helpful. Unfortunately, I have not yet been successful with any of these steps. When I did the appeal process on Fb, I got an immediate email back saying I was permanently banned and that the decision was final. I tried creating a new business account with a brand new email. That was immediately banned. Ditto for Twitter, in an attempt to tag IG and Fb to try to get help. That was banned within hours. People are suggesting to me that for some reason, Fb/Meta went so far as to ban my various IP addresses and anything in my digital profile, which is wildly alarming. I have no idea what to do.
I’m starting to panic now as not only have no Facebook agents been able to help for x2 weeks now, nor do I have access to the Facebook live chat after having tried running an ad, but they are now saying that my email address associated with my account is now not associated with my account.
Can I assume that my account has been hacked ?
Or would Instagram take your email address of an account after disabling it? All other previous correspondence at least acknowledged that it was my correct email address and Instagram handle even though they weren’t helpful.
I can’t think of any reason that my account could have been disabled for apart from recently posting a video that had music playing in the background.
I have over 5,000 personal photos and videos on my Instagram, and over 1,000 friends on Facebook – which has also since been deactivated – of which I would like to regain access to.
I am so devastated ????
It’s not always hacked. Sometimes an action just triggers Instasgram’s security algorithm which autoamtically turns your account off. Either way, your only hope of getting it back is to talk to their support which is an uphill battle unfortunatey.
I paid for ads twice and I still haven’t gotten the support chat option. What can I do?
Same here
Hello,
I have created the ad today, and if it works correctly on the option on need support, if my Instagram is disable should I mention that? or say another thing that is related to instagram?
Thanks,
Hello everyone!
So I have a business account that got disabled for some reason. This should not have happened. I had a personal one hacked two years ago and never got it back. I switched to the business as I learned that was one of the only ways to get it back. So far at this point, i have submitted the appeal online and provided business documents as well a the selfie and code. I want to go further this time as I did not have success the previous as no one got in touch with me. I placed an ad on my business Facebook page and its now been charged. However I cannot find the place to be able to access the live chat. Am I missing something? It seems straight forward, however I just do not have the option. I need my page up again sooner than later. If anyone has any input as to where this chat is located, I would appreciate it. The button does not show up on the right side of the page as indicated above.
Thanks!
Thanks for this I really appreciate
Did you have have luck
where you able to get your account back?
Guys don’t believe any agent in this chat . I’ve payed all of them and nobody helped . Don’t give your money to nobody . Please don’t waste your money as I did
hi, i am speaking with an Meta agent via live chat and they said they will be calling me in 10 minutes. i dont understand why they want to speak with me. is to verify my identity??
Exactly ; I be like I prefer to chat
My Facebook account disappeared and it was my own fault. What I need to restore the old account is my url address. I have no way to restore my account unless i find my old url. So frustrating…
So here is the deal , my Instagram account has been hacked for years. I have talked to numerous Facebook chat agents all they do is send me the link to the Instagram help center and I told them that Instagram never replies then they told me to go through the form on the app and I told them I did that and when I did that it ask me for the previous password and I didn’t know it because the hacker changed all my contact info. Then they told me to use a android and I said it did the same thing , it doesn’t matter if you use android or iPhone your gonna get the same results. Then they ask me was my issue resolved and I said no , I still don’t have my account back so no my issue isn’t resolved. If y’all have any other solutions to help me get my account back please reply 🙂
Just to share my experience here, my partners fb account was hacked a month ago, the hackers uploaded some videos and _immediately_ their fb account was deactivated which in turn triggered an instant automated deactivation of our business instagram. We still don’t know how the two were linked as they used different logins, different emails and we’d tried hard to keep them separate.
We appealed the fb deactivation immediately and received an automated “your appeal is denied” response within an hour.
As our instagram was disabled all of the forms linked here are unusable, you have to actually be logged into insta to submit them, and the account you are submitting them about has to be active or the form won’t send, it will just error saying the insta account doesn’t exist.
So we placed an ad for $7 for 1 day and that unlocked the help desk option at the end of that day.
I’ve used a VPN to try USA, Europe and Asia-Pacific locations, there are definitely multiple different call centres with different playbooks. The USA one seems the most polite.
Unfortunately though none of the help desks have been helpful, I’ve had about 20 tickets now with them.
