Instagram is one of the most popular social media apps for sharing photo and video-related content, recently also added short-form video content with its Reels. Instagram tries its best to improve its policy and user experience, but like every app, it also has its fair share of errors like unknown network errors, Instagram link not being allowed, trying again later error, or a list of followers unavailable.
Recently, Instagram users have started getting “couldn’t connect error”. Users are unable to connect to their Instagram and an error pops up “We couldn’t connect to Instagram. Make sure you’re connected to the internet and try again”. Are you trying to find a fix Instagram can’t connect error on Instagram? Don’t worry, we will tell you a few solutions that can help you fix this error on Instagram.
Method 1: Check the Internet
Obviously, our first and foremost instinct goes to the fact that is the application still connected to the internet. Like all social media platforms, we have to make sure that the internet is connected at the slightest inconvenience and that is mostly the right first step.
Make sure that your phone’s airplane mode is off. If it is on then go to settings and turn off the airplane mode. Now check if your phone is connected to a wifi network or not. Go to settings>wifi and turn on wifi. Connect to a wifi connection and make sure that it has a blue tick on the left side of the name of the connection.
Method 2: Instagram server is down
Instagram is acquired by Meta, and where there is no second thought on Meta being one of the biggest tech companies in the world, their servers still have the potential to get down due to multiple reasons.
Check for any unexpected error on the platform or scheduled system maintenance. If their servers are down there’s no point in trying out any fixes.
The easiest way to check Instagram servers is through third-party sites like Downdetector. You can check the network status of the page and any past issues it has encountered. A quick Google or Twitter search will let you know of such a huge outbreak. You can also do a quick google search asking “Is Instagram down?”
If Instagram servers are down, you can’t do anything except wait. On the other hand, if their servers are working just fine, move on to the next step to fix this error.
Method 3: Log out and log back into your account
As basic as it might sound but logging out and back into your Instagram can help you get rid of can’t connect errors. To do that, follow these steps:
- Step 1: Go to your profile, and tap on the hamburger button in the top right corner.
- Step 2: Tap on settings and scroll down.
- Step 3: Tap on log out.
Log back into your account using your username and password or log in with Facebook.
Method 4: Change your account’s password
Changing your Instagram account’s password can help you fix a can’t connect error on Instagram. When you change your password, Instagram will automatically log you out from all the third-party apps or tools, so it will stop considering you a bot.
- Step 1: Go to your profile, and tap on the hamburger button in the top right corner.
- Step 2: Go to settings > security > password.
- Step 3: Enter your old password, then enter the new password twice and tap on save.
- Now check if the issue still persists.
Method 5: Clear the app’s cache
If the issue still persists after a restart, you might have a problem with the app’s cache. Browser add-on or extension might have compatibility issues with the Netflix website which can cause login issues. Clearing the browsing data eliminates email login errors.
Cache and cookies are temporary data used by your browser to load websites faster. Sometimes this temporary data accumulates and slows the loading time.
If you are using an Android device, follow these steps clear the cache with a few taps. Steps might vary depending on the device you’re using.
- Step 1: Go to the Settings of your device
- Step 2: Tap Apps & Notifications. Go to the list of apps and tap on Netflix.
- Step 3: Tap Storage & cache. Then tap Clear cache.
If you’re using an iPhone, you can’t clear the app’s cache instead uninstall the app and reinstall it from the App Store. However, on a few versions of iPhone and iPad, tap on the Menu button in the Instagram app and tap “Clear temporary files” on the Settings page.
If you’re using a web browser to scroll on Instagram. Follow the steps below to clear your browsing data:
- Step 1: Click on the menu button on the top right, the one with the three dots vertically placed.
- Step 2: Hover the cursor on ‘More Tools’ from the drop-down
- Step 3: Click on Clear Browsing Data.
- Step 4: Select the ‘All time’ option from the dropbox ‘Time range’.
- Step 5: Select clear data.
Method 6: Unlink apps from your account
As we told earlier, third-party apps are one of the causes of the can’t connect error on Instagram. To remove them, follow these steps:
- Step 1: Go to your Instagram profile and tap on the hamburger button in the top right corner.
- Step 2: Tap on settings > security > apps and websites.
- Step 3: If you see any links in the active section, deactivate them.
Method 7: Disable VPN settings
VPNs are great for protecting your network and allow you to bypass regional restrictions set by your ISP. Some VPNs don’t work efficiently which often gets in the way of scrolling on social media applications.
Sometimes, you have VPN turned on your system or mobile phone which can cause connectivity issues with the apps, including Instagram.
