Instagram posting errors & troubleshooting

This error indicates that the collaborator could not be added to the post. It may be due to the following reasons:

• Due to a limitation in the Instagram API, private accounts or accounts with age restrictions are not eligible as collaborators. You can check the steps to verify if your account has age restrictions configured here.

• The collaborator's account must be public and active for at least 30 days.

• The collaborator's account may have violated Instagram's policies; this can be checked in account status by clicking on the three bars on the profile in the "more information and help" section.

The error indicates that the video does not meet the correct parameters. Check your video settings, it is common that the audio or video bit rate exceeds the maximum supported. The maximum audio bit rate is 128 kbps and the video bit rate is 25000 kbps. If they exceed the limit, you will have to modify the parameters to plan in Metricool. Access a free online converter here.

It is due to a permissions issue to post to Instagram automatically. You can fix it by following these steps:

1. Log in to the dashboard.

2. Disconnect your Facebook page and Instagram account.

3. Reconnect your Facebook page and your associated Instagram account will be automatically connected.

4. Accept all Facebook permissions.

When finished you will be able to post on Instagram automatically as normal.

This error indicates that the Instagram account is not connected, so we cannot publish. Reconnect the Instagram account, remembering that the connection to Metricool is made through Facebook permissions. See how to connect Instagram here.

This error is reported by Instagram when they do not process the request to publish, that is, from Metricool we make several retries but finally Instagram rejects the request to publish and returns the error. Normally this error is due to an overload on their servers.

Recommendations for these cases would be to retry the post later or try posting directly from Instagram (as it is possible that not all of their servers are affected). As a suggestion, reducing the weight of attachments could help minimize a post being rejected. However, it will always depend on the side of the social network, who should process our request to post.

This error indicates that the Instagram API did not process the video. In this case, you should check the video parameters, you can check all the requirements here. It is common that the audio or video bit rate exceeds the maximum supported. The maximum audio bit rate is 128 kbps and the video bit rate is 25000 kbps. If they exceed the limit, you will have to modify the parameters to plan in Metricool. Access a free online converter here.

If the parameters are correct, recommendation would be to try posting later, as sometimes Instagram servers may be overloaded or temporarily down.

This error indicates that the Instagram API did not process the video. In this case, you should check the video parameters, you can check all the requirements here. It is common that the audio or video bit rate exceeds the maximum supported. The maximum audio bit rate is 128 kbps and the video bit rate is 25000 kbps. If they exceed the limit, you will have to modify the parameters to plan in Metricool. Access a free online converter here.

If the parameters are correct, the recommendation would be to try posting later, as sometimes Instagram servers may be overloaded or temporarily down.

This error indicates that the Instagram API did not process the video. In this case, you should check the video parameters, you can check all the requirements here. It is common that the audio or video bit rate exceeds the maximum supported. The maximum audio bit rate is 128 kbps and the video bit rate is 25000 kbps. If they exceed the limit, you will have to modify the parameters to plan in Metricool. Access a free online converter here.

If the parameters are correct, the recommendation would be to try posting later, as sometimes Instagram servers may be overloaded or temporarily down.

⚠️ Private Instagram accounts cannot be tagged

This error indicates that your post has been published, but all collaborators could not be added. The main causes could be:

• The username is invalid or incorrect: if you tag an invalid collaborator, the post will be published omitting the incorrect collaborator.

• You are tagging accounts that have been active for less than 30 days: make sure to tag collaborators who have public Instagram accounts that have been active for at least 30 days. Private or age-restricted accounts cannot be considered due to Instagram API limitations.

• You are tagging accounts with more than 2 policy violations: Instagram may restrict some accounts for violating its policies. Collaborator accounts can only have a maximum of 2 policy violations. The collaborator must appeal to Instagram.

• You are trying to tag more than 3 accounts: You can tag a maximum of 3 collaborators on each post (either image or video) due to Instagram API limitations.

• Collaborator does not accept the tag: the collaborator must accept the mention for it to appear in the Instagram post. If the collaborator does not accept it or rejects it, the content will be published without a collaborator.

This message indicates an unexpected error on Instagram's side — the platform does not provide further details about the cause. There are a few possible scenarios:

The post includes a location
A location tag may trigger this error without Instagram specifying it. Duplicate the post without the location and try publishing again. If it publishes correctly, the location was the cause.

The post is a Trial Reel published repeatedly
If you are publishing a Trial Reel and have attempted to post the same content multiple times in a short period, Instagram's API may block the request as potential spam. This behavior has been observed when the same Trial Reel is retried several times without waiting between attempts.

In this case, Metricool's flow completes correctly — the media container is created and processed — but Instagram rejects the final publish step. Note that this is not confirmed official behavior from Meta, but it is a likely cause based on how Instagram handles repeated content.

