To make a second Instagram account, tap your profile name at the top of your profile, then Add Instagram account and Create new account. The app holds up to 10 logged-in accounts and one email can sit on up to five accounts. Decide at sign-up whether the new account joins your Accounts Center (shared login and cross-posting) or gets its own password (more separation).
To make a second Instagram account, open your profile, tap your profile name at the top, tap Add Instagram account, then Create new account, and follow the sign-up screens. The new account appears in the same switcher, so you move between accounts without logging out; Instagram's Help Center says up to 10 accounts can be logged in at one time.
Checked October 2026 against Instagram's Help Center on adding and switching between accounts, creating a new profile, login info already used by another account, private accounts and switching back from a professional account, and Meta's Help Center on connected experiences in Accounts Center.
The steps take two minutes. The decision that matters is made in the middle of them: whether the new account joins your Accounts Center or stands alone. That choice decides who can log in where, what cross-posts and how easily the two accounts are tied together. This page covers both, plus the limits. For login problems with an account you already have, start at the Instagram account help hub.
How to make a new account on Instagram from the app
Instagram's current flow starts from the profile switcher, not the settings menu. These are its iPhone steps; Android matches.
- 1Go to your profile
Tap Profile or your profile picture in the bottom right.
- 2Tap your profile name at the top
Expected: a sheet listing your accounts, with Add Instagram account at the bottom.
- 3Add Instagram account, then Create new account
Log into existing account is the other option, for an account that already exists.
- 4Enter the new username
Pick one you will keep. Tap Next.
- 5Choose Accounts Center or a separate password
Allow and continue adds it to your Accounts Center. Create password instead keeps it out.
- 6Add a phone number or email
This is the recovery route for the new account. Use one you control long term.
- 7Tap Complete sign up
Expected: you land on the new, empty profile, and both accounts now sit in the switcher.
To switch later, tap your username at the top of your profile and pick the account. To add an account that already exists to the same app, use Profile, Menu, scroll to the bottom, Add account, Log into existing account.
Instagram also lets you sign up from scratch at instagram.com or in a fresh install. Its Help Center notes you must be at least 13, and that if you create the new account from an existing Facebook or Instagram account, both go into the same Accounts Center with connected experiences on.
How many Instagram accounts can you have?
Two different limits get mixed up here, so keep them apart.
- Up to 10 at one time, per Instagram's Help Center
- Older guides say five; that is out of date
- Switch from the username at the top of your profile
- Log one out before adding another
- Up to five Instagram accounts per email, per the Help Center
- No number published for phone numbers
- Sign-up warns if the email or phone is already in use
- Instagram emails you if someone uses your address to sign up
Both checked October 2026. We found no published cap on how many accounts one person may own.
Instagram's Help Center says that if you see a message that an account with your email or phone number already exists, you should first double-check what you typed. If the email is genuinely in use on five accounts, use a different one for the new account.
Link it in Accounts Center, or keep it separate?
This is the real choice in the sign-up flow. Accounts in one Accounts Center share connected experiences: logging in with each other, automatic sharing of posts and stories, profile picture sync and links between profiles. Meta announced that from early 2026 the separate login switch goes away and accounts in the same Accounts Center can log into each other by default; moving an account out is the way to stop it.
| What the account is for | At sign-up | Upside | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business or creator account linked to your main | Add to Accounts Center | Shared login, cross-posting, one place for settings | Anyone in one account can reach the other |
| Client or team account | Create password instead, separate email | Clean handover; you can remove yourself later | One more login to manage |
| Private account for friends (finsta) | Create password instead, different email or phone | Least connection to your main profile | Recovery depends on that email or phone alone |
| Backup or test account | Either, but label it clearly | Useful for checking how a profile looks logged out | Easy to forget and leave insecure |
Our rule of thumb from running accounts for creators: anything another person will ever touch (a client, an editor, a business partner) gets its own password and its own email, and stays out of your personal Accounts Center. You can always add it later; untangling it later is more work. If you do want to split one off afterwards, our guide to unlinking accounts in Accounts Center walks through the Remove step and what stops syncing.
Our guides to two-factor authentication and Instagram backup codes cover both steps.
Privacy tips for a finsta
A private second account only stays private if nothing points back to your main one. Instagram connects accounts through shared contact details, shared Accounts Centers and the links you choose to show, so close each of those doors.
- Create it with Create password instead, so it stays out of your main Accounts Center
- Use an email or phone number your main account does not use
- Turn on Private account in its privacy settings straight away
- Keep it a personal account: professional accounts cannot be private
- Pick a username and profile photo with no link to your main handle
- Do not turn on Showing links for your profiles for it
- Approve follow requests one by one; a public follower list is not a private account
Instagram's Help Center is clear on one point that catches people out: if your personal account is private and you switch it to a professional account, it becomes public. So never switch a finsta to professional to look at Insights.
Setting up a second account for a business
A business or creator account works the other way: it should be public and easy to find. Make it with Create new account, then switch it to a professional account and fill the profile. Our new business account setup checklist covers the switch, the category, the bio and the settings that limit reach, and what to post first on a new account covers the first 30 days.
- 01Create new account
From the profile switcher
- 02Separate email
One the business controls
- 03Switch to professional
Business or Creator
- 04Fill the profile
Name field, bio, link, buttons
- 05Secure it
Two-factor and backup codes
- 06First nine posts
Before you promote it
Running two accounts doubles the posting load, so give the second one a clear job your main account does not do. If you are building it as a real channel, our Instagram Ignited program covers niche and profile setup, hooks, Reels and reading Insights, which is exactly the work a new account needs in its first months.
If your main account was disabled
Do not open a replacement while an appeal is pending. Meta's Transparency Center says it works to disable accounts created to get around its restrictions, and a new account made during a suspension can be removed too and can make the original appeal harder. Appeal first, using how to recover a disabled Instagram account, and only start over once the decision is final.
Troubleshooting
- No Add Instagram account option. Tap your profile name at the very top of your own profile, not the menu. The option sits at the bottom of the account sheet.
- "An account with this email already exists." Check for typos first. If the address really is used on five accounts, sign up with another email.
- Cannot add another account to the switcher. You may already have 10 logged in. Log out of one you rarely use.
- Old single login. If you set up a single login for several accounts years ago, Instagram says you cannot add new accounts to it. Each new account needs its own login.
- Posts going to the wrong account. Check the avatar at the top of the share screen before posting. With two accounts in one app, this is the most common mistake.
Making a second Instagram account: FAQ
How do I make a second Instagram account?
In the Instagram app, go to your profile, tap your profile name at the top, tap Add Instagram account, then Create new account. Enter a username, choose whether to add it to your Accounts Center or create a separate password, add a phone or email, and tap Complete sign up. You can then switch between the two without logging out. Checked October 2026.
How many Instagram accounts can I have on one phone?
Instagram's Help Center says you can have up to 10 accounts logged in at one time and switch between them from the username at the top of your profile. Older guides and articles still say five; the current page says 10. That is a limit on accounts logged in together in the app, not a cap on how many accounts a person may own. Checked October 2026.
Can I use the same email for two Instagram accounts?
Yes, within a limit. Instagram's Help Center says an email address can be associated with up to five Instagram accounts. It does not state a number for phone numbers. For recovery, a separate email for an account that matters (a business, a client account) is still the cleaner setup, because whoever controls that inbox controls password resets. Checked October 2026.
Should I add my second account to Accounts Center?
Add it if you want shared login and features such as cross-posting and profile picture sync. Keep it out if you want separation: during sign-up, tap Create password instead. Meta says that from early 2026 accounts in the same Accounts Center can log into each other by default, so anyone with access to one account in that Accounts Center can get into the other.
Can a second Instagram account be private?
Yes, if it stays a personal account. Turn on Private account in the account's privacy settings. Instagram's Help Center says professional accounts cannot be set to private, and that switching a private personal account to professional makes it public. So a finsta stays personal; a business or creator account is public by design.
Will people know my second Instagram account is mine?
They can, if anything connects the two: shared contact details, a shared Accounts Center or profile links you have turned on. Use a different email or phone number from your main account, keep it out of Accounts Center, leave profile linking off, set it to private and keep the profile photo and username unconnected to your main one.
Can I make a new account if my main one was disabled?
Do not do it while an appeal is open. Meta's Transparency Center says it works to disable accounts created to get around its restrictions, so a new account can be removed and can complicate the appeal of the original. Appeal the disabled account first, and only start fresh once the decision is final and within the rules.