If you are running any VPN on your device, it can cause further delays and bugs. If you see an error message related to a connectivity issue, make sure to disable your VPN. Avoid using your VPN to get rid of connectivity errors on Instagram. You can also change the VPN settings and try again. Here’s how you can disable VPN on your phone:
- Step 1: Go to the settings app on your phone.
- Step 2: Locate VPN and turn the toggle off to disable it.
Method 8: Clear Instagram App Data
Android users have the option to manage their app data. Just like browsers stores data to improve performance, Android phones do the same. If these temporary files get corrupted, you can encounter connectivity errors on Instagram.
If you’re using Instagram on Android, try to clear its app data to get rid of any corrupted files. Follow these steps to clear Instagram’s app data on your Android device:
- Step 1: Go to the Settings app from the home screen of your Android device.
- Step 2: Then, go to the Apps and tap on Instagram from the list of applications.
- Step 3: Finally, go to the Storage tab. Then, tap the Clear Data button.
After clearing the app data, try to re-login to your Instagram account and check if the error still occurs.
Method 9: the Instagram app is out of date/ not supported
Instagram often releases updates to ensure that the app runs smoothly without any errors. Using an old version of the Instagram app on your device may lead to a failure to complete even the basic functions.
You might also be seeing the “We couldn’t connect to Instagram. Make sure you’re connected to the internet and try again” error because Instagram isn’t supported on your device anymore.
If you encounter any error messages on Instagram, try to look if there’s an update available to fix the error. Make sure to have the latest version of the app on your device.
Follow the below steps to update Instagram on Android:
- Step 1: Go to the Google Play Store on your phone.
- Step 2: Tap on your Profile and go to My Apps & Games.
- Step 3: Now, locate Instagram and tap the Update button.
Follow the guidelines below to update Instagram on your iOS device:
- Step 1: Go to the App Store from your Home Screen.
- Step 2: Now, go to your Profile and locate the Instagram app.
- Step 3: Then, tap the Update button to get the latest version of Instagram.
Method 10: Logged in on multiple devices
Users have reported having issues on Instagram and have trouble accessing certain features when their account is logged in on multiple devices. We suggest you log out from other devices for scrolling smoothly. Here’s how you can log out of the device:
- Step 1: Go to your profile, and tap on the hamburger button in the top right corner.
- Step 2: Tap on settings and scroll down.
- Step 3: Tap on log out.
Method 11: Date & time settings out-of-sync
The social media app shows errors if your device’s date and time settings are out of sync with the actual date and time. Likewise, Instagram can also have trouble connecting if your date and time wouldn’t match with your device. Follow the steps below on how you can set your device’s date and time:
- Step 1: Open the Settings on your phone.
- Step 2: Scroll down and tap System. Tap Date & time.
- Step 3: Tap the toggle next to Set time automatically to disable the automatic time.
- Step 4: Tap Time and set it to the correct time. Tap OK to save changes.
Method 12: Reinstall Instagram
If you are still having connectivity issues on your Instagram account after an update, try reinstalling Instagram on your device. Sometimes installed files get corrupted when the servers go down or during an update fail. Reinstalling Instagram would ensure that you have working files on your device.
Follow the steps below to reinstall Instagram on Android:
- Step 1: Go to the application drawer and locate the Instagram app.
- Step 2: Then, press and hold its app icon until the options menu or a cross sign shows up.
- Step 3: Now, tap the Uninstall button or cross sign to delete Instagram.
- Step 4: Finally, go to the Google Play Store on your device.
- Step 5: Re-install the Instagram app.
Follow the steps below to reinstall Instagram on your iOS device:
- Step 1: Press and hold Instagram’s app icon on your Home Screen to access the selection menu.
- Step 2: Now, tap on Remove App.
- Step 3: Then, open the App Store on your device.
- Step 4: Re-install Instagram from there.
Method 13: Report the issue to Instagram
If none of the above solutions work for you, report your issue to Instagram. Your account might be facing some severe issues which need attention from Instagram’s team. Report your problem to customer care. It is available through the app, phone, and live chats. Include the details of your account and a screenshot of the error you’re facing, this will help them to solve your problem quickly. You can also check the guides on their help center and see if anything works out for you.
The Instagram support team is quite quick to respond, you just need to follow the instructions sent to you via email. If you follow the instructions step by step, it can help you resolve the unable to connect on Instagram.
- Step 1: Go to your Instagram profile and tap on the hamburger button in the top right corner.
- Step 2: Tap on settings > help > report a problem.
- Step 3: Select something that isn’t working, briefly explain your problem (you can also add the screenshot of the error), and click send.
This brings us to the end of our guide on what to do if you cannot on an Instagram account. If you have any questions or concerns, please leave a comment below, and we’ll do our best to help you out. If you are facing any other web errors let us know, and we’ll try to help you out with the solutions.