Instagram holds a different kind of record than most accounts you will deal with after a bereavement. It is rarely financial, but it can be deeply personal – a visual archive of someone’s life, relationships, and everyday moments. When someone dies, their Instagram profile does not close automatically. It stays online, visible, and – if left unprotected – potentially vulnerable.
Instagram offers two main options: memorialising the account so it becomes a permanent tribute space, or requesting its removal entirely. There is no phone number to call and no email address to write to. Everything is handled through online forms. This guide explains both routes, what happens to photos and videos, and how Instagram’s process differs from Facebook’s – which matters, because many families deal with both platforms at the same time.
Quick reference:
- Memorialisation form: help.instagram.com/contact/452224988254813
- Removal form: help.instagram.com/contact/615188475798328
- Phone support: None
- Documents needed: Proof of death; proof of relationship for removal
- Processing time: Typically a few days for memorialisation; removal varies
Two routes: memorialise or remove
Before you submit any request, it helps to understand what each option actually does.
| Option | Who can request it | What happens to the account |
|---|---|---|
| Memorialise | Anyone with proof of death | Profile is locked; “Remembering” appears before the name; all posts stay visible; no one can log in |
| Remove | Immediate family members or estate representatives | Account and all content are permanently deleted |
Memorialisation is the gentler first step. It preserves everything and prevents anyone from accessing the account. Removal is irreversible – once the account is gone, so are the photos and videos. There is no way to retrieve them afterwards.
If there is any uncertainty in the family about what the right choice is, memorialise first. You can still request removal later; you cannot undo a deletion.
How to memorialise an Instagram account
When an account is memorialised, several things change:
- The word “Remembering” appears before the username on the profile (for example, “Remembering @sarahsmith”)
- No one can log in to the account – not family members, not Instagram staff
- All existing posts, photos, and videos remain visible to the same audience they were originally shared with
- The account no longer appears in the Explore page, in recommended accounts, or in advertising
- No one can submit new follow requests to the account
- Existing followers, following lists, and profile settings are frozen as they were
Memorialisation is permanent. Once it is applied, it cannot be reversed.
Who can request it: Anyone. You do not need to be a family member or have any formal authority. A friend, colleague, or any person who knows the deceased has died can submit the request. Instagram will review it against the documentation you provide.
Step by step
- Go to Instagram’s memorialisation request form at help.instagram.com/contact/452224988254813. You do not need an Instagram account yourself to submit the form.
- Enter your full name and email address.
- Provide the deceased person’s Instagram username and their profile URL.
- Upload proof of death. Instagram accepts a death certificate, an obituary, a published death notice, or a news article reporting the death. A link to an online obituary or published tribute may also be accepted.
- Submit the request.
Instagram reviews each submission. Requests are processed over a period of days – Instagram does not give a specific timeframe, but families typically hear back within a few days to two weeks. Instagram advises against resubmitting the form if there is a delay, as this can slow the review process further.
You will receive a confirmation email at the address you provided once the request has been reviewed.
(Sources: About memorialised Instagram profiles – Instagram Help Centre; Report a deceased person’s Instagram profile – Instagram Help Centre, last verified May 2026.)
How to remove an Instagram account
Removal permanently deletes the account and all of its content – photos, videos, profile information, follower lists, and any direct message history. There is no way to recover anything after deletion. If there are photographs in the account the family wants to keep, save them before submitting a removal request.
Who can request removal: An immediate family member (spouse, parent, child, or sibling), or someone who can demonstrate they are the legal representative of the deceased’s estate. Instagram requires documentation showing both the death and your authority to act.
Step by step
- Go to Instagram’s removal request form at help.instagram.com/contact/615188475798328.
- Provide your contact details and the deceased person’s Instagram username and profile URL.
- Upload proof of death – a death certificate is the most reliable document here, though an obituary may be accepted.
- Upload documentation showing your relationship or authority. Instagram asks for a birth certificate, marriage certificate, will, or grant of probate, depending on your relationship to the deceased.
- Submit the request.
Removal requests typically take longer to process than memorialisation requests, because Instagram needs to verify the additional documentation. There is no published timeframe, but families should expect weeks rather than days.
(Source: Request a deceased person’s Instagram profile be removed – Instagram Help Centre, last verified May 2026.)
Requesting photos and videos: what is possible
This is the question families most often ask, and the honest answer is that Instagram’s options are very limited.
Instagram will not provide login credentials to family members. No amount of documentation – death certificates, probate, solicitor letters – will change this. The deceased person’s right to privacy does not automatically transfer to their next of kin.
There is no data download route for bereaved families. Unlike some other platforms, Instagram does not have a process for providing a copy of someone’s photos and videos to their family after death. Once an account is memorialised, the content is visible on the profile but cannot be extracted by request.
The most practical approach, before submitting any request, is to ask friends and family to save or screenshot any photos or videos they want to keep. Content that was shared publicly can be accessed and saved by anyone before the account is memorialised. Once memorialised, the posts remain visible but cannot be downloaded or altered.
