Free Guide to Using Instagram Basics

Understanding Instagram's Core Features and Navigation

Instagram is a social media platform where people share photos, videos, and messages with friends and followers. As of 2024, Instagram has over 2 billion monthly active users worldwide, making it one of the most widely used social platforms. The app is available on smartphones and through a web browser on computers.

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When you first open Instagram, you'll see several key sections. The Home feed displays posts from accounts you follow, arranged in a personalized order based on what Instagram thinks you'll engage with. The Explore page shows content from accounts you don't follow yet, based on topics and creators similar to ones you interact with. The Reels section features short-form video content, which has become increasingly central to the platform. The Messages section (also called Direct Messages or DMs) is where you have private conversations. Your Profile section shows your own content and account information.

The navigation menu varies slightly depending on whether you use the app or website. On mobile, look for icons at the bottom of the screen: a house symbol for Home, a magnifying glass for Explore, a plus sign for creating content, a heart for Notifications, and a person outline for your Profile. On the web version, these appear along the left side. Understanding these basic sections helps you move through Instagram confidently.

One important feature is the Follow button. When you follow an account, that creator's posts appear in your Home feed. You can follow friends, family, celebrities, brands, or anyone with a public account. Following is free and doesn't notify the person unless they have notifications turned on.

Practical Takeaway: Spend time exploring each main section of Instagram to become familiar with where different features are located. Start by following a few accounts that interest you—these might be friends, hobbies you enjoy, or topics you want to learn about. This helps you build a personalized feed that shows content relevant to your interests.

Creating Your Instagram Account and Setting Up Your Profile

To begin using Instagram, you need to create an account. You can sign up using an email address or phone number, or by linking your Facebook account. The basic information required includes a username (a unique handle that people use to find you), a password, your name, and your email or phone number. Instagram's age requirement is 13 years old, though this is not actively monitored by the platform.

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Your username is your public identifier on Instagram. It appears in your profile URL and is what people type when they want to find you. Usernames can include letters, numbers, underscores, and periods. They're case-insensitive, meaning "JohnSmith" and "johnsmith" are the same username. You can change your username later if you want, though changing it frequently can make it harder for people to find you consistently. Usernames must be between 3 and 30 characters long.

After creating your account, you'll set up your profile. This is your public-facing page on Instagram. You can add a profile picture (a photo that represents you), write a bio of up to 150 characters that describes who you are or what you do, and add a link to a website if you have one. Your profile also displays your follower count, the number of people you follow, and the number of posts you've shared. Many people use their profile bio to share information like their profession, location, hobbies, or a link to their website or business.

Instagram offers several account types. A personal account is the standard option for individuals. A business account is designed for companies and includes additional features like insights (statistics about how many people view your content) and the ability to display contact information prominently. A creator account is for influencers, artists, and content creators, and includes tools for analyzing engagement with your audience. You can switch between account types in your settings at any time.

Privacy settings are important to consider when setting up your account. By default, accounts are public, meaning anyone can see your posts and follow you. You can change your account to private, which means people must request permission before following you, and only your followers can see your posts. You can also control who can comment on your posts, send you direct messages, and see your story (daily photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours).

Practical Takeaway: When creating your profile, choose a username you're comfortable with long-term and write a bio that tells people something useful about you. If you're using Instagram for personal reasons, start with a personal account. If you're representing a business or creating content regularly, consider using a business or creator account to access additional tools and insights.

Learning About Privacy, Security, and Safe Account Practices

Protecting your Instagram account is essential. Your password should be unique and strong, combining uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Avoid using personal information like birthdays or names in your password. If you use the same password on multiple websites, consider changing it—if one site is compromised, all your accounts become vulnerable. Instagram offers two-factor authentication, an additional security layer that requires a second form of verification (usually a code from your phone) when you log in from a new device.

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Be cautious about what personal information you share on Instagram. Your posts are visible to the public (unless your account is private), so consider before posting details like your location, phone number, or when you're away from home. Scammers sometimes use Instagram information to contact people impersonating friends or offering fake opportunities. If someone you don't know sends you a suspicious message, particularly one offering money or asking for personal information, it's best to ignore it and report the account to Instagram.

Instagram phishing attempts are common. Phishing is when someone sends a fake message or email appearing to be from Instagram, asking you to click a link and enter your password. Instagram support will never ask for your password via message or email. If you receive such a message, report it as spam. The only legitimate way to log in is through the official Instagram app or website (instagram.com).

Your profile's privacy settings give you control over who interacts with you. You can block specific users, preventing them from finding your account or viewing your posts. You can restrict users, limiting their ability to see when you're online and interact with you without explicitly blocking them. You can also control who can tag you in photos (identify you in pictures posted by others) and comment on your posts. These settings are found in your account settings under Privacy.

If your account is compromised—meaning someone else has accessed it—you can report this to Instagram. Instagram has a hacked account reporting process where you can work to regain access. It's easier to prevent this by using a strong password and two-factor authentication than to deal with a compromised account afterward.

Practical Takeaway: Set up two-factor authentication on your account as soon as you create it. Use a strong, unique password. Review your privacy settings regularly, particularly if you're concerned about who can see your posts or contact you. Never share your password with anyone, and don't log in to Instagram through links in emails or messages—always go directly to instagram.com or use the app.

Engaging With Content: Following, Liking, Commenting, and Sharing

Engagement is how you interact with content on Instagram. The most basic form of engagement is the like. When you like a post, you tap the heart icon beneath the photo or video. This tells the creator that you enjoyed their content. As of recent years, Instagram made likes less prominent—the number of likes a post receives is visible to the person who posted it and to you, but not always visible to other viewers, depending on your region and account type. This change was made to reduce pressure on creators to gain likes and to shift focus toward genuine engagement.

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Comments allow you to write responses to posts. When you comment, your comment appears publicly below the post (unless the creator has disabled comments), and the creator and other people who follow the thread can see your comment and respond to you. Comments can be liked by others, and creators often respond to comments on their own posts. When replying to someone else's comment, use the @ symbol followed by their username to tag them, which notifies them of your response.

Sharing is another form of engagement. You can share a post to your own story (the daily content that appears at the top of your feed and disappears after 24 hours) or send it directly to someone via Direct Message. When you share someone's post to your story, they can see that you shared it, which often encourages them to view your story in return. This is a common way to show support for content creators.

Following accounts is central to