Every ticket ends up with some variation of “Your fb business manager account doesn’t seem to be hacked so we auto closed the ticket” or “Your insta account was closed for breaching company guidelines so we can’t help”.
Generally they don’t read the details after passing it to another team member, they just look at the category of request and close it.
They also told me they auto close any tickets that aren’t updated within 48 hours – this seems plausible as I have multiple tickets showing as ‘open’ in the help system for which I’ve received no reply, when I’ve asked an agent about them they say they are actually closed.
So, I’m stumped!
Has anyone recovered from having a business insta account shut down because of a fb hack?
Hi Ben, not sure regarding business accounts, sorry, but I wondered what VPN service you used ?
I’ve been using Tunnel Bear free plan, gives you 500mb free bandwidth per month and the USA exit points seems to typically be in California.
Hi were you able to get your account fixed
Thanks, Ben. Have you had any luck with getting access back to yours ?
None at all, it’s coming up on 2 months, I’ve talked to 30+ agents and raised dozens of tickets, some of them tell me that nothing can be done and it’s gone forever, others tell me that the one ticket I still have open is still being processed and everything will come back.
We’ve started a new insta account, 10 years of work down the drain.
If the old one ever does comeback then great, but I’m not counting on it now.
Hey did you manage to get it back? I’m in the same situation as you, some tell me it’s gone, some tell me it’s recoverable. If you found a way to get it back please tell me
Hi Marie, no luck so far, I’ve still got an open case with them but I have zero hope that our accounts are coming back.
I’ve consumed dozens of hours of their (and my) time now, but no one there has the interest or ability to actually fix anything, they get paid for listening to complaints, not resolving them.
The sad thing is that instagram never actually generated meaningful customer conversions for our business!
It cost us more to produce content than we ever got back from them, as to engage with our business you have to leave insta and do some work – and everything about insta is designed to keep you there and scrolling instead.
But you still need a good looking account as an indicator of legitimacy to prospective customers.
The sooner facebook and instagram crash the better, social media in it’s current form has just become a tax on all of our mental health and time ????
Would agree with that statement 100%
Sorry Mairi, no luck so far, they have been telling me it’s been passed to the correct team and should be fixed in 24-48 hours for that last 73 days now.
Sorry Mairi, no luck, they have been telling me it’s escalated to the right team and will be fixed in 24-48 hours for the last 73 days now.
I created an ad and waited a few days, but I still don’t see the option to talk to Facebook support live chat.
Hey there, it’s been a stressful journey as my account has been disabled since 9/18, exactly a month now. I haven’t violated any community guidelines. I recently started talking to Facebook reps but none have helped. Not until I was referred to a recovery agent IAMAPIECEOFSHITSPAMMER via 1G he’s legit & reliable
You are a spammer you POS
Hello! The last time I got access to my fan account was on July 16, after which I was thrown out of my account and asked to go through a captcha, and then enter the code that came to my phone. I entered the code, after which my account was checked for 24 hours, and then it was blocked. I do not know why this happened. I have never used mechanisms to artificially get Likes, increase the number of subscribers and reposts, although this reason is indicated in the blocking of my fan account. On the contrary, I noticed that the number of my subscribers began to decline sharply, their number became the same as it was in October-November 2021 (I conduct statistics in a special journal), as well as the coverage of publications fell and I began to hide likes. In all the five years that my account has existed, I have never violated the rules of Instagram. I sent 5-6 photos with a code, I also filled out other forms, but there was silence in response. I can’t even pay for ads because Facebook has banned advertising in my country. I’m desperate and don’t know what to do… Please, someone help me…
There have been examples of others that have been able to bypass buying ads with a direct link to the support so maybe start there (it’s in the comments section somewhere). Otherwise, buying ads is the only method that has any success unfortunately.
Hello I need help
Hello thanks for this article
I think I’ve finally got the Facebook ad click through help link to appear, and I can see where it says “contact support” but that text isn’t clickable, I think because I’m in the UK and not the US.
I see you recommend using a VPN but I’ve never done that before. It looks like I can buy one online but I’m not sure where to start. Has anyone used this method and if so, any recommendations about which one to use?
Express VPN and Nord VPN are quite good and solid options. I think you also get a free VPn if you subscribe to a certain level of Google One.
Thank you so much, this is so helpful
Hello thanks for this article it has really helped me