Meta doesn't let you get rid of your Threads account easily, but you can hide it from the Internet.
If you started using Threads and found it insufficient, you're in for a rude awakening: as it stands, you can't delete your Threads account without also deleting your Instagram account (although Meta is apparently “looking into this”). That's how closely Meta's new social media network really is tied to Instagram. Sure, you get easy setup, built-in following, and a text-based feed that might not be as bad as Twitter. But it's still a Meta company, with all the privacy-violating policies and existential conundrums that come with it.
But that doesn't mean you can't to go out of the application and that it cannot delete all your (public) data. If you're done with Threads but don't want to say goodbye to Instagram, here are some things to try.
Manually delete all your content
If you don't want your stuff to be online for everyone to see, you'll have to go in and manually delete everything you've previously shared, post by post, from the three-dot menu option in the corner. At least this way it won't be publicly available and it won't be linked anywhere either. While you're at it, remove all personal information from your bio and be sure to remove all of your followers as well by deleting them from your follower list.
Make your profile private
If you don't want to do all this legwork but still want to get rid of your public posts, the best option is to make your profile private. From there, you can remove all followers, or you can keep it to a list of just your close friends.
To do this, tap the button Menu from the profile and go to Privacy > Private Profile and tap the button OK .
Deactivate your profile to say goodbye for good (for now)
If you really don't want to appear on Threads, you will have to deactivate your account. This doesn't delete any of your data – it will still be lurking on Meta's servers, ready to be indexed. But at least it won't be publicly available and your profile will no longer appear in search results and you won't be able to be tagged in conversations. You can recover your account whenever you want by simply logging back in. Then one day, when Threads adds the option to delete your profile, you can come back to deal the fatal blow.
To deactivate, tap the button Menu in profile and go to Account > Deactivate profile > Deactivate conversations profile .
If you are ready to destroy your Instagram profile too
If you just can't deal with Meta anymore, you can get rid of your entire Instagram profile. Then the company will be forced to delete all your data from its servers, also removing it from the public record.
In the Instagram app, go to settings > Account Center > Personal details > Account ownership and control > Deactivation or deletion . Here choose the account you want to delete, click Delete account and click Continue .
If you're using Instagram on the web, use the Delete Your Account page to get started.