If the deceased’s phone is accessible and still logged in to the Instagram app, the phone’s camera roll may already contain a local copy of the photos they posted – most phones save a copy at the time of upload. This is worth checking before looking for any other route.
Documents you will need
| Purpose | Documents accepted |
|---|---|
| Proving the death (memorialisation or removal) | Death certificate; published obituary; news article reporting the death |
| Proving your identity | Your own name and email are required, but Instagram does not ask for your ID document for memorialisation |
| Proving your authority (removal only) | Birth certificate (to show you are a parent or child); marriage certificate (to show you are a spouse); will or grant of probate (to show you are an executor or legal representative) |
Death certificates are the most reliable document to use. In England and Wales, each certified copy costs £12.50 from the General Register Office at the time of registration, or by order afterwards. If you are dealing with several platforms and organisations, it is worth ordering three or four copies at the time of registration rather than ordering individually later.
How long it takes
Instagram does not publish processing times. Based on reported experience:
- Memorialisation: typically a few days to two weeks from submission
- Removal: longer – often several weeks, as additional documentation needs to be verified
There is no way to chase a request directly. Instagram has no phone line and no bereavement email address. If you have submitted a request and not heard back, wait at least two weeks before resubmitting – Instagram’s own guidance warns that duplicate submissions cause delays.
Tips and things to know before you start
Instagram has no legacy contact feature
Facebook allows account holders to designate a Legacy Contact – a named person who can take limited actions on a memorialised account after death (pinning a tribute post, updating profile photos, accepting new friend requests). Instagram has no equivalent. There is no way to give anyone management rights over a memorialised Instagram account.
Once an Instagram account is memorialised, it is completely frozen. No one can pin a tribute post, update the profile photo, or respond to follow requests. The account is preserved exactly as it was – which is both a protection and a limitation.
Hacking is a genuine risk
Dormant accounts attract criminal attention. Hackers identify inactive profiles, attempt to break in using previously compromised passwords, and then use the account to post scam content – fake promotions, messages to the deceased’s followers asking for money. The deceased person’s name and photo make the scam convincing to people who knew them.
Memorialising an account locks it against all logins and closes that vulnerability. Do this as soon as possible after a death if the account is to be preserved.
Two-factor authentication does not block bereavement requests
If the deceased had two-factor authentication set up on their account, this does not affect memorialisation or removal requests. Both processes go through Instagram’s review team, not through the account login. You do not need access to the account or its associated phone to submit a request.
Memorialisation cannot be reversed
Once Instagram memorialises an account, it stays memorialised. If you later decide the family would prefer the account to be deleted, you will need to submit a separate removal request. The account will not revert to its previous state.
How Instagram differs from Facebook
Many families deal with both platforms at the same time, since both are owned by Meta. The processes look similar on the surface but have important differences.
| Feature | ||
|---|---|---|
| Memorialisation | Yes | Yes |
| Account removal | Yes (immediate family / estate reps) | Yes (immediate family / estate reps) |
| Legacy Contact | No | Yes – named by account holder while alive |
| Data download for family | No | No formal route |
| Management of memorialised account | No – account is completely frozen | Limited – Legacy Contact can pin posts, update photos |
| Processing via separate form | Yes – Instagram-specific forms | Yes – Facebook-specific forms |
| Phone support | None | None |
The most important difference is the Legacy Contact. On Facebook, if the deceased nominated someone before they died, that person has limited management rights over the memorialised account – they can pin a tribute post or update the profile picture. On Instagram, this option does not exist. A memorialised Instagram account is frozen for everyone, with no exceptions.
This also means that if someone set up a Legacy Contact on Facebook but not on Instagram, their Facebook account will be manageable by the designated person after death, while their Instagram account will simply be locked.
The forms are entirely separate. Submitting a request about the Facebook account does not affect the Instagram account, and vice versa. Each platform requires its own submission.
For the full Facebook process, including Legacy Contact setup and data access options, see our guide to notifying Facebook when someone dies.
Summary
Instagram offers two options after a bereavement: memorialisation, which locks the account and adds “Remembering” before the username while preserving all posts; and removal, which permanently deletes the account and everything in it.
Memorialisation can be requested by anyone with proof of death, using the form at help.instagram.com/contact/452224988254813. Removal requires proof of death and proof of family relationship or legal authority, via the form at help.instagram.com/contact/615188475798328.
There is no phone number, no bereavement email, and no legacy contact feature. All requests go through the forms, and all communication happens by email to the address you provide. Processing takes days to weeks.
Before submitting any request, save or screenshot any photos or videos you want to keep – there is no mechanism for retrieving content once an account is memorialised or deleted.
If you are also dealing with Facebook, WhatsApp, TikTok, or LinkedIn, each requires a separate process. See our guides to notifying Facebook when someone dies, closing a WhatsApp account when someone dies, notifying TikTok when someone dies, and notifying LinkedIn when someone dies. For Snapchat – which, like TikTok and WhatsApp, offers deletion only and no memorialisation – see our guide to closing a Snapchat account when someone dies. For a full overview of all the accounts and services to manage after a bereavement, see our what to do after a death hub.