How to switch back to a personal account
The setting is hard to find because Instagram never calls it turning off a business account. In the app it is "switch to personal account", and it sits under account type rather than under privacy or settings. On iPhone and Android:
- Tap your profile picture in the bottom right to open your profile.
- Tap the menu in the top right. On some versions you then tap Settings.
- Tap Account type and tools.
- Tap Account type.
- Tap Switch account type.
- Tap Switch to personal account, then Switch to personal to confirm.
On an iPad the path is the same, starting from your profile picture on the left, and the Help Center lists the option for instagram.com on a computer too. Nothing about the switch is permanent: the same menu takes you back to a professional account whenever you want.
The three Instagram account types
What most people call a business account is one of two professional account types. Knowing which one you have tells you what the switch will change.
| Type | Made for |
|---|---|
| Personal | Individuals. The only type that can be made private. |
| Creator | Public figures, content makers, artists and influencers. A professional account, with professional tools. |
| Business | Shops, brands, organizations and service providers. Business profiles cannot be private. |
What you lose, and what you keep
The Help Center names what goes and what stays:
| Feature | After switching to personal |
|---|---|
| Meta Business Suite and Meta Ads Manager | Gone. These are the two business tools Instagram names. |
| Insights and Your dashboard | Kept, as long as the account is public. |
| Scheduling posts in the app | Kept. It needs a public account, not a business one. |
| Posts, followers and messages | Unchanged. The account type does not touch them. |
The loss that matters in practice is Business Suite. It is where posts and stories are scheduled from a computer and where a team manages the account without sharing the password, so anyone who works on the account through it loses that route the moment you switch.
Before you switch
A few things are easier to handle while you still have the business tools:
- Running ads. Stop or finish them first, because Ads Manager goes with the switch.
- Reports. Export any insights or ad results you want to compare later.
- Your team. Tell anyone who manages the account through Business Suite.
- Connected tools. Scheduling apps and shop integrations often need a professional account, so check each one before switching.
Removing a linked Facebook Page is not one of the steps Instagram lists for switching back. If you want the two accounts apart as well, disconnecting Facebook from Instagram covers the Accounts Center side.
Making the account private afterwards
Privacy is the most common reason to leave a business account, and it is the one thing the switch is required for: a business profile cannot be made private at all. Once you are on a personal account:
- Go to your profile and tap the menu.
- Under "Who can see your content", tap Account privacy.
- Turn on Private account, then tap Switch to private.
From then on only followers you approve see your posts. Insights stop at the same moment, because they need a public account. Our guide to hiding your followers list on Instagram sets out what a private account hides and what it does not.
Switching to a creator account instead
If the business label is what bothers you rather than the tools, a creator account may be the better move. It is still a professional account, so the tools stay, but it is aimed at people rather than companies. Switching between the two professional types uses the same path: Account type and tools, Account type, Switch account type.
Should a business switch to personal?
Rarely. The features you give up are the reason a business account exists: the contact button customers tap, the numbers that show which posts bring profile visits and link taps, and Business Suite for scheduling from a computer.
Switching makes sense in three cases. The account is really one person's own profile, the business has closed, or privacy now matters more than reach. The other common reasons, low reach or unwanted followers, are not caused by the account type, and the switch will not fix them. If the account is not working and you are not sure why, the free social media audit reads it post by post and tells you what is holding it back.
Two related decisions often come up at the same point: whether to deactivate the account for a while instead, and whether to link it to a Facebook Page again later.
How we will test this
Not run yetEverything above comes from the published sources listed below, and nothing here is presented as something we measured. Our own test on live accounts has not been run yet.
This is the test we will run: we switch our own business test account to personal and back, on iPhone and Android, with one scheduled post and one draft in place. We record what disappears from the profile, which tools stop working, and what remains in insights.
Platforms change behavior without announcing it, so once the first test is run we repeat it every quarter, and this section will say when it was run and on which devices and app versions.
Sources
Read on September 18, 2026.
- Instagram Help Center, Switch back to a personal Instagram account from an Instagram professional account
- Instagram Help Center, Make your Instagram account private
- Instagram Help Center, How to create and manage scheduled posts and Reels on Instagram
- Instagram Help Center, View insights on your Instagram Stories
Questions people ask next
How do I turn off my business account on Instagram?+
Profile, menu, Account type and tools, Account type, Switch account type, then Switch to personal account and confirm.
Can I switch back to a business account later?+
Yes. The switch is not permanent. Use the same Account type menu to move to a professional account again.
Will I lose my followers if I switch to personal?+
No. Changing the account type does not remove followers, posts or messages.
Will I lose my insights?+
Not if the account stays public. Public accounts keep Your dashboard and insights after switching back to personal. Making the account private ends them.
What tools do I lose when I switch?+
Access to some Meta business tools, and the Help Center names two: Meta Business Suite and Meta Ads Manager.
Can a business account be private on Instagram?+
No. Business profiles cannot be private. Switch to a personal account first, then turn on Private account.
What is the difference between a creator and a business account?+
Both are professional accounts with professional tools. Creator accounts are aimed at people who make content, business accounts at companies and organizations.
Does switching to personal affect my reach?+
Instagram has not said that the account type changes how posts are distributed. What changes is which tools you have.
Can I turn off a business account on a computer?+
Yes. The Help Center lists the steps for instagram.com on a computer as well as for the apps.
Do I need to disconnect my Facebook Page first?+
It is not one of the steps Instagram lists for switching back. If you want the accounts apart as well, disconnect them in Accounts Center.
Can I switch account type from Instagram Lite?+
Instagram Lite carries the same Feed, Reels, Stories and messages, but not every professional tool. If the option is missing there, use the full app. Our comparison of Instagram and Instagram Lite sets out what else differs.