How Many Instagram Accounts Can I Have? Limits Explained
How many Instagram accounts can I have? Instagram doesn’t publish a cap on how many you can own. The number it does publish is 10: you can have up to 10 accounts logged in at one time and switch between them without logging out. Checked against Instagram Help Center: Add and switch between multiple Instagram profiles A single email address can be linked to up to 5 of them.
Those two figures get mixed up a lot, and 5 is sometimes given as the logged-in limit, which Instagram’s current article doesn’t support. Below is each number with its source, then the steps for adding, creating and switching accounts. Switching accounts is one of dozens of tasks in our Instagram how-to collection.
Table of Contents
- How many Instagram accounts can I have?
- How to add another account and switch between them
- How to create a second Instagram account from your existing one
- What Accounts Center does with multiple accounts
- What happened to single login for multiple accounts?
- Is having more than one Instagram account against the rules?
- Should a second account be personal, creator or business?
- How to manage many Instagram accounts for a business
- Multiple Instagram accounts: FAQ
How many Instagram accounts can I have?
Instagram publishes no limit on how many accounts you can own; the numbers it does set cover logging in, email addresses and Accounts Center. If you’ve seen 5 quoted as the logged-in limit, Instagram’s current article says 10.
| Number | What it limits | Source |
|---|---|---|
| No published limit | Instagram accounts one person can own | Checked against Instagram Help Center: Add and switch between multiple Instagram profiles |
| 10 | Accounts logged in at one time | Checked against Instagram Help Center: Add and switch between multiple Instagram profiles |
| Up to 5 | Instagram accounts linked to one email address | Checked against Instagram Help Center: What to do if your login info is already used by another Instagram account |
| No published number | Accounts linked to one phone number | Checked against Instagram Help Center: What to do if your login info is already used by another Instagram account |
| 1 | Facebook accounts in one Accounts Center | Checked against Instagram Help Center: Add or remove your accounts from an Accounts Center |
The follow cap is a separate matter: our list of every Instagram limit covers it, along with group chat sizes and the rest.
How to add another account and switch between them
On a phone, you add an account you already have from the bottom of your profile menu, then switch by tapping your username at the top of your profile. On instagram.com, both live under More, then Switch accounts. Instagram publishes the same steps for iPhone and Android, so Android users can follow the iPhone lists:
On iPhone: add an existing account:
- Tap Profile or your profile picture in the bottom right to go to your profile.
- Tap Menu in the top right.
- Scroll to the bottom and tap Add account.
- Tap Log into existing account.
- Enter the username and password of the account you'd like to add.
- Tap Log In.
On iPhone: switch accounts:
- Tap Profile or your profile picture in the bottom right to go to your profile.
- Tap your username at the top of the screen.
- Tap the account you'd like to switch to.
Checked against Instagram Help Center: Add and switch between multiple Instagram profiles.
On a computer:
On the web: add an existing account:
- In the bottom left, click More, then click Switch accounts.
- Enter the username and password of the account you'd like to add.
- Click Log In.
On the web: switch accounts:
- In the bottom left, click More, then click Switch accounts.
- Click the account you'd like to switch to.
Checked against Instagram Help Center: Add and switch between multiple Instagram profiles.
How to create a second Instagram account from your existing one
Start from the account you’re already logged into: Instagram calls these additional profiles for the same account, and you make one from your profile name, under Add Instagram account, then Create new account. The new profile joins your Accounts Center unless you give it its own password instead. Instagram publishes these steps for the app only:
In the Instagram app:
- Open the Instagram app.
- Tap Profile or your profile picture in the bottom right to go to your profile.
- Tap your profile name at the top right.
- Tap Add Instagram account.
- Tap Create new account.
- Enter your new profile name, then tap Next.
- Tap Continue, then tap Allow and continue to add the new profile to your Accounts Center. Note: You can choose to create a password for this new profile if you don't want to add it to Accounts Center by tapping Create password instead. Create a password, then tap Next.
- Add phone or email, then tap Next.
- Tap Complete sign up.
Checked against Instagram Help Center: Add and switch between multiple Instagram profiles.
The sign-up asks for a phone number or email. Reusing your email works up to a point: Instagram says an email address can only be associated with up to 5 Instagram accounts, and it gives no number for phone numbers. If you’re told an account with your email or phone number already exists, Instagram’s advice is to check the login info you entered. Checked against Instagram Help Center: What to do if your login info is already used by another Instagram account
What Accounts Center does with multiple accounts
Accounts Center is where you add or remove the profiles that belong together, and each one can hold only one Facebook account. A profile created with the steps above lands there unless you gave it its own password. Instagram is gradually moving people to Meta Account settings, so you may see Meta Account in place of Accounts Center. The iPhone steps match Android, and the linked article also has computer steps:
On iPhone: add accounts:
- Log into the Instagram account you'd like to add to your Accounts Center.
- Tap Profile or your profile picture in the bottom right to go to your profile.
- Tap Menu in the top right.
- Tap Accounts Center.
- At the bottom, tap Add more accounts and follow the on-screen instructions.
On iPhone: remove accounts:
- Log into your Instagram account.
- Tap Profile or your profile picture in the bottom right to go to your profile.
- Tap Menu in the top right.
- Tap Accounts Center.
- Scroll down and tap Accounts.
- Tap Remove next to the profile you'd like to remove.
- Tap Remove account.
- Tap Continue, then tap Yes, remove [name].
Checked against Instagram Help Center: Add or remove your accounts from an Accounts Center.
What happened to single login for multiple accounts?
It’s closed to new accounts. If you set up a single login before, you can keep using it and remove accounts from it, but you can’t add accounts, and an account you remove can’t be added back. Each account on it keeps its own password, and if you never set one up, you won’t see these options. To take an account off a single login:
On iPhone: remove an account from a single login:
- Tap Profile or your profile picture in the bottom right to go to your profile.
- Tap Menu in the top right.
- Tap Accounts Center.
- Tap Logging in with accounts.
- Tap Choose which accounts can log into other accounts and tap the account you want to remove.
- Below Which accounts can [account's name] log in to, tap Uncheck next to the account you want to remove and follow the on-screen instructions.
Checked against Instagram Help Center: Keep using one login across multiple Instagram profiles.
Is having more than one Instagram account against the rules?
No, but Instagram’s Terms of Use limit what those accounts can be. You can’t impersonate someone or something you aren’t, you must give accurate and up-to-date information, and you can’t create an account for someone else without their express permission. The Terms add that you don’t have to disclose your identity on Instagram. Checked against Instagram Terms of Use For what people mean by a finsta or a spam account, see our explainer on spam accounts and finstas.
The hard line is accounts made after a ban. Creating a new account to get around a ban or suspension breaks Instagram’s terms. They make it a condition of use that Instagram hasn’t previously disabled your account for breaking the law or its policies, Checked against Instagram Terms of Use (effective 1 January 2025) and Meta says it disables accounts created to get around its restrictions. Checked against Meta Transparency Center: Disabling accounts (updated Jul 17, 2025) If your account was suspended, use Instagram’s own appeal, covered in what to do when Instagram suspends your account.
Should a second account be personal, creator or business?
Pick by what the account is for. Instagram describes business accounts as best for retailers, local businesses, brands, organizations and service providers, and creator accounts as best for public figures, content producers, artists and influencers. Checked against Instagram Help Center: About professional accounts on Instagram Switching a private personal account to professional makes it public, and all pending follow requests are accepted. Checked against Instagram Help Center: Set up a professional Instagram account to access business or creator tools and controls The steps are in our guide to switching to an Instagram business account. A public professional account is also one of the requirements for Meta’s creator marketplace and Instagram’s affiliate program.
How to manage many Instagram accounts for a business
Besides switching profiles in the app, a business running several accounts can use a third-party tool, and the first check for any tool is whether it asks for your Instagram password. If it does, avoid it: Instagram’s Terms forbid soliciting, collecting or using other people’s login credentials. Checked against Instagram Terms of Use
Tools that publish through Instagram’s API follow Meta’s rules for those APIs. Meta’s developer documentation says the APIs serve only professional (business or creator) accounts, so each account has to be professional; the version that uses Instagram Login doesn’t need a linked Facebook Page. Checked against Meta for Developers: Overview of the Instagram Platform
Since we build Outfeed AI, here’s how it handles several accounts:
Connect your Instagram accounts to Outfeed AI
Multiple Instagram accounts: FAQ
How many Instagram accounts can you be logged into at once?
Instagram’s Help Center says you can have up to 10 accounts logged in at one time and switch between them without logging out, by tapping your username at the top of your profile. It publishes no limit on how many accounts you can own.
Can you have multiple Instagram accounts with one email?
Yes, up to 5. Instagram says an email address can only be associated with up to 5 Instagram accounts, and it gives no number for phone numbers. You can also create another profile from the account you’re logged into: tap your profile name, then Add Instagram account, then Create new account.
Can you have more than 5 Instagram accounts?
Yes. Five is the limit for one email address, not for accounts overall. Instagram lets you have up to 10 accounts logged in at one time and publishes no limit on how many accounts a person can own.
Is it against Instagram’s rules to have multiple accounts?
Not in itself, but Instagram’s Terms of Use bar impersonating someone or something you aren’t and creating an account for someone else without their express permission. The Terms also require that Instagram hasn’t previously disabled your account, and Meta disables accounts created to get around its restrictions.
Can you still use one login for multiple Instagram accounts?
Only if you set it up before. Instagram’s single login is closed to new accounts: you can keep using an existing one and remove accounts from it, but you can’t add accounts, and a removed account can’t be added back.