With its wide range of features and tools, Instagram reaches a diversity of users.

These include individuals sharing personal moments, companies exhibiting their products, and content creators entertaining audiences. 

Instagram provides 2 account options; personal and professional account, and depending on your needs and goals, you can change from one to another.

In this article, we’ll first understand the different Instagram account types, then I’ll show you how to change account type in Instagram; that is, switch from one account type to another.

In short; you can change from one Instagram account to another via your Instagram Account Settings & Privacy > Creator tools and controls > Switch account type.

Here you will be able to change from a personal to a professional account and vice versa.

We will see these steps in detail in the coming sections, but first…

Instagram personal account

By default, when you open up an Instagram account, it is a personal account.

Just like its name suggests, the Instagram personal account is designed for personal use and it has basic features that enable individuals to connect and share content ( images, videos, and stories) with close friends and family.

With a personal account, you can follow other users and interact with posts by liking and commenting on them.

You also have the leeway to make your account private, allowing you to control who can see your posts and follow you.

Change your Instagram account to private and vice versa

Here’s a brief on how to change account type Instagram; steps to switch between private and public accounts;

Open your Instagram app and go to your Instagram Profile at the bottom right, tap on the hamburger menu (≡)in the upper right corner.

Tap Settings & Privacy > Account Privacy.

Turn on the Private account option, and when you do so only your followers will be able to see your posts.

Note that while personal accounts are suitable for individuals sharing daily life moments, they have limited insights, analytics and other features compared to other account types.

Instagram professional account

The professional account provides additional tools and features for businesses, public figures, content creators and the like.

It enables individuals and organisations to promote their products and services; and to promote their brand and content on the platform.

The Instagram professional account consists of 2(two) types of accounts:

The creator account; is basically for people who want to expand their platform presence, interact with their following, and possibly monetise their material.

For example, influencers, content creators, public figures, experts and educators, artists, etc. 

It provides:

• Contact options; email, phone, or location.
• Audience insights such as demographics, locations, and active times(but not as detailed as business accounts).
• Flexible category definition to reflect the diverse nature of content creators.
• Direct access to branded content partnerships and collaborations.
• DM filtering of message requests based on specific categories.

The business account; is generally meant for businesses who want to promote their products and services on Instagram.

It offers specialized features and tools to assist businesses in interacting with their target audience, monitoring performance, running ads, and building relationships with potential clients.

It provides:

• Contact buttons which allow users to get in touch via email, phone, or directions to your business’s location.
• Detailed insights into your audience, content performance, and engagement to help businesses understand their followers better.
• Promotions and ads directly within the app, targeting specific audiences.
• Industry categories you can select from to help users find and connect with your business.
• Integration with your Facebook Page, enabling cross-platform tools and advertising options.

How to switch from a personal to a business account on Instagram

Keep in mind that changing your account type can affect the features available to you and the insights you can access on Instagram.

Make sure you understand the implications of switching your account type before making any changes.

As I mentioned earlier, the default Instagram account is personal.

If you are a content creator or business person and you would like to change from your personal account, follow these steps for ‘how to change Instagram account to business’:

Step 1: Open the Instagram app on your mobile device and go to your profile by tapping on your profile picture at the bottom right corner.

Step 2: Tap the hamburger icon; three horizontal lines (≡) at the top right corner to open the menu, then select Settings and Privacy.

Step 3: Scroll down and tap on Account type and tools then select the Switch to professional account option.

You can go ahead and read through the additional features the professional account offers and tap the Continue button to follow the prompts and complete the setup.

Choose the category that best describes you or your niche then tap Done, and then Ok to switch your account.

Remember, the professional account has 2 categories; the creator and the business account.

At this point, you need to choose which account type best suits you depending on your needs.

If you are an influencer or a public figure, choose the creator account option and tap Next.

And if you are a business person with products to showcase, choose the Instagram business account option.

In the next window, you have more options like adding your business contact information and logging in with your Facebook account or page so that the two accounts can be combined for easy management. 

However, using your Facebook account isn’t mandatory, you can choose to have your Instagram professional account independent from your Facebook.

When you’re done, continue and you’ll be given more options to add your Instagram business profile, grow your audience, follow other creators and so on to get the most out of your creator account.

You’ll now have a new section/option under your Profile > Settings & Privacy called Creator tools and controls.

Depending on which account type you just switched to, you can use this section to make more customizations to your account.

Tip: After you switch to the professional account type and set up all the details, you can now easily switch between the creator and business account options without having to go through the setup again.

Note that you also have the option to add a new professional account which you can link to another phone number/email address/Facebook page.

If you want to switch back to your personal account, just follow the same procedure as before.

That’s Profile > Settings & Privacy > Creator tools and controls, tap Switch account type > Switch to personal account.

FAQs

Conclusion

To summarize, being able to change your Instagram account type is a powerful tool that enables you to align your evolving goals to your online presence and get the best from the Instagram platform.

Be sure to utilize this flexibility availed to you by Instagram to optimize your digital presence and strengthen your impact. 

Remember to keep your Instagram journey aligned with your aspirations.