# How to Create an Instagram Developer Account There's no separate Instagram developer account. Register as a Meta developer, create an app, add the Instagram use case, and connect a professional account. Canonical page: https://www.tryadeli.com/blog/create-instagram-developer-account Last updated: 2026-10-12 By Mika Reyes, Co-founder, Adeli. Published 2026-10-12. ## The short answer There is no separate Instagram developer account. You register as a Meta developer with your Facebook account, create an app in the Meta App Dashboard, add the "Manage messaging and content on Instagram" use case, and connect an Instagram professional (Business or Creator) account. Serving other people's accounts also takes a business portfolio, Business Verification, and App Review. Adeli skips all of it with one API key. **There is no standalone Instagram developer account.** To build on the [Instagram API](https://www.tryadeli.com/blog/instagram-api-guide), you register as a **Meta developer** with your Facebook account, create an app in the Meta App Dashboard, add the Instagram use case, and connect an Instagram professional account. Everything Instagram-related, from the App ID to App Review, lives inside that Meta app. This guide walks through each step with the exact menu names from Meta's docs, then the snags people hit most. ## Is there such a thing as an Instagram developer account? **No. The Instagram developer account is a Meta developer account.** Meta's [Instagram Platform overview](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/instagram-platform/overview) says that before you integrate, you must register as a Meta developer and then create an app in the Meta App Dashboard. Three separate things get called "the developer account", and you need all three: | What people call it | What it actually is | Where it lives | |---|---|---| | **Developer account** | Your Meta developer registration, tied to a Facebook account | developers.facebook.com | | **Developer app** | A Meta app with the Instagram use case, its own App ID and secret | Meta App Dashboard | | **The Instagram account** | An Instagram professional account (Business or Creator) you connect to test | Instagram | ## What do you need before you start? - **A Facebook account.** Meta's [registration steps](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/development/register) start "while logged into your Facebook account". - **A phone number and email you can access.** Meta sends a confirmation code to both. - **An Instagram professional account.** Meta's overview says app users "must have an Instagram professional account", meaning Business or Creator. Personal accounts don't work. - **A business portfolio, if you'll serve other people's accounts.** Meta's [create-an-app guide](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/development/create-an-app) says an app that accesses data you don't own or manage must be connected to one. ## Step 1: Register as a Meta developer Registration takes four short steps, per Meta's [registration docs](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/development/register): 1. **Start registration.** While logged into Facebook, go to `developers.facebook.com/async/registration`, or click **Get Started** on the Meta for Developers site. 2. **Accept the terms.** Click **Next** to agree to the Platform Terms and Developer Policies. 3. **Verify your account.** Enter the confirmation codes Meta sends to your phone number and email. Meta uses these for developer notifications about changes that affect your app. 4. **Pick an occupation.** Choose the one closest to what you do. That registration is the "Instagram developer account", and it gets you into the App Dashboard. ## Step 2: Create an app in the Meta App Dashboard **Go to `developers.facebook.com/apps/creation/` and work through five screens**, as Meta's [create-an-app guide](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/development/create-an-app) lays them out: 1. **App details.** Enter the app name and a contact email. 2. **Use cases.** Select **Manage messaging and content on Instagram**. Incompatible use cases grey out once you pick one. 3. **Business.** Connect a verified business portfolio, an unverified one, create a new one, or choose "I don't want to connect a business portfolio yet". 4. **Requirements.** Meta lists what the app will need later, such as App Review. 5. **Overview.** Review everything and click **Go to dashboard**. **Use cases can't be removed after you create the app.** Pick only the Instagram use case unless you're sure you need another one. Meta's [Get Started guide](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/instagram-platform/instagram-api-with-instagram-login/get-started) also warns that if your existing app isn't a Business type app, you need to create a new one. ## Step 3: Choose Instagram Login or Facebook Login **Pick one API setup per app.** Meta's [Instagram use case guide](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/development/create-an-app/instagram-use-case) says you can only add one setup to an app, and if you want both, you create an app for each. | | API setup with Instagram Login | API setup with Facebook Login | |---|---|---| | **Your users log in with** | Instagram credentials | Facebook credentials | | **Facebook Page needed** | No | Yes, linked to the Instagram account | | **API host** | `graph.instagram.com` | `graph.facebook.com` | | **App ID you use** | The Instagram app ID on the API setup page | The Meta app ID at the top of the dashboard | | **Default permissions** | `instagram_business_basic`, `instagram_business_manage_messages` | `business_management`, `instagram_basic`, `pages_read_engagement`, `pages_show_list`, plus publishing or messaging scopes | Pick Instagram Login if your users' accounts live on Instagram only. Pick Facebook Login if they manage Instagram through a Facebook Page, or you need features only that setup has, such as hashtag search or product tagging. Our [Instagram API permissions guide](https://www.tryadeli.com/blog/instagram-api-permissions) lists every scope for both. ## Step 4: Connect your Instagram account and get a token **For Instagram Login, open API setup with Instagram Login in the dashboard's left menu.** The page shows the Instagram app ID and Instagram app secret. Then, per Meta's [use case guide](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/development/create-an-app/instagram-use-case): 1. **Add permissions.** Click **Add all required permissions**. 2. **Connect the account.** In **Generate access tokens**, click **Add account**, then log in to your Instagram professional account in the popup. 3. **Set up webhooks (optional).** Add a callback URL and verify token, click **Verify and save**, then subscribe to fields. 4. **Set up Business Login.** Click **Set up** under Instagram business login and add your redirect URL. 5. **Add the required URLs.** In **Business login settings**, add a deauthorization callback URL and a data deletion request URL. To prove it works, generate a token next to the account and call `/me`. Meta says dashboard tokens are **long-lived, valid for 60 days**: ```bash curl -G "https://graph.instagram.com/v25.0/me" \ --data-urlencode "fields=user_id,username" \ --data-urlencode "access_token=" ``` A JSON response with your `user_id` and `username` means the app and the token work. Our [Instagram access token guide](https://www.tryadeli.com/blog/instagram-api-access-token) covers exchanging and refreshing tokens for real users. ## What changes when other people's accounts connect? **Your app starts in Standard Access, which only covers people with a role on it.** Meta's [overview](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/instagram-platform/overview) says Standard Access is for apps used by people with roles on them, during development, or for testing. That's enough to post to your own account. To serve customers' accounts, you need **Advanced Access**, which requires: - **Business Verification.** Proof that your business portfolio belongs to a real business. - **App Review.** A written use case and a screen recording for each permission, submitted under **Review > App Review**. - **Tech Provider steps, for client apps.** Meta's use case guide adds access verification for apps that work with other business portfolios' data. - **A published app.** Meta says some features, such as webhooks, require it. Our guide to [how long Meta app review takes](https://www.tryadeli.com/blog/meta-app-review-time) covers the timeline and the rejections to plan for. ## What snags should you expect? These come from Meta's docs and from our own time in the App Dashboard. - **The account is personal.** Every connection fails until the Instagram account switches to Business or Creator. - **The 15-app limit.** Meta caps a developer or administrator role at **15 apps** not connected to a verified business, and archived apps count. Connect a verified business portfolio or delete old apps. - **The business portfolio comes up later.** You can skip it at creation, but an app serving accounts you don't own needs one. Connect it before Business Verification. - **Roles move to Business Manager.** Once the app is connected to a business portfolio, Meta's [App Roles docs](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/development/build-and-test/app-roles) say you manage roles there, not in the dashboard. - **Basic settings block review.** App Review won't continue until the app icon, privacy policy URL, and category are set. - **App Review is where the time goes.** From our own runs through Meta's review, expect most rejections to cite the screen recording rather than the written use case. The recording has to show the full login, the consent screen, and the feature working end to end. ## Is there a faster way to get Instagram API access? **Yes, if you don't need your own Meta app.** [Adeli](https://www.tryadeli.com/product/instagram) holds the Meta developer app, carried Meta's review, and refreshes every connected account's tokens. You sign in at app.tryadeli.com with Google, create one API key, and your users connect their own Instagram professional accounts through Adeli's connect flow. [Adeli's posting API](https://www.tryadeli.com/social-media-posting-api) publishes feed posts, Reels, Stories, and carousels from the same endpoint as Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, X, and Bluesky. Your **first 3 connected accounts are free**, with no credit card. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is an Instagram developer account free? Yes. Registering as a Meta developer and creating an app in the Meta App Dashboard costs nothing. The cost is time: Business Verification and App Review are required before your app can serve Instagram accounts you don't own or manage. ### Can I use a personal Instagram account with the API? No. Meta's Instagram Platform only works with Instagram professional accounts, meaning Business or Creator accounts. Switch the account to a professional account before you connect it to your app. ### Do I need a Facebook account to become an Instagram developer? Yes. Meta's registration flow starts while you're logged into a Facebook account, and the Meta App Dashboard where Instagram apps live is tied to it. Your app's users can still log in with Instagram credentials if you use Business Login for Instagram. ### How many Meta apps can one developer create? Meta allows a developer or administrator role on at most 15 apps that aren't connected to a verified business. To go past that, connect a verified business portfolio to your apps or remove old ones, including archived apps. ## Related Adeli pages - [Instagram API for Developers](https://www.tryadeli.com/product/instagram.md): Publish, schedule, and read analytics for Instagram through one API. Adeli owns the Instagram developer app, token refresh, and Meta review. Free to start. - [Social Media Posting & Scheduling API](https://www.tryadeli.com/social-media-posting-api.md): Adeli's social media posting and scheduling API publishes to Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, X, and Bluesky in one request, now or at a set time. Free to start. - [All posts on the Adeli blog](https://www.tryadeli.com/blog.md) ## About the author Mika Reyes is the CEO behind Adeli and a tech and AI content creator. She was previously co-founder and CEO of Parallax, which was acquired by Phantom, and a product lead at LinkedIn. She is a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree.