Anyone who uses social media on a regular basis has probably encountered annoying error messages and irritating glitches that turn enjoyable browsing into frustrating troubleshooting. Instagram is no exception to this rule, and you may well find yourself staring at a network error when you open the app, or even when you’ve been happily scrolling through posts for a while. It can seem like a totally random error, which can make diagnosing it difficult.

What Could Cause This

Contents hide
1 What Could Cause This
2 Potential Fixes
3 I’m Still Struggling

There are a few different things which could cause this error to display.

  • Poor internet connection. If you’re in a crowded place, have low signal, or are a long way from your router, you should consider checking whether you have reasonable signal. See if other apps are working, and test how web pages load on your browser to see if it’s a bad connection.
  • Instagram could be encountering a problem on their end, in which case other users will probably be experiencing similar issues, so get a friend to check theirs and let you know.
  • Instagram may not be able to properly authenticate your device, particularly if you’re logging in from a new one or have recently updated something.
How you can fix the Instagram Network Error - 2018

How you can fix the Instagram Network Error – 2018

Potential Fixes

The good news is that there are quite a few different things you can try out to get your Instagram working again.

  • Restart your device. This will ensure the app has shut down fully and reopens fresh when you turn your device back on.
  • If you think you might be suffering from a connection problem, try moving to a less crowded area, or reset your router if you’re at home. Remember to check other apps/your browser to see if this is the problem.
  • Make sure your app is fully up to date, and restart your device again if you do find a new update.
  • You could also try clearing your app cache, which will ensure no misinformation is being sent or stored, and your device resends information to Instagram’s server.
  • Check whether any further authentication is available in your Instagram settings – if they offer a security question, etc., and you haven’t done this, adding one can help Instagram authenticate your account.
  • If you’re still having issues, try uninstalling and then reinstalling the Instagram app. Having a clean install can sometimes fix issues with your device, and will ensure the most up to date software is installed.
  • Consider changing your password; again, this sometimes helps resend information and ensures nothing has gone wrong between your device and the server.

I’m Still Struggling

If none of the suggested fixes have helped, and you’re still experiencing the same issue, it might be worth contacting Instagram’s help and support team. They should be able to help you diagnose and fix the issue, and will let you know if it’s a site-wide problem which the technical team or working on. Remember to give them as much information as you can about when you encounter the issue, so they can get to the quickest solution possible.