Connecting Instagram to Postbean

Instagram is the network people most often get stuck on, and it is nearly always the same cause: the account is still a personal one.

The requirement

Your Instagram account must be Business or Creator. Instagram’s publishing API is not open to personal accounts, so a personal account will authorize successfully and then simply not appear in the list of accounts to connect.

Switching is free, in the Instagram app under Settings → Account type and tools. Your posts and followers are untouched. Allow a few minutes after switching — the change takes a moment to reach Instagram’s API.

Connecting

1. Open Connections and click Connect Instagram.
2. Sign in on Instagram’s own screen if you are not already.
3. Leave every permission enabled. Postbean asks for what it needs to publish, read comments for first comments, and read basic insights. Declining one takes away that feature.
4. Pick the account and confirm. It appears on the Instagram row in Connections.

Connecting several Instagram accounts

Click Connect Instagram again for each additional account. Between connections you have to switch accounts on Instagram’s side — either sign out and in on instagram.com, or use Switch account on the authorization screen — otherwise the browser reuses the session you already have open and hands you the same account again.

When an authorization screen shows accounts you have already connected, leave them ticked. Unticking one revokes it.

How many you can connect depends on your plan; see Account limits.

If your account does not show up

Work through these in order:

1. Confirm the account is Business or Creator, not personal.
2. If you switched it recently, wait a few minutes and retry.
3. Make sure you approved every permission — going back and declining one is a common cause.
4. Remove Postbean from Instagram’s Apps and websites settings, then connect again from scratch.

Still nothing? Troubleshooting Instagram connection and posting issues goes deeper.