Struggling to connect your social account?

In this article, we will look at:

• Common troubleshooting steps for social media connection issues
  • Log out of your social account
  • Clear your browser cache and cookies 
    • Desktop
      • Google Chrome
      • Firefox
      • Safari
    • Mobile - (iOS)
      • Chrome
      • Firefox
      • Safari
    • Mobile - Android
      • Chrome
      • Firefox (Android)
    • Log out of Instagram 
      • Mobile (iPhone/Android)
      • Desktop (Web Browser)
    • Try a different device
    • Try a different network
    • Switch off your VPN
    • Try without Ad Blockers
  • Common Troubleshooting method for specific platforms
    • Instagram
      • 400 session or account not found
        • Private Account
        • Personal Account
        • Brand new account
        • Security Notifications
        • Features Issue
        • Banned or Restricted account
      • Your activity off Meta technologies is currently turned off error
        • Desktop
        • Mobile
  • Notes

Common troubleshooting steps for social media connection issues

There are many reasons why you may have issues connecting your social media account, such as platform restrictions, expired tokens, incorrect login credentials, missing permissions, and many more.  Here is a list of things you can try before reaching out to one of the team.  

Log out of your social account

Sometimes, social media platforms use something called a session to keep you logged in.  Over time, these sessions can become outdated or corrupted, especially if your account settings, password, or permissions have changed.  Logging out and back in again refreshes your sessions, which can resolve connection issues.  If you're Instagram and Facebook accounts are linked, we recommend logging out for both.  

Clear your browser cache and cookies

Your browser stores temporary data (called cache) and small files (called cookies) to help websites load faster and remember your preferences. However, over time, this stored data can become outdated or conflict with new updates, especially after login changes or permissions updates on social media platforms.

Clearing your cache and cookies forces your browser to load the most recent version of the site and picks up a clean connection. 

How to do this for your devices:

Desktop

Google Chrome

1. Click the three dots in the top-right corner.

2. Go to Settings > Privacy and Security > Clear browsing data.

3. Choose a time range 

4. Check Cookies and other site data, and Cached images and files.

5. Click Clear data.

6. Restart the browser and try again.

Firefox

1. Click the menu (≡) button in the top-right corner.

2. Select Settings (or Preferences on Mac).

3. Go to Privacy & Security.

4. Scroll to the Cookies and Site Data section.

5. Click Clear Data….

6. Check:

   1. Cookies and Site Data

   2. Cached Web Content

7. Click Clear and then confirm.

Safari

1. In the top menu, click Safari > Preferences (or Settings if you're on macOS Ventura or later).

2. Go to the Privacy tab.

3. Click Manage Website Data….

4. To remove everything:

   • Click Remove All.

   • Then confirm by clicking Remove Now.

5. Alternatively, you can search for a specific site and remove its data only.  For the case of the community, it would be the community URL, Instagram, and Facebook if linked.

6. Close Preferences and restart Safari

Mobile - (iOS)

Chrome

1. Tap the three dots in the bottom-right corner.

2. Tap History > Clear Browsing Data.

3. Select a time range.

4. Check Cookies, Site Data, and Cached Images and Files.

5. Tap Clear Browsing Data, then confirm.

Firefox

1. Tap the menu button (≡) at the bottom right.

2. Tap Settings.

3. Scroll down to the Privacy section.

4. Tap Data Management.

5. Toggle on Cookies and Cache (and any others you want to clear).

6. Tap Clear Private Data, then confirm.

Safari

1. Open the Settings app.

2. Scroll down and tap Safari.

3. Scroll down again and tap Clear History and Website Data.

4. Tap Clear History and Data to confirm.

This will remove browsing history, cookies, and cache. If you want to keep your history, there’s no way to delete only cache/cookies in Safari mobile.

Mobile - Android

Chrome

1. Tap the three dots in the top-right corner.

2. Tap History > Clear browsing data.

3. Choose a time range (e.g., "All Time").

4. Check:

   • Cookies and site data

   • Cached images and files

5. Tap Clear data, then confirm.

Firefox

1. Tap the three dots in the bottom-right or top-right corner.

2. Tap Settings.

3. Scroll to the Privacy and Security section.

4. Tap Delete browsing data.

5. Check:

   • Cookies

   • Cached images and files

6. Tap Delete browsing data, then confirm.

Try in Incognito or private mode

Incognito (or private) mode disables most extensions and doesn't use stored cache or cookies, which can help rule out certain issues.

How to open incognito mode:

• Chrome: Press Ctrl + Shift + N (Windows) or Command + Shift + N (Mac).

• Firefox/Edge: Press the same shortcut, or open the browser menu and select New Private Window.

• Safari: Click File > New Private Window.

Return to the community and try connecting your Instagram account where you previously encountered the issue.

Log out of Instagram 

To log out of Instagram, follow these steps:

Mobile (iPhone/Android)

The steps are very similar for both iPhone and Android.

1. Open the Instagram App: Tap the Instagram app icon on your phone's home screen.
2. Go to Your Profile: Tap your profile picture in the bottom right corner of the screen.
3. Open the Menu: Tap the three horizontal lines (hamburger menu) in the top right corner of your profile page.
4. Access Settings and Privacy: From the pop-up menu, scroll down and tap "Settings and privacy."
5. Scroll to the Bottom: Scroll all the way down to the bottom of the "Settings and privacy" screen.
6. Log Out:
   • If you have multiple accounts logged in on the app, you'll see "Log out [your username]" and "Log out all accounts."
     • Tap "Log out [your username]" to log out of only the current account.
     • Tap "Log out all accounts" if you want to log out of every Instagram account currently signed in on that device.
   • If you have only one account logged in, you'll simply see "Log out [your username]". Tap this.
7. Confirm (Optional): Instagram might ask you to confirm if you want to remember your login info. Choose "Not now" if you don't want it saved for quicker logins next time, or "Remember" if you do.

