Disabled Instagram or Facebook account: questions and answers

My Instagram or Facebook account was disabled. What should I do first?

Before anything else, take screenshots of the notice so that the date, the reason given and the appeal deadline are all visible, and keep any email from Meta.

Then work out which case you are in: disabled for a policy reason, hacked or taken over, an age check, or disabled because a linked account was disabled. The steps differ for each, and the recovery guide explains them.

Appeal only through the notice, Meta’s app or Meta’s official website, and do it before the deadline.

Where is the appeal form for a disabled account?

Start from the notice itself: it usually has a button to disagree with the decision or request a review. The button’s name differs by app version and language.

Since December 2025, Meta has also run a central support hub for Facebook and Instagram accounts (Meta’s announcement (opens in a new tab)). Official help: Instagram Help Center (opens in a new tab), Facebook Help Center (opens in a new tab).

Be careful with “appeal form” links that reach you by message, email or comment. Some phishing messages are made to look as if they come from Meta. Open the app or type the official address yourself instead.

The notice says I have a number of days left (for example 180). What does that mean?

It is your deadline for disagreeing with the decision and asking for a review. The period differs from notice to notice, so go by the date on your own notice, write it down and keep a screenshot.

Once the deadline passes, you may no longer be able to appeal, so do not leave it to the last days. See Official steps.

Why was my account disabled when I didn’t break any rules?

The notice should name the rule you are said to have broken. Many people report that the reason does not match anything they did.

Since 2025, accounts have been disabled without warning in many countries. Reported cases include a problem with Facebook Groups that Meta called a technical error, age-verification errors and child-exploitation accusations that users say were false. The timeline lists only reports with a published source.

In June 2026, Meta’s Oversight Board decided its first case about a disabled account and recommended clearer notices that state the rule broken, the penalty and whether automation was involved (Oversight Board (opens in a new tab)).

How long does an appeal take?

There is no fixed time you can count on: Meta does not give a guaranteed review time for appeals of disabled accounts.

While you wait, keep the dates of your appeal and any reference numbers, check the email address linked to the account, and do not give your login details to anyone who promises to speed things up (Avoid scams).

If the review does not change the decision, see what else you can do.

Can I just create a new account?

Not without Meta’s permission, according to Meta’s own terms. Facebook’s Terms of Service say that if your account is disabled for a violation of the Terms, the Community Standards or other policies, you agree not to create another account without permission (Facebook Terms of Service (opens in a new tab)).

Instagram’s Terms of Use say that to use Instagram, Instagram must not have previously disabled your account for violating the law or its policies (Instagram Terms of Use (opens in a new tab)). A new account made against these terms can itself be disabled.

My appeal was rejected or there is no appeal button. What now?

Outside the app, the options depend on where you live. Meta’s Oversight Board is usually not a route for disabled accounts: it asks for the reference number from Meta’s own appeal and an account that is still active (Oversight Board FAQ (opens in a new tab)).

In the European Union, the Digital Services Act lets you take a suspension to a certified out-of-court dispute settlement body. They are free for users, but their decisions are not binding (European Commission list (opens in a new tab)).

Some countries have other public routes, such as small-claims courts or a government appeals committee. See Public routes in some regions and the country pages.

Some people also have a lawyer write to Meta. Prices that lawyers publish for this are in Lawyer letters. Whether an account is restored is decided by Meta, and nobody can guarantee it.

Someone offered to recover my account for money. Is it real?

Treat it as a scam. Do not pay anyone to “unlock” or “recover” an account, and never share login codes, passwords or recovery codes, even with people who contact you first claiming to be Meta staff or recovery experts.

The Better Business Bureau, a US non-profit, warns that social media account recovery is free and cautions against recovery scams (KRCU (opens in a new tab)). Meta has sued an alleged “recovery” operator accused of holding Instagram accounts hostage for money (Court Watch (opens in a new tab)).

If you have already been scammed, report it to the police or the consumer protection authority in your country. More in Avoid scams.

I’m asked for a selfie video or a photo of my ID. Is that safe?

Identity checks are part of Meta’s own process: since December 2025 its central support hub has included identity verification by selfie video (Meta’s announcement (opens in a new tab)).

Submit them only inside Meta’s app or on its official website. Never send a selfie or an ID to anyone who asks for it by message, email or comment.

My account was hacked and then disabled. What can I do?

Accounts are sometimes disabled after a takeover. Start with Meta’s official pages for hacked accounts (Instagram (opens in a new tab), Facebook (opens in a new tab)).

Keep the alerts about password, email or phone number changes and about logins from devices you do not recognise: they show what happened and when (Collect evidence).

My account was suspended over my age, but I’m an adult. What can I do?

If the notice asks you to confirm your age, follow its instructions to verify your age.

Age-related suspensions have been reported where age rules are enforced: Australia’s ban on social media for under-16s (December 2025), Indonesia’s PP Tunas regulation (from March 2026) and an age-verification error that suspended thousands of accounts in Taiwan (June 2026). See the timeline.

My account was disabled because a linked account was disabled. Why?

Instagram and Facebook accounts can be linked in the same Accounts Center, and some notices say an account was disabled because another linked account was disabled.

Write down which account was affected first and what reason each account’s notice gives. You will need this for each appeal (Identify your situation).

Is this happening to many people?

Yes. Since 2025, people in many countries have reported Instagram and Facebook accounts disabled without warning. A US petition asking Meta to act closed with 65,023 supporters (Change.org (opens in a new tab)), and Korea’s Media and Communications Commission opened a fact-finding investigation in February 2026 (GRC Report (opens in a new tab)).

In October 2025 the European Commission preliminarily found that the appeal mechanisms of Instagram and Facebook may breach the Digital Services Act; Meta disputes the findings (The Lens (opens in a new tab)).

Meta does not publish how many accounts were wrongly disabled. The timeline and the country pages collect what has been published.

Where can I talk to people in the same situation?

On the community board. You can post without an account, in your own language; titles are translated automatically, so people in other countries can find your post.

Never post passwords, login codes, ID documents or other people’s personal information. The rules are in About & rules.