Troubleshooting Instagram connections

NOTE: This article is specifically for troubleshooting Professional Instagram accounts that are (or need to be) linked to a Facebook Page. 
If you can’t connect your Instagram Professional account because it isn’t showing as an option, or you see other errors, this guide can help get the pieces in place to connect it.
  • 📝 Here are the core requirements that need to be in place for you to connect your Professional Instagram account to Buffer to access Buffer’s analytics and engagement features:
  • ✅ Instagram needs to be a Business or Creator Instagram account.
  • ✅ Instagram needs to be linked to its own Facebook Page (not profile).
  • ✅ An Admin with “full control” needs to connect the Instagram account to Buffer.
  • ✅ All permissions for all Pages and Instagram accounts need to be selected (even for those you are not connecting to your Buffer account).
Connecting Instagram is a little more complex than other social networks, so we’re here to walk you through each of the settings. It’s very important that you go through these steps in order, so that we can identify where the issue with the connection is. 
Here are the steps that we’ll work through, in order:
  1. Checking the link between Facebook and Instagram
  2. Checking your admin settings and permissions for Buffer within Facebook
  3. Reauthorizing your connection between Buffer and Facebook

📝 If your Instagram account is currently a personal account, it will need to be converted to a Business or Creator account to connect to Buffer. This happens when it is linked to your Facebook page as described in the next section below. Not sure what type of account you have or how to convert it? See the steps in our Instagram Connection guide.

Instagram needs to be linked to its own Facebook Page (not a personal account). Please check within Facebook to make sure that your Instagram account is properly linked to a Facebook Page with these steps. Note: This is not the same as linking it in your Meta Account Center.
  1. Log into Facebook on your computer.
  2. Click your avatar in the top right-hand corner then click See all profiles. Here’s what that looks like.
  3. Click on the Page you want to work with. If you don’t see your Page, please see this guide.
  4. Now go to this screen to see if Instagram is linked to the Page. Here’s an example of how it should look if it is successfully connected (screenshot).
  5. If your Instagram is not linked and you see this screen, click Connect account to link your Instagram to your Facebook Page (this will convert it to a Professional account if it is a Personal account).

Checking your admin settings 

In order to connect or refresh your Facebook Page in Buffer, you’ll first need to be set up as an admin of the Facebook Page with Full Control. This is also necessary to review Instagram connections in Facebook.
Because your Admin settings and permissions are controlled in your Facebook account and they control your Pages and Portfolios, please head to this section of our Facebook Admin guide to walk through those steps. 

Reauthorizing the connection between Facebook and Buffer 

Sometimes the authorization access token between Buffer and Facebook needs to be renewed in order to get things to work properly. This can happen for a number of reasons, such as if you have not chosen the right permissions during the connection process or you have connected a Facebook or Instagram account in the past. If everything else looks to be in place, give these steps a try by heading to this section of the Facebook guide.

Still having trouble? Reach out to us at hello@buffer.com and let us know the error you see and we’ll be happy to troubleshoot with you!

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