Connection troubleshooting

Instagram disconnected? How to recover your connection

Updated 3 months ago

Start here if your Instagram connection stopped working

If your Instagram account is disconnected from Metricool, or you're getting permission errors when trying to reconnect, this guide walks you through the recovery process step by step.

Before you start: Instagram has two connection methods — via Facebook or via Instagram login. To preserve your historical data, you must reconnect using the same method you originally used. If you're unsure which method you used, check Instagram connection types and differences.

Follow these steps in order. Most connection issues are resolved by completing all four steps:

Step 1: Revoke old permissions

Before reconnecting, clear any existing Metricool authorizations from your Meta accounts. Old permissions are the most common cause of connection failures and wrong page issues.

If you connect via Facebook

  1. Go to Facebook Business Tools settings.

  2. Find Metricool in the list of connected apps.

  3. Click Remove to revoke all permissions.

  4. Make sure you're logged into the correct Facebook profile — the one with admin access to the page you want to connect.

If you connect via Instagram login

  1. Open the Instagram mobile app.

  2. Go to your profile → Menu (☰) → Settings and privacy.

  3. Select Website permissions → Apps and websites.

  4. Find Metricool and tap Remove.

Step 2: Verify your setup

2.1 Check your Instagram account type

Metricool only works with professional accounts (Business or Creator). Personal accounts are not supported.

  1. Open Instagram and go to your profile.

  2. Tap Menu (☰) → Settings and privacy.

  3. Go to Account type and tools.

  4. If you see "Switch to professional account," your account is personal — tap it to convert to Business or Creator.

2.2 Verify your Facebook page link (Facebook connection only)

If you're connecting via Facebook, your Instagram account must be linked to a Facebook Page. This is a Meta requirement.

  1. Open the Instagram app.

  2. Go to your profile → Edit Profile.

  3. Under Business Public Information, tap Page.

  4. Confirm the correct Facebook Page is linked here. If a different page appears, disconnect it and link the correct one.

For detailed steps, see Linking Facebook to Instagram.

2.3 Check Business Manager permissions

Only needed if your Facebook Page is managed through Meta Business Manager. Skip this section if you manage your page directly.

If your page uses Business Manager, you need the correct permissions on both assets:

  • Facebook Page: Full control permission

  • Instagram account: Total or partial permission

Both must be added as assets to your personal admin profile. For detailed instructions, see Meta Business Manager Permissions.

Step 3: Reconnect in Metricool

3.1 Disconnect the old connection

  1. Go to the connections dashboard.

  2. Find your Instagram account (or Facebook Page if connecting via Facebook).

  3. Click the X next to it to disconnect.

3.2 Reconnect with the same method

Critical: Use the same connection method you originally used. Switching methods (Facebook to Instagram login, or vice versa) creates a new connection and you'll lose access to your historical data.

Facebook connection (recommended)

  1. Click Connect page next to Facebook.

  2. In the Facebook pop-up, confirm you're logged in with the correct profile.

  3. Select the correct Facebook Page from the list.

  4. Accept all permissions.

  5. Instagram will connect automatically.

Instagram login only

  1. Click Connect next to Instagram.

  2. Log in with your Instagram credentials.

  3. Accept the authorization permissions.

The Instagram login connection uses a different API and has limited features compared to the Facebook connection.

Step 4: Wait for sync and verify your data

Once reconnected, Metricool automatically starts syncing your Instagram data. This usually takes about 30 minutes.

  1. Go to Analytics in Metricool.

  2. Select your Instagram account.

  3. Check your posts, reach, and engagement metrics to confirm the data has returned.

If you switched connection methods (for example, from Facebook to Instagram login, or vice versa), your previous data history will not return. The new connection will only show data from the last 30 days. Follower counts and Instagram Stories data are only tracked while your account is connected; they cannot be recovered for the period you were disconnected.

If your data still hasn't appeared after 30 minutes, see What to do if your social media data isn't updating in Metricool. For a full breakdown of what data is preserved and what is not, see Historical data available.

Still seeing issues?

Wrong Facebook page appears during setup

If Metricool shows a different Facebook page than the one you want:

  1. Confirm you're logged into the correct Facebook profile in your browser. Check facebook.com and verify your profile picture in the top right.

  2. Verify the Instagram–Page link in Meta — see step 2.2 above.

  3. Disconnect the wrong page in Metricool's connections dashboard.

  4. Revoke Metricool in Facebook Business Tools — see step 1 above.

  5. Reconnect and select the correct page.

If the correct page still doesn't appear, your Facebook profile may not have admin or full control permissions on that page. Ask another admin to grant you access, or reconnect using their Facebook credentials. For the full step-by-step fix, see Wrong Facebook page appears during Instagram setup.

Error: "400 Session Invalid" or "Authorization could not be verified"

These errors are common with the direct Instagram login connection.

  1. Log out of Instagram and log back in.

  2. Clear your browser cache and cookies, or use incognito/private mode.

  3. Remove Metricool from Instagram's connected apps (see step 1 above).

  4. Wait a few minutes and try connecting again.

These errors are less common with the Facebook connection. If they persist, switch to the Facebook connection method — it's more stable and reliable.

For detailed error solutions, see I can't connect Instagram to Metricool.

Error: "Future activity off Meta technologies is turned off"

A privacy setting in your Meta account prevents external apps from accessing your data.

  1. Go to the Meta Accounts Center.

  2. Click Your activity off Meta technologies.

  3. Select Manage future activity.

  4. Enable Future activity.

  5. Go back to Metricool and try connecting again.

I'm not getting all my historical data back

This happens when you switch connection methods. Instagram connections via Facebook and via Instagram login use different APIs that don't share data.

If you reconnect with the same method, your historical metrics will be restored. However:

  • Follower counts and Stories data are only tracked while connected — they can't be recovered for periods when you were disconnected.

  • If you switched methods, the data from your previous connection method cannot be recovered.

For more details, see Historical data available.

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