Instagram connection problems

Login loops, a missing account, no username, posts that never publish, account type.

I log in to Instagram to connect it, but it never shows as connected and sends me back to the login screen.#

Check the account type first, because a personal Instagram account cannot connect at all. Instagram only lets apps publish through a Professional account, meaning Business or Creator, linked to a Facebook Page you manage. A personal account never appears in the picker and can never publish, by us or by anyone.

1. In the Instagram app, open Settings and switch the account to Professional, either Business or Creator.
2. Link it to a Facebook Page you manage.
3. Open Settings, then Social accounts, and connect again there.

An older version of this answer told people to switch the profile to private and turn the business account off and back on. That was the reverse of the requirement and it never worked. Our fault, and it is corrected here.

My Instagram account does not appear in the picker when I try to connect it.#

Only Professional accounts appear there. Instagram lets apps publish through a Business or Creator account linked to a Facebook Page you manage, and nothing else, so a personal account is never listed and can never publish.

1. In the Instagram app, open Settings and switch the account to Professional, either Business or Creator.
2. Link it to a Facebook Page you manage.
3. Open Settings, then Social accounts, and connect. The account now shows up.

Instagram shows as connected, but my posts schedule and never publish.#

Check the account type. A personal Instagram account can pass the connect step and then fail at the last stage of every publish, which reads exactly like a broken scheduler and is not one.

Instagram only publishes through a Professional account, meaning Business or Creator, linked to a Facebook Page you manage. Switch the account to Professional in the Instagram app, link the Page, then disconnect and connect again under Settings, then Social accounts.

If everything looks connected and posts still fail, check Page Publishing Authorization on the Facebook Page. Meta requires it for some Pages and publishing through the API fails without it, and there is no way to detect it in advance.

If the account is already Professional and posts still sit there, tell us here and we read the posts and the connection from our side.

My Instagram connection is listed with no username. Is it actually connected?#

No. A blank Instagram entry with no username next to it is an empty connection, not a working one. Nothing will publish through it.

Remove it with Disconnect under Settings, then Social accounts, and connect again there, with a Professional account, Business or Creator, linked to a Facebook Page you manage. A personal account produces exactly this empty entry.

We can read the connection from our side and tell you what state it is in before you try again.

I cannot find where to connect or fix Instagram today.#

Open Settings at the bottom of the sidebar, then Social accounts. Expand your project there and Instagram is in its list of platforms, with a Connect or Disconnect button next to it, and that screen is always available.

The video approval screen carries the same controls, but you can only reach it while you have swipes left, which is why it can look as though there is nowhere to fix a connection. Use the Settings route instead.

If you want to know what state a connection is in before you touch it, ask us here and we will read it from our side.

Instagram keeps sending me back to the captcha when I reset my password. How do I get out of the loop?#

This loop happens inside Instagram's own login and recovery flow, before your account ever reaches HeyCatch, so it has to be resolved with Instagram. Instagram does not publish an article about captcha loops specifically, but it documents two routes out.

1. Stop retrying the reset in the same browser tab. Open the Instagram mobile app instead. On the login screen tap Forgot password, enter your username, email address or phone number, then tap Send login link and follow the link Instagram sends you.
2. If the reset still does not complete, use Instagram's account recovery flow at instagram.com/hacked. Despite the name, that is the official entry point whenever you cannot log in, not only for compromised accounts.
3. Instagram may ask you to confirm your identity with a video selfie or a photo ID. Those are standard documented steps in the recovery flow.
4. If the reset email never arrives, Instagram has separate help articles for a missing reset email, for reset links that do not work, and for an email address it cannot find.
5. If you no longer control the email address or phone number on the account, recover access with your email provider first. Instagram states that if you cannot access your registered email and the account is not linked to Facebook, it cannot restore access for you.

We cannot unlock, verify or recover an Instagram account for you. Once you can log in again, connect it in Settings, Social accounts.

Should I set my Instagram to a business account, and what category should I choose?#

Only the account type matters for posting. Your Instagram account has to be a professional account, either Business or Creator, and connected to a Facebook Page you own. Both types can publish. A personal account cannot publish through the API and will not appear in the list when you connect.

1. In Instagram go to Settings, Account type and tools, and switch to a professional account.
2. Pick Business or Creator. Instagram suggests Business for retailers, local businesses, brands, organizations and service providers, and Creator for public figures, content producers, artists and influencers. Either one works.
3. Connect the account to a Facebook Page you own. Our connect window asks you to select a Page and that step cannot be skipped.
4. Complete Page Publishing Authorization for that Page. Meta warns that publishing through the API fails when a Page requires it and it has not been done, and that this cannot be detected in advance.
5. In HeyCatch go to Settings, Social accounts, make sure you are signed in to the right Instagram account in that browser, then connect and grant every permission.

About the category: choose whatever describes your business best. It is not part of Meta's requirements for publishing, and the label under your profile picture comes from the category of the connected Facebook Page, which you can show or hide. Product/service and Personal Blog both work.

About contact information: it is optional, not a requirement for publishing.

One side effect to expect: professional accounts cannot be private, and pending follow requests are accepted automatically when the account goes public.