Instagram keeps crashing? Here's how you can try to fix it

Like any mobile app, Instagram is potentially vulnerable to crashing — but perhaps even more so given the amount of functions Meta tries to cram into one place, including Stories, Reels, and chat. If you live your life on Instagram but the app is suddenly bombing out on you, here a few things you can try to fix it.

How to fix Instagram crashing

Despite the unusual number of things Instagram tries to do, most of the potential fixes for crashes are going to mirror those you’d use for other apps. In fact, there’s only one that’s unique to the service. Run through these troubleshooting steps until you encounter the particular solution that works for you.

• Check for app updates. If an app starts crashing when nothing else about your phone has changed, that’s a strong sign that one or more bugs have crept into Instagram’s code. They may already be fixed, if you’re lucky. Learn how to update Android apps via the Google Play Store, or iPhone apps using the Apple App Store.
• Quit the app and restart it. If there aren’t any updates available, you’re not necessarily out of luck — temporary cache- or process-related glitches could be causing your trouble. Force-quit the app, then tap its icon to relaunch it.
• Quit other apps to free up memory. It’s possible that other apps are consuming so much RAM that Instagram doesn’t have enough to work with. Close anything you don’t immediately need, as well as Instagram, and try again.
• Restart your phone. Sometimes temporary cache- or process-related problems are linked to Android, not just Instagram. Rebooting your phone should clear these issues up when they occur. If you like, you can skip quitting individual apps and jump straight to this step.
• Manually scrub the app’s cache. While iPhone owners don’t have this option, Android users can manually clear Instagram’s cache in case restarting the app doesn’t achieve the same effect. With most versions of Android, the process involves navigating to Settings > Storage > Apps > Instagram, then hitting Clear Cache.
• Check for system updates. However rare, it’s possible that more deeply-rooted bugs with Android and/or its system components are responsible. Components are updated like any other Android app, but we’ve got a guide on updating Android as a whole, assuming your phone is eligible for newer software. Only recent Google Pixel phones tend to get Android updates as soon as possible.
• Opt out of Instagram’s beta program, or sign up for it. The Instagram Android Beta program lets you access new versions of the app before they’re released to the public. The downside is that betas are inherently more unstable, so if you’re enrolled in the program, you may need to exit and try the regular version of the app. Conversely if you’re not in the program, signing up could offer early access to fixes, though there’s a risk it will only make things worse. That’s one reason we’ve left this as our last troubleshooting measure.