Instagram Not Working? Top Causes and Fixes!

Instagram not working correctly can lead to a frustrating experience. Social media platforms are complicated websites with a lot of moving parts. However, there’s usually a fix you can apply to remedy the issue. 

You shouldn’t put up with a poor Instagram experience when you’re facing glitches or crashes. In this guide, we’ll cover some easy-to-implement fixes that you can do within minutes. This includes things like restarting your app, logging out and back in, clearing the cache, and more. 

Why Is Instagram Not Working?

If you’re trying to figure out why Instagram is not working, you’ve come to the right place. We’ll cover some of the top reasons why your Instagram app might not work as expected. This allows you to make a few changes or apply fixes.

You Might Be Following Too Many People

Did you know that you can only follow a maximum of 7,500 accounts? When you try to follow more people than this number, the app will not allow you to follow additional accounts. Therefore, if you want to follow new accounts, you’ll need to unfollow some of the older ones. 

Most people will not have an issue with this error. That’s because it can take more than a lifetime to follow 7,500 accounts organically. However, some users who regularly follow IG accounts can reach this number fast. 

Corrupted Memory or Cache Files

Your phone or personal computer may have corrupted memory or app cache files that are causing problems. You don’t need to know the technicalities of this error, you simply need to restart your device. 

Rebooting your device clears the cache and memory, which gets rid of the corrupt files. Restarting your device also clears other problems, so it’s worth taking when the Instagram app is not working. 

Instagram App Might Be Down

Occasionally, the Instagram website is down and not working. This problem might be limited to your geographical area or for everyone. You can use the Instagram down detector to determine if the website is experiencing problems. 

When Instagram is down, there’s no fix that you can apply. You’ll simply need to wait until the website is back up and running. This could take a few seconds, minutes, or hours. However, it’s uncommon for large websites like Instagram to be down for an extended period. They have large teams of professionals working to keep the website up to 99.99%. 

Your Device Might Be the Problem

There are a large number of reasons why your specific device might be the problem. It could be for a range of technical issues and not on Instagram’s end. You can figure out if this is the case by logging in with another device. 

When you cannot log in with only one device, there could be a problem with the software or hardware. You’ll need to start troubleshooting the device. Consider restarting the operating software to factory settings. Also, you can use another browser to log into your Instagram account. 

Outdated Instagram App

Your Instagram may not be functioning properly because it is out of date. In most cases, this isn’t a problem because automatic updates are turned on by default. However, if your device isn’t updating, visit your device’s app store. This could be Google Play or the App Store. Look at the Instagram app page, and you may see an option to update. 

However, if you’re having trouble updating the app, consider reinstalling it. This means you’ll need to uninstall the app and then download it again. This process shouldn’t take more than a few minutes.

The App Is Not Working

You can troubleshoot if the Instagram app is the problem by using a browser. Use your favorite browser to access the Instagram website. If you can log into your account and use the website, then the app might be the problem. This narrows down the scope of the problem so you can focus on fixing the app. 

In some cases, the Instagram app might have technical difficulties that its developers must patch. This means you’ll need to use the Instagram website while you wait for a fix. 

Corrupted Cache Won’t Clear

Are you having trouble getting rid of the cache from your device? This could be the reason why the Instagram app isn’t working properly. Here is the step-by-step guide for clearing the chase of your device:

1. Start the Instagram app on your mobile device. 
2. Press the “Apps & Notifications” option. 
3. Go to the app list and select Instagram. 
4. Choose the “Storage & cache.”
5. Press “Clear cache.”

The options and specific steps might be somewhat different based on our device. However, the steps above are mostly universal for every device. Clearing the cache not only fixes technical issues but can also make the app run faster. Therefore, it’s a good idea to clear the cache manually every few weeks to a month.  

App Permissions Might Be Disabled

Like most apps on your mobile device, users must set app permissions for Instagram to function correctly. For example, when your device automatically sets push notifications for Instagram to off, there’s no way to receive them. 

Here is a step-by-step process for Android users to set up Instagram permissions:

1. Go to the Settings app. 
2. Press “Apps & notifications.”
3. Browse through your list of apps and choose Instagram. 
4. Choose Permissions. 
5. Now, you can toggle on the permissions one at a time. 

The process for iPhone users is similar to the one above, which you can start by going to your phone’s settings. 

Run Out of Storage Space

You may have run out of storage space, and that is causing the Instagram app not to function properly. This can cause frequent crashes and difficulty viewing content. Also, it usually slows down your phone. 

Here are a few suggestions for how you can increase the storage space of your phone:

• SD cards: You can invest in extra SD cards and swap them around. Depending on the number of GB each one has, you could have enough storage space to last decades.
• Cloud storage: Consider investing in a cloud storage service such as Google Drive, OneDrive by Microsoft, or DropBox. These services allow you to store files in the cloud, which means they aren’t on your device. This is also advantageous because the files are available from any device. Also, you’ll continue to have access if you accidentally lose your mobile device. 
• Delete files: Take the opportunity to delete files on your phone that you no longer need. It’s good practice to do this periodically to keep your device functioning properly. For example, you can delete photos that you don’t need for future viewing.

Report the Problem To Customer Support

When the fixes in this article do not work, then you should contact Instagram customer support. They can help you overcome issues to get your account working correctly. This is especially true when you are using a business account and rely on your IG account to grow a business. 

Customer support can help you troubleshoot a wide range of problems and fix issues faster than on your own. Typically, Instagram customer support’s waiting time is short, and the instructions are clear. 

