How to connect Instagram to Metricool

By connecting your professional Instagram account to Metricool, you’ll get access to:

• Scheduling and publishing: Learn how to manage your content here.

• Analytics: Make the most of your data by checking the available metrics here.

• Inbox: Reply to comments and private messages from one place. Check out the details here.

• Competitors: Keep an eye on the competition and refine your strategy. More info here.

To manage your Instagram account smoothly on Metricool, it's crucial to understand the requirements and its connection with Facebook. Keep reading to discover step by step how to successfully link your account.

How to Connect Your Instagram Account

To connect Instagram, you need a professional account, either business or creator. If you have a personal account, the first step is to convert it to a professional account. Learn how to do it in the guide "Instagram Account Type".

You have two options to connect your Instagram account:

⚠️ Changes to your Instagram connection

If you change the way your account is connected (for example, from direct Instagram connection to Facebook connection, or the other way around), that connection will act as a new connection, meaning you’ll lose access to the data history from the previous connection.
This means:

• When you reconnect your account with the same method you used before, you’ll recover the historical metrics you had already stored.

• Keep in mind that follower and story data are only recorded while the account is connected; the period when it was linked with the other connection cannot be recovered.
  This happens because Meta provides two different connections to its API for Instagram, and each one accesses different data that are not shared with each other.

ℹ️ To learn more about how data history works, check this article: Available data history

• Connection via Instagram: by entering your account credentials. You can schedule and publish content (tagging products isn't supported) and you'll only get basic metrics.

• Connection via Facebook: you'll need permissions on your Facebook profile and will gain access to all functionalities.

Requirements to Connect Instagram via Facebook

To connect your Instagram account to Metricool via your Facebook profile, the following requirements must be met:

1. Have a professional account: creator or business

You can connect professional Instagram accounts, business or creator to Metricool (personal profiles are not supported). To check your Instagram account type and change it if necessary, refer to the "Account Type on Instagram" article.

2. Link your Instagram account to a Facebook page

To access all functionalities, you'll need to link your Instagram account to a Facebook page. While posting on your Facebook page is not required when using Instagram, it is a Meta requirement to access all Instagram features available via API, as these permissions are managed through Facebook.

•  I don't have a Facebook page
  If you don't have a Facebook page, create one in a few clicks. We explain how to do it here.

•  I already have a Facebook page
  If, on the other hand, you already have a Facebook page, refer to the guide "Linking Facebook to Instagram".

3. Validate Permissions in Business Manager

If your Facebook page is managed through a business account in Business Manager, ensure you have the necessary permissions on both the Facebook page and your Instagram account. Both should be added as assets to your personal admin profile.

• Facebook Page: Permission should be full control

• Instagram Account: Permission can be total or partial

⚠️ Access to the business account can be total or partial, but for the Facebook Page (associated as an asset within the business account), full control is mandatory.

Failure to connect Instagram to Metricool via Facebook

If the linking between your Facebook page and Instagram account is incorrect or you lack sufficient permissions, you won't be able to connect Instagram, and you'll encounter the following message. If Metricool shows a Facebook page that isn't yours, or isn't the one you want, see Wrong Facebook page appears during Instagram setup.

📝 Notes

• Start Again: This option lets you restart the process to select a different Instagram account.

• Refresh: This option lets you update to see the applied changes. Useful if you linked a Facebook page and don’t want to start from scratch.

What to check

At the beginning of the post, we shared the requirements to connect your Instagram account to Metricool via Facebook. Remember, it's crucial to link your Instagram account to a Facebook Page since all permissions for accessing Instagram’s features are granted through Facebook.

The first step is to verify if the Facebook page and Instagram account are correctly linked here, as we show in the below screenshot.

Facebook page and Instagram are linked

If linked, the Facebook page may be connected to Metricool with another admin lacking Instagram permissions.

To fix it, follow the steps below:

1. Access the connections panel.

2. Disconnect the Facebook page by clicking on X

3. Click again on "Connect page". A Facebook pop-up window will appear.

4. Enter your personal profile login credentials (or click continue if you are already logged in).

5. Select the page from the list. Instagram will automatically connect.

Facebook page and Instagram are NOT linked

If not linked, follow the guide "Linking Facebook to Instagram" for assistance.

Validating Permissions in Business Manager

It is important to validate your permissions in the Business Manager, and if necessary, a permissions renewal would be performed in order to connect your account to Metricool.

Check the article "Meta Business Manager Permissions" for more information.

Permission Renewal

Connection via Facebook

All the configuration steps we've covered so far should allow you to connect your Instagram account to Metricool through Facebook. However, if you're unable to complete the connection this way, renew the permissions by following these steps:

1. Click here. (If you are already on the New Facebook Experience then be sure to switch to the personal profile within Facebook, in the top right menu, and then click on this link again).

2. Find the Metricool app in the list and delete it.

3. Go back to Metricool, and disconnect the Facebook page from Metricool's Connection panel.

4. Then, reconnect the Facebook page and accept all permissions. The Instagram account should automatically connect to Metricool.

Connection with Instagram credentials

If you're not connecting Instagram through Facebook, but directly using your username and password, this permission renewal process does not apply.
In this case, check the specific steps here.