Instagram Account Hacked? How to Get It Back

If your Instagram was hacked, go to instagram.com/hacked first. Instagram's Help Center says to visit it "If someone gains access to your account or you're unable to log into your account." Did the hacker change your email? Look for Instagram's message from security@mail.instagram.com. It carries "a special link you can click to reverse the email change" right away. And don't pay anyone who offers to get it back for you. The security firm ESET calls paid recovery services "a scam."

We read Instagram's Help Center as Google shows it, ESET's guide and the news reports on October 23, 2026. We didn't run a recovery ourselves.

What should you do first?

Situation	What to do
You can still log in	Change your password, add 2FA
Your email was changed	Use the undo link
You can't log in	Go to instagram.com/hacked
The account shows you	Expect a video selfie
Someone offers help	Ignore them

Instagram Help Center as Google showed it on October 23, 2026, and ESET's guide of August 13, 2026.

What if you can still log in?

1. Change your password. The Help Center says to "Change your password or send yourself a password reset email" if you're still in.
2. Turn on two-factor authentication. ESET suggests "an authenticator app or passkey," since text messages "can be intercepted."
3. Log everyone else out. ESET gives the path: Settings, Accounts Center, Password and security, Where you're logged in.
4. Remove apps you don't know. Instagram says to "Revoke access on Instagram to any suspicious third-party apps" in your settings.
5. Check your email account too. Whoever got into Instagram may have your email password as well.

What if you can't log in?

Go to instagram.com/hacked and enter your username, email or phone number. ESET says you'll get "a login or security code sent to your email address or phone number" from there. If that fails, Instagram support takes over. The Help Center says that if your account has photos of you, "you'll be asked to take a video selfie of you turning your head in different directions" to prove it's you.

Meta also runs an Account Recovery Hub for Facebook, Instagram and Threads, with a path marked "My Instagram or Threads account was hacked" for this case.

How do you know your Instagram was hacked?

Sign	What it means
You can't log in	Your password was changed
Posts you didn't make	Someone else is posting
DMs you didn't send	Your friends may get scams
Login alerts	A new device signed in
A security email	Your email was changed

Forbes, as Google showed it on October 23, 2026, and ESET's guide.

Forbes lists the signs as "being unable to log in, unusual activity, changed account details or unexpected login notifications" on your account.

Why am I getting Instagram password reset emails?

Plenty of people got them in January 2026. A Meta spokesperson told reporters, "We fixed an issue that allowed an external party to request password reset emails for some Instagram users." Meta also said "there was no breach of our systems," SiliconANGLE reported on January 11, 2026.

A reset email you didn't ask for isn't a hack by itself. Don't click it if you're unsure. Instagram says its emails "will only come from @mail.instagram.com," and anything else "may be a phishing attempt" to steal your login. You can also check the real ones in the app. Its "Emails from Instagram" page keeps security emails from the last 14 days.

How do Instagram accounts get hacked?

ESET says "Phishing is the most common way hackers get hold of Instagram logins" today. Reused passwords are another way in. So are apps that ask for your password.

Growth services are part of that. In 2020, TechCrunch found that Social Captain "was storing the passwords of linked Instagram accounts in unencrypted plaintext." Our page on the Social Captain data breach has the details. Our guide to SMM panels that ask for your password explains why you shouldn't give one yours.

Hclout's free tier never asks for a password. It gives 12 free Instagram likes and 100 free Instagram views on a public post, on the free page.

Frequently asked questions

How do I recover a hacked Instagram account?

Go to instagram.com/hacked, enter your username, email or phone, and follow the login link or code. If that fails, Instagram support may ask for a video selfie.

What if the hacker changed my email and phone number?

Look for Instagram's email from security@mail.instagram.com and use its link to reverse the change. If you can't, start at instagram.com/hacked.

Why is Instagram asking for a video selfie?

To check it's really you. Instagram asks for one when your account has photos of you, and you turn your head in different directions on camera.

Should I pay someone to recover my Instagram?

No. ESET calls paid recovery services a scam, and Instagram's own recovery is free.

How do I stop my Instagram getting hacked again?

Use a unique password, turn on two-factor authentication with an app or passkey, and never give your password to an app or growth service.

Sources

• Instagram Help Center pages on hacked accounts, security emails, video selfies, emails from Instagram and third-party apps, as Google showed them on October 23, 2026
• Meta, Account Recovery Hub, as Google showed it on October 23, 2026
• ESET, "Instagram account hacked? Here's how to recover it (2026 guide)," August 13, 2026, read October 23, 2026
• SiliconANGLE, "Instagram denies data breach after password reset emails spark leak claims," January 11, 2026, read October 23, 2026
• Forbes on the signs of a hacked Instagram, September 18, 2026, as Google showed it on October 23, 2026
• TechCrunch, "Social Captain" Instagram passwords report, January 30, 2020, as Google showed it on October 23, 2026
• Google results for "instagram account hacked," US, October 23, 2026 (our read)