How to access a deceased person's Instagram account
Instagram offers two paths for a deceased person's profile: memorialization or permanent removal. Anyone can request memorialization with proof of death, such as an obituary link, through Instagram's contact form. Only verified immediate family can request removal, with the death certificate and proof of the relationship. Instagram never releases login information. No court order is required in most cases. Reviews typically take 7 to 30 days.
- Timeline: 7 to 30 days (Instagram, 2026)
- Court order needed: no
- Documents: Proof of death (memorialization), Death certificate (removal), Birth certificate or proof of authority (removal)
How do you access a deceased person's Instagram account?
- Decide as a family between memorialization (the profile stays visible, frozen, with Remembering above the name) and removal (everything is deleted permanently). Removal has no undo.
- Save any photos or videos the family wants first. Once the profile is memorialized, nobody can log in again, even with the password.
- For memorialization: submit Instagram's memorialization request with the person's name, profile link, date of death, and a link to an obituary or news article.
- For removal (immediate family only): fill out Instagram's removal form with the death certificate, plus the person's birth certificate or proof that you lawfully represent the estate.
- Instagram reviews the request and applies the change. Memorialized profiles stop appearing in Explore and search.
What documents does Instagram require?
| Document | Notes |
|---|---|
| Proof of death (memorialization) | A link to an obituary or news article is enough; a death certificate also works. |
| Death certificate (removal) | Required when immediate family requests permanent deletion. |
| Birth certificate or proof of authority (removal) | Establishes that you are immediate family, or the lawful representative of the person or their estate under local law. |
How long does it take, and what does it cost?
Instagram offers two paths for a deceased person's profile: memorialization or permanent removal. Anyone can request memorialization with proof of death, such as an obituary link, through Instagram's contact form. Only verified immediate family can request removal, with the death certificate and proof of the relationship. Instagram never releases login information. No court order is required in most cases. Reviews typically take 7 to 30 days. There is no process fee. The memorialization bar is deliberately low: any stranger with an obituary link can trigger it, and the moment that happens a known password stops working. Families who want the photo archive have exactly one window, before anyone files the request.
Instagram never provides login information for a memorialized profile, and logging into another person's account violates its terms regardless of your relationship. There is no data-release path through these forms: if the family needs the content itself, save it while the profile is still accessible.