5 Ways to Fix Instagram Links Not Working on Android and iPhone

Try Basic Fixes

• Turn Off VPN: At times, using a VPN connection may prevent Instagram links from opening since it routes your traffic through various servers. To avoid this, you can try disabling your VPN momentarily and see if it works.
• Update or reinstall the Instagram app: A buggy Instagram app could also give you such problems. You can check if a newer version of the Instagram app is available by heading over to the Play Store or App Store. If that does not help, uninstall the Instagram app from your phone and install it again.

Fix 1: Configure Instagram to Open Supported Links (Android)

Typically, when you tap a link to an Instagram profile, post, reel, or story, your Android opens it in the Instagram app instead of your web browser. However, that may not happen if you have previously restricted the Instagram app from opening supported links on your phone. Here’s how you can change that.

Step 1: Long-press on the Instagram app icon and tap the info icon from the menu that appears.

Step 2: Tap on Set as default and enable the toggle next to Open supported links.

Fix 2: Clear In-App Browser Data

Instagram’s in-app browser collects cache and cookies as you open links within the app. While this can help enhance your browsing experience, it can become outdated or corrupted over time and cause problems. You can try clearing Instagram’s in-app browser data to see if that fixes the issue.

Step 1: In the Instagram app, tap any link to access the in-app browser.

Step 2: Tap the three-dot menu icon at the top-right corner and select Browser settings.

Step 3: Tap the Clear button next to Browsing data. Then, select Clear Browsing Data to confirm.

Fix 3: Open Links in an External Browser

If Instagram links are not loading even after you clear the browsing data, you can try opening links in an external browser, such as Chrome or Safari. Tap on any Instagram link to access the in-app browser. Tap the three-dot menu icon in the top right corner and select Open in Chrome.

Fix 4: Sign Out and Sign Back In

At times, issues with your Instagram account can cause the app to malfunction and prevent links from opening in the app. You can try signing out of your account and signing back in to see if that helps.

Step 1: Open the Instagram app and navigate to the profile tab. Tap the hamburger icon (three horizontal lines) in the top right corner and select Settings.

Step 2: Scroll down to tap on Log out.

Restart the Instagram app and sign back into your account. Then, check if the issue is still there.

Fix 5: Clear Instagram App Cache (Android)

Like any other app, Instagram stores temporary files on Android to load content quickly and run smoothly. However, if there is an issue with this data, Instagram may fail to function properly. You can try clearing the Instagram app cache to see if that helps.

Step 1: Long-press on the Instagram app icon and tap the info icon from the menu that appears.

Step 2: Go to Storage and tap the Clear cache option.