What to know about connecting Instagram Profiles via Instagram Credentials in Sprout

Sprout Social now offers a streamlined way to connect your Instagram Business or Creator profiles using your Instagram credentials only. This means you no longer need a linked Facebook Page in order to integrate your Instagram profiles with Sprout.

Choosing Your Connection Flow

When connecting an Instagram profile, you will now see two options. The best choice depends on your organizational needs:

Which should I choose?

• Choose Connect via Meta if you are an agency or large team that requires granular, multi-user access control.
• Choose Connect via Instagram if you want a simpler setup, do not use Facebook Pages, or want to avoid the 3-month reauthorization cycle.

Requirements to Connect via Instagram Credentials

 A profile can be connected in Sprout via Instagram Credentials if the following criteria is met:

1. The Instagram profile is either the Professional or Creator Account Type
2. The individual connecting the Instagram Profile has either one of the following:
   • The username + password to log into this profile directly in Instagram
   • A Facebook login with Full Access to a Meta Business Portfolio that grants access to the Instagram Profile

Why am I sent to Facebook with Connect via Instagram? 

if you are already logged into Meta Business Suite via a Facebook profile in the background on your browser, you will see that you are logged into Facebook by default after clicking Go to Instagram in the authorization steps. You can switch to an Instagram login by clicking your profile icon, as shown here:

If you prefer to stay logged into Facebook on your browser, we would recommend the following alternatives: 

1. In Meta Business Suite, you can click your profile icon in the top right corner to save additional logins for both Facebook and Instagram. Check out this recording for a quick demonstration!
2. Alternatively, you can also attempt this connection while logged into Sprout using a private browsing window such as Google Chrome's incognito. This will ensure you see the option to log in to Instagram without having to first logout of your Facebook profile. 

You are welcome to complete the connection using your Facebook profile if you have been granted Full Access permissions to a Business Portfolio that has access to your intended Instagram profile. More information on this option can be found in the next section. 

Can I connect the Instagram Profile using my Facebook Login?

A user can and will see the option to connect their Instagram Profile using their Facebook login during this step if the following requirements are true: 

1. The user has been assigned Full Access to a Business Portfolio that either owns the Instagram profile or has been granted Partner Access to the Instagram profile.
2. The user has been granted Full or Partial** Access to the Instagram Profile in the Business Portfolio that owns or has Partner Access to the profile. 

** Note: with Partial Access the user will need to be assigned the following task permissions: Content, Messages, Community activity, Ads and Insights.

If this criteria is met, you can proceed with selecting the corresponding Business Portfolio with access to the intended Instagram profile for your connection and then select the Instagram profile to continue. 

⚠️ Warning: Avoid Unchecking Profiles with Authorization

When connecting using the direct Instagram login for a profile, you may see profiles in the connection modal that you didn't expect. This occurs because Meta surfaces all profiles within the selected Business Portfolio. 

This is expected Meta behavior for these profiles to display within these authorization steps during the connection flow. This occurs because Meta treats this selection modal as the definition for the entire permission set for that user.

We strongly advise not deselecting any of options that are already selected in the authorization modal to avoid disrupting other connections that may be in place. 

Recommendations: 

• Leave all profiles selected within the initial authorization step. You will be able to select and approve the profiles you are actually adding to the Group in Sprout in a later step. 
• Otherwise, if you are unsure which profiles should be authorized, or if you share an Instagram login across multiple regions/agencies, you may want to use the Meta Business Suite flow instead to avoid accidentally disconnecting or connecting other users' profiles in the wrong Group. 

Other Key Considerations & Known Limitations

Security Note for Agencies

Sharing Instagram login credentials carries inherent risks. Anyone with the password has full access to the profile. For teams requiring secure, multi-user access, we strongly recommend continuing to use the Meta Business Manager connection flow.

Meta "Beta" Connection Issues

Meta is currently resolving a known issue that causes approximately 15% of Instagram-only connection attempts to fail. With this issue, users see an error after they enter their login credentials for Instagram during the authorization steps, similar to what is shown below: 

If you encounter an error like this during the connection flow, please try again or use the Meta Business Manager flow as a workaround. Meta expects a permanent fix by late September 2026.

Switching Connection Methods

If you have a profile connected via one method and wish to switch to the other:

1. Navigate to Connect a Profile in Sprout and select Instagram 
2. Choose the new desired method (Connect via Meta or Connect Via Instagram) in the modal.
3. Work through the connection steps to authorize the connection
4. Once you return to Sprout and the Connect a Profile window, toggle "Add additional credentials to this profile." This will update your current connection with the preferred method.

Check out the recording below for a step-by-step walkthrough on updating a profile connection to the new Connect via Instagram Option: