Instagram keeps crashing? 9 fixes for iPhone and Android

Why does Instagram keep crashing?

Instagram is one of the heaviest apps on a phone. It plays video, loads many images at once, uses the camera, and updates every week or two. A crash happens when something in that chain fails: a bug in a new version, damaged files in the cache, too little free storage or memory, an old phone system, or an outage on Instagram's servers. Most crashes are fixed by an update, a cache clear or a reinstall.

Match the problem to the fix

• Closes as soon as you open it: update, restart, then clear cache or reinstall.
• Crashes when you open Reels or stories: memory and storage. Close apps and free space.
• Crashes when you post or edit: storage, the camera permission or an oversized video.
• Crashes in DMs: a chat with a large file. Update, then try the web version.
• Freezes but does not close: network or a slow phone. Restart and switch networks.
• Started after an update: a bug. Clear cache and wait for a fix.

Check for an outage

Open Downdetector or search "Instagram down". If reports spike, the problem is on Meta's side. Meta posts larger outages on its status page at metastatus.com. Wait it out; reinstalling during an outage only makes you sign in again.

Update Instagram and your phone

Open the App Store or Play Store, search Instagram and tap Update. Instagram stops supporting old system versions over time, so check for phone updates too: Settings › General › Software Update on iPhone, or Settings › Software update on Samsung. If you joined the Instagram beta on Android, leave it from the Play Store page, since beta builds crash more.

Free storage and memory

Instagram stores a large cache of photos and videos. When storage is nearly full, it crashes or fails to load. Aim for 2 GB free. Delete old videos and unused apps first. See freeing up iPhone storage or what to delete when Android storage is full. Memory matters too: close games and other heavy apps, and restart the phone once a day if it is older.

Clear Instagram's cache on Android

1. Open Settings › Apps › Instagram.
2. Tap Force stop and confirm.
3. Tap Storage › Clear cache.
4. Open Instagram again.
5. If it still crashes, tap Clear storage (Clear data). You will need to sign in again.

Reinstall Instagram on iPhone

iPhone has no cache button. Instead, Instagram has its own: open your profile › menu › Your activity or Settings and activity › Archiving and downloading for downloads, and the browser section to clear browsing data. If it crashes before you can get there, delete the app: press and hold the icon › Remove App › Delete App. Restart the iPhone and install it again. Your posts, followers and messages stay on your account.

Crashes when posting or uploading

Check that Instagram can use the camera, microphone and photos in settings. On iPhone: Settings › Apps › Instagram. On Android: Settings › Apps › Instagram › Permissions. Very long or high bitrate videos from other cameras can crash the editor. Trim the clip first, or export it at 1080p. Turn off any VPN, which can make uploads fail and the app hang.

Crashes in direct messages

A chat with a large video or many files can make Instagram crash when you open it. Update the app, then try the chat on instagram.com in a browser. You can delete the problem message there if it is yours. If DMs crash only on one phone, clearing the cache on Android or reinstalling on iPhone usually fixes it.

Crashing on older phones

On older or low-memory Android phones, Instagram Lite is a smaller version that runs much more smoothly. It lacks some editing tools, but feed, stories, Reels and DMs work. On older iPhones, keep the app updated and avoid running other apps in the background. If your phone is slow in general, see speeding up a slow iPhone.

Is it your account?

Rarely, a crash only happens on one account. Try logging into a second account, or have a friend log into theirs on your phone. If theirs works, check your account for warnings in Settings and activity › Account status. Unusual activity or a restriction can cause loops and logouts. Instagram logging you out repeatedly is a related problem with its own fixes.

Report the crash to Instagram

Shake your phone while Instagram is open, or open Settings and activity › Help › Report a problem. Describe what you were doing when it crashed. Include your phone model and app version. Reports help Instagram find bugs that affect specific phones, and that is how crash fixes get into updates.

Instagram crashes when opening the camera

The camera is the most demanding part of the app. Close other apps that use the camera, such as Snapchat or video calls, since only one app can use it at a time. Check the camera permission. Remove camera effects you saved and try a plain photo first. If your phone's own Camera app also fails, the problem is the phone; see phone camera problems.

Instagram crashes on Samsung phones

Samsung's Device care can put Instagram to sleep and cut its memory. Open Settings › Battery › Background usage limits and remove Instagram from sleeping lists. Also open Settings › Device care › Memory and check that Instagram is not in the excluded apps or being force closed. Game Booster and RAM Plus settings rarely matter, but turning RAM Plus on can help on phones with 4 GB of memory or less.

Instagram crashes on iPhone after an iOS update

After a major iOS update, the iPhone spends a day or two indexing photos and optimizing apps. Apps feel slower and can crash in that time. Keep the iPhone charging overnight on Wi-Fi to let it finish. Then update Instagram. If crashes started right after updating iOS, see problems after an iPhone update.

Should you use Instagram on the web instead?

If the app keeps crashing while you wait for a fix, instagram.com in a phone browser lets you post photos, read and send DMs and view Reels. It is lighter than the app and does not crash with it. Install the app again once the update arrives.

Check that your date and time are right

A wrong clock can break the app's secure connection and make it close or freeze on load. Set the date and time to automatic in your phone settings. This is a small fix that helps more often than you would expect.

Crashes still happening?

1. Back up drafts by saving them to your phone.
2. Sign out of every account in the app.
3. Delete the app and restart the phone.
4. Install Instagram again and sign in to one account first.
5. Report the problem with the steps above if it continues.

For most people, an update plus a cache clear on Android or a reinstall on iPhone ends the crashes within minutes. Start there before trying anything bigger.

Keep auto updates on so fixes arrive quickly.

Report repeated crashes from the app's settings so Instagram can fix them.