Jim Rossman: What happens to your Instagram after you die?

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I was scrolling through my Instagram account this week and I saw something that made me stop in my tracks.

In the right-hand column, there was a suggested list of people whose accounts I may want to follow and the first person on that list was my Aunt Sharon.

This got my attention because Aunt Sharon died back in 2021.

One of my first thoughts was, “I hope someone hasn’t hijacked her account.”

I was one of the executors of her estate, and her tech support person, and I can still log into her email account.

I went to the Instagram login page, entered her account name and clicked the “Forgot Password” link. Instagram emailed a link to update her account password.

Once I reset her password, I was able to see her account. She followed a lot of Instagram feeds (hundreds), but she never posted anything herself. Luckily, nobody had hijacked her account, but her empty feed was being followed by several hundred people.

I have to assume she just approved everyone who ever asked to follow her account, which happens a lot if you’re on Instagram, even if you never make a post. There are always people asking to follow your account to build up their own profiles.

Since she had no content to save, I decided to delete her account.

To delete an account, from the app on your phone, open Instagram, go to your profile and tap the three horizontal lines on the upper right and then tap Accounts Center.

Tap Personal Details and then tap Account Ownership and Control, which is the spot to manage your Instagram data and to deactivate or delete your account.

Again, I was able to do this for Aunt Sharon because I knew her login credentials. If you didn’t know the password, you do have options, but they involve Instagram support.

You can memorialize someone’s Instagram account, which is marked with the word “Remembering” next to the person’s name. The account will be frozen – all logins will be disabled. The deceased person’s posts will remain visible to their followers, but their account will not appear in the “People you may know” section. They’ll also not be able to gain new followers.

To memorialize the Instagram account or to delete an account after a person’s death, contact Instagram support and provide proof of death, such as a death certificate or obituary.