Does Instagram Show All Former Usernames?
If you open an account on Instagram today, you won’t have any former usernames because that’s the only username you’ve had so far. But once you start changing your usernames, you’ll start to accumulate a list of former usernames, which will appear on your account no matter how many usernames you’ve changed over the months. You’re not encouraged to keep changing your Instagram usernames because you could get sanctioned if you do that too much. The former account list is available for everyone on their profile. You can access this by checking your profile anytime you want. However, when other viewers come to your profile, they might not be able to see this information depending on the type of account you use or your profile settings. So for a Business Profile, anyone coming to your account will be able to access this information by checking the options tab on your profile and clicking the About This Account section—the page documents information about your account, including how many former usernames you’ve used. But for Normal Profile accounts, this information is private and will remain that way unless you change your account to a Business Profile account.
Can You Delete Former Usernames on Instagram?
If you’re wondering if you can delete your former usernames, the answer is yes. You can delete your previous usernames on IG if you’re willing to lose the information with it. Unfortunately, due to the number of users, Instagram can’t keep track of every activity, so the bots are in charge of monitoring everything. So you can’t change your former username without triggering a response by the bot to save it (the username) on your account. So if you have many usernames on your account and wish to delete them all, you probably have to forfeit your account too by deleting it. Otherwise, if what you want is a way to keep your former usernames hidden from the public, you’ll find easy steps to do that in the latter parts of this guide.
How to Remove Former Usernames Instagram
Even though there is no formal way to remove your username from your account permanently, there are a few steps you can take that will help you achieve this in no time. You must understand that Instagram frowns on both activities, which is why it always tries to keep a tab on account creation and username changes. Not being able to remove your former usernames is not a glitch from the app, nor is it an issue that needs fixing; it’s just a precaution from IG. Hence, here are methods you can take to get this done.
1. Wait for Instagram to Remove Them
For a newbie, Instagram takes usernames seriously because it’s the unique identifier for each user on the platform. That’s why there are a lot of strict regulations on changing usernames on IG. For example, if you change your username, there will be a ban on the username for a few days so that no other user can take it in case you wish to go back. After that, the username is made available for other users, but you aren’t rid of it just yet. It takes about six months before Instagram removes a former username from your account. So when you change usernames, you’ll have a list of the former usernames saved on that account. This is to allow access to the usernames should you want to check them out within the time frame mentioned earlier.
2. Convert to Normal Profile
Removing your former usernames on Instagram is a far-fetched plan, as long as you want to keep your account. However, to dissuade bots from creating and dumping accounts, Instagram restricts this. So you can’t remove your account, but you can surely hide the number of the former account you have, so users and followers will not be able to see it when they check your page. So to do this, your first option is to convert your account to a normal profile. For example, if you have a business account, you will be able to restore your account from a business profile to a normal profile from the settings tab on your profile. The reason business profiles have to show their former usernames is so that followers will be able to find and identify them when they change usernames. However, IG no longer gives this information once it’s converted to a normal profile. So people won’t get access to your About This Account anymore, so they will be left in the dark regarding your usernames and how many times you’ve changed names in the past. How to Convert to Normal Profile
- Go to your profile
- Tap Settings, and click on Account
- Select Switch Account Type
- Click on Switch to Personal Account the confirm the prompt
3. Hide Old Usernames
Instagram always helps you keep your privacy if that’s what you want. So, if you’re keen on keeping your old account away from the public, instead of removing it, you can hide it. This option is also valid, although the process might not be effective immediately. When you hide your old usernames, no one will be able to see them except when you change the settings back to allow the public to see them. However, please note that when you hide from the public, the usernames will remain on your account, and you can’t use this method to remove it from your account altogether if that’s your intention. If you’d instead delete your username, you need to log out of Instagram and then enter your password. So to hide your former usernames from the public, you can follow the steps outlined below:
- Log into Instagram
- Click on your Profile at the bottom right corner of the screen
- Select Edit Profile here and scroll down to Username
- Tap on “Hide”
4. Delete Your Account
Another option is to delete your account and remove the record with Instagram. This process helps you remove the former username from your Instagram account and stops linking users to your account. Unfortunately, bots are crawling all around Instagram, so when you change your usernames, IG locks the account in place for 14 days or more. Until you’re sure about the decision and you don’t need the account again. It used to be an instant transition, but now due to no activities, your username will remain available for 14 days after changing it. However, after you change your username, your account will keep a record of all the usernames you’ve used in the past to keep track things. But when you delete your account, all these usernames go with it, and you have a clean record once again with IG. Likewise, your followers won’t be seeing the list of former usernames linked to your account. How to Delete Your Account on Instagram
- Open the app and log in with your current username and password
- Click on the profile icon in the bottom-right corner of the screen
- Scroll down, tap on Edit Profile, and then click on the Username section.
- Look for and click “X” next to the username you want to delete.
