How to Switch to a Business Account on Instagram
How to switch to a business account on Instagram: go to your profile, tap More, tap Account type and tools below For professionals, then Switch to professional account. Pick a category and choose Business. Two things happen when you switch: a private account becomes public, and every pending follow request is accepted. You can switch back to personal at any time.
The category you pick doesn’t decide whether you get a business or a creator account; that’s a separate choice, and you can move between the two later. If you’re setting up Instagram from scratch, how to use Instagram starts at the beginning.
Table of Contents
- Personal, Creator or Business: which Instagram account type do you need?
- How to switch to a business account on Instagram
- What changes when you switch to a professional account?
- Can a business account on Instagram be private?
- Do you need a Facebook Page for an Instagram business account?
- How to switch back to a personal account
- Can Outfeed help once you’ve switched?
- Switching account types: FAQ
Personal, Creator or Business: which Instagram account type do you need?
Instagram says business accounts suit retailers, local businesses, brands, organizations and service providers, and creator accounts suit public figures, content producers, artists and influencers. Both are professional accounts, and Instagram lists one shared feature set for them. Stay personal if you want the account private. Instagram publishes no side-by-side comparison, so this table is assembled from its separate help articles:
| Personal | Creator | Business | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Can be private | Yes | No | No |
| Free insights | Your dashboard, if the account is public | Professional dashboard | Professional dashboard |
| Contact info and category label on the profile | No | Yes | Yes |
| Boost posts and create ads | No | Yes | Yes |
| Instagram’s licensed music library | Meant for personal, non-commercial use | Not singled out | Not available to certain business accounts |
| Posts and reels can be indexed by search engines | No | If the account holder is over 18 | If the account holder is over 18 |
| Meta Verified creator subscription (eligibility list only) | Listed as eligible | Listed as eligible | Not listed |
| Publishing through Meta’s Instagram API (scheduling apps) | No | Yes | Yes |
| Switching type | To creator or business | To business or personal, any time | To creator or personal, any time |
Checked against Instagram Help Center: About professional accounts on Instagram.
The Meta Verified row covers only the creator subscription’s eligibility: Meta’s article for that subscription names personal and creator profiles and doesn’t list business accounts. Checked against Instagram Help Center: Eligibility requirements for Meta Verified creator subscriptions It isn’t a statement about any Meta Verified offer for businesses. The other rows are sourced in the sections below. Running a personal and a business account side by side? See how many Instagram accounts you can have. If you’re weighing a creator account to get paid, how to earn money from Instagram lists each payout route and its follower minimum.
How to switch to a business account on Instagram
In the app: Profile, More, Account type and tools, Switch to professional account, a category, then Business. On instagram.com you start from More, then Settings, and pick Business before the category. Instagram’s iPhone and Android steps are identical:
On iPhone:
- Tap Profile or your profile picture in the bottom right to go to your profile.
- Tap More to go to your Settings and activity.
- Below For professionals, tap Account type and tools.
- Select Switch to professional account.
- Select your category. You can choose a category that best describes what you do. Note: The category you choose does not determine whether you'll set up a business or creator account.
- Tap Switch to professional account.
- To set up a creator account, choose Creator. To set up a business account, choose Business.
- Tap Next.
- If you're setting up a creator account, complete the optional steps to set up your profile. To skip this step, tap X on the top right corner to return to your profile.
Checked against Instagram Help Center: Set up a professional Instagram account to access business or creator tools and controls.
On the web:
On the web:
- Click More, then select Settings.
- Below For professionals, select Account type and tools.
- Click Switch to professional account.
- To set up a creator account, choose Creator. To set up a business account, choose Business.
- Click Next.
- Select your category. You can choose a category that best describes what you do. Note: The category you choose does not determine whether you'll set up a business or creator account.
- Click Done. You'll need to confirm that you want to switch to a professional account by clicking Continue.
Checked against Instagram Help Center: Set up a professional Instagram account to access business or creator tools and controls.
After you switch in the app, Instagram offers optional steps: add contact details, connect a Facebook Page, and choose whether to display your category label and contact info.
What changes when you switch to a professional account?
Your account goes public, pending follow requests are accepted, and you gain the Professional dashboard, contact options and ads. If you’re over 18, your posts can also appear in search engines. One thing can shrink: certain business accounts lose Instagram’s licensed music library.
- Public, straight away. Instagram’s note: “If your personal account is private, switching to a professional account will make it public. All pending follow requests will be automatically accepted when you go public.” Checked against Instagram Help Center: Set up a professional Instagram account to access business or creator tools and controls
- Professional dashboard. You open insights from Professional dashboard on your profile, or Insights below For professionals in Settings and activity. You don’t need to switch for analytics alone: Instagram says dashboards and free insights are available to all public accounts. Checked against Instagram Help Center: About Instagram dashboards Past insights may not show if you converted recently. Checked against Instagram Help Center: View account and content insights on Instagram (+ Troubleshoot viewing Instagram Insights) Our Instagram Insights guide explains what each number means.
- Contact options and a category label. You edit your connected Page, business category and contact info under Edit profile, then Public Business Information, where Profile Display shows or hides the label and contact info. Instagram says you must be using a professional account to edit this. Checked against Instagram Help Center: How to edit your business information on Instagram
- Ads. Creating ads on Instagram needs a professional account and an age over 16. Checked against Instagram Help Center: Boost a post on Instagram (+ Troubleshoot boosting content)
- Search engines. Instagram lets search engines index photos and videos from public reels and posts uploaded from 1 January 2020 onwards, but only from accounts that are currently public, professional and held by someone over 18. Once an account qualifies, its story highlights can be indexed too. Checked against Instagram Help Center: Why search engines might index public Instagram photos and videos
- Recommendation status. A professional account can check in Account Status whether its content may be recommended to people who don’t follow it. Checked against Instagram Help Center: Recommendation eligibility on Instagram
- Music, for some business accounts. Instagram’s licensed library is for personal, non-commercial use, so “certain business accounts and certain types of posts do not have access.” Those accounts can use Meta’s Sound Collection of over 14,000 royalty-free songs and sounds, which can be used commercially. Checked against Instagram Help Center: Access to the licensed music library on Instagram
Can a business account on Instagram be private?
No. Instagram’s help is direct: “Professional accounts can’t be set to private.” That covers creator and business accounts alike. Checked against Instagram Help Center: About professional accounts on Instagram To make the account private again, you first have to switch back to a personal account. Checked against Instagram Help Center: Make your Instagram account private
Don’t flip back and forth. Instagram says accounts that switch between public and private too many times may be temporarily limited in how many follow requests they can approve per day, and may have existing follow requests removed. Checked against Instagram Help Center: Why you're limited from approving follow requests on Instagram
Do you need a Facebook Page for an Instagram business account?
No. Connecting a Facebook Page is one of the optional steps Instagram offers after you switch, not a requirement. Checked against Instagram Help Center: Set up a professional Instagram account to access business or creator tools and controls Meta’s developer documentation adds that the Instagram API with Instagram Login “does not require a Facebook Page to be linked to the Instagram professional account.” Checked against Meta for Developers: Overview of the Instagram Platform
If you do connect a Page, remember that switching back to a personal account disconnects it. Checked against Instagram Help Center: Set up a professional Instagram account to access business or creator tools and controls The ways to connect the two, and what each one does, are in how to link Facebook to Instagram.
How to switch back to a personal account
In the app: Profile, Menu (you may also need to tap Settings), Account type and tools, Account type, Switch account type, then Switch to personal account. On the web it’s under Business tools and controls or Creator tools and controls. Instagram says you can switch back at any time. iPhone and Android share these steps:
On iPhone:
- Tap Profile or your profile picture in the bottom right to go to your profile.
- Tap Menu in the top right. Note: You may also need to tap Settings.
- Tap Account type and tools.
- Tap Account type.
- Tap Switch account type.
- Tap Switch to personal account, then tap Switch to personal to confirm.
Checked against Instagram Help Center: Switch back to a personal Instagram account from an Instagram professional account.
On instagram.com:
On the web:
- Tap Profile or your profile picture in the bottom right to go to your profile.
- Click More in the bottom left, then click Settings.
- Select Business tools and controls or Creator tools and controls depending on your profile type.
- Click Switch to personal account.
- Click Switch back to confirm.
Checked against Instagram Help Center: Switch back to a personal Instagram account from an Instagram professional account.
What you give up: access to ads and possibly some tools, and any Facebook Page connected to the professional account is disconnected. Checked against Instagram Help Center: Set up a professional Instagram account to access business or creator tools and controls Instagram’s switch-back article also names Meta Business Suite and Meta Ads Manager among the business tools you lose. Checked against Instagram Help Center: Switch back to a personal Instagram account from an Instagram professional account
Your insights data isn’t deleted straight away. Instagram’s insights troubleshooting article says you lose access to in-app insights when you switch back to personal, but your insights data is preserved for 90 days. Checked against Instagram Help Center: View account and content insights on Instagram (+ Troubleshoot viewing Instagram Insights) Instagram’s switch-back article adds that a public personal account still has Your dashboard and insights. Checked against Instagram Help Center: Switch back to a personal Instagram account from an Instagram professional account
Switching between Creator and Business
You can move between creator and business at any time without going back to personal. In the app:
On iPhone:
- Tap Profile or your profile picture in the bottom right to go to your profile.
- Tap More to go to your Settings and activity.
- Tap Account type and tools, then tap Account type.
- Tap Switch account type.
- Tap to choose the type of account you want to switch to.
- Tap Switch.
Checked against Instagram Help Center: Set up a professional Instagram account to access business or creator tools and controls.
Android is the same. On the web, the option sits under Creator tools and controls or Business tools and controls, depending on your current type.
Can Outfeed help once you’ve switched?
The account type matters for scheduling tools in general. Meta’s developer documentation says: “To use the APIs, your app users must have an Instagram professional account.” So any app that publishes through those APIs needs your account to be creator or business. Checked against Meta for Developers: Overview of the Instagram Platform Once you’ve switched, our guide to scheduling Instagram posts compares your options.
Connect your professional Instagram account in Outfeed AI
Switching account types: FAQ
How do I switch my Instagram to a business account?
In the Instagram app, go to your profile, tap More, then tap Account type and tools below For professionals. Select Switch to professional account, choose a category, tap Switch to professional account, choose Business and tap Next. On instagram.com, start from More, then Settings. A private account becomes public when you switch.
What’s the difference between a creator and a business account on Instagram?
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. It lists one shared set of professional features for both. Among the differences it documents: certain business accounts don’t get the licensed music library, and Meta’s eligibility list for the Meta Verified creator subscription names personal and creator profiles but not business accounts.
Can a business account on Instagram be private?
No. Instagram says professional accounts can’t be set to private. If your personal account is private when you switch, it becomes public and all pending follow requests are accepted automatically. To make the account private again, you first have to switch back to a personal account.
Do I need a Facebook Page for an Instagram business account?
No. Connecting a Facebook Page is one of the optional steps Instagram offers after you switch. Meta’s developer documentation says the Instagram API with Instagram Login doesn’t need a Page linked to the professional account. If you do connect one, switching back to a personal account disconnects it.
How do I switch back to a personal account on Instagram?
Go to your profile, tap Menu (you may also need to tap Settings), then Account type and tools, Account type and Switch account type. Tap Switch to personal account, then Switch to personal. You lose access to ads and to some Meta business tools, like Meta Business Suite and Meta Ads Manager. Instagram says your insights data is preserved for 90 days, and a public personal account still has Your dashboard and insights.