To work around this:

• Wait several hours (ideally 24 hours) before retrying the same content.

• Try publishing a different video to verify your account and connection are working correctly.

• Avoid retrying the same post multiple times in quick succession.

Other causes
If none of the above apply, try publishing again later. If the error persists, contact us through the chat.

This error can appear for two reasons:

Unknown device to notify (most common cause)

This error appears when Instagram cannot find a valid device to send the publishing notification to. Follow these steps:

1. Open Metricool and review the devices configured for notifications.

2. Remove old devices or devices you no longer use.

3. Enable notifications again on the mobile device you want to publish from.

4. Log out and log back in if the device does not appear correctly.

5. Schedule the content again.

If you need to set up notifications again, check the setup guide.

Message too big

The error may be caused by the image file. Before scheduling again, check:

• The maximum width must be 1080 px

• The file must be smaller than 8 MB

If the image exceeds either of these limits, reduce it and upload it again.

When Instagram shows this error, the most common causes are:

• The file is not compatible.

• There is a problem during the upload.

👉 Keep in mind: at certain times, Meta's servers can experience instability that causes upload failures, even if the file is correct.

Incompatible file

In most cases, the error is related to the file's format or properties. This happens especially with Reels. Check these points:

• Audio bit rate: must be AAC and recommended at 128 kbps. Lower values can cause failures.

• Video bit rate: maximum allowed is 25 Mbps.

• HDR: videos recorded in HDR are not compatible when publishing via API. We recommend exporting them in SDR before uploading.

• Unsupported codec or format: make sure to export the video in MP4/H.264.

• Resolution or aspect ratio: the accepted format for Reels is 9:16. If the file doesn't meet this, it may fail.

• Color space: Instagram may reject files that are not in RGB.

Problems during upload

The error can also be due to issues at the time of sending the file:

• Expired or inaccessible URL: if the file was hosted on a service like Google Drive, make sure the link is still valid and accessible.

• Stuck container: sometimes the file gets blocked during upload. Try publishing again.

• Account permissions: Check that you don't have an active age restriction on your Instagram profile. To review:

  • Open Instagram → go to your profile → Edit profile

  • Go to Professional profile options or Business settings (may vary)

  • Check the Age restrictions section and make sure it is disabled

After making changes, try publishing again.

Some accounts may require reconnecting the account with Metricool. You can follow the steps here.

Instagram (and also Facebook) can apply restrictions to accounts completely or only for API publishing. Possible causes are usually for detecting a security breach (login from multiple devices), excessive posting (content may be considered spam) and using platforms to post that are not authorized by the Meta API.

The suspension is usually temporary and can be total or affect only API publishing. Here are some recommendations:

Manual posting: log in to the Instagram app and try posting. If it works, usually retrying from Metricool in a couple of days usually works, however it will always depend on Instagram lifting the suspension to the publication through its API for third parties.

Renew permissions: If after waiting you still can't publish, some users find it works to renew the permissions granted to Metricool:

1. Log in to Facebook.com and make sure to select your personal profile at the top right.

2. Remove Metricool from Enterprise integrations

   

3. Reconnect your Instagram account from the dashboard

This error message means that Instagram has detected something unusual in your account activity. Instagram's security algorithm is designed to detect red flags in our activities. If we like too many posts in a short time, try to send a copied message to too many people, follow too many accounts in one day, or post content that violates Instagram's rules, our accounts may be limited.

The suspension is usually temporary and can be total or affect only in the publication by API. Here are some recommendations:

• Check Business Manager: to see if you have any warnings (access from here).

• Temporary break: If your account is under restrictions, take a short break from Instagram to allow their algorithm to reset and lift the restrictions.

• Set password from a new device: If you change your password, you indirectly tell Instagram that you are the true owner of this account and that you are not a bot. It is important that you reset your password from a device that you have not used before to access Instagram, otherwise it will not work.

• Avoid unauthorized third-party apps: These types of apps violate Instagram's terms of use and may cause account restrictions, meaning that certain actions will be limited or even restricted.

• Report the problem to Instagram: If the error persists and you believe it is a bug or that your account has been unfairly restricted, you can report the problem to Instagram through the app. Go to your profile, tap the three horizontal lines in the top right corner, then tap "Settings". Scroll down and select "Help", followed by "Report a problem". Explain the situation and focus on the features that became unavailable, requesting a review of your Instagram account to try again later.

• Contact Instagram support: Contact Instagram support. More details here.

This message indicates an unknown Instagram error. The platform does not provide further details about the cause.

It can be due to different reasons. If the text is at or very close to the character limit, Instagram may reject it even if the planner counter shows it is within range, as Instagram may validate the content differently.

The recommendation is to review the content and slightly reduce the text length, especially if it includes emojis or special characters, before trying to publish again.