Connect your Instagram account
IGSender needs an Instagram Business or Creator account. Personal accounts cannot be connected, because Meta's API does not open to them. Here is the whole flow and what to do when it fails.
Everything in IGSender runs on Meta's official Instagram API. That means there is no password to hand over and nothing gets scraped — but it also means Instagram decides which accounts are allowed in, and it only allows two kinds.
What you need before you start
- •An Instagram Business or Creator account. If yours is Personal, switch it in the Instagram app under Settings, Account type and tools. It is free and takes a minute.
- •Access to the Instagram login for that account, since you will approve the permissions yourself.
- •Nothing else. There is no Meta developer setup for you to do and no token to paste.
The connection flow
- •Open Accounts in the sidebar and press Connect with Instagram.
- •Instagram asks you to log in and approve the permissions. Approve all of them — declining any one of them leaves the connection unable to read comments or send DMs.
- •Pick the Business or Creator account you want to automate.
- •You land back on Accounts and the account appears with a green connected badge. Campaigns can go live from that moment.
When the connection fails
IGSender shows the reason rather than a generic failure. These are the messages you may see and what each one actually means.
| Message | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| No Instagram Business or Creator account was found | You logged in with a Personal account, or with a login that has no professional account attached | Switch the account to Business or Creator in the Instagram app, then try again |
| You cancelled the Instagram connection | The permission screen was dismissed before approving | Run the connect flow again and approve the permissions |
| Invalid OAuth state. Please try again | The login took too long, or was finished in a different browser tab | Start the connection again in a single tab |
| A server error occurred | Something failed on our side, not yours | Try once more, then contact support if it repeats |
The red strip on a connected account
If an account card later shows Token expired or invalid, Instagram has withdrawn the access it granted. This is normal and happens for ordinary reasons: a password change, the account type being switched, or permissions being revoked in Instagram's own settings.
Nothing sends while an account is in that state, so it is worth fixing the same day. Press Refresh Token first. If the strip stays, use Connect with Instagram on that card to reauthorise it fully.
Disconnecting an account stops its campaigns from working, but does not delete them. Reconnect the same account and they carry on with their history intact.
Common questions
Can I use a personal Instagram account with IGSender?
No. Meta's Instagram API only opens to Business and Creator accounts, so a Personal account cannot be connected by IGSender or by any tool built on the official API. Switching is free and takes a minute in the Instagram app under Settings, Account type and tools.
Does IGSender need my Instagram password?
No. The connection runs through Instagram's own login and returns a permission token to us, so your password is never typed into IGSender and never stored by it. You can withdraw the permission from Instagram's settings at any time.
Why does my account say the token expired?
Instagram withdrew the access it had granted, usually after a password change, an account type switch, or permissions being revoked in Instagram's settings. Press Refresh Token on the account card, and reconnect with Instagram if that does not clear it. Nothing sends until it is cleared.
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