Resources to Recover Disabled/Deactivated Instagram Account
Back in February our Instagram business account was mistakenly disabled for "violating terms". There was no warning, nor any reason given for it being disabled, and I could not come up with anything that I could have done that would have flagged our account. I was finally able to regain access, but it took me over a month. In my search for answers, I came across 3 other people who's accounts were disabled the exact same day as mine. One person got her account back a week before mine, one got an email that her account was back but has still not been able to access it, and the other one hasn't gotten it back. It can take anywhere from 24 hours to 8+ months, there's literally no timeline and little to no communication. I decided to create a resource guide so if this ever happens to anyone else, you have a place to start.
This process was SUPER defeating as there were no warnings, no explanations, and basically no way to contact a human to get help or to get a response. I easily spent 20-30 hours this past month researching and sorting through old, outdated advice/links to learn what I could do to get a business account back (a lot was geared to personal accounts), filling out countless forms, and so much more. It was a huge time suck. During all of this, I read something that really stuck with me. Your FB/IG (and any other social media platform) is borrowed real estate. You own none of it and it can be taken away without warning in a flash, they owe you nothing.
What to Do Right Now
Download your content from FB/IG, there are lots of online resources that outline how to do this.
If your account is disabled, unless they let you back in, you have no way of getting that content and it very easily could be gone forever.
If you have business accounts, screenshot EVERYTHING.
Your bio, your highlights, your followers and who you follow; it gives you a starting point. I can tell you that creating a brand new account from scratch was so daunting.
If you can utilize an email list for customers, do this.
That way you can still reach your customers if you lose your social media platform.
Resources to Aid in Recovering Disabled Instagram Account
Appeal Forms:
https://www.facebook.com/help/instagram/contact/606967319425038
(this form seemed to get the best results for others and doesn’t lock you out from submitting more than one, however did not work for me)
When filling out the forms, you want to ensure you get the quickest response so follow these steps:
Even if you’re a business, click NO I am not -- the verification process reportedly takes longer if you say yes
You can put any email (doesn't have to be the one linked to the account. So if they block the one that’s linked to your disabled profile, put any other one.
I've read submitting multiple forms on different email addresses can help.
Rumor is gmail addresses get the best response.
No matter where you live in the world, always say you’re from the United States, they prioritize those tickets and the success rate is higher
Important! If they deny your first appeal, keep submitting more. You can get a few no’s.
The goal of the forms is to trigger the automatic email that requests you send a selfie of yourself holding a paper with a code they give you. This is supposed to allow them to verify you're a human and allow you to regain your account. I did 5 of these selfie/code emails and did not get ANY responses. No denials or approvals.
Direct Email Address:
datarequests@support.instagram.com
I did get a response that appeared to be an actual person, but they did say they couldn’t help and stopped responding. Only tried once, so it might be something to do again from different email addresses in hopes you get someone willing to help. This is the ultimate goal, getting a REAL person willing to help you!
Talk to a Representative: THIS IS WHAT WORKED FOR ME, PERSONALLY, ON A BUSINESS ACCOUNT
https://www.facebook.com/business/help?ref=fbb_ens
If you have ever run an ad then this step will work for you. You need an ad account to be able to access this feature. I cannot speak on the success of this if you're trying to get back a personal account but have read that you can create a business page on FB and run a $3 ad to get access to this chat feature.
You’re going to go here:
Click Get Started and click any of the next menu options so that you get to the Need more help? Contact Support. And chat with a representative.
Tips for these Chats:
Be really nice. Being angry or nasty is not going to help you.
Explain your situation in detail.
Expect to talk to a few reps before one is kind enough to help. Took me 6 reps before I got one willing to help me out.
Ask for a specific case number (they should do this automatically).
Request them to send you a personal email with the information stated within the chat. This did not work for me but the one that ended up helping did say she would contact me with updates and actually followed through.
Ask them to submit an appeal on your behalf or escalate and update you.
If the rep immediately says they can’t help, politely thank them and move on. The rep that ended up helping me never told me she couldn’t. She asked lots of questions and then said she would help.
I know this was a lot of information, but I hope that if you're ever in this situation you will find this helpful! I would like to note, that I cannot personally help you get your account back. I do not have any direct contacts and literally utilized all of the steps listed above. This is all the advice I have to give.