You can open Instagram's Help Center to read troubleshooting guides that might help with your issue. And if you're trying to report a problem, you can shake your phone or open a post's options.
Quick tip: Instagram's parent company, Meta, does have a public phone number that you can call: +1 (650) 543-4800. But the number is entirely automated, and will just tell you to visit the Help Center.
How to get Instagram support through the Help Center
Instagram's Help Center is a robust support tool that offers guides and troubleshooting tips for most common Instagram problems. There's nobody to talk to there, but the guides are written by real people.
And if you're using the mobile app:
1. Open the Instagram app on your iPhone or Android device and tap your profile picture in the bottom-right corner.
2. Tap the three stacked lines in the top-right corner, then select Settings.
3. Tap Help near the bottom of the page, then tap Help Center.
You'll be brought to Instagram's Help Center page, which is filled with hundreds of different support topics. Pick one of the suggested articles, or use the search bar to find what you're looking for.
How to get help with specific Instagram account issues
You can also use the following guides to find support for common problems:
How to report hate speech, violence, and more to Instagram
Instagram lets you report individual posts, specific users, and comments. Just go to any post, account, or comment, tap the three horizontal dots on it, and select "Report" from the drop-down menu.
Here's some of what Instagram sees as legitimate issues:
Intellectual property: Issues that follow under this grievance include users infringing on copyright which generally protects original expression like images and words but not facts and ideas and trademarks, defined as a word, slogan, symbol, or design made to distinguish products or services from an individual, group or company.
Nudity: Broadly defined as "appropriate imagery," this more controversial guideline prevents nudity of any kind on the site, with a handful of exceptions including post-mastectomy scarring photos, individuals breastfeeding, and nudity in paintings and sculptures.
Hate speech: The platform will remove any content from its site that displays "credible threats of violence," but also hate speech based on race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, disability, or disease as well as bullying and harassment that target private individuals.
Illegal activities: Instagram will remove posts that offer specific services around sex, firearms, and drugs, in addition to removing posts or comments that "support or praise of terrorism, organized crime or hate groups."
Self-injury: Any content posted to the platform that appears to glorify or encourage any type of physical self-injury, including eating disorders, will be taken down with the exception of posts that reference these issues in the name of increasing awareness or signposting support.
Graphic violence: Any videos or images featuring intense, graphic violence that isn't shared in relation to newsworthy events or to condemn or educate on a larger issue, will be removed for inappropriateness.
After you report a post, you might get an email telling you what decision Instagram's moderators made about it.
How to report bugs and glitches to Instagram
Instagram also accepts reports about issues with the app itself, like if a graphic isn't displaying correctly, or a menu won't open.
To quickly report a bug, shake your phone while Instagram is open. A pop-up should appear asking you to report the problem. You'll also be able to submit screenshots and other files.