Desktop (Web Browser)

1. Open Instagram in Your Browser: Go to www.instagram.com in your web browser (e.g., Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari).
2. Go to Your Profile: Click on your profile picture in the top right corner of the page.
3. Access Settings: From the dropdown menu, click on "Settings".
4. Log Out: In the left sidebar of the settings page, scroll down and click on "Log out".
5. Confirm (Optional): The browser might ask you to confirm if you want to log out. Confirm your choice.

Try a different device

Sometimes, your phone or computer holds onto old internet information (like temporary files or passwords) that can get "stuck" or cause problems when you try to connect new apps. Using a different device is like starting fresh – it doesn't have that old, potentially problematic data, so your Instagram connection might go through smoothly.

Also, Instagram's security might get suspicious if it sees too many logins from the same device, or if something unusual happened on that device before. Switching to another device is like giving Instagram a "new face" to recognize, which can help get around those security checks.

Try a different network

Your internet connection, whether it's your home Wi-Fi or mobile data, has a unique internet address. Instagram's security sometimes blocks these addresses if they've seen unusual activity from them, or if too many people are trying to connect from the same one (like a public Wi-Fi). Changing your network gives you a new internet address that Instagram might not be blocking.

Think of it like different roads to the same destination. Some roads might be blocked or have traffic. Trying a different network is like taking an unblocked road to Instagram, bypassing any issues your current internet connection might be having with its security or setup.

Switch off VPN

A VPN makes it look like you're using the internet from a different place, often for privacy. But sometimes, Instagram's security gets confused or suspicious if your location suddenly jumps around, or if many people are using the same VPN "address." This can make Instagram block your connection, thinking something's wrong.

If your VPN is causing the problem, trying a different VPN (one that Instagram might "trust" more) or simply turning your VPN off temporarily can help. It's like removing a disguise that Instagram might not like, allowing your connection to be seen as more normal and trustworthy.

Try without Ad Blockers

Ad blockers are designed to stop unwanted ads and tracking on websites, but sometimes they can be a bit too aggressive. They work by blocking certain parts of a website or app from loading. When you're trying to connect your Instagram account to another app, this connection process often involves tiny pieces of code or hidden windows that pop up in the background to confirm your identity.

If your ad blocker mistakenly sees these essential pieces as "ads" or "trackers," it will block them. This means the full connection process can't be completed, making it seem like the app isn't working or your profile isn't available. Turning off your ad blocker just for that moment can let all the necessary parts load, allowing the connection to go through.

Common Troubleshooting method for specific platforms

Instagram

400 session or account not found

If you're encountering messages such as "This Profile is not available," "User not found," a blank Instagram page, or a "400 session" error, begin by trying the general troubleshooting steps above.

Example of the error messages:

If these don't resolve the issue, wait 24 hours to see if it fixes itself. Should the problem persist after waiting, review the following specific solutions:

Private Account

If the Instagram account is set to private, third-party apps may not be able to access its data. Ensure the Instagram account is set to public. 

Personal Account

Due to recent changes in Instagram's API, third-party apps can only connect to Creator or Business accounts. The "Account not found" message often indicates that the account might still be a Personal account. While it should prompt you to switch to a Creator or Business account, other settings might prevent this redirection from occurring.  Click here for instructions on how to change this over when not redirected.

Brand new account

If it's a brand new account, Instagram will not let you connect to a third-party app for a while, and this can vary from account to account.  Please try again at a later point in time

Security Notifications

Check your Instagram account for any security notifications that may be asking you to verify your login to continue.

Features Issue

All features are not accessible. You can check this under Settings > Account Status.

Banned or Restricted account

Another possibility is that your account may have been shadowbanned or restricted.  Unfortunately, Instagram doesn’t notify you if this is the case, but if you've ruled out the other issues, "Account not found" is a common symptom of this.  In this case, there's nothing we can do to help in this matter.

Your activity off Meta technologies is currently turned off error

If you receive this error "error_type": "OAuthException", "code": 400, "error_message": "Your activity off Meta technologies is currently turned off.", when trying to connect, this means that your Activity off Meta technologies is currently turned off. You can switch this on, you will be able to connect to your Instagram.

Desktop

1. The error message: "error_type": "OAuthException", "code": 400, "error_message": "Your activity off Meta technologies is currently turned off." comes up
2. Go to your Facebook > Settings >Off-Facebook Activity or go to your Meta Account Centre > Your information and permissions
3. Click on Manage Future Activity
4. Click on Connect future activity as a choice
5. Click Continue to accept and you will be able to connect your Instagram

Mobile

1. The error message: "error_type": "OAuthException", "code": 400, "error_message": "Your activity off Meta technologies is currently turned off." comes up
2. Go to your Instagram App
3. Click on Settings
4. Navigate to your Account Centre
5. Click on Your information and permissions
6. Click on Manage Future Activity
7. Click on Connect future activity as a choice
8. Click Continue to accept and you will be able to connect your Instagram

Notes

• Brave Browser is not supported and can display issues when trying to connect social media accounts