✎ Key Takes:
» You can explore legal avenues by obtaining an online patent for your desired Instagram username, followed by filing a trademark report on the platform to claim it from inactive accounts.
» Try using secondary companies to purchase the desired username or wait for Instagram to clear inactive accounts, making the username available for your use.
» If direct contact with the account owner is possible, politely request a username change, or opt for a similar username with modifications like underscores or numbers for an easier solution.
Contents
How To Get An Inactive Instagram Username:
Here are a few methods to claim or get back an inactive account’s username on Instagram.
1. Buy that Username
If you want an inactive username badly, you can buy the username from the holders. Many secondary account holders can sell a good username for a few hundred dollars or more.
People who sell their inactive Instagram accounts to make money are the ones who have already used the username for years and had the foresight to choose a name that would get in demand within a few years.
The name of an Instagram account is more valuable than you think, especially if it’s a business account. Only when a profile becomes inactive on Instagram, you can approach the holder to buy its username.
While you’re choosing to buy a username, make sure you do that from a reputable source. Defrauders steal usernames from innocent people and sell them, which later get banned by the Instagram community.
2. Filing Trademark Report
You need to get a patent so that you can legally file a Trademark Report to get the inactive username for yourself. This process may take up more time than the others and can cost you additional charges too.
After you obtain the patent, you can sue the inactive account owner for Trademark infringement by filling out a trademark violation report. According to many patent owners, it’s another effective way to claim an inactive account’s username.
When you own a trademark, it can only be used by your brand or team and none else.
Although getting a new trademark is quite expensive and complicated, it’s worth the gain because after you get a patent for yourself, the username becomes officially yours. Therefore, you can report to Instagram the infringement of your trademark. After it reviews the situation, the username would be given to you officially.
🔴 Steps To Follow:
Steps to file a trademark report on Instagram:
Step 1: You’ve to head on to Instagram’s Help Centre.
Step 2: You can go to the link: https://help.instagram.com/contact/372592039493026.
Step 3: You’ll find two options, click on Trademark. Click on continue with your trademark report
Step 4: Next, click on Continue with my trademark report.
Step 5: Then click on the first option I am the rights owner if it’s your trademark or click on the second option I am reporting on behalf of my organization or client if the trademark belongs to your brand.
Step 6: Next, fill in your details like your name, address, phone number, etc.
Step 7: Attach all the required links, and proofs they’re asking for so that the review can go in your favor.
Step 8: Click on Send.
3. Wait Until Instagram Clears up Data
If you want to use an inactive username for your Instagram account, you can also choose to wait for a while so that after Instagram clears out all the inactive accounts to make the username available, you can use it for free.
Instagram follows a policy, where it deletes the accounts of inactive users after some time. It includes the accounts that haven’t been logged into by anyone in a long time.
The time needed by Instagram to clear out the inactive account can vary, so there’s no particular way to predict when the inactive accounts would be cleared out by Instagram. But mostly the clearouts happen randomly at the end of a year.
When Instagram clears out the inactive accounts, the usernames used by those inactive accounts become available to be used by new accounts again. You’ve to frequently check to see when Instagram clears out the inactive accounts and then you can use the username for your account without paying a buck.
4. Choose a Similar Username
If you can’t buy or claim a username for your Instagram account, you can use a similar username that’s a close match to the one you wish to use. As Instagram follows the policy where no username can be used by more than one account at the same time, many users don’t get the username they like. It’s mainly because, on Instagram, many inactive accounts have occupied the good or demanding usernames making it unavailable for active users to use.
However, if you don’t want or can’t get to buy the username you like, you can use a similar username after changing it slightly using underscores, symbols, or numbers. Instagram usernames can be up to 30 characters and you can include underscores, periods, numbers, and letters.
After you make slight changes to the unavailable username by altering the digits, replacing the underscore with a period, etc you can create a similar username and then use it for your account.
You can add letters of your location or surname to make it look different but be sure to make the name straightforward enough for anyone to identify your account or brand.
5. Find the Inactive Account’s Owner
Another method that you can use is to directly approach the owner of the account to request the release of the username that he’s using. You’ve to find the person’s contact information from his Instagram account to contact him.
When an account is inactive on Instagram, it doesn’t mean that the user isn’t around, therefore, you can search for the owner’s phone number or email address from the bio section and then ring him up or send a mail about the issue.
You can also send the user a DM on his Instagram profile, but there is a good chance that your messages will not be seen by the owner. Therefore, it’s better to either ring him up or send an email so that the owner can get to know about your request or proposal.
You’ve to request the user to change his username to something else so that it can be available for you to use. While requesting, make sure that the language or tone you’re using to communicate is polite and clear enough to convince the person. You can also offer the user some bucks to make him accept your proposal.
6. Contact Instagram Support
You can contact Instagram support and request that they free the inactive username.
Step 1: First of all, go to Instagram’s help center and select the “Report a hacked account” option.
Step 2: Then give all necessary information and explain that you are trying to claim an inactive username.
Step 3: Wait for Instagram support to review your request and take necessary action.
7. Username Generator
You can use a username generator to come up with unique and available usernames for your Instagram.
Step 1: Open a username generator tool.
Step 2: Enter keywords that define your brand or identity.
Step 3: Choose a username generated by the tool & that is available on Instagram.
8. Variation of the Username
Also, you can use a variation of the inactive username to make it unique.
Step 1: First of all, add a prefix or suffix to the inactive username to make it unique.
Step 2: Check the availability of the new username on Instagram.
Step 3: Finally, choose the best available username.
9. Wait for Inactivity Timeout
If the inactive account has not been logged into for a long time, it may become available after a period of inactivity.
Step 1: Regularly, monitor the inactive account for inactivity.
Step 2: Wait for the account to become inactive for a long period, typically around six months. Check the availability of the username and try to claim it.
How To Request Instagram To Delete An Inactive Account:
Here are the steps to request Instagram to delete an inactive account:
Step 1: First, log in to your own Instagram account on the website or mobile app.
Step 2: Then go to the profile of the inactive account you want to delete.
Step 3: Click on the three dots in the upper right-hand corner of the profile page and from the menu of options that appear, select “Report”.
Step 4: Choose a reason for the report, and select “This account violates Instagram’s policies” then complete the report and submit it.
Finally, wait for Instagram to review and act on your report.
How To Report An Inactive Instagram Account:
Here are the steps to report an inactive Instagram account for duplicate username use:
Step 1: First of al all, log in to your own Instagram account on the website or mobile app.
Step 2: Go to the profile of the active account that is using an exact username.
Step 3: Click on the three dots in the upper right-hand corner of the profile page.
Step 4: From the menu of options that appear, select “Report”.
Step 5: Choose a reason for the report, such as “Intellectual property violation” or “Impersonation”, complete the report, and submit it.
