Instagram not working?
Find the culprit in 5 minutes.
First question: is Instagram down, or is it you? The 2-minute test below answers that — then the fix ladder handles the rest: frozen feeds, login errors, failed uploads and crash loops, in the order that actually resolves them. No mysticism, just the checklist.
The down-or-me test 🕵️
Check the outage radar
Open Downdetector or search 'instagram down' on X. A spike of reports = Instagram's problem. Close this page, make tea, wait.
Try the browser + other network
Open instagram.com in a browser and flip WiFi ↔ mobile data. Browser works, app doesn't → it's the app. Nothing works anywhere → your connection.
Isolate app vs account
Still stuck? If a friend's account works on YOUR phone but yours doesn't, it's account-level — think login, suspension or action block, not cache.
Six failures, six fixes
“Couldn't refresh feed”
Connection or cache. Airplane-mode toggle → switch WiFi/data → force-close → clear cache → update. In that order.
Can't log in
Reset the password, update the app, try instagram.com. A suspension notice is an account action — appeal in-app, don't debug.
Uploads failing
Retry on stable WiFi, update, clear cache. Fails on every network for hours? Possible temporary action block — wait it out.
Crashing or freezing
Update the app, restart the phone, clear cache, check you have 1GB+ free storage. Post-update crashes = wait for the patch.
Photos won't load
Half-loaded feed with grey squares is bandwidth or cache. Same ladder as the feed fix — cache clear catches most of it.
Everything works but looks wrong
Missing likes, vanished followers, odd counts — that's usually Instagram's side (or a purge), not your phone. Give it a day before panicking.
The fix ladder: cheap moves first, nuclear last
Troubleshooting Instagram is mostly about order. The fixes people jump to first — reinstalling, resetting the phone, changing passwords in a panic — are the expensive ones, while the fixes that actually resolve most cases cost seconds. The ladder: airplane-mode toggle (resets the network stack), network switch (isolates WiFi weirdness), force-close and reopen (clears the app's working state), cache clear (flushes corrupted temp files — the step-by-step guide covers iPhone's offload trick and Android's one-tap version), then app update and log out/in. Reinstall only after all six — and know it's safe: your account, posts and messages live on Instagram's servers, not in the app.
Action blocks: when “broken” is a timeout
Sometimes nothing is malfunctioning — Instagram is limiting you. Rapid-fire following, mass liking or bot-like activity earns temporary action blocks: likes that don't stick, follows that bounce, uploads that always fail. These expire on their own (hours to a couple of days); the fix is to genuinely stop the behavior, not to hammer the button. Third-party apps that had your password are the classic trigger — remove their access, change your password, and stick to tools that never ask for a login. Repeated blocks are also an early warning sign worth taking seriously before they escalate to account actions.
When the numbers look broken but aren't
A special category of “not working”: the app runs fine but your follower count dropped overnight, likes vanished, or engagement cratered. That's rarely a bug — Instagram purges bot accounts in batches, and real followers leave in clusters after certain posts. Before filing bug reports, check what actually changed: the followers tracker shows exactly who left and when, and the losing-followers guide separates purge from exodus. A count that drops with names attached isn't broken — it's information.
Instagram problems, answered
Why is Instagram not working right now?
Rule out an outage first: check Downdetector or search 'instagram down' on X/Twitter. If reports are spiking, it's Instagram's problem and waiting is the only fix. If the internet says Instagram is fine, the issue is local — connection, app cache, an outdated version, or your account — and the checklist on this page finds it.
How do I know if Instagram is down or it's just me?
Two-minute test: open instagram.com in a browser on another network (switch WiFi to mobile data). Works in browser but not the app → app problem. Dead everywhere → check Downdetector for an outage. Works for a friend but not you → account-level issue.
Why does my Instagram feed not refresh ('Couldn't refresh feed')?
The classic. In order: toggle airplane mode (resets the connection), switch WiFi ↔ mobile data, force-close and reopen the app, clear the app cache, update the app. One of those five fixes it in the vast majority of cases; if none do, log out and back in.
How do I clear the Instagram cache?
Android: Settings → Apps → Instagram → Storage → Clear cache (not Clear data). iPhone has no cache button — offload the app (Settings → General → iPhone Storage → Instagram → Offload App) or delete and reinstall. Our clear-cache guide walks both, step by step.
Why is Instagram not letting me log in?
Triple-check the password (reset it if unsure), make sure the app is updated, and try logging in via instagram.com. If Instagram says the account is suspended or you see 'we suspended your account', that's an account action, not a bug — follow the in-app appeal flow.
Why are my photos or reels not uploading?
Usually connection or size: uploads need stable bandwidth, so retry on WiFi. Also check for an app update, clear cache, and make sure the file isn't unusually long or large. Repeated failures on every network can indicate a temporary action block — wait a few hours.
Why does Instagram keep crashing or freezing?
Stale app or starved phone. Update Instagram, restart the phone, clear cache, and check free storage (under ~1GB free makes many apps unstable). If crashes started right after an app update, you're not alone — check recent reviews and wait for the patch.
Nothing works — what's the nuclear option?
In order of escalation: log out and back in → reinstall the app → try another device or the web app to isolate account vs device → report the problem (Settings → Help → Report a problem). Reinstalling never deletes your account or content; everything lives on Instagram's servers.
Follower count acting weird?
That's not a bug to fix — it's a question to answer. UnfollowCheck shows who left and when, so drops stop being mysteries. Free to try, no password.