Did Instagram just disable your account for no apparent reason?

In this post, I will show you how to recover a disabled Instagram account fast!

On March 13, 2021, Instagram disabled my account stating that “I was impersonating someone else”.

After 3 days of agony and multiple reports submitted (including a mugshot), I finally recovered my account.

So, in this blog post, I want to share a quick summary of my whole experience, including why I think my Instagram account was deactivated and how I got it back so quick.

First of all, you may be wondering “WTH is going on with Instagram disabling my account?”

Well, tell me about it!

I was shocked and angry too to see that my Instagram account was disabled, but not surprised it happened.

You see, in my job as a social media marketer, I am connected to a community of small businesses and virtual assistants around the world.

In the social media community, we usually share our experiences (and ISSUES) with each other openly.

Since the beginning of 2021, I have seen more than 30 other people who’ve had their Instagram disabled and reinstated back after a long series of back and forth emails and appeals.

Knowing that I am not the first one, nor that I am alone, I felt more secure that NOT ALL HOPE IS LOST when I saw myself “kicked out” of the platform that I loved so much and built a business upon.

If you’ve followed me on social media you’d know I talk very fondly of Instagram and I even have an online course teaching people how to build an effective Instagram strategy.

It’s clear to say that Instagram is a central part of my small business.

What are some common reasons why your Instagram account is disabled?

Since I shared my story on how I got my Instagram deactivated and reactivated, I started getting messages from other people who had gone through similar experiences.

Below is a summary of the main reasons a majority of people had their Instagram accounts suspended or deactivated.

Actions that can get your Instagram deactivated:

1. Suspected Fake Identity

It’s possible to get your account deactivated if someone lodges a report against you claiming that you’re pretending to be someone else. Avoid using “stolen” photos, or images of other people without their permission.

2. Copyright issues

If you’re sharing photos from other accounts, photographers or influencers that show their logos and you don’t own. People can lodge a copyright report with Instagram and your account may be deactivated until you show proof that you own those disputed images/videos/sounds.

3.Violating the Instagram Terms and Conditions

This is a wide category. It can be anything from promoting products without using the hashtag #ad, using Instagram to scam people in DMs, buying fake followers, using bots and unapproved third-party apps, or anything that the Instagram AI-powered algorithm finds odd with your account.

• Sharing “controversial content”, political content or content that includes violence, racism, profanity, exploiting minors etc.

4. Acting like a spammer

If the Instagram AI finds inconsistency in your posting frequency (eg. you suddenly start posting 20 posts in a row, or commenting on 100 posts in 1 hour) it can block your account temporarily asking for identification proof. This is to ensure you’re a genuine persona and not a bot.

But the main issue with Instagram is that they usually don’t tell which policy you violated and you’re left guessing “What did I do wrong” during the first 24 hours when you’re locked out of your account.

What can you do if your Instagram was deactivated?

In the next section, I am sharing a timeline of all the actions I did to recover my disabled Instagram account in hope that it may give you more clarity on what steps you can take to appeal if your account was disabled too.

*Disclaimer: Please take note that everyone’s situation is different and what worked for me may not necessarily work for you.

How to recover a disabled Instagram account fast

This is a story of my own experience of having my Instagram account deactivated for impersonating someone else.

DAY 1 – the agony and despair of not knowing why my Instagram account was disabled

I was minding my day when I tried to open the Instagram app and was asked to submit my phone number as verification. Okay, I found it suspicious. But proceeded to enter my phone number.

I also took a screenshot just in case.

After typing the verification code sent to my phone, I was greeted with another message saying that my account is under review and I am banned from using the app for 24 hours.

This made me annoyed!

So I tried to log in again.

Every time I tried to log in, I saw the same message:

“Thank you for providing your info. We’ll review it and if we can confirm it, you’ll be able to request a review in the Help Centre within 24 hours.”

I thought “This is no good”. But I have seen other Instagram influencers share that their accounts were also blocked for 24h and managed to get them back.

I just took the day off and went outside for a walk and do some errands.

I had high hopes that it will all go away the next day.

DAY 2 – My Instagram was still disabled. I was able to send a report

The next day came and I was still not able to log into my Instagram account.

I also noticed that my account disappeared from the Instagram search as if it never existed.

Naturally, I did what everyone else would do in this situation: I turned to my personal Instagram profile to inform my friends, clients and relatives that my business page was deactivated.

Now after about 24 + hours of waiting, I tried to log in again and this time I was able to request a review of my Instagram account.

THE FORMS I FILLED UP TO GET BACK MY INSTAGRAM

After 24 hours, when I tried to log into my account I saw an option to submit an appeal form. And that’s what I did.

*Note: I submitted these forms using 3 different emails (and around 6 times each) because I couldn’t remember which email I used to create my Instagram account. I also never received any confirmation from Instagram that they’re getting my emails.

Eventually, I received a reply from the Instagram team on the last email address I submitted after a few days.

If you believe your account has been inadvertently disabled for impersonating someone else, you can also fill up these forms:

1. https://help.instagram.com/contact/16…​

2. https://help.instagram.com/contact/60…​

*Pro tip: When you submit the appeal form, they’ll ask you if your account is personal or for business. I suggest you don’t tick the business option.

Request a personal review instead, and you’ll be able to recover your account will be faster with fewer documents and steps (even if the account deactivated is for a business).

That’s what I found researching YouTube videos and speaking to other people. And this is what ultimately worked for me!

Meanwhile … I felt like nothing is working. So I shared my experience in a YouTube video.

DAY 3 – after 72 hours, finally some good news: Instagram replied …

On the evening of day 3, I finally received an email from the Instagram Team with guidelines on how to recover my account.

Basically, they asked me to send them a photo of myself holding a white piece of paper with my name, username and a code they provided in the email they sent to me.

About 30 minutes after I send the photo verification, people started messaging me that all of a sudden my business account was back LIVE!

I was surprised to find that this time when I tried to log in it just went through without any questions asked.

So this is how you can recover your disabled Instagram account.

I am happy to have it back, but I am saddened that this happened in the first place.

24 hours after getting my Instagram account reinstated, I still have no answer to the question “Why? What did I do so wrong that Instagram had decided to banish me from the app – taking away my only method of earning an honest income during a global pandemic.”

Hope this helps you if you are facing a similar issue!

Please note that everyone’s situation is different and I cannot state for sure that if you follow this method Instagram will reinstate your account. But it’s worth a try!

And let me know if you manage to get it back!

Feel free to ask any questions or share your tips. If you managed to recover your Instagram account via a different method pls comment with your successful experience below.

I tell all about my experience and show you how to recover your deactivated Instagram account in 2 NEW YouTube videos

WATCH PART 1 – Instagram deactivated my account for impersonating myself!

WATCH PART 2 – How I recovered my deactivated Instagram account in 3 days https://youtu.be/gNjuu4p0dmo