Connecting your Instagram account to Buffer

Buffer can connect to both Personal accounts as well as Professional accounts. The publishing, analytics, and engagement features vary depending on which type of Instagram account you have connected to Buffer:

	Personal Accounts	Professional (Business or Creator Accounts)
Publishing Style	Notification-based publishing (you’ll get a mobile notification when it’s time to post)	Notification-based publishing: receive a mobile notification when it’s time to post Automatic posting: schedule your content in Buffer and we’ll publish for you (Creator accounts cannot publish Stories automatically)
Analytics	N/A	Basic post metrics (Free & paid plans) Advanced analytics and reporting (paid plans only, must have Facebook page connected to Instagram)
Engagement	N/A	Reply to comments on your Instagram posts (paid plans, must have Facebook page connected to Instagram)

Not sure what kind of account you have? Check out our guide here.
If you see that your social channel is marked as "Unavailable" (like this), checkout our article: Why channels are appearing as "Unavailable" when attempting to connect them to Buffer

In this article:

Connecting your Instagram Personal account
Connecting your Instagram Business or Creator account
Linking your Instagram account via Facebook to get advanced analytics & engagement or add locations to your posts
Troubleshooting common connection errors

Connecting your Instagram Personal account

⚠️ Due to API limitations, we are not able to:

post automatically to Instagram Personal accounts
access analytics or comments within Engage for Instagram Personal accounts.

If you prefer to post automatically or wish to use Analyze and Engage with Instagram, you’ll need to switch your account type to an Instagram Business or Creator account and authorize with Facebook.
📝 Scheduling to Instagram Personal accounts is only available on our new plans. On a Legacy plan? Get in touch with us at hello@buffer.com to discuss your options!

In Buffer, head to the Channels page by clicking this link or click on your profile avatar at the top right of your dashboard and then click Account from the drop down menu and choose Channels on the left menu.
Click Instagram (If you already have channels connected, click Connect New Channel and then find Instagram and click Connect).

Select Connect a Personal account.
Next, enter your Instagram Personal account username and click Continue.

Set up your Instagram personal account modal

Set up mobile notifications if you haven’t already.
Then you’ll be good to go!

Connecting your Instagram Professional account (Business or Creator accounts)

If you’d like to add locations to Instagram posts, access advanced analytics and our engagement features, you’ll need to connect your Facebook page to Instagram first using these steps. We recommend connecting a Instagram business account to Buffer, as Instagram Creator accounts cannot publish Stories automatically once you convert.

In Buffer, head to the Channels page by clicking this link or click on your profile avatar at the top right of your dashboard and then click Account from the drop down menu and choose Channels on the left menu.
Click Instagram (If you already have channels connected, click Connect New Channel and then find Instagram and click Connect).

Under “Professional,” select Connect to Instagram.

Next, you’ll be prompted to log into Instagram.
Follow the prompts to finish connecting your Instagram professional account to Buffer.

Having trouble connecting? See our guide to common connection errors below for troubleshooting steps.

Linking your Instagram account via Facebook to get advanced analytics & engagement or add locations to posts

In order to add locations to your Instagram posts, or access advanced analytics and engagement features on our paid plans, you will need to link your Instagram account to a Facebook page and then connect to Buffer with these steps.

Troubleshooting common connection errors

Error Message	Troubleshooting Steps
*We've hit a snag!*	This error can come up for a few reasons: If your Instagram account is new and you have not completed the "setup" steps in Instagram. Please check your account and make sure to complete all setup steps, such as adding a bio and profile picture. If you cancel the connection flow mid-way and try to connect the channel again. To fix this, please try opening Buffer in a private browser window and then try connecting Instagram again, making sure to go through all steps in the connection process.
*{"error_type": "OAuthException", "code": 400, "error_message": "Your activity off Meta technologies is currently turned off."}*	Log into the account on Instagram.com. Visit https://accountscenter.instagram.com/info_and_permissions/off_facebook_activity/?entry_point=ACCOUNTS_CENTER A new page will appear, and you will select "Manage Future Activity." (screenshot) In order for things to work properly, the option for "Connect Future Activity" would need to be selected (screenshot). Once you've gone through this steps, please try connecting Instagram to Buffer again. Note: you may need to repeat these steps for any other Instagram account you are trying to connect to Buffer.
Invalid session error 400	Head to https://www.instagram.com/accounts/manage_access/ Find Buffer and click Remove. Check to make sure you are not using a VPN. Open Buffer in an incognito or private browser using these steps. Try connecting the Instagram channel again.

❓ Can our Customer Advocacy team answer any questions for you? Feel free to reach out via hello@buffer.com.