How to recover your hacked Instagram account

It is a more common problem than we could imagine. Getting your account hacked is not a joke. It is a very heavy move with which you can be left without operating with your Instagram for a long time or even forever. In the worst case, malicious people will have been able to access your account and with it, carry out outrages at multiple levels.

But stop there, all is not lost. There is a procedure – we would say several – to try to recover a hacked Instagram account.All you have to do is follow the guidelines provided by Instagram itself. Because this way it will be easier to recover it. Let's see how.

Has your Instagram account been hacked?

The first thing to do before trying to solve a problem is to recognize it. As? Well, in this case, verifying if your Instagram account has been hacked or not. Most likely, something happened that made you think that someone with bad intentions has decided to steal your account.

The first thing we recommend is to take a look at your email inbox. Although this is probably the clue that has already made the hare jump of suspicion. If you have an Instagram message in the mail telling you that your email address has been changed, you still have time to recover your account. That is if the message is recent.

When a change of these characteristics is made, it is because someone has already been able to access your account. However, Instagram has taken measures so that, in the event of a hack, there are possibilities of recovery. There is a button you can press that says Cancel the change.

What can happen? That the person who has stolen your account has already changed the access password. In that case, if the change can't be reversed, you'll need to contact Instagram to report the account. Let's see how.

Access Instagram from your mobile (iOS or Android)
Since you will have problems logging in with your usual coordinates, you will have to click on the option Get help (it is just below the blue button Enter and is marked in bold)
You will access a screen that says Recover your account. Now you will have to enter your Instagram username or email and click on the Next button.
Then choose option Need more help?
A form will be enabled from which you can send a support request and Instagram should contact you to help you recover your account. You will need to add the following information:

Registered Email (Yours, the one they used to hack your account)
Check if this mail is the same as the registration
Preferred email (one that only you can access)
Indicate if it is a company or brand account, a personal account with photos in which I appear or a personal account no photos in which I appear
You will also need to inform Instagram that your account has been hacked. Choose the option My account has been hacked
You can also add any details that can help hack to solve the problem faster

Next Step: Verify Your Identity

You will need to verify your identity next. As soon as you have submitted the request, you will initially receive an automatic response from the Instagram team In this case, you will need to verify your identity. In other words, you are the true owner of your account. You can do it in two ways:

First, provide a photo in which you are holding a piece of paper with the handwritten code that you will have been given in the reply email .
Indicate the email address or the telephone number that you have indicated to register. You must also indicate which device you used to register: whether an iPhone, an Android mobile, an iPad or others.

From there, you will receive direct instructions to your account to recover it as soon as possible. Previously, Instagram will have taken care of verifying if you are the real owner. From there, you'll get specific instructions to recover your account. It is important that you are patient, because this process can take a few days or even weeks.

What do I do if I think my account has been hacked, but I can still access it?

Having your account hacked may mean that you can no longer access it. But you may also still be able to log in normally.In this case, it is important that you also take action in this regard. Both to protect the account right now, and to prevent future intrusions. We recommend you take three fundamental steps:

First thing: change the access password

You can do it from your Instagram profile on the web or through the application itself. In this second case, click on the option Have you forgotten your login details? to start the password recovery. You will have to indicate the old one and then the new one.

Remember not to configure the same Instagram password in other services, such as Facebook, email or any other space in which you are registered. The hacker could very easily access all your accounts using a single password In fact, if you have the same password everywhere, we recommend changing them and including a new one for each record you have made.

Watch out for third-party applications

There are certain apps that you may have connected to Instagram to get certain services that may not be entirely secure. That is why we recommend you review the Authorized Applications section, located within the Settings section of your Instagram. Observe which ones are authorized and if there are any that you do not recognize or that you do not use, simply click on the Revoke access button.

Activate the two-step authentication system

It is available in many current services and it is a double step that will guarantee the security of users. We are talking about two-factor authentication.

When you set this option, the system will ask you to enter a specific login code every time someone tries to access Instagram from an unrecognized device.You can do this via text messages (SMS) or by using a secure third-party app like Duo Mobile or Google Authenticator. Activate via Settings > Security > Two-step authentication > Get Started