Having an embarrassing post on your Instagram feed can be mortifying. Whether it’s an unflattering selfie, an inside joke that doesn’t translate well publicly, or an old post that no longer represents who you are, we all have regrettable content on our social media at some point.
The good news is deleting these posts on Instagram is easy. Here’s a step-by-step guide to removing embarrassing photos and videos from your Instagram feed.
Table of Contents
Check Your Privacy Settings
Before mass deleting posts, double check that your Instagram account is set to private. This ensures only your approved followers can see your posts moving forward:
- Go to your profile page
- Tap the three horizontal lines in the top right corner
- Select Settings > Privacy > Account Privacy
- Toggle the switch on for Private Account
Note: This will not remove existing followers if they were approved before you made your account private.
Delete Individual Posts
If you only have a few embarrassing posts you want to remove, deleting them individually is simple:
- Tap on the photo or video post you want to delete
- Select the three dots in the top right corner
- Choose Delete
- Confirm by tapping Delete again
This removes the post instantly.
Use “Your Activity” to Mass Delete
If you want to purge multiple posts quickly, utilize Instagram’s “Your Activity” feature:
- Tap your profile picture
- Select the burger icon ☰ to access the menu
- Choose Settings > Account > Your Activity
- Select Posts to view your upload history
- Tap the circle icon beside each post you want to remove
- Select Delete when finished choosing
This allows you to mass select and delete uploads from your feed in just a few taps.
Archive Instead of Deleting
If you want to hide posts without erasing them forever, use Instagram’s archive option instead:
- Tap the three dots above the post
- Select Archive
This removes the post from your grid view but keeps it stored privately so you can restore it later if desired.
Adjust Past Posts Visibility
You can also hide old posts without deleting them from your Instagram feed:
- Go to your profile
- Tap the ☰ menu
- Choose Settings > Privacy > Past Posts
- Select Limit Old Posts
This automatically hides posts older than your selected date to declutter your grid view.
Use Third-Party Apps
If you want more advanced filters to curate posts, third-party apps like Cleaner for IG allow you to sort posts by people tagged, locations, captions, and more. However, granting access to third-party services tends to negatively impact account security and privacy.
Maintain Your Online Reputation
Being proactive about your online reputation is crucial across all social media platforms today. Follow best practices like:
- Responding professionally to feedback and reviews
- Posting authentic content aligned with your brand
- Cultivating positive engagement with your audience
This helps maximize positive sentiment and minimize reputation damage from embarrassing posts.
Create Content Around Your Brand
Focus on producing quality content centered on your brand, products, or services. This gives you more control over search engine results and prevents outdated posts from being surfaced.
Monitor Your Online Presence
Use free tools like Google Alerts to track brand mentions and conversations across the internet. This allows you to respond promptly to negative publicity and reinforce positive praise.
Overall, a little effort goes a long way in managing your online reputation and presence. Being proactive about removing embarrassing posts from Instagram while producing high-quality content focused on your brand will ensure your best face is the one people see.
