How to Change Your Instagram Personal Profile to a Business Account (with screenshots)

Instagram had more than 350 million business accounts by the end of 2025, reflecting continued growth in businesses using the platform professionally. Instagram is also the third most popular social media platform, tied with WhatsApp for the number of monthly active users.

To unlock business features, you’ll first need a regular Instagram account, then convert it to a professional account in a few easy steps. It’s free to do so, and we’ll explain the steps and what to expect in the sections below.

TL;DR

Instagram business accounts unlock analytics, contact buttons, monetization, and advertising tools that personal profiles don't have access to.

Converting your Instagram personal account to a business profile takes under 5 minutes in the mobile app. It’s free and you can reverse the change anytime.

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What is a Professional (or business) Instagram Account?

A professional Instagram account (either business or creator account) gives you access to additional features to help you increase your number of followers, analyze your account’s growth, run ads, monetize your content, and easily manage messages and comments. 

Switching from a personal profile will unlock Instagram Insights analytics, contact buttons for your profile, and the ability to run ads—all free.

🔗 Related article: How to get verified on Instagram

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Types of business Instagram accounts

There are two types of professional accounts on Instagram: Business accounts and Creator accounts, each tailored to best suit the businesses they represent.

• Business accounts are best for retailers, local businesses, brands, organizations, and service providers. ‍
• Creator accounts are best for public figures, content producers, artists, and influencers.

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Differences between a personal and a Professional Instagram account

Switching from a personal profile to a professional account is very straightforward. The changes help you achieve your business or entrepreneurial goals by increasing your social media and online visibility.

These are the main changes that you’ll need to take note of:

• Anyone can follow you
• Everyone can see who you follow and who follows you
• Anyone on Instagram can see your photos, videos, and stories in app and search results
• Anyone on Instagram can share your photos and videos and remix your videos (unless you update your settings)
• Anyone can embed your photos and videos outside of Instagram

Source: The differences between public and private accounts on Instagram

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What You Need to Know About Converting Your Account

Some changes will take place when you switch your account: 

1. Your account will be public

Business accounts on Instagram operate as public profiles only. If your account is currently private, switching to a professional account will make it public. All pending follow requests will be automatically accepted when you go public.

Note: Teens under 16 will need permission to switch their accounts to public. 

2. It is part of a Meta Business Portfolio

All Instagram Professional accounts (business or creator) are associated with a Meta Business Portfolio. If you didn’t link to a Business Portfolio during the conversion, Instagram will automatically set up a new business portfolio for you during the process.

3. Optional Facebook Page Link

You can link your professional Instagram account to a Facebook Business Page during setup, though it's not required to convert. Linking the two accounts lets you cross-post content, run ads across both platforms from one dashboard, and manage messages in one inbox through Meta Business Suite.

If you don’t have a Facebook page yet, you can skip this step and add it later. But if you’re planning to use these features, it’s worth setting one up properly. Here’s how to create and optimize your Facebook Business Page.

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🔗 Related article: How to Recover Your Instagram Account and Regain Access
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⭐️ Steps to Switch to a Business Account on Instagram

The entire process takes place in your Instagram mobile app and can be completed in about 3 to 5 minutes. The steps are similar if you use Instagram on the browser. 

Start by logging into your Instagram account.

Step 1: Tap on the 3 horizontal lines (☰) in the top right corner of your screen to get to Settings and activity

Step 2: Scroll down to the For Professionals section, and tap ‘Account Type and Tools’

Step 3: Tap ‘Switch to professional account’

Step 4: Tap ‘Next’ when shown the key benefits of switching 

Step 5: Type in the search field to find a suitable business category (Note: there are over 1000 business categories and professions to choose from!). Then tap ‘Switch to professional account’

Step 6: Select between Business or Creator, then tap ‘Next’

Step 7: Decide if you want to receive promotional emails from Instagram. The default is consent, so you’d have to tap the toggle once to opt out. Tap ‘Next’ 

Step 8: Review and add basic contact details

Step 9: [Optional step] Connect to your business Facebook Page now by logging into Facebook, or tap ‘Skip’ to continue

And that’s it! Once you see this screen, you have successfully turned your personal Instagram profile into a Professional account  🙌

🔎 Planning to advertise? Learn how to connect your new Instagram professional account to a Meta ad account.