How to Turn Off Instagram Professional Account (Switch Back to Personal)

How to Switch Back to a Personal Instagram Account

Here's how to turn off your Instagram professional (business or creator) account and switch back to personal:

Open Instagram and go to your profile
Tap the menu icon (three lines) in the top right
Tap "Settings and privacy"
Tap "Account type and tools"
Tap "Switch to personal account"
Confirm by tapping "Switch to personal account" again
Done — you're now on a personal account

Time required: About 30 seconds. Reversible: Yes, you can switch back to professional anytime. Content affected: Nothing — all your followers, posts, stories, and DMs are preserved.

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If Your App Looks Different (Older Versions)

On some older Instagram app versions, the navigation is slightly different:

Go to Profile → tap Menu (three lines)
Tap "Settings"
Tap "Account"
Scroll down to "Switch account type"
Choose "Switch to Personal Account"
Confirm

What You Keep vs. What You Lose

What Stays the Same

All your followers — nobody gets unfollowed
All your posts, captions, and tags
All your Stories and Highlights
All your DMs and conversations
Your username and profile information
Saved posts and collections
Your connected Facebook page (if any)

What You Lose

Instagram Insights — no more analytics (reach, impressions, follower demographics)
Contact buttons — the call, email, and directions buttons on your profile
Category label — the business type shown under your name
Promotion tools — you can't boost posts or run ads from the app
Shopping features — product tags and the shop tab on your profile
Auto-replies in DMs
Scheduled content through some third-party tools may need to be reconnected

Business vs. Creator vs. Personal: Which Do You Need?

Feature	Personal	Creator	Business
Can be private	Yes	No	No
Analytics/Insights	No	Yes	Yes
Contact buttons	No	Yes	Yes
Category label	No	Yes (Artist, Blogger, etc.)	Yes (Shop, Restaurant, etc.)
Instagram Ads	No	Yes	Yes
Shopping/Product tags	No	No	Yes
DM folders	Basic	Advanced (Primary, General, Requests)	Advanced
Music in Reels	Full library	May be limited	May be limited
Best for	Private/casual use	Influencers, creators	Businesses, shops

Consider Creator Account Instead

If you want to ditch the "business" feel but still want analytics and insights, switch to a Creator account instead of Personal. You keep analytics, get advanced DM folders, and can choose creator-specific category labels (Artist, Blogger, Musician, etc.) — without the hard business feel. See how to switch below.

Common Reasons to Switch Back to Personal

You want a private account. Business and creator accounts must be public. Switching to personal is the only way to make your profile private and control who sees your content.

You don't use the analytics. If you're not checking Insights or using the data to inform your posting, the professional features aren't adding value.

You're tired of "Boost Post" prompts. Instagram regularly prompts business account users to spend money on promotions. Switching to personal removes these prompts entirely.

You want the full music library. Business accounts sometimes have restricted access to trending music in Reels due to licensing. Personal accounts typically have the full music library.

You're not monetizing your account. If Instagram is purely personal — sharing with friends and family — a professional account adds complexity without benefit.

How to Switch to Creator Account (Instead of Personal)

If you want analytics without the business account, Creator is the middle ground:

Go to Settings → Account type and tools
Tap "Switch to professional account"
Choose "Creator" (not Business)
Select your category (Artist, Blogger, Writer, etc.)
Set up contact options (optional)

What Creator gives you that Personal doesn't:

Analytics and Insights
Advanced DM management (Primary, General, Requests folders)
Category label on your profile
Access to Creator Studio
Ability to run promotions

Can You Switch Back to Professional Later?

Yes. There are no restrictions:

You can switch between Personal, Creator, and Business as many times as you want
There's no waiting period between switches
Each switch takes about 30 seconds
There are no penalties for switching frequently
Your content and followers are never affected

To switch back to Business:

Settings → Account type and tools
"Switch to professional account"
Choose "Business"
Complete the setup (category, contact info)
Business features are restored immediately

Making Your Account Private After Switching

Once you're on a personal account, you can go private:

Go to Settings → Privacy
Toggle on "Private Account"
From now on, only approved followers can see your posts
Existing followers remain automatically — they don't need to re-request

What private means:

Only approved followers see your posts and Stories
Your content won't appear in hashtag searches or the Explore page
New people must send a follow request that you approve or deny
Your profile is visible but your content is locked

Troubleshooting

"Switch account type" option is missing:

Update Instagram to the latest version
Log out and log back in
Check that you're over 18 (age-restricted accounts may have limited settings)
Try on a different device
Make sure you have a stable internet connection

Accidentally switched and want to go back: Follow the same steps but choose "Switch to professional account" → select Business or Creator. All features restore immediately.

Lost contact button after switching: This is expected — personal accounts don't have contact buttons. Switch back to Business or Creator to restore them.

Third-party scheduling tools stopped working: Some tools require a professional account to post via the Instagram API. If you switch to personal, you may need to reconnect or the posting feature may not work. Check with your scheduling tool's documentation.

Who Should Use Each Account Type?

Stay on (or switch to) Personal if you:

Want a private account
Use Instagram casually for friends and family
Don't track metrics or analytics
Don't run ads or promotions
Want the full Reels music library
Are frustrated by business prompts

Stay on (or switch to) Creator if you:

Are an influencer, blogger, or content creator
Want analytics without the "business" label
Want advanced DM management
Are building a personal brand
Don't need Shopping or product tags

Stay on (or switch to) Business if you:

Run an e-commerce store or local business
Use Instagram Shopping and product tags
Run Instagram ads regularly
Need the business contact options (call, email, directions)
Want full access to the Meta Business Suite

Connected Facebook Page

When switching to personal:

Your connected Facebook Page link remains (it's not automatically disconnected)
Cross-posting may be affected depending on your setup
You lose the ability to manage Instagram Ads through Ads Manager

To disconnect your Facebook Page:

Settings → Accounts Center (or Linked accounts)
Select Facebook
Tap "Unlink Account"
Confirm

Instagram Account Resources

Account Management:

Instagram Strategy:

Free Instagram Tools:

The Bottom Line

Switching from a professional Instagram account back to personal takes 30 seconds, preserves everything, and is completely reversible. You'll lose analytics, contact buttons, and ad tools — but you gain privacy options and a simpler experience.

If you're unsure, try Creator account first — it's the best middle ground between business and personal, giving you analytics and professional features without the heavy business focus.