If Instagram keeps crashing for you, you are not alone. Recently, both iOS and Android users have reported this issue, and we have got some proven solutions to help you out.
Whether it is while opening the app or DMs, making Reels, trying to post or when boosting your posts, Instagram crashing can be more than a little annoying. However, it is far less exasperating than Instagram deleting your account for no reason or not letting you post.
If you're regularly experiencing crashes when you're trying to use Instagram, there are a few potential steps you can take to resolve them. And you'll hopefully be back amongst it in next to no time.
How to fix Instagram crashing
Maybe you're trying to see what's happening in the world. Maybe you're an influencer, trying to boost your following. Or perhaps you just want to watch funny videos of people falling over. It doesn't matter. The problem is the same whoever you are.
However, the good news is that you can easily fix the Instagram crashing issue by following the suggestions below.
Check if Instagram is down
If Instagram keeps crashing for you, the first thing you need to do is go to DownDetector and see if other users have reported the same. If so, chances are Instagram or Meta servers are down. You can verify this by going to Instagram's official PR Twitter page.
Check for updates
Perhaps fairly obviously, a great starting point is to look for any pending updates for your phone or for the app itself. If, for example, your phone has a new OS update, you may need an updated app for the two to be compatible.
So take a look, and if there are any pending updates, download and install them as soon as possible.
Clear your cache
As you use apps on your phone, they will cache data on your device, to speed up loading. Over time, this can build up and start causing problems. Even more so, if any of the cached data has become corrupted. So clearing your cache is a good option to potentially resolve this issue.
If you're on an Android device, do the following:
- Open Settings.
- Tap the Storage heading.
- Select Other Apps to see a full list of installed apps.
- Find Instagram and select it.
- Tap the Clear Cache button.
If you have an iPhone, there is no way of clearing the app cache other than to delete the app and reinstall it. To do this:
- Find the Instagram app icon on your Home screen or in the App Library.
- Tap and hold your finger on the Instagram icon until a menu appears, or all the apps start to jiggle.
- Press Remove App, or the minus sign at the top-left corner of the icon.
- When prompted, confirm that you want to delete the app.
- Reinstall Instagram, and log back into your account.
Check your phone’s available storage
Instagram can also crash if your smartphone's storage is low. For apps to work smoothly, your smartphone must have 10-20% free storage. Apps like TikTok can take up so much space on your phone and hog the storage that you won't be able to use other apps.
If you're running out of space on your device, you can try deleting some apps and photos or videos you don't need. Read how to free up space on an iPhone, if you are an iPhone user.
Uninstall and reinstall the app
If you use an iPhone, you may have already completed this step by following the previous suggestion. But if you haven't already done so, or you don't use an iPhone, then deleting the app, and then reinstalling it, is another option to try to overcome this issue.
If nothing seems to be working, it may be worth checking Instagram's official Twitter feed, where they'll let you know of any issues that may be stopping the app from working. This might be server problems, for example.
Why does Instagram keep crashing?
Experience tells us that there are a few main reasons why you might experience Instagram crashing regularly:
- The Instagram app needs to be updated
- Your app has become corrupted
- Your device is low on cache memory
- Server issues
Beyond these, there is also the possibility that your device may no longer work with Instagram. This is primarily for older phones, which run on a much older version of an operating system, that is no longer supported by the app developers. If this applies to you, then it's still worth trying our fixes. But if you have a really old phone, there will come a point where you may have to admit defeat and consider upgrading it.
In general, though, it's virtually impossible to diagnose the fault before trying to troubleshoot it. So work through the suggestions we've outlined above, and hopefully one of them will work for you.
Historically, Instagram has been pretty good at resolving any known bugs quite quickly. So if there is a more fundamental underlying cause at play, it hopefully won't take long for them to identify and fix it.
Now that the Instagram crashing issue is fixed (hopefully), have a look at other Instagram tutorials such as the Instagram order of followers and how to fix the "Please wait a few minutes before you try again" error.