Instagram Hashtags Not Working? 

Are your Instagram hashtags not working? Instagram hashtags are an important component of increasing the searchability of your posts and profile. However, when your hashtags are not delivering the desired results, you could be using the wrong strategy. Here are some of the top reasons why your Instagram hashtags strategy is not working:

• Wrong hashtags: Are you sure that your chosen hashtags are highly searched? To bring in an avalanche of traffic, you must select the best hashtags for your niche. Note that some hashtags have a lot of competition. Therefore, you need to pick the ones that your account can compete for. 
• Instagram Shadowban: Your hashtags will stop wrong when you have an Instagram Shadowban. The platform hands out shadowbans when users break the Instagram community guidelines. Also, you will not be able to share content with Instagram users who aren’t followers. 
• Irrelevant: You might be using hashtags that are irrelevant to your posts. This causes the Instagram algorithm to disregard your hashtags. That’s because incoming users from those hashtags have more engagement metrics. 
• Banned: You might be using banned hashtags, and these will certainly not work for any post. You need to check the list of banned hashtags to ensure you’re not applying the wrong strategy. 
• Same hashtags: Are you using the same handful of hashtags for every post? This is the wrong strategy since a limited number of hashtags leads to limited traffic. Instead, you need to increase the scope of your hashtag strategy by adding new variations. 
• Too many hashtags: Make sure to limit your hashtags use to about 4-5 per post. This leads to a good user experience. The limit per post is 30, and that’s way too much. 

Instagram Stories Not Working

Are your Instagram Stories not working? Instagram Stories are short-form content posted only to flowers and automatically deleted after 24 hours. However, when the popular content type isn’t working, it can lead to a frustrating experience. 

Firstly, you need to make sure that you follow the account from which you want to receive Instagram Stories. That’s because stories are only sent to followers of an account. Another user might have removed you as a follower, and that’s the reason why the stories have stopped working. 

Alternatively, you might have accidentally muted an account. This will also cause you to stop receiving stories from an account. You’ll need to go to the Muted Accounts tab and unmute the account to start receiving stories again. 

Instagram Reels Not Working

Are your Instagram Reels not working? There could be a number of reasons why Instagram Reels aren’t functioning properly. Here’s a list of the reasons and fixes that you can apply right now:

• Internet connection: It’s an obvious one, but your internet connection might be the cause of the problem. Check if you want to use other websites. This helps you quickly determine if the problem is Instagram or your connection. 
• Your region: Maybe Instagram Reels are not available in your geographic location. However, you can use a VPN to get around this problem. However, you’ll need to connect to your VPN every time you want to view the Instagram Reels. 
• Cache: When your phone’s cache is full, Instagram Reels can stop working. Therefore, you should clear the cache, too, and that might fix the problem. 
• Outdated IG app: Make sure that you’re trying to access the Instagram Reels on the latest app version. Some errors pop up when you’re not using the most recent version. 
• Log out and back in again: Some Instagram reel viewing errors can be fixed by logging into your account again. This should take just a few moments, and it’s even faster when your password is set to autocomplete. 

Instagram App Keeps Crashing

When the Instagram app keeps crashing, there could be a number of fixes that you can apply. Some Instagram crashes happen infrequently and are usually not a problem that needs solving. However, when the issues become frequent, apply some of the fixes mentioned toward the start of this article. This includes:

• Clearing the cache
• Restarting your device
• Log out and back in
• Clear up storage space
• Check your internet connection

Go through the fixes one by one, and you may land on a solution. Each time, any one of the fixes might be the solution, so you’ll need to try them all.

Instagram Links Not Working

Are your Instagram links not working? Here are some of the top reasons why your links on Instagram might not be working:

• Shortened links: Shortened links are a great way to improve the usability of links. That’s especially true if they are really long. Unfortunately, Instagram doesn’t support shortened links, so you’ll need to avoid using them. 
• Banned links: Some links are banned on Instagram, which could be the reason for the error. You need to avoid using banned links on Instagram since it can get you in trouble. The type of links banned on Instagram are ones breaking the community guidelines. 
• Reported link: A link can stop working when multiple users report it to Instagram customer support. There is nothing you can do in this situation other than to use other links. 
• Link not available: Make sure you aren’t using a link that is no longer available. 

Instagram Notifications Not Working

Do you have an issue with the Instagram notifications not working? There are a few possible fixes that you can apply when the notifications have stopped working. You may have done something accidentally, or the app defaults to another state. In any case, try these fixes to get notifications working again:

• Phone permissions: Make sure that your phone’s Instagram app permission is set on. This includes push notifications, which are excellent ways to receive updates from the app. 
• Account settings: You may need to check the notifications in your account settings. They might be switched off, so you can adjust the settings to match your preferences. 
• Follow the account: You need to follow an account to receive the relevant notifications. Sometimes, notifications stop because you are no longer a follower. 

Final Thoughts: When Your IG App Isn’t Working as Intended

To conclude, there are many fixes that you can apply when something isn’t working on Instagram. As a last resort, you can contact the Instagram customer support department. They can help you overcome issues step-by-step. 

Now that you know common reasons and fixes for Instagram not working correctly, give them a try. You can fix your Instagram app in just a few moments to use the app optimally. Also, when discovering a fix, make sure to remember it for next time. 
Are you looking for strategies to grow your Instagram account? Then, take advantage of the services provided here at Plixi. We provide a combination of an in-house algorithm and Instagram influencers to target specific audiences. So what are you waiting for? Start growing and gaining Instagram followers today.