How Long Do Instagram Bans Last? What Causes It & How To Fix

Are you wondering, “How long do Instagram bans last?” This article will walk you through everything about Instagram bans, from how long they last to preventing them.

Instagram is all about aesthetically pleasing pictures and perfectly curated feeds. The platform makes reaching out incredibly easy and fun. Not to mention, it’s where you can find all the celebrities, too. 

Now, imagine Instagram restricts you from accessing it. One minute, you’re happily scrolling through videos and photos, and the next, you’re locked out.

Instagram has some strict rules to keep a safe and respectful environment for everyone. They use an algorithm to enforce these guidelines automatically. If you break the rules, Instagram will ban or restrict your account.

Why Instagram Ban Is a Threat to Your Brand?

For many brands and influencers, Instagram is one of the most vital aspects of their digital marketing strategies. It means the platform helps them search for new prospects.

Attracting more people and increasing the following is crucial for any brand’s success. However, reaching your current audience organically is challenging – without paid promotions. 

Remember, anything you create on Instagram isn’t solely ours. Instagram owns it and can access and analyze it. 

If the platform bans you, you’ll lose all your hard work. This makes Instagram bans a severe threat to your brand. Thus, you should take steps to prevent it.

Now that you know Instagram bans can adversely affect your business, let’s learn more about them. 

Types of Instagram Bans

Instagram bans come in various forms, each posing detrimental effects on users. A ban can result from violations such as spamming, hate speech, or posting inappropriate content. These bans hinder user engagement, damage online presence, and disrupt social connections. Prevention is crucial to maintaining a positive user experience, safeguarding the platform’s integrity, and fostering a healthy online community.

Instagram can put different types of bans on an account, such as:

Instagram Shadowban

Instagram shadowban isn’t as serious as the account ban. With this, your account stays active, and your followers can still see your posts. However, your posts become invisible to non-followers and can’t appear in the search results on the platform. This usually happens when Instagram thinks you’re using automation tools or breaking rules that manipulate engagement. 

Action Ban – Blocked on Instagram Temporarily

An action ban may cause you to get blocked on Instagram. It is usually temporary and restricts specific actions like liking, commenting, and following. It’s a way to stop users from employing automation tools or violating Instagram’s rules.

Account Ban (or Permanent Ban)

This is the most severe ban on Instagram, as Instagram deletes your account and all the content in it. It permanently deletes your account, causing you to lose access to it completely. All the content on your account is also taken down. 

This ban usually affects users who have seriously violated the platform’s terms of service, like posting offensive or illegal content.

How Long Does Instagram Suspend Your Account?

Let’s say Instagram bans you from using the platform. Are you wondering how long Instagram suspends your account?

Your Instagram ban duration can change depending on how bad the violation is. A ban could be a few hours, weeks, or indefinite for serious issues.

For instance, breaking Instagram’s community guidelines might get you a temporary ban lasting 24 hours to a week. If that happens, reach out to Instagram through the “Report a Problem” section to speed up the process of getting unbanned.

On the flip side, if you keep breaking Instagram’s rules, they might hit you with a permanent ban. That means your account gets shut down for good, and you can’t use it anymore. 

The ban’s duration depends on how severe the violation is and how often you have violated Instagram’s guidelines.

Instagram usually tells you about the ban and how long it lasts. However, the notification might not give you the exact ban duration.

11 Reasons Why Instagram May Ban Your Account

To enjoy your time on Instagram, you must understand and follow their terms of service (TOS) and guidelines. Even a minor mistake can lead to a shadowban or a permanent one. 

Here are eleven reasons why Instagram can ban your account:

Posting Offensive or Inappropriate Content

Instagram strictly prohibits sexually explicit, violent, or offensive content. They enforce this rule rigorously, particularly as most users are adults, but there may be users below eighteen.

Employing Automation Tools

Instagram forbids users from using tools that automate actions like commenting, liking, or following. 

Often, people use these tools to artificially inflate the number of likes, comments, and views (engagement). This violates Instagram’s ToS and may lead to a ban. 

The platform bans every account that automates a range of posts and other engagement forms. Instagram is strict about using automation tools as it devalues the fourth most popular platform worldwide.

Making Fake Accounts

Manipulating the IG platform by creating several accounts breaches its terms of service. Spam accounts will get banned eventually. 

Creating new Instagram accounts using a similar email or IP address may result in an immediate ban.

Self-Promotion

Believe it or not, Instagram disallows multiple accounts and promotes third-party content, services, or products. 

Employing third-party software to create multiple accounts or do shady tricks violates Instagram’s rules. Even user complaints can lead to negative trust scores and potential account blocks.

Violating Spam Policies

Spam, like repetitive comments, creating artificial engagement, or unsolicited messages, often leads to account bans. Instagram banned various accounts in the past because they were spam accounts. 

Bullying or Harassment

Any form of harassment, hate speech, or bullying results in an immediate account ban. 

Moreover, you can get blocked on Instagram if you bully or harass users in DMs (direct messages) or comments section. If users report your Ig account, you may face a ban. 

That’s because Instagram takes user complaints seriously. Be cautious not to offend anyone with your content to avoid losing your account.

Mass Follow-Unfollow

Following and unfollowing accounts rapidly violates Instagram’s terms of service. This tactic, seen as artificially inflating follower counts, can lead to an Action Block. 

Instagram actively targets accounts employing mass following, unfollowing, liking, or commenting to boost their followers. 

Whether done manually or through third-party promotion tools, Instagram may block accounts engaging in such practices. 

Buying Followers

Purchasing fake Instagram followers damages your brand’s credibility and violates the platform’s ToS. 

It’s important to find, engage, and grow your audience organically. You can easily do it by providing interesting, valuable, evergreen content.

Buying Someone Else’s Account

If you buy someone’s account and act like it’s yours, that’s against Instagram rules. The rulebook states that when you create an account, you agree not to sell, license, transfer, or assign it. Moreover, you agree not to share/transfer followers, usernames, or any account rights.

Copyright Infringement

Posting content owned by someone else without permission is also a no-go. Instagram may only ban accounts after a copyright owner reports it. So, if the copyright owner reports your post, you could still face a ban.

Banned Hashtags

Instagram bans the use of certain hashtags for obvious reasons. Using these banned hashtags can result in your account getting banned.

What Happens When You Get Banned on Instagram?

So, what happens when you get banned on Instagram?

When Instagram bans your account, you won’t be able to do various things on the platform. Here’s a breakdown of what happens when Instagram bans you:

• Restricted Account Access: Instagram blocks your access to the platform. If it’s a permanent ban, you won’t be able to comment or like anything.
• Loss of Followers: Permanently banned Instagram accounts lose all their followers and any content posted on the platform.
• Username Restrictions: After an Instagram ban, you cannot create another account with the same email address, IP address, and username. 

Overall, an Instagram ban significantly limits your engagement and presence on the platform. And if it’s a permanent ban, it can result in a complete loss of your account and associated content.

How To Retrieve a Banned IG Account

Getting banned on Instagram can be tough, as it means limiting or losing access to your account and its content. But don’t worry. There are ways to request and possibly recover your account.

Follow these steps to help retrieve your Instagram account:

1. Do you have access to your IG account? If so, go to ‘Report a Problem’ in ‘Settings.’ Fill out the form explaining why Instagram should remove the ban. Make sure to write a thorough report and include evidence, if any, to support your claim. Based on a case, Instagram may un-ban your account within 24 hours.
2. If your IG account is temporarily banned or restricted, taking a break from the platform is best. Give yourself time to cool off and let the situation resolve.
3. If you cannot access your Instagram account, visit the “Instagram’s Help” page and fill in the form.
4. Sometimes, Instagram may ask you to verify your account. They do it by providing a government-issued ID or using a verification code sent to your phone or email.
5. For severe violations, Instagram might ban your “IP address.” If that happens, you can use a VPN to get a new IP address and create a new IG account.

Remember that creating a new account takes time, energy, and effort. So, it’s best to avoid behaviors that might get you in trouble in the first place.

How To Prevent an Instagram Ban

If you experience a block on Instagram, it means that the platform monitors your activities. 

Instagram values real engagement and genuine content. Do you hop from one giveaway to another and tag numerous people? Then Instagram might not be too thrilled to have you around. 

You’ll need to show them that your contributions are entertaining, helpful, or engaging. Make sure to appreciate the content on the app and start sharing more of your photos and videos.

Here are some tips to avoid facing a ban again:

• Spend only a few minutes on Instagram each time. Avoid long comment sessions.
• Regularly watch stories and react or reply to them.
• Share original content and stories on your grid. This can be anything from pet photos to what you eat. Add interesting text or captions to encourage likes and comments.
• React or comment on content from comping friends.
• Limit emojis and avoid phrases like ‘share with’ or ‘DM me,’ as they may trigger comment removal.
• Tag business and verified accounts in your posts and stories to showcase the value of your content.
• If someone tags you in a post, you should like or respond to the comment to show your appreciation.
• Don’t leave over three comments on a giveaway post.
• Be selective about the giveaways you enter – focus on prizes you genuinely want.
• Consider starting a second account, especially if you reach the 7500 follow limit. If unfollowing, do it gradually to avoid potential bans.
• Check for rule violations in your account settings under Support requests.
• After Instagram removes the ban, post original content before resuming giveaway entries.
• Type tags and comments manually; avoid using keyboard shortcuts.

Grow on Instagram With PathSocial

Instagram is a popular social media platform both among users and businesses. This is why a ban can affect your IG profile and overall reputation.

Make sure to avoid making mistakes that force Instagram to suspend your account. Follow the tips we outlined to the T to prevent any future ban. 

If you want to know how long Instagram bans last and want to avoid them, choose Path Social! We have a range of tailor-made strategies and tools to polish your Instagram profile. With us, you can realize the true potential of your account, grow followers, and get more views. 

Don’t wait to learn how to prevent an Instagram ban – let Path Social help you. Start growing and gaining Instagram